American Dream 2024 In The Keystone State
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Lawlor, Veda Scott

So this is from Stardom, the Japanese women’s promotion, who are in town for Wrestlemania Weekend. I was in town for the weekend and since I’m not likely to ever see something like this again in person, it was worth a look. I’m not sure what to expect from this and that’s part of the fun. Let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the corner of the arena for this show with the entrance on my right and the ring pretty much straight in front of me. Keep in mind that I do not follow Stardom whatsoever and will likely have no idea what is going on as far as characters or storylines. I apologize in advance for any errors but I’m coming in mostly blind.

The opening video runs down the card, which is only five matches.

High Speed Title: Mei Seira vs. Ram Kaichow vs. Saki Kashima

Seira is defending and from what I can tell, this is similar to the X-Division/Cruiserweight Title. The audio mix is really missing as commentary is barely audible over the entrance music and I can’t make out more than a few words of what they are saying. Seira has two belts and Kaichow has one, making things all the more confusing. The fans seem to like Kaichow, who might be a bit dead.

Kashima locks up with Kaichow, who has dust flying off of her to scare Kashima away. More dust gets Kaichow out of a double wristlock before they pick up the pace with Seira hitting a running basement dropkick on Kaichow. They run the ropes until the challengers fall down, leaving Seira as the only one standing. Kaichow rolls Seira up for two and an exchange of rollups give not-Kaichow two each. Back up and Kaichow throws more dust, allowing Kashima to pin Seira for the title at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Well they weren’t kidding about the HIGH SPEED part as this was rather fast paced until the ending, which came out of nowhere. I got the concept well enough and Kaichow’s dust thing made her stand out, but the other two didn’t do much to separate themselves from the other. Either way, it was a nice introduction to the show as it was flying by and kept me interested.

AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae vs. Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe

Saya and Kid start things off, which is apparently a big rivalry. They go to the mat and get nowhere so they both flip up for a staredown. Branae comes in for part of a triple Gory Bomb to put Kid down for two and it’s back to Saya, who gets caught with a headscissors. Watanabe crushes Saya in the corner but gets cut off with a spinning kick to the face. A springboard crossbody gives Saya two and a triple dropkick takes Watanabe down again.

Back up and Watanabe kicks Saya in the head and the double tag brings in AZM and Vaquer. AZM kicks Vaquer in the head and it’s back to Branae, who gets caught with Eat Defeat. Some running knees give Branae two but the villains (I think?) take her into the corner for the train of running shots. Everything breaks down and Kid dives onto the floor to take out AZM and Saya. That leaves Vaquer to headbutt Branae in the corner and go after her recently injured knee. Branae manages a neckbreaker but walks into a package piledriver onto the knee to give Vaquer the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here as they had a bit more time to showcase the people involved. Six women spread over nine minutes isn’t much but it’s better than cramming it into even less time. Vaquer felt like a star and that makes sense as she is the New Japan Women’s Strong Champion. Not a great match, but if the idea is to get as many people on the show as possible, they’re doing well.

Willow Nightingale/Saki vs. Konami/Syuri

Syuri is one of the most revered names going today and I might have seen her once before. Saki and Syuri start things off with Syuri grabbing a rollup for a fast two, giving us an early standoff. Nightingale comes in for a double shoulder to Syuri but she’s back up t kick Saki in the back for two. Konami comes in for a dropkick and a one kneed cover gets two. It’s already back to Syuri for a kick to the back but Saki suplexes her way to freedom. Nightingale comes back in to run Syuri over, setting up a spinebuster for two.

A Cannonball misses though and Syuri gets two off a DDT. Everything breaks down and Syuri and Konami grab stereo holds, both of which are broken up just as fast. Syuri chokes Saki on the floor, leaving Konami to missile dropkick Nightingale. Saki is back in to make a save and Konami is tossed onto Syuri. Nightingale has had enough of this and hits a heck of a Pounce on Konami, setting up a DDT for two. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 8:28.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here but they were blazing through it again. That’s been a trend with this show, which isn’t the best idea for a five match card. Nightingale continues to be a ball of energy no matter where she is and it’s great to see her getting a win like this. Now give her a win with some gold on the line and it’ll be even better.

Mayu Iwatani/Tam Nakano/Momo Kohgo vs. Mina Shirakawa/Mariah May/Xia Brookside

This is Stars vs. Club Venus, the latter of which comes off as some kind of pop band/Mean Girls deal. Venus seems to be mainly about Shirakawa, with the other two being her henchwomen. May ducks Kohgo’s running dropkick to start and plans her with a very spinning side slam. Brookside comes in for the running knees to the back and we get a triple Venus pose.

The fans approve of Shirakawa coming in and grabbing a quickly released surfboard. May comes back in but gets caught with a dropkick, allowing Kohgo to hit a crossbody. Iwatani comes in and gets to pick up the pace, including a double springboard wristdrag to May and Shirakawa. May is back up with a Sling Blade and it’s Shirakawa coming in for a kick to the head. Nakano comes in for the first time for a shake off (just go with it) with Shirakawa.

A hanging suplex gives Shirakawa two and it’s Brookside coming in with a neckbreaker for the same. Everything breaks down and a double 619 hits Brookside to give Nakano two. Venus is back in with a double Paige Turner to give Brookside her own near fall on Nakano. There’s a running Codebreaker to drop Nakano as everything breaks down again. Iwatani hits a big dive to the floor and a kick to the face gets two on Brookside, with the rest of Venus making the save. Nakano has had it with this and grabs Twilight Dream (tiger suplex) for the pin at Brookside at 12:13.

Rating: B-. This was another case where the extra time helped but the other thing here was it felt like Venus came off as a full time team rather than two people thrown together. Everyone got a chance to shine here and it felt like more of a showcase, with Brookside getting a lot of time in there. Good stuff here, and probably the best match of the show so far.

Post match the winners leave….and here is Toni Storm, with the AEW Women’s Title and a bouquet of flowers. She talks about the time she has had in Philadelphia, where she started with Easter Championship Wrestling. Storm: “I’ll have you know that this is the very place where I entered Sandman.” She puts over Stardom and praises May, even giving her the flowers. As for Mina Shirakawa, who is standing in the ring as well, the Forbidden Door is always open. Shirakawa is game.

We recap the main event. Maika is the World Champion, Megan Bayne is a power monster, they’ve teamed together and fought before, title match on.

World Of Stardom Title: Maika vs. Megan Bayne

Bayne, billed as the Megasus and the much larger of the two, is challenging. Maika tries some running shoulders to no avail so she tells Bayne to come on. An armdrag works better but Bayne is back up to run her over with a real shoulder. A butterfly suplex gets two, followed by a Samoan drop for the same.

Back up and some running clotheslines in the corner give Maika two and she goes after the arm. Bayne powers up and suplexes her way to freedom, setting up a side slam for two more. Maika puts her up top for a superplex and another near fall, followed by a cutter for the same. Bayne is back with a big boot and a heck of a running clothesline to leave them both down.

Back up and they slug it out until Maika snaps off a powerslam. Maika catches her up top with a powerbomb for one but Bayne is back with a heck of a spear. An apron German suplex gives Bayne two more with an F5 getting the same. They go up again and this time it’s a super Michinoku Driver to give Maika two of her own. A Michinoku Driver II gives Maika the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B. This was just starting to cook when they went home, with Maika being a good fighting from underneath champion. Bayne is a monster with something of a Beth Phoenix look/style so there was an obvious story to be told here. Good match and the best part of the show, though they could have gone longer.

Post match respect is shown and here is Momo Watanabe to say she’s the next challenger. Watanabe pulls back her baseball bat to swing at Maika but Bayne gets in her way and sends Watanabe bailing. Maika says they’re on for April 27 in Yokohama before leading the fans in the WE ARE STARDOM chant to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s it? The show didn’t even run an hour and forty five minutes, with the longest match out of five lasting less than fifteen minutes. I’m not sure if that is Stardom’s style, but this was really short and felt like it could have gone another hour or so. What we got was good, but I was sitting in the crowd wondering what else they were going to do because it wasn’t even two hours and then the show just ended. For the prices being charged, this should have been more, as it just didn’t last long enough. What we got was good, but egads give us more than that.

