Tokyo Joshi Pro - Still Incomplete '22 (4/9/2022)

2. Miyu Yamashita vs. Juria Nagano

There were a couple of interesting moments from Nagano in this but overall it felt like a match that was not formatted to allow the new rookie to shine. Or maybe what she showed is all that she is capable of at the moment. Nagano was quickly and easily defeated by Yamashita. The way they were promoting this match, I expected something more from it.

6. Yuki Arai & Saki Akai vs. Rika Tatsumi & Mahiro Kiryu

The selling point of this match was the super tag of rookie award winners and tall Kyoto natives Yuki Arai and Saki Akai, but Rika Tatsumi stole the show. Rika found interesting ways to use her leg targeting offense to counter Akai's long kicks and created a fun dynamic with her tag partner. She did a good job building a theme for the match. Surprisingly great tag match with an effective layout. ***3/4

7. Princess of Princess Tag Championship: Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki (c) vs. Suzume & Arisu Endo

Youth vs. experience, with the lesser experienced Suzume & Endo fighting an uphill battle against veterans Sakazaki & Mizuki. Suzume & Endo both did an exceptional job of creating a sense of fighting with desperation and urgency. Endo was especially good at that. The match felt like it was on the cusp of being a truly great match, but I think the lack of suspense in the finishing sequence weakened the ending a little. ***1/2

8. Princess of Princess Championship: Shoko Nakajima (c) vs. Yuki Aino

I wasn’t actively anticipating this match, but I thought it had a chance of being great. I enjoyed the past singles matches between these two and them in the main event of Korakuen Hall together was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately the match didn’t offer much. It seemed to lack a defined theme, mostly revolving around generic trading of moves with limited emotional expression. The match also had a similarly abrupt and weak finish as Shoko/Miyu. Maybe there is a reason Shoko isn't using the bridging Northern Lights suplex as her finisher anymore, but I'm still not convinced by the diving senton. **1/2

Stardom - CINDERELLA TOURNAMENT 2022 Opener (4/3/2022)

7. Cinderella Tournament 2022 - First Round: Utami Hayashishita vs. Tam Nakano

These two have an interesting feud, having only faced each other in singles exclusively in tournaments. In Utami's debut year, she bulldozed through Tam by referee stoppage. Last year, Tam was finally able to get revenge when the two were arguably at the height of their strength as the promotion's top champions. Now both of them are beltless fighting their way back up after having been defeated by Saya Kamitani. This was a sprint-style match with exchanges of big moves and some comical elements mixed in. It wasn't an ideal match, but it was good for what it was given the limitations imposed by the rules of the tournament. Hopefully they meet again in the near future. ***1/2

 14. Cinderella Tournament 2022 - First Round: Giulia vs. Thekla

A mostly mat based affair with striking kept to a minimum. Thekla recounted a story in Shupro about how she and Giulia had a fierce sparring session during their Ice Ribbon days where she ended up bloodied by a head butt. This match was much like that, with the two trading ground moves and gradually developing into more intense offense. There were few wasted movements, as almost every move was logically chained to another. ***1/4

WAVE - PHASE2 Reboot 3rd『NAMI☆1～Apr.～’22』(4/1/2022)

 4. WAVE Singles Championship: Nagisa Nozaki (c) vs. SAKI

Great back and forth with an overall sense of competitiveness and proper escalation during the finishing stretch. Neither wrestler has a strong personality, but they were hitting some nice, impactful moves. Nozaki's sleeper suplexes in particular looked great and SAKI deserves credit for how she took them. ***1/2

5. Suzu Suzuki vs. Kohaku

A good re-debut for Mikoto Shindo, now called Kohaku. I had high expectations since she was given the main event slot over the singles belt, but her performance was nothing impressive, just "solid enough". On the other hand, Suzu has become a different monster compared to her Ice Ribbon days (and even just earlier this year). Her physicality, expressiveness and visuals have improved dramatically. I'm looking forward to what she does next. ***1/2