Stardom - 5★STAR GP2017 (8/19/2017)

7. 5★STAR GP Red Stars Block: Hana Kimura vs. Yoko Bito

This was hurt by timing issues/awkwardness, but there are still things to be enjoyed here, like Hana's octopus hold, and the impact of Bito's kicks. The closing segment where Hana destroys Bito with relentless boots was awesome.

**3/4

8. 5★STAR GP Blue Stars Block: Io Shirai vs. Mandy Leon

***

9. 5★STAR GP Red Stars Block: Mayu Iwatani vs. Viper

Viper's offense works well with Mayu's ragdoll selling; her body attacks and slams looked destructive, especially that finish (!).

***

Stardom - Midsummer Champions (8/13/2017)

2. 5★STAR Grand Prix 2017 Qualifying Match: Natsuko Tora vs. Tam Nakano

Pretty solid performance from both wrestlers, especially for Tamu, who made a strong impression in her Stardom debut. Tora gets a crazy close near-fall.

***

3. Gabby Ortiz & Hiromi Mimura vs. Konami & Yoko Bito vs. Oedo Tai (Hana Kimura & Kris Wolf) vs. Shiki Shibusawa & Starlight Kid

***

4. SWA World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Xia Brookside

*1/2

5. High Speed Championship: Shanna (c) vs. Mari Apache

**1/2

6. Artist of Stardom Championship: Team Jungle (Hiroyo Matsumoto, Jungle Kyona & Kaori Yoneyama) (c) vs. Queen's Quest (HZK, Io Shirai & Viper)

A solid match for Io's return. I thought she looked great, and she did some new flippy stuff. Viper ends up crushing Kyona's face and causing a nosebleed, and I thought it added to the match visually. It's also nice to see HZK pick up the win.

***

7. World of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Kagetsu

Mayu and Kagetsu had a great High Speed match last year, but this was horrendous. It wasn't connecting with me, and by the end of it I stopped caring. The action was dull, the pacing felt very off, and of course they have to shoehorn a stairwell spot in every single Stardom Korakuen main event. This was no good!

bad

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiko (DDT, 5/4/2009)

DDT - MAX BUMP 2009 (DDT, 5/4/2009)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Danshoku Dino & Yoshihiko

This felt like it went a bit long for a Yoshihiko match, but I never got bored of it. The Lovers obviously have excellent chemistry as a tag team, and their bumping for Yoshihiko was incredible. Fucking Dino probably has the most underrated punch in the business. Very fun, wacky tag match. 

***3/4

Smile Yankees (HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto) vs. DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo) (DDT, 10/9/2016)

DDT - Sapporo Wrestling Festa ~ DDT Sea Urchin ~ (10/9/2016)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Smile Yankees (HARASHIMA & Yuko Miyamoto) (c) vs. DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo)

The sequel to their match at Korakuen... this one wasn't quite as good, but it was still enjoyable; Smile Yankees make for a very fun and interesting team. The groin attack spot with Yuko and Sasaki was neat.

***1/2

Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 7/15/2017)

Tokyo Joshi Pro - 4th Tokyo Princess Cup 2nd ROUND (7/15/2017)

Tokyo Princess Cup - 2nd Round: Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki

The leg work here was brutal, on both sides -- these two were fucking each other up. Yuka was also putting a workover on Rika's midsection. I don't know when she got so good. Mil Clown wasn't this good! Where did this come from!? It drags towards the middle, and Yuka's selling could have been better, but it wasn't as offensive as her match with Yuu. Solid match; good stuff.

***1/2

Tokyo Joshi Pro - At this Time, Get Excited In Itabashi! (8/12/2017)

2. Nodoka-oneesan vs. Shoko Nakajima

**1/2

3. Konkatsu-gun (Azusa Takigawa & Nonoko) vs. Dragon Bombers (Maho Kurone & Rika Tatsumi)

***1/4

4. Yuna Manase vs. Yuu

Yuna uses her stature and size to overpower/wear down Yuu, and I thought her work on top was generally good. Yuu's comeback is vicious and makes the match!

***

5. Maki Ito & Reika Saiki vs. Miyu Yamashita & Yuka Sakazaki

This was one hell of a prelude to Reika/Yuka. Such an incredible, well-worked match by all four competitors. Miyu & Yuka were a surprisingly cohesive duo, Reika stepped it up, and Ito's charisma was off the charts in her fighting spirit sequence.

****1/4

Asian Cougar vs. isami (Union Pro, 11/3/2005)

Union Pro - Wrestling Revival (11/3/2005)

Asian Cougar vs. isami

The first half is boring and I began to question why I was even watching this, but the match turns into a slugfest as it begins to unravel. These guys were taking fucking vicious bumps on chairs and stiffing the hell out of each other. I've never heard of Asian Cougar. He is indistinguishable from the other masked indie hacks, but he puts a cruel beating on isami.

***

Kenny Omega vs. Naomichi Marufuji (DDT, 7/25/2010)

DDT - Ryogoku Peter Pan 2010 Summer Vacation (7/25/2010)

Kenny Omega vs. Naomichi Marufuji 

Ibushi introduces Omega. How cute. Marufuji fucks up his shoulder when Omega hurls him knee-first into the turnbuckle, and he's not happy. He goes through with the spots, and there are massive spots here (avalanche Croyt's Wraith!!!), but he is upset about his shoulder and doesn't show any emotion. In the finish, Marufuji does a one-armed Emerald Flowsion where he just tosses Omega on top of his head. They show mutual respect after the match, so all is well, I think.

****

DDT - Ryogoku Peter Pan 2017 (8/20/2017)

3. Jiro Kuroshio vs. Shunma Katsumata

This was supposed to be a special showcase for Shunma, but I'm afraid he got completely overshadowed by Jiro.

***1/4

7. DDT Extreme Championship - Cabellera Contra Cabellera: Daisuke Sasaki (c) vs. Akito

Not a fan of Akito's attire choices lately. This was fairly similar to Sasaki/Kasai earlier in the year, except with limb/neck work and a focus on submission holds. It was interesting to see Akito fight in Sasaki's garbage wrestling environment, and the guitar shot that he takes to the head looked fucking wicked.

****

8. KO-D Tag Team Championship: YaroZ (Kazusada Higuchi & Shigehiro Irie) (c) vs. HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji

This was a good match. Not as good as I would have hoped, but good enough. You can always count on Marufuji to do fun, thigh-slappy shit.

***1/2

9. KO-D Openweight Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Tetsuya Endo

Neither of these guys are interesting characters, but they were working very hard to captivate the Sumo Hall crowd, trading stiff offense and taking hard bumps. It's like watching two Hirooki Goto's go at it. The match was based around mutual neck work, and I thought they did a swell job of selling the damage. The middle finger spot would have worked better for Endo, given his role in the match (working underneath). But that is only a minor complaint. Good match!

****

Kenny Omega vs. Minoru Tanaka (DDT, 11/27/2011)

DDT - God Bless DDT 2011 (11/27/2011)

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Minoru Tanaka

Minoru Tanaka being treated like a big star feels nostalgic. Omega was a total prick as AJPW Junior Champion, but DDT is his home turf so he's treated as the hero. They take their time, and it works out in the end because the crowd is going nuts for Omega's comeback. Tanaka was somewhat of an asshole, but he didn't go full heel which I would have liked. Solid match.

***1/2