Results
Saki Kashima b. Ram Kaichow and Mei Seira – Crucifix to Seira
Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe b. AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae – Package piledriver onto the knee to Branae
Stars b. Club Venus – Twilight Dream to Brookside
Maika b. Megan Bayne – Michinoku Driver II

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Stardom Supreme Fight 2023
Date: February 4, 2023
Location: EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Attendance: 1,832
Commentators: Haruo Murata, Makoto Oe, Mai Sakuai

Let me get this out of the way first: I have no idea what is going on with this show as I do not follow Stardom and since I do not speak Japanese, I am going to be going with whatever I can tell from the show itself. I apologize in advance for any continuity errors or names I get wrong, as the only thing I have to go on is a list of people in each match and whatever pictures I can find to remember who is who.  The only thing I know is that Stardom is about as well received of a women’s promotion as there is in the world today so let’s get to it.

We run down the card.

Naniwa Roulette Match

This seems to be something of a gauntlet match with a roulette wheel announcing the entrants. Mayu Iwatani, who has appeared in Ring Of Honor, is in at #1 and Waka Tsukiyama is in at #2. Waka starts fast with a running Downward Spiral for a fast two before jumping on Mayu’s back for a double arm crank. A missile dropkick gives Waka two more but Mayu grabs a cradle for a near fall of her own. Mayu is right back with a dragon suplex for the pin at 2:05.

Momo Kohgo is in at #3 and talks trash to get the crowd behind her (I think?). Mayu is willing to fight her on the apron and they slug it out until Momo hits a dropkick. A 619 misses and the referee’s motions make me think you can be eliminated by going over the top to the floor. Back in and a springboard missile dropkick gives Momo two but Mayu kicks her down. Something like an arm trap Brock Lock makes Momo tap at 6:41 (total, as all times will be) and it’s Miyu Amasaki in at #4.

Mayu wastes no time in taking her down but Miyu grabs some rollups for two each. A DDT gives Miyu two but Mayu grabs a lifting dragon sleeper (ouch) for the tap at 9:57. Tam Nakano is in at #5 and kicks Mayu in the face to start. Mayu misses her own kick and gets kneed hard in the face to send her through the ropes.

Tam goes up for a dive but someone shouts at her not to (the over the top rule seems to be a reality), allowing Mayu to try to pull her down. Instead Tam pulls her back in with Mayu snapping off a super hurricanrana. They strike it out from the mat and trade nasty bridging German suplexes for two each. Another from the knees slugout ensues as the ring announcer keeps saying something, which sounds like a time left call. The bell rings after a two count and both of them seem to be eliminated via the time limit (of what seems to be five minutes a fall) at 17:02.

Mina Shirakawa is in at #6 and Natsuopoi is in at #7 to start things fresh. They run the ropes to start with Mina taking out the knee, only to get caught with a running dropkick against the ropes. Natsuopoi goes up top but gets punched in the head to bring them both back down.

Something like a running sideways sunset flip gets two on Mina and they slug it out. Mina drops her with a spinning backfist but gets rolled up for a few near falls. Natsuopoi snaps off a release German suplex but gets caught in a Figure Four. The ropes break that up so Mina grabs it again, only to have time expire for another double elimination at 25:36. That means Mariah May is in at #8 and Mai Sakurai is in at #9 as we start over again.

Mai dropkicks her down to start but Mariah hits a middle rope version of her own. That just earns Mariah something close to an STF and a top rope missile dropkick (if that was an intentional back and forth idea with the two of them topping each other, well done), followed by a lifting double underhook DDT for two. Mariah is right back with a short powerbomb though, followed by a Tombstone for the pin at 31:53.

Thekla is in at #10 and starts fast with something like an Octopus hold to send Mariah to the apron. That doesn’t go anywhere so Thekla goes up top, only to have them fight to the apron at the same time. They both crash out to the floor and that indeed is a double elimination at 37:51. We’ll hit the reset button again with Natsuko Tora in at #11 and Momoka Hanozono in at #12.

Tora steals Momoka’s sword and chops the head off of Momoka’s doll to start (well that was mean) so Momoka swings at her. That means a doll to the head, only to have Momoka take her down and…look at her. A low bridge sends Tora to the apron but she pulls Momoka out with her. Momoka can’t get a German suplex off the apron (but she can hang off of Tora’s waist in a unique visual), only to get pulled into a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up with what looked like a mini streamer explosion to knock them both to the floor at 43:49.

That means it’s time for Billy Ken Death to come in at #13 and Yuna Mizrumor to come in at #14 as the roulette wheel only has one name left. Death seems to be some kind of a wildcard and is dressed something like a golden clown to make things even odder. A bunch of posing has Yuna annoyed but she takes Death down for a splash. Death is right back with a rollup for the pin at 49:23, leaving Saki Kashima to complete the field at #15. Death’s small package gets a fast two but Saki blocks a suplex attempt. Saki catches her on top and hits a middle rope backsplash for two of her own. A cradle gives Saki the pin at 54:51.

Rating: B. This one took me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting the opener to go nearly an hour. The match felt like something of a Stardom buffet, as you got a little taste of a bunch of people, but unfortunately only a few (Iwatani in particular) stood out. I do like the match getting time though, as gauntlet matches with thirty second falls get annoying fast (If you can beat someone that fast in a gauntlet match, why can’t you in a regular one?).

That’s where the twist of the time limits makes things more interesting, as they have another reason to go as fast/hard as they can. I liked the rule tweaks here and I saw a lot of people who probably wouldn’t have made the show otherwise, so well done on a fun and unique opener that kept me interested for a long time.

Post match Saki gets a scroll and says something on the mic.

Triangle Derby I: Stars vs. Oedo Tai/Karuka Umesaki

That would be Hazuki/Koguma/Saya Iida vs. Ruaka/Starlight Kid/Umesaki and this seems to be something of a six woman tag tournament. Koguma and Kid start things off with the fans seeming to like the latter better. Everything breaks down fast and Kid heads to the floor, where she hits Koguma with….it looks like a suitcase that Ruaka brought with her.

Ruaka (as shown by a name bar during the match for a NICE addition) comes in to slowly kick at a dazed Koguma. Iida comes in to strike away at Ruaka, who runs her over with a crossbody. Umesaki hits a running dropkick against the apron but Hazuki comes in to take over. Everything breaks down and the Stars hit stereo kicks to the face against the ropes.

Hazuki and Umesaki slug it out until the latter catches her with a suplex. Kid gets sent to the apron by Koguma, who gets sent face first into the buckle for her efforts. A standing moonsault gives Kid two and an assisted double suplex drops Koguma again. Kid’s Lionsault gets two but a crucifix sets off a pinfall reversal sequence with Koguma stacking her up for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: B. This was quite the departure from the first match as they had all six women going all over the place until someone got the pin. It was a different style from the opener and showcased more of the teamwork, which was nice for a change. Another solid match and I could go for seeing more of all six, especially Umesaki.

God’s Eye/Konami vs. Queen’s Quest

That would be Ami Sourei/Syuri/Konami vs. AZM (a champion of some sort)/Lady C/Utami Hayashishita. AZM and Konami start things by going to the mat for a wrestle off. It’s quickly off to Syuri, who snaps off a butterfly suplex for a fast two. Syuri kicks AZM in the back and then sits down so AZM can kick her….which is a ruse to sucker her into a rollup (point for not doing the weird thing).

AZM’s run up the ropes is pulled out of the air though and a trio of running knees in the corner has her in more trouble. Ami unloads on AZM with chops against the ropes until a suplex gets AZM out of trouble. Utami comes in for a running hip attack in the corner and a running shoulder puts Ami down. It’s back to Konami with a missile dropkick and a cross armbreaker, with AZM having to make a save.

Everything breaks down and some armbars over the ropes have Queen’s Quest in more trouble. Utami’s arm is fine enough for a German suplex to Konami before Lady C comes in with a giant swing to Konami. The chokeslam gives Lady C two and Utami’s double stomp off of Lady C’s shoulders gets two more. The cobra clutch is broken up and a Death Valley Driver plants Lady C. Stereo running kicks set up Konami’s cross armbreaker but AZM makes the save. Everything breaks down (again) and Konami rolls Lady C into an armbar for the win at 11:27.

Rating: B. They changed gears again here as this was more about the intensity and pain instead of athleticism. Lady C was treated like a monster and Konami got to take her apart piece by piece for a good story to the ending. It was more good stuff with a lot of talented stars and I could go for more of them. This would especially include Syuri, who I’ve heard a lot about but haven’t seen much of so far.

We recap Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mirai, which seems to be Mirai trying to slay a monster.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mirai

Chihiro backs her into the corner to start and grinds away on a headlock. A headscissors stays on the head/neck as Mirai can’t figure out what to do here. Back up and they trade hammerlocks until Mirai reverses into a quickly broken Fujiwara armbar. More grappling gets Mirai backed up against the ropes again and a hard slam puts her back down.

