Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Ice Ribbon - #1073 ~ Yokohama Ribbon 2020 (10/3/2020)

5. Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Saori Anou

Fujimoto had one of her strongest performances in a while in this match. She occasionally has opponents who seem to have a synergistic effect on her, and she steps up her game in a big way. Anou was also good, and it was nice to see her show how capable she can be in a gimmick-free match.

***1/2

6. International Ribbon Tag Team Championship: Frank Sisters (Hiragi Kurumi & Mochi Miyagi) (c) vs. Risa Sera & Suzu Suzuki

An epic spot match from Ice Ribbon. This is what this promotion does best, these high-octane tag team matches with seemingly endless sequences and momentum shifts that build up to a big finish. This was loaded with spectacular content.

****1/4

Monday, October 19, 2020

Takumi Iroha vs. Yuna Manase (GanPuro, 10/6/2020)

 Ganbare Pro - Bad Communication 2020 (10/6/2020) 

Takumi Iroha vs. Yuna Manase

A great match between former Stardom wrestlers who have taken their own path. Structurally, it was similar to Takumi Iroha's match against Mayu Iwatani earlier this year, with Iroha dominating with dynamic attacks and Yuna coming back with counters. There was heavy offense exchanged between them and great bumps. Although Yuna is big, she's quite an enthusiastic bumper.

***1/2

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Stardom - Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League 2020 (10/10/2020)

3. STARS (Saya Iida & Tam Nakano) vs. Donna del Mondo (Natsupoi & Syuri)

The storytelling runs so deep in Stardom that even a match that went on third has a narrative behind it. Natsupoi and Tam, who have a history in a previous promotion, faced off for the first time in a long time. Syuri and Tam also clashed beautifully, with Syuri using Tam's former tag team partner's signature moves as psychological warfare. Excellent selling by Iida, who specializes in taking heavy beatings.

***1/2

6. 10th Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League: Queen's Quest (AZM & Momo Watanabe) vs. Donna del Mondo (Giulia & Maika)

Strong start for the tag league. This was an action-oriented match, with great teamwork and all sorts of cool looking moves and sequences. The Giulia and Momo sessions were exciting and promising. I would like to see them in singles competition in the future.

***1/2

Queen's Quest (AZM, Momo Watanabe, Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita) vs. Donna del Mondo (Giulia, Himeka, Maika & Natsupoi) (Stardom, 10/4/2020)

Stardom - Nagoya Rainbow Fight (10/4/2020)

Elimination: Queen's Quest (AZM, Momo Watanabe, Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita) vs. Donna del Mondo (Giulia, Himeka, Maika & Natsupoi)

DDM and QQ's second impact in Nagoya. An exciting multi-man, everyone had their moments to shine, the action was both exciting and comical. I'm excited to see Natsupoi back in the Stardom ring, she brings a fresh dynamic to DDM as their high-speed player.

***3/4