Some shots to the face seem to wake Mirai up but Chihiro runs her over again. A middle rope flipping splash misses for Chihiro though and a basement dropkick to the back of the head staggers her a bit. Mirai adds a missile dropkick for two but gets pulled into an abdominal stretch to mix things up.

With that broken up, Mirai grabs a sleeper and a quick Downward Spiral gets two. Chihiro suplexes her way out of what looked like an armbar, only to get knocked down again. Mirai’s backsplash gets two and they strike it out until Mirai blasts her with a clothesline for another near fall. Chihiro grabs an ankle lock into a German suplex Mirai is mostly done and Chihiro’s hard lariat gets two more. A bridging German suplex finally finishes Mirai at 15:20.

Rating: B-. This was just slightly weaker than the rest of the show and if this is the low mark, we’re in for a rather good one here. They played the story of Mirai trying to chop down the monster and not being able to do it until Chihiro finally put her away. It’s something that has been done forever and it worked here, though I never bought Mirai as a big threat and the main comeback didn’t seem to get close to stopping Chihiro.

Post match Chihiro says something to the still unconscious Mirai. Syuri comes in and we seem to have another match set up.

Intermission (I think).

We recap the Tag Team Titles match, which again seems to be a team coming after some monsters.

Goddesses Of Stardom Titles: Neo Stardom Army vs. Donna del Mundo

This would be the Tag Team Titles and it’s Nanae Tahahashi/Yuu (Neo Stardom Army) defending vs. Himeka/Maika (Donna del Mundo). After the big match intros, Yuu shoulders Maika down to start but gets taken down as well. Maika’s sliding lariat misses though and we have an early standoff. It’s off to the partners but everything breaks down rather fast, with the champions getting caught in the corners.

The Army is sent outside for running knees from the apron….and Himeka is hurt. Nanae throws her back inside anyway and goes after the banged up knee, with Maika’s save not really doing much good. The bigger Yuu starts in on the knee but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Maika to get in a kick to the head. The tag brings in Maika to clean house (the fans approve) but Yuu knocks her down for a backsplash.

A Cannonball crushes Maika in the corner and Nanae drops her again with a suplex. They slap it out until Maika scores with a legsweep, followed by a belly to back suplex. Nanae gets in a shot of her own but a clothesline cuts her off, allowing Himeka to come back in for the house cleaning. A kick to the knee takes her down again but she’s fine enough to hit a sliding lariat for two. Everything breaks down and Nanae grabs the logical Figure Four.

That and a kneebar send Himeka bailing to the ropes so Maika catches Nanae on top. Himeka adds a powerbomb to her partner to make it a Tower Of Doom but the knee gives out, allowing Yuu to hit a Cannonball. Himeka is back up for a double suplex, meaning Yuu has to make a save. Somehow the knee holds up for a powerbomb out of the corner to Nanae but Yuu breaks up a running knee (which didn’t seem to be a good idea). The Army hits back to back splashes for two and Nanae’s sliding lariat gets two on Himeka. A hammerlock air raid crash gives Nanae the pin on Himeka to retain at 18:55.

Rating: B+. This match felt like the biggest on the show and that is how it came off in execution. There were near falls and false finishes until one of the teams got a pin. I got into this one near the end and it was a heck of a showdown. The fact that it is (so far) the best match on a pretty awesome show is quite the feat and they made it work here.

Post match the champs brag and receive a trophy but Oedo Tai (Ruaka and Natsuko Tora in this case) come out, seemingly as the next challengers.

We recap the Wonder of Stardom Title, with champion Saya Kamatani and Momo Watanabe wanting the title and fighting on the way here.

Wonder Of Stardom Title: Saya Kamitani vs. Momo Watanabe

Saya is defending and this seems to be the company’s midcard title. They trade kicks to the head and near falls in the first twelve seconds before Watanabe misses another kick. The fight heads outside with Watanabe hitting her with some kind of paddle and then whipping Saya into the chairs.

Back in and Saya grabs a Boston crab but Watanabe reverses into a rollup for two. Saya slaps on a figure four necklock, which doesn’t last long either as Watanabe knocks her out to the apron. The table is set up at ringside but Saki hurricanranas her off of it for a breather. Saki puts Watanabe onto the table and hits(ish) a top rope double stomp which knocks her off (but doesn’t break) said table.

Back in and Watanabe snaps off a German suplex to leave both of them down for a needed breather. Watanabe fires the kicks to the chest but Saki is back up with the hard forearms. A pair of dragon suplexes give Watanabe two but Saki bulldogs her way out of trouble. Saki hits a sitout fisherman’s buster for two, followed by a 450 to retain the title at 16:41.

Rating: B. It was a good match, but I didn’t quite but Watanabe as a major threat here. It felt like she was supposed to be this evil challenger and while she came close here and there, I didn’t quite buy the title as being in jeopardy. Maybe knowing more of the backstory would help, but this was a step down from some of the other matches on the show.

We recap Suzu Suzuki challenging Giulia for the World Of Stardom Title (seems to be the World Title). It seems that they used to be friends but now they’re fighting over the title, which is a story that will work every time.

World Of Stardom Title: Suzu Suzuki vs. Giulia

Giulia is defending and while I’ve heard a lot of great things about her, I’ve never seen her in the ring. Suzuki (whose video says CRAZY GIRL) has a title of her own but for the sake of clarity, I’ll only refer to Giulia as champion. They fight over wrist control to start until Giulia grabs a headlock to slow things down. Suzuki reverses into a headlock of her own, which is broken just as quickly.

An exchange of rollups gets two each and they’re at another standoff. They roll away from each other again before going with the slow exchange of forearms less than five minutes in. Suzuki gets in the first hard shot to take over though and it’s a running knee to the back to rock Giulia again. A tornado DDT gets her out of trouble though and it’s time to work on Suzuki’s arm. Giulia suplexes her down again but Suzuki takes it to the floor and whips Giulia into the chairs.

They go up the ramp, where Giulia counters a suplex into a DDT, only to get planted right back by Suzuki. Back in and they trade headbutts until Suzuki kicks her in the head. Giulia is able to catch her up top though and a butterfly superplex sends Suzuki crashing. Suzuki flips out of a suplex and grabs a Spanish Fly to leave both of them down.

It’s time to start going after Suzuki’s arm, with Giulia first tying up the legs for easier access. Something close to a Rings of Saturn has Suzuki in more trouble but she’s able to get to the ropes. A piledriver in the vicinity of the apron (to avoid the whole broken neck thing) knocks Giulia silly and a super half nelson slam makes it worse.

Something like a reverse Paige Turner gives Suzuki two and a bridging German suplex gets the same. A top rope bridging German superplex (egads) gets another two on Giulia and they’re both down again. Suzuki grabs some rollups for two each but Giulia plants her with a suplex. The knee to the face gets one before a Snowplow finishes Suzuki to retain the title at 25:07.

Rating: B+. This was another match that felt like a struggle with both women working as hard as they could to beat the other. I’m not sure how personal it felt, but what mattered is the fact that they did so much to each other that it felt like Suzuki finally fell at the end. Heck of a fight here and it felt like a main event, which is one of the hardest things to do these days.

Post match Giulia gets the mic and says something to Suzuki, which the fans seem to appreciate. Suzuki gets the mic and says something also positively received before talking about Stardom. She says something to Giulia, who seems to agree, before falling down and leaving Giulia alone in the ring. Giulia seems to thank the fans and poses for a bit.

Overall Rating: A. I’m not sure what else I could have asked for her as this show was pretty awesome. The best compliment I can give it is that while I watched it in a few different sittings, I wanted to come back and see how the rest of the show would go. It kept me interested in people I don’t know and in stories I don’t understand because the action was that good. There isn’t a must see match on the show, but there is a bunch of very good stuff and for a three and a half hour card, that is pretty awesome. Check this out.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

Wrestle Kingdom XVI Night Two
Date: January 5, 2022
Location: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 6,379
Commentators: Chris Charlton, Kevin Kelly

It’s the second of three nights of this show and this one feels like the biggest. Last night’s main event saw Kazuchika Okada win the IWGP World Title again, which leaves him ready for his first defense against Will Ospreay. The second biggest match on the card is Kenta defending the United States Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi in a No DQ match, which could be a heck of a fight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

Pre-Show: Togi Makabe/Yuji Nagata/Tomoaki Honma vs. Bullet Club

That would be Bad Luck Fale, Gedo and Jado for the Club. The Club jumps them to start but Jado and Gedo are knocked to the floor to start. Fale is fine enough to run Honma over though and the good guys are in trouble early. Honma is sent outside and Makabe gets taken into the corner with Jado standing on his chest.

Gedo and Fale take Jado’s place but Makabe fights up and brings Nagata in to strike away on Fale. Jado breaks up a Crossface on Fale and it’s Honma coming coming in. Everything breaks down and Fale is clotheslined out to the floor. That leaves Honma to headbutt Jado down, setting up a middle rope headbutt for the pin. Kelly: “Heavens be praised, Honma has won a match!”

Rating: C. This worked out well enough as it was all about warming the fans up and the good guys beating the evil villains is as smart of an idea as there is. Honma seems to be a bit of a cult hero so give him a pin to pop the crowd early on. Perfectly watchable six man here and that’s all they were shooting for.

Pre-Show: Master Wato/Tenkoji vs. Suzuki-Gun

It’s El Desperado/Yoshinobu Kantemaru/Taka Michinoku for Suzuki-Gun. It’s a brawl before the bell again until we settle down to Wato kicking away at Desperado. Wato stomps away in the corner and Tenzan tags himself in and has to back Wato off from the beating. Tenzan headbutts away but Kantemaru gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take him down. The brawl heads outside for a bit with Suzuki-Gun taking over again. Back in and Tenzan manages a mountain bomb but Taka is right there to cut him off.

As tends to be the case, one more shot is enough to get Tenzan over for the tag to Kojima, meaning we get the very rapid fire chops in the corner. A DDT hits Taka and the Koji Cutter drops Kantemaru and it’s a double tag to bring in Wato and Desperado. Wato strikes away but gets caught in a spinebuster, setting up kind of a gutwrench blue thunder bomb. That’s broken up as well and Desperado walks into the Tenkoji Cutter (3D). Everything breaks down again and it’s Wato grabbing something like a reverse Rings of Saturn to make Desperado tap at 9:24.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into this one and it made for a good match as a result. Wato making Desperado tap should give him a future Junior Heavyweight Title match so they are even going somewhere with the result. The other four did well too, but this was about Wato and they did what they needed to do.

Pre-Show: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Suzuki-Gun

That would be Shingo Takagi/Bushi/Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taichi/Zack Sabre Jr./Douki. Bushi armdrags Douki to start so it’s off to Takahashi, who wants Sabre. Takahashi has to slip out of a backbreaker and runs Sabre over, only to get pulled into a kneebar. A bridging leglock has Tanahashi in more trouble and it’s Douki coming back in for a double stomp. Various choking and stomping ensue but Takahashi manages a dragon screw legwhip.

The dragon screw legwhip and it’s Takagi coming in to clean house. Sabre tries a guillotine but gets suplexed down in a hurry. Taichi comes in for an exchange of clotheslines but Douki manages to low bridge Takagi to the floor. Everything breaks down and Douki dives off the top to take them out. Back in and Takagi hits a sliding lariat on Douki, followed by a Gory Bomb on Sabre. Takahashi comes back in to beat on Douki, setting up Last of the Dragon to give Takagi the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Nice job here of giving Takagi a quick win to get him back on track after losing the World Title to Okada last night. This was a rather action packed match as they flew around the ring and kept things moving. That being said, Los Ingobernables are a good bit deeper than Suzuki-Gun so this wasn’t exactly in doubt.

The opening video runs down the card.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Mega Coaches vs. Bullet Club’s Cutest Tag Team vs. Flying Tigers

The Tigers (Robbie Eagles/Tiger Mask) are defending against Ryusuke Taguchi/Rocky Romero (Coaches) and Taiji Ishimori/El Phantasmo (Bullet Club). Before the bell, Phantasmo jumps Tiger though and we’re starting 2 vs. 2 vs. 1. The Coaches get to clean house and Romero catapults Phantasmo into the back of Taguchi’s tights. Eagles is back in to take out the Coaches but the Club takes over on Eagles with an assisted back rake.

Phantasmo uses his loaded boot to take over until Eagles is back up with a dive. The Coaches hit dives of their own but it’s Tiger butterfly superplexing Phantasmo. Back to back tilt-a-whirl backbreakers drop the Coaches as everything stays broken down. The Coaches hit a double hip attack on Eagles but the Club is back in with double knees to Romero’s chest.

A top rope knee sets up the UFO on Tiger and a Thunder Kiss 86 gives Ishimori two. Eagles sends Phantasmo’s kick into Ishimori’s face though and it’s time for the other teams to go after Phantasmo. It’s time to unload the boot though, which contains a piece of metal. As a result, the Club is eliminated and we’re down to a regular tag match. An exchange of rollups gets two each and Tiger dives onto Taguchi on the floor. That leaves Eagles to tie Romero up with a leglock for the tap to retain the titles at 12:09.

Rating: B-. This was pure chaos throughout but they did pay off what seemed to be a long running story with the loaded boot. There was nothing resembling a tag match here and that’s what they were trying to do. It can get a little complicated and hard to follow, but some good commentary kept it simple enough to understand for the most part. It’s also nice to see these titles retained, as they seem to change hands most of the time at this show.

Tam Nakano/Saya Kamitani vs. Mayu Iwatani/Starlight Kid

This is a Stardom (women’s promotion) exhibition tag. Each one is from a different faction and they drew straws to determine the participants. Kid headscissors Kamitani down to start and snaps off a basement dropkick to make it worse. Iwatani comes in for a double 619 into a double standing moonsault, meaning it’s time to kick Kamitani in the back. Kamitani comes back with a spinwheel kick but Nakano can’t add a German suplex.

Iwatani kicks Nakano in the head for a breather and there’s a Sling Blade to take her down again. The double tag brings in Kamitani and Kid as everything breaks down. Iwatani dives onto Nakano and Kamitani, setting up Kid’s twisting top rope splash back inside. Kid climbs onto Iwatani’s shoulders (already on the middle rope) for a high crossbody onto Kamitani for two, with Nakano making the save.

That’s fine with Kid, who grabs a Texas Cloverleaf on Kamitani to make it worse. Nakano breaks that up as well and hits a big dive off the top to the floor. Back in and Kamitani’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Kid with Iwatani making the save this time. Kid and Kamitani trade rollups for two each but Iwatani is back in with a superkick. Nakano tiger suplexes Iwatani and it’s Kamitani hitting a sitout fisherman’s buster to knock Kid silly. A Phoenix splash is enough to give Kamitani the pin at 9:16.

Rating: B. This was a straight sprint as they didn’t waste time doing anything but getting in as much as they could. What made it work was that most everything looked crisp and they were flying through the whole match. I’ve heard almost nothing but good things about Stardom and it is pretty awesome to see them getting a showcase match on the biggest card in Japan. Heck of a match here and very fun.

King of Pro Wrestling Provisional Title: Cima vs. Minoru Suzuki vs. Toru Yano vs. Chase Owens

This is a weird title, as it isn’t so much about winning the title here, but rather holding it at the end of the year. These four were the final four in a battle royal yesterday to set this up. The other three jump Yano to start, because he has won the trophy two years running. With Yano and Owens sent outside, Suzuki and Cima strike it out until Suzuki is sent to the floor as well.

Cima hits a big dive onto all three of them and everyone heads back inside. Yano takes off a buckle pad as Owens hits Suzuki in the face. Owens immediately apologized and gets beaten up again, leaving Cima to put Yano in an Indian deathlock. Suzuki beats Cima up, which cranks on Yano’s leg over and over. That’s broken up so Suzuki grabs his sleeper on Owens, with Yano hitting a double low blow to break it up. Suzuki isn’t having this so he kicks Yano in the face and hits the piledriver for the pin at 6:09.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here either and it was a fast/to the point match. Suzuki shouldn’t have had any trouble with Yano or Owens so once he got the chance, he ran through Yano for the win. That being said, this is just the start of the year’s story, but Suzuki hurting people for trying to go after his title could be rather entertaining.

Post match, Suzuki beats up Yano some more and pulls out some handcuffs. In Yano fashion, he manages to handcuff Suzuki to the rope instead and runs off.

Never Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles: House of Torture vs. Chaos

That would be Evil/Yujiro Takahashi/Sho, who are defending, vs. Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi/Yoh. It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell until Goto spinwheel kicks and bulldogs Evil. Sho and Yoh come back in to continue their rivalry, with Yoh dropkicking him outside and hitting a dive. The Torture corner’s turnbuckle pad is ripped off as Sho knees Goto in the ribs back inside.

Takahashi comes in but can’t hit a suplex, instead getting clotheslined down by Goto. Hashi gets the tag to pick up the pace and a running dropkick to the back gets two on Takahashi. A kick to the head rocks Hashi but he’s back up with a running clothesline. It’s back to Yoh vs. Sho for the strike off but Torture catches Yoh in the corner for the series of running shots to the face.

Sho grabs a wrench Yoh can get choked behind the referee’s back until Goto and Hashi make the save. A superkick sets up the fireman’s carry backbreaker on Sho, with Yoh hitting his own superkick. Takahashi offers a distraction though and it’s a low blow from Evil into a wrench shot from Sho for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: C. I was getting into it but then the lame ending brought it right back down. I can understand not wanting to see Yoh pin Sho on back to back nights but they didn’t have anything other than a low blow into a weapon shot? Evil’s match yesterday felt rather out of place and that was the same here, though at least this came after a good enough match.

The teams yell at each other post match and odds are we’ll be seeing a rematch.

Here are a bunch of Pro Wrestling Noah stars, led by Keiji Mutoh (better known as Great Muta) to say that they are ready to face New Japan on Saturday. Cue Shingo Takagi and company to say he knew Noah would say something offensive and it is time to show who is better when they face off. Noah issues the challenge but Takagai and company being down about 20-3 is enough to make New Japan think twice. Noah promises to win and that’s it.

New Japan is back on AXS TV on March 3.

Here are some upcoming shows.

Intermission.

Sanada vs. Great-O-Khan

Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire. Feeling out process to start with neither getting very far early on. They fight over some armbars until Sanada dropkicks him to the floor. Khan is ready for the dive and takes him out, setting up a half nelson Skull Crushing Finale. A release gordbuster drops Sanada for two but the Mongolian chop is blocked. Sanada armdrags him down and hits a backbreaker to send Khan outside for some pleasant applause.

Back in and Sanada can’t get the Paradise Lock as Khan kicks him right back to the floor. Khan shouts down at Sanada, who stands there as Khan dives on him (with commentary pointing out that there was no reason to believe he would actually jump, meaning Sanada thought he had nothing to fear).and then a rollup gets two back inside. The Sheep Killer (I think? It’s something like an abdominal stretch.) has Sanada in trouble but he fights out hand tries an O’Connor roll.

That’s broken up as well and the Sheep Killer goes on again, but this time Sanada reverses into a tiger suplex for two. Sanada’s top rope splash hits raised knees and they slug it out with Khan getting the better of things. A kick to the face staggers Khan, but he knocks Sanada silly with a straight right hand for two of his own. Khan hits a middle rope moonsault and tries a claw, only to get reversed into a European Clutch for the pin at 13:22.

Rating: B-. This was the first singles match of the night and it was nice to see things change pace like they did here. The idea seemed to be that Sanada needed to prove he could win here and he took Khan down in the process. Khan’s improvement over the last year is still close to remarkable, as he was dreadful last time and put in a pretty good match here.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb

More Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire and this should be good. Cobb lost to Naito on a quick rollup recently and now it is time for revenge. Said revenge starts fast with Cobb unloading on him in the corner to start. Naito gets a boot up in the corner though and dropkicks the knee out to slow Cobb down. Another dropkick to the knee takes Cobb outside and the tease of the Tranquilo pose lets Naito kick him in the face again.

This time Naito follows him outside so Cobb grabs a suplex and drives Naito into the post over and over. Naito takes his time getting inside again, allowing Cobb to drive some knees into his back. There’s a gorilla press toss before Cobb puts him on his shoulder for some rams into the corner. Back up and Naito slugs away with forearms to no avail but a running boot to the face manages to drop Cobb.

Naito goes after the knee with a running dropkick, followed by a basement version in the corner. A version of the Indian Deathlock goes on but Cobb is in the rope before too long. Cobb blocks a shinbreaker and hits an overhead belly to belly, followed by a belly to belly (minus his usual running start) for two.

Tour of the Islands is broken up and Naito hits a DDT for a breather. It’s time to go back to the knee but Destino is countered again. Naito kicks him in the knee to send him into the corner and it’s time to go up. The super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb but the knee gives out again. Naito slaps on a leglock but Cobb pounds his way to freedom. A German suplex drops Naito, only to have Cobb pop up with a hard clothesline. Tour of the Islands is broken up again and Naito hits a scoop brainbuster. Destino is enough to finish Cobb at 15:36.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up and it was a much more definitive win than a rollup. Naito picks Cobb’s knee apart and took away a lot of his power, which made him closer to a mortal. This felt like a big win for Naito, who seems ready to move back up to the main event. He’s always good for a solid match and Cobb is still a heck of a monster, with this being the best match on the show so far. Or at least the best singles match so far.

IWGP United States Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenta

Kenta is defending and it’s No DQ. Tanahashi is all about honor and Kenta is all about the title, but Kenta has pushed Tanahashi too far. That could make Tanahashi extra dangerous. Before the bell, Kenta grabs some kendo sticks and throws one to Tanahashi so we start fast. The battle of the sticks goes to Kenta and a belt shot makes it worse. More stick shots rock Tanahashi and it’s time to bring in a bunch of weapons.

Various shots to the head and back have Tanahashi in more trouble as this is one sided to start. A short ladder is put in the corner but Tanahashi dropkicks Kenta’s knee, sending the champ face first into a trashcan. Tanahashi puts the trashcan over Kenta’s head and beats on it with a chair, meaning it’s time for a guitar. A good shot to the head puts a hole through the guitar (which doesn’t seem to be gimmicked) and let’s bring in a table for a bonus.

Tanahashi dragon screw legwhips Kenta down but a briefcase shot gives Kenta a much needed breather. They both go up top with Tanahashi palm striking his way out of trouble. Let’s throw in several more chairs and it’s a Sling Blade to drive Kenta into said chairs. The High Fly Flow only hits chairs though and Tanahashi is down again. Kenta buries him underneath the chairs in the corner for a running dropkick to crush him again.

Go To Sleep is loaded up but Tanahashi reverses into Twist and Shout onto the chairs. With nothing else working, the table is thrown inside and is decorates with a nice Kenta holding a chair. Tanahashi takes too long going up top though and gets chaired down, setting up a super Falcon Arrow to send Tanahashi mostly through said table.

Another table is thrown in and Kenta finds a big ladder (that thing is huge) for a bonus. Kenta sets up the ladder (and has to screw in the support) and puts Tanahashi on the table. That takes way too long though, as Tanahashi gets up and knocks Kenta down in a SCARY crash. The High Fly Flow through the bloody Kenta gives Tanahashi the pin and the title at 22:16.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going, but the violence worked because it stood out. New Japan doesn’t seem to do this kind of thing very often and it felt like a physical fight as a result. Tanahashi beats Kenta at his own game because he is the better man and as a result, it was a great way to blow off their feud. That being said, Kenta was very banged up in this match, suffering a dislocated hip, a broke nose, nerve damage in his finger and the lacerations, meaning he’s going to be gone for a little while.

Tanahashi is tended to but walks off on his own.

IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending but Ospreay has his own belt, as he was stripped of the title due to an injury. They stare at each other for a good while to start before some grappling goes nowhere. Okada takes him down by the leg before switching to an early headlock. Back up and Okada scores with a big boot into a backdrop to keep Ospreay in trouble. A neckbreaker sets up another chinlock as Okada is going after various parts. Ospreay fights up and scores with a Phenomenal Forearm to send Okada outside.

There’s no big dive though, as Ospreay instead opts to go outside and hit Okada in the face. Back in and some chops rock put Okada down, setting up a suplex to bang up Okada’s back as well. The cravate keeps Okada in trouble but he’s right back with a flapjack (Ospreay: “Oh s***!”) for a breather. A DDT and neckbreaker give Okada two each but Ospreay lifts him out to the apron.

That’s fine with Okada, who hits a running dropkick to knock Ospreay out to the floor. Okada whips him into the barricade but Ospreay superkicks him out of the air, sending Okada’s knee into the concrete. Ospreay climbs the lighting rig (as he did at a previous Wrestle Kingdom) and moonsaults down onto Okada for the big crash. Back in and a top rope forearm to the back of the head gives Ospreay two and the confidence is starting to roll. Okada is sent outside and Ospreay tries the Sasuke Special, only to get caught in a tombstone on the floor.

Back in and Okada hits a missile dropkick for two, setting up the Money Clip. Okada lets that go and hits a top rope elbow but Ospreay kicks him in the face. Ospreay’s standing shooting star press hits knees but Ospreay is back up with a Liger Bomb for two. With Okada draped over the top rope, it’s a shooting star to the back for two more. There’s the Oscutter for two more but the Hidden Blade misses. Ospreay doesn’t seem to mind and hits his own tombstone.

Since he didn’t watch last night, Ospreay tries the Rainmaker on Okada, who reverses into his own Stormbreaker (Ospreay’s finisher) for two. Back up and Okada hits his dropkick but the Rainmaker is countered into a C4 for a double knockdown. A super Oscutter gets two on Okada but Stormbreaker is countered into a spinning tombstone.

Okada hits a discus lariat into the Rainmaker for two but Ospreay is back up with his own Rainmaker. They slug it out from their knees and Okada hits another Rainmaker, but he tries again and gets reversed into the Hidden Blade for two. Stormbreaker is countered so Ospreay knees him in the face but another Hidden Blade is countered with a dropkick. The Landslide sets up the Rainmaker to retain Okada’s title at 32:53.

Rating: A-. It’s a really good match and felt like a Wrestle Kingdom main event, but it did have some of the same problems that almost always pop up in an Okada match. The kickouts got ridiculous here as it was at least three tombstones and about 73 Rainmakers to finally put Ospreay away. That being said, these two beat the fire out of each other and it was nice to see them finally have a definitive champion after all the months of screwiness (which wasn’t the company’s fault). Great match, but it could have had some finishers trimmed out.

Post match Okada says he respects Ospreay but now there is no doubt about who is the real World Champion. Cue Tetsuya Naito to praise Okada’s victories but he needs to be the next challenger. Okada thinks that’s a good idea and Naito leaves. Okada thanks the fans for coming out and giving the wrestlers their strength. He wants to wrestle and promises to keep making it rain.

Commentary has their big recap to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was better than the first night and it felt like a Wrestle Kingdom worthy show. The two main events are the best parts of the night, as tends to be the case, but there are also some awesome matches earlier on the card to make it that much better. You could tell that everyone was working hard and wanted to make this the biggest night of the year. I had a rather good time with it and that’s the right feeling to have after a show this big.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

Ring of Honor
Date: July 22, 2020

This is going to be a tough one as the show is all about Hana Kimura, who took her own life earlier this year. She was featured on several Ring of Honor shows including some fairly high level events, which means they have a lot to pick from here. I’m not sure how this one is going to go but it likely won’t be easy. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Video on Kimura.

We get a quick bio of Kimura, who really did accomplish a good bit in such a short time.

From the 16^th Anniversary Show.

Pre Show: Women of Honor Title Tournament First Round: Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Kimura is from Stardom in Japan and one half of their Tag Team Champions with her partner Kagetsu, at ringside. Sumie’s offer of a handshake is ignored and Hana pounds her down to start. A whip sends Sakai outside and Kagetsu chokes away like a villain should.

Back in and Hana pounds away, followed by a surfboard with a few presses up and down. A half crab stays on Sakai’s back but she’s still able to counter a suplex into a DDT. Sakai gets two off a bridging belly to back, only to have Kagetsu grab her leg on top. Hana’s brainbuster is good for two but it’s time for some heel miscommunication. The team is sent into each other and Sakai dives onto both of them in a good visual. Back in and Hana hits a Helluva Kick for two but Sakai grabs something like Cross Rhodes for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on a match like this as you’re basically expected to watch the YouTube matches and Stardom to know who these people are. Sakai has been around Ring of Honor for a long time now and other than the fact that she’s a wrestler and from Japan, I couldn’t tell you a single thing about her. That’s the case with most of the women’s division and that’s not good. Work on that and the division will get better in short order.

In the back, Hana sings about having the belt and Sumie isn’t sure about that.

Cheeseburger introduces our next match, from Best in the World 2018.

Sumie Sakai/Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani/Tenille Dashwood vs. Hazuki/Kelly Klein/Hana Kimura/Kagetsu

Kagetsu is the Stardom Champion and we get a staredown over the titles. Sakai wants to start for the team and gets kicked in the face by Kagetsu. Well that’ll teach her. Kimura comes in and wants Dashwood, meaning the brawl is on. Before that has a chance to go anywhere, it’s Klein coming in to throw Jenny around. Of course the fourth pairing comes in with Iwatani Sling Blading Hazuki. I might be a bit more excited if you didn’t know the tags were coming as soon as the sequence started.

The villains (Klein’s team in case you get confused by the teams with a bunch of names thrown together because you don’t do your Stardom homework) come in and triple team Sakai with three boots on her face at once, allowing Kimura to hold up the Oedo Tai (stable) sign for a cute visual. Sakai DDTs Klein and the hot tag brings in Dashwood to clean house, including a double Taste of Tenille in the corner.

A high crossbody gets two on Dashwood and Sakai comes back in with a missile dropkick. Everything breaks down again and Sakai gets a guillotine choke on Kimura. That’s muscled into a delayed suplex for two on Sakai but Kagetsu hits Kimura with the sign by mistake. Sumie dives onto a pile and hits a dragon suplex for the pin on Kimura at 10:27.

Rating: C. I say this a lot and I’m going to keep saying it until it’s no longer a problem: I have no idea who these people are and I don’t know why I’m supposed to care about them. It’s a bunch of Stardom talents and some names from Ring of Honor, who I don’t know either for the most part. The division does exist, but it’s not going to go far if I have to do outside research to figure out who these people are or what they’re doing here. Give us some quick videos or translated promos if necessary, but find a way to let us know what’s going on.

Mandy Leon talks about meeting Hana after working with her mother. They wrestled together in Japan and Hana was always smiling.

From ROH TV, July 28, 2018.

Kagetsu/Hana Kimura vs. Jenny Rose/Mayu Iwatani

Mandy Leon is on commentary. Kagetsu gets double teamed to start and Iwatani hits a quick standing flip splash for two. Jenny gets sent outside and takes a suicide dive as we go to an early break. Back with Jenny getting crushed in the corner until a double clothesline bails her out. Mayu comes in with some dropkicks and a double springboard wristdrag. A double dropkick against the ropes has the villains (I think?) in trouble and an even harder baseball slide dropkick nails Kimura for two.

The frog splash misses and Hana hits a hard suplex, allowing for the double tag. Rose gets two each off a northern lights suplex and a top rope clothesline but Kagetsu pulls her into a cross armbreaker. A rope is enough for the save so Kagetsu grabs the referee, allowing Hana to hit Jenny with the Oedo Tai sign. Kagetsu kicks her in the head for two and a double big boot is good (I thought that was the finish). Instead a Samoan driver pins Rose at 9:57.

Rating: C+. If you give these people some characters or tell us a few things about them, I could easily get behind matches like this. It’s a very entertaining match and the four worked hard, but this division needs a top star to build around. For reasons that I don’t understand whatsoever, that spot has gone to Sumie Sakai instead of Tenille Dashwood.

Clips of Kimura in New York City and how important it was to get to wrestle in Madison Square Garden.

From the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden.

Jenny Rose/Kagetsu/Hazuki vs. Hana Kimura/Stella Grey/Sumie Sakai

Kagetsu and Hazuki do their rather cool Oedo Tai dance. It’s a brawl to start with Stella getting beaten up in the corner. Oedo Tai ties her in the ropes for a big triple pose before Sumie gets double drop toeholded down. A double backsplash makes it even worse and it’s off to Rose for a running corner clothesline. The spinning side slam gets two and it’s off to Hazuki to choke on the ropes.

Sakai avoids a splash though and grabs a neckbreaker, allowing the hot tag to Kimura. Some running furry rainbow boots to Hazuki’s face get two but Kimura’s suplex attempt is countered into a guillotine. That’s broken up with straight power into a suplex and it’s a triple submission onto Rose and company. With that broken up, Kimura gets kicked in the face by Kagetsu and it’s off to Rose for a slugout with Sakai.

A double suplex is countered into a double DDT and Sumie’s brainbuster gets two on Hazuki. Smash Mouth gets two with Jenny making the save and everything breaks down. Sumie dives onto her own partners by mistake and Oedo Tai hits their stereo suicide dives. Back in and Kagetsu hits a Samoan driver for two on Sakai. Hazuki is back in with a springboard missile dropkick though and Kagetsu adds a 450 to finish Sakai at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This is how you get a show going as this was almost all action throughout. That’s a nice choice for an opener and while it didn’t exactly focus on Kimura, it was great to see her getting to be on a big stage like this. The match was good stuff too, mainly due to the Stardom women as the ROH roster leaves a good bit to be desired.

Everyone talks about how sad it was to see Kimura pass away like she did. Everyone needs to be nicer to each other.

Overall Rating: B-. I really didn’t know much about Kimura as I’m not the biggest joshi fan but it was clear that she was a young up and comer who was gone way too soon. There is no excuse for what she had to go through and it’s horrible that this was the result. She should have been a star for a long time to come and that smile certainly seemed to be a major trademark. She wasn’t around long but she did seem pretty good at what she was doing. That’s quite a shame and it’s nice to see ROH do something like this for her, as she deserved it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Ring of Honor
Date: April 17, 2019
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

The fallout from Supercard of Honor continues to be delayed as we’re still not quite ready to get to New York yet. As usual, that means we could be going in a variety of ways as you never know what sort of things this company will throw at you. Odds are it won’t be storyline based though, which can get old after awhile. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The Briscoe Brothers aren’t happy with having to qualify for the Crockett Cup. That’s cool though, as they’ll throw someone a beating tonight to make it in. After tonight though, they’re not responsible for what happens.

Opening sequence.

Shane Taylor vs. Luchasaurus

Shane yells a lot and they take turns shoving each other in the face. Luchasaurus’ kick to the legs gets on Shane’s nerves so he chops the heck out of Luchasaurus’ chest. Some more kicks have Taylor in trouble but a right hand on the apron sets up a hanging Stunner for two.

Back from a break with Shane shrugging off a knee to the face and getting two more off a chokeslam. The Snake Bites (anklescissors faceplant) into the Shining Lizard (yep) gives Luchasaurus two of his own and they trade the big shots to the face. One heck of a clothesline blasts Luchasaurus for two more but something like Black Mass rocks Shane again. A chokeslam sets up a standing moonsault to Shane’s raised knees and Shane blasts him with a knee of his own. Greetings From 216 finish Luchasaurus at 8:11.

Rating: C+. Shane can have some awesome hoss fights and while this one was good, it wasn’t quite up to the levels of his fights with Jeff Cobb. Luchasaurus is a great monster, though having him lose here doesn’t do him a ton of good. I could see Shane being a great monster for someone to slay, though I’m not sure who that someone would be.

We look at Silas Young cheating to beat Jonathan Gresham last week.

Young and Gresham get in an argument in the back but they’re separated pretty quickly. A rematch is teased for later.

Sumie Sakai/Mayu Iwatani vs. Katie Forbes/Mazzerati

Tenille Dashwood is on commentary and announces that she is cleared to get back in the ring (which ring isn’t specified). Forbes is debuting here (she was at the Impact United We Stand show and didn’t exactly stand out). She’s also rather, ahem, hippy and that seems to be the main focus of her existence. Mazzerati slaps Iwatani in the face to start so it’s a fast paced Japanese armdrag to take Mazzerati down.

Since Mazzerati realizes how far in over her head she really is, it’s off to Sumie vs. Forbes for a change. Katie shoves her into the corner so Sakai kicks her in the foot (which seems to take three tries for Forbes to get the hint) and hits the Mongolian chops in the corner. Forbes hips her in the head and follows with a handspring hip attack in the corner. A Stinkface (yeah you get the idea) sends us to a break with the announcers calling this “terrible”.

Back with Mazzerati kicking Sakai in the knee and getting frustrated at the kickout. The legdrop misses so Sakai gets in a running knee but Forbes intercepts Iwatani on the floor. Sumie grabs a fisherman’s neckbreaker to drop Mazzerati again and this time the tag works just fine. Everything breaks down and Iwatani springboard wristdrags both of them at once. Dashwood: “I can do that but I just hold it back.”

Iwatani’s middle rope missile dropkick sets up a missile dropkick to give Sakai two. Forbes fireman’s carries both of them at once and does some squats before hitting the Samoan drop. There’s no cover so Iwatani superkicks Forbes, leaving Mazzerati to take Smash Mouth for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: D+. I would go into a little more on Forbes but I’d be surprised if she’s brought back. Her entire thing was the hips and that got annoying in a hurry because it feels out of place around here. Forbes wasn’t working for me and the act wasn’t great when it started and aged even faster. Mazzerati needs more work but there’s potential there. Just keep her away from Forbes, who was the big problem with the match.

PJ Black is impressed with Bandido and doesn’t like the cheating ways.

Crockett Cup Qualifying Match: Jeff Cobb/Willie Mack vs. Briscoes

This could be good. Mark and Mack chop the heck out of each other to start and you know they’re both cool with that. A crossbody takes Mark down and a knee to the head makes it even worse. Cobb comes in for his very delayed vertical suplex and the Briscoes are in trouble. Jay comes in to face Cobb and we take a fast break.

Back with Cobb charging into Jay’s elbow in the corner and a double elbow dropping him again. Some knees to the head and an elbow of his own put Jay down and they head outside. Mark isn’t that patient though and hits a big dive onto both of them to put Cobb back in trouble. Jay fires off the hard shoulders in the corner and a snap suplex (with some trash talk to Mack) has Cobb in rare trouble.

A dropkick gets Cobb out of trouble, because a 280lb Olympic wrestler can throw a great dropkick, and it’s the hot tag bringing in Mack. The reverse Cannonball gets two on Mark but Jay sends Mack into something close to a Claymore for two. We take another break and come back with Mark headbutting Mack in the corner with some surprising success. The neck crank goes on for a bit but Mack hits a pop up Downward Spiral (that’s a new one). The tag brings in Cobb but Jay comes in without a tag of his own in what seems like a bit of chicanery.

Cobb suplexes both of them in a row and then does it at the same time to show off. A standing moonsault gets two on Mark, who is right back with a Pele of all things. Jay’s crazy hard lariat gets two as Mack is back to life for the latest hot tag. Mack hits a Samoan drop into a standing moonsault for two on Jay and it’s time to head outside. Since Mack and Cobb can never get together, Mark hits a running Blockbuster off the apron to drop Mack again.

Back in and Mack is fine enough for a t-bone suplex for two but walks into the Doomsday Device. Cobb shoves Jay into the cover for the save and breaks up Redneck Boogey for a bonus. The Stunner into a swinging German suplex sets up Mack’s frog splash for two on Mark in a great false finish. Jay grabs Mark to block the Tour of the Islands so it’s Mack and Mark chopping it out again. Mack hits a running big boot but Jay comes back in for a hurricanrana into the Jay Driller. Just in case, Mark drops the Froggy Bow for the pin at 19:44.

Rating: A-. I dug the heck out of this one as they were nailing it throughout with an energy you don’t get around here very often. The best thing I can say about it though was that it felt like an old NWA main event tag. Back in the day you would have a random pairing against a regular team (usually the Horsemen or the Midnight Express) and they would tear the house down with an awesome match. Cut about three minutes out of this and it’s even better, which is quite the accomplishment. Check this one out, and probably the Crockett Cup too.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event is more than enough to carry this one as far as it needed to go, though the rest of the card doesn’t exactly live up to that level. I want to see the Crockett Cup though, which is about all this show needed to do. They need to get to the main stories though because this isn’t going to be the norm for these shows.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Ring of Honor
Date: March 13, 2019
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

I’m not sure what to expect from this show anymore and that’s a very cool thing to say. The stories have gotten awesome as of late and that makes me want to keep watching. This is the unofficial go home show for the Anniversary Show this Friday, where a lot of things will be set up for the MSG show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Jay Lethal destroying Matt Taven’s fake World Title last week.

Opening sequence.

Kingdom vs. Villain Enterprises

TK O’Ryan/Vinny Marseglia vs. Marty Scurll/PCO here with no one in either corner. The Kingdom jumps them before the bell but a screaming PCO clotheslines them both. He and Scurll clear the ring and pose before settling down to work on O’Ryan’s arm. Marseglia breaks up a sunset flip attempt though and whips Scurll nearly through the barricade to take over. Back in and a double suplex gets two on Marty as we take a break.

We come back with O’Ryan ripping at Marty’s eye like a true villain should. A headbutt misses and it’s off to PCO for the scary power. I don’t mean that he’s overly strong, but he has power while being scary. Scurll backdrops the Kingdom to the floor and then backdrops PCO onto them for a good visual. Back in and a frog splash gives PCO two on Marseglia, who is right back up with a Russian neckbreaker on Scurll. What looked to be a piledriver on the apron is broken up and Marseglia suicide dives onto PCO. That lets O’Ryan bust Scurll’s spine, setting up a Swanton from Marseglia for two.

We take a second break and come back again with another Swanton driving PCO through a table. PCO almost immediately sits up but gets shoved off the top, sending him face first into a chair on the apron. O’Ryan hits a moonsault for two more on Scurll but Marty is right back with a powerslam into a Boston crab. A middle rope legdrop from PCO makes it even worse and Marseglia gets catapulted into the corner. The chickenwing makes Marseglia tap at 16:33.

Rating: B. It was energetic and long, which is the kind of thing that this company does well. I like Villain Enterprises a lot and having a monster like Brody King on the team as well makes them that much better. There’s a good chance that they could go after some titles soon and I could live with that including Scurll being World Champion. At least it’s not Taven.

Rush rants in Spanish and seems to say this is his house. Bandido comes in and speaks more Spanish before offering a handshake. That’s not happening, but they’re meeting at the Anniversary Show so there was indeed a clear point here.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Holidead

Iwataini’s freshly won Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Iwatani kicks her in the ribs to start and ducks a big boot as they start fairly fast. A dropkick puts Holidead on the floor but she makes a quick save on top and tries a superplex. Since that might kill Iwatani, they knock each other to the apron instead, followed by a Stunner over the rope to drop Iwatani. An apron legdrop takes us to a break and we come back with Sumie Sakai cheering for Iwatani.

Holidead rams her back first into a few buckles and shrugs off the kicks to the ribs. A kick to the head works a bit better but Holidead is right back with a belly to back suplex for two. Iwatani is back with a crucifix bomb for two more, only to get blasted with a clothesline for the same. With nothing else working, Iwatani superkicks her into a German suplex, followed by another kick to the head. A good looking moonsault finishes Holidead at 8:23.

Rating: C. Iwatani is already about 184x more interesting than Sakai ever could have been so at least they’re going in the right direction. I just hope we don’t have to see the two of them fight in some teacher vs. student deal, as I don’t think I can handle that much more Sakai. Anyway, entertaining match here, mainly because Iwatani has some good charisma.

Post match Kelly Klein and Team Kelly (A bunch of people in track suits who we’ve never seen before. I know it’s probably something established on Honor Club, but you can’t expect us to watch all that stuff and know who these people are.) appears. Iwatani takes them out like the goons (who only attack one at a time) they are, leaving Kelly to hold up the title, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

We look at the Briscoe Brothers fighting with Villain Enterprises, setting up their title match at the Anniversary Show.

Kenny King vs. Dalton Castle

Castle, with taped ribs, is shaken up after losing the fall in the ten man tag a few weeks ago. King isn’t shaking hands to start so Castle takes him down with a waistlock. The gutwrench is blocked though and we hit that Peacock Pose. King gets knocked to the floor and Castle does the strut. We take a break and come back with King working on the ribs because he’s smarter than he looks.

A short DDT gets Castle out of trouble but it bangs up the ribs even more. They take turns missing a series of clotheslines in the corner so Castle goes with a suplex into the reverse Sling Blade for two. The wrestling isn’t working for King so he heads outside and grabs one of the Boys to throw at Castle. The distraction sets up the Royal Flush to finish Castle at 6:48.

Rating: C-. This was more angle advancement for Castle, who might be heading for a heel turn after all of these losses. The problem with that is Castle being so charismatic and great at what he does that he’s going to get cheered anyway, but maybe they have an idea to make up for that. It’s a risky move, but something that could work.

Post match King promises to beat up Marty Scurll again at the Anniversary Show.

Matt Taven is distraught over his title being destroyed and swears vengeance.

Pay per view rundown, with the quick promos from various people.

The Briscoes say they kill people.

Kelly Klein promises to win her title back.

Marty Scurll says the match may be in Kenny King’s hometown but it’s Villain Country.

Here’s Taven to rant about the title being destroyed. He’s out here by himself and Jay Lethal needs to come out here and face him like a man one on one. Lethal comes out in street clothes but the Kingdom runs in and beats Lethal down. Taven rips off Lethal’s clothes and the comeback is cut off by the numbers game. A table is brought in but here’s Jonathan Gresham to make a failed comeback bid. House of 1000 Corpses plants Gresham and he goes shoulder first into the post. A top rope elbow puts Lethal through the table to end the show. Nice heat segment here, though it’s still Matt Taven.

Overall Rating: B. Did this company change creative recently or something? They’re even getting their go home shows right as this was way more entertaining and focused than most shows before a pay per view. The TV has been a lot better but the next thing they need to do is nail a big show. They’ll have a chance on Friday and they already have a good track record with pay per views, so hopefully history stays on a roll. Another good show in a lengthening series of them.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Ring of Honor
Date: April 25, 2018
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

So I had a full introduction written up talking about how this is the start of a new taping cycle and we finally get some storyline advancement before War of the Worlds. Then I started watching the show….and it’s a special on the Women of Honor tournament. Yes indeed, we’re going to go nearly a month between storyline advancement shows because Ring of Honor is really weird sometimes. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Ian and Colt welcome us to the show and explain what we’ll be seeing tonight. You know, as in stuff we’ve seen before.

We see highlights from some of the opening round matches, mainly focusing on Kelly Klein.

From the Supercard of Honor pre-show.

Women of Honor Title Tournament Semifinals: Kelly Klein vs. Mayu Iwatani

Feeling out process to start and they hit the mat for some grappling to no avail. Iwatani sweeps the leg and kicks her in the chest as they’re still in first gear. Kelly kicks her in the face to take over and drives some knees into the head. A clothesline turns Iwatani inside out and we take a break.

Back with Kelly choking in the corner and going up, earning herself a kick to the head. A super hurricanrana brings Klein down and Iwatani gets two off a top rope double stomp. That’s not enough for a cover so Iwatani drops a frog splash for two instead. Klein grabs a front face DDT and something like a Samoan driver for two of her own. Instead it’s the guillotine choke and Iwatani is out at 11:35.

Rating: C. Not bad here and Klein continues to look like she’s a few miles ahead of everyone else in the tournament. That makes me expect someone to beat her in the finals, just for the sake of the surprise to wrap things up. Iwatani was working here and the match was entertaining, though it’s odd to see her brought in for a loss on the Kickoff Show.

We look at more early round matches, including Tenille Dashwood debuting.

Again from the Supercard of Honor pre-show.

Women of Honor Title Tournament Semifinals: Tenille Dashwood vs. Sumie Sakai

Sumie grabs an early fisherman’s suplex for two but Tenille is right back with the Tarantula. It’s time to go after Sumie’s knee with a leglock but she’s right back up with a cross armbreaker. Tenille stacks her up for two so Sakai reverses into a Crossface. That’s reversed as well and Sumie’s misses charge hits turnbuckle.

The Taste of Tenille gets two but Sumie is right back up with Smashmouse (reverse Cross Rhodes) for two of her own. Sumie gets caught on top with a release German superplex for two and you can see the frustration setting in. The Spotlight Kick misses though and Sumie grabs a crucifix for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C+. Well that happened. This whole thing was screaming Dashwood vs. Klein in the finals but instead we’ll go with the uninteresting choice because she’s been around for a long time or something. I’ve seen Sakai on and off for a few years now and I still have no idea why I’m supposed to be interested in her. She’s not that great in the ring and doesn’t have a character, but she’s been around for a long time so I’m supposed to be interested I guess.

Post match Klein comes in for the photo op and decks Sakai with a forearm during the handshake.

From Supercard of Honor.

Daffney is ringside for the finals.

Women of Honor Title: Kelly Klein vs. Sumie Sakai

Sakai jumps her during the entrances and stomps away in the corner to rock Klein. A release German suplex drops Sakai though and Klein is confident enough to put in the mouth guard. They head outside with Klein sending her into the barricade and we take an early break.

Back in a hurry with Klein getting two but getting powerbombed off the top. Klein’s fall away slam and release German suplex put them both down and here’s the women’s division to watch from ringside. They slug it out from their knees, which doesn’t work so well about five minutes into the match. Kelly’s kick to the chest gets two but Sakai is right back with a fisherman’s buster. A moonsault (more like a moonsault headbutt) doesn’t do much damage to Klein so Sakai goes with a DDT for the pin and the title instead at 8:40. That’s Klein’s first pinfall loss in Ring of Honor.

Rating: C+. So after all that, the final was (without the commercial) less than eight minutes long? I know they were going for the big epic moment here but egads let them have a little more time here. I’m not getting Sakai winning the title but they backed themselves into a corner here as there’s not much interest in having the champion be this undefeated monster. Sakai doesn’t do anything for me though and putting the title on her because she’s been here for a long time isn’t the best thinking in the world.

Sakai celebrates and shakes Klein’s hand.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling wasn’t bad but this was the wrong time to air a best of/recap show. By the time we get to next week’s show, nearly a month will have passed since Supercard of Honor. I’m really not sure why we have to wait this long and that gets really annoying after awhile. The show was fine for what it was, but it was the wrong time to air something like this.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6