Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Circuit 2014 Round.7 (7/17/2014)

2. Tokyo Princess Cup 1st Round: Ai Shimizu vs. Shoko Nakajima

I coined a new phrase while watching this match. 'Ero-puroresu'.

***

3. Tokyo Princess Cup 1st Round: Chikage Kiba vs. Nonoko

Chikage seems to be the best worker in TJP around this time period. Her moves had good impact and her legwork was compelling. Nonoko brought the seriousness here even though she was attacking with her boobs and squeezing them. There was conviction in her oppai assault that I liked.

***

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Shinjuku Love Rin (9/22/2016)

3. Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuka Sakazaki

A surprising submission-based match. The struggles were nice, but I wish they could have sold better.

**

4. Biishiki-gun (Saki Akai, Ai Shimizu & KANNA) vs. Shoko Nakajima, Akane Miura & Maho Kurone

There's a dramatic moment where Ai and Saki crawl across the battlefield, bodies scattered everywhere, and reach out for one another only to faint before they can touch. Fun match for KANNA's graduation.

***1/2

5. TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship: Miyu Yamashita (c) vs. Yuu

An intense, fast-paced clash with some great mat wrestling. I liked the aggression from Miyu in her grappling, the Cobra Clutch slam she does is always great. Yuu does her Judo slams and those stiff chops.

****1/2

Ai Shimizu vs. Cassandra Miyagi (GANBARE☆PRO-WRESTLING, 2/11/2017)

GANBARE☆PRO-WRESTLING - GET DOWN 2017 (2/11/2017)

Ai Shimizu Ganbare☆Wrestling Trial - 3rd Round: Ai Shimizu vs. Cassandra Miyagi

This is what I love to see from Cassandra Miyagi; terrorizing patrons and cameramen, rampaging through BASEMENT MON☆STAR. Shimizu worked underneath and she delivers quite a sympathetic ‘anime moan’. I thought she did well, nothing overtly impressive. This was mostly a Miyagi show.

***

Tokyo Joshi Pro - '17 (1/4/2017)

2. Hyper Misao vs. Maho Kurone vs. Rika Tatsumi

This was exactly what you'd want from these wrestlers, a match based mostly around character-work. This also served as farewell to Minami, the kigurumi ring announcer. I'm uncertain how Maho is still alive after that surfboard hip attack.

***

3. Konkatsu-gun (Azusa Takigawa & Nonoko) vs. Ai Shimizu & Laura James (Special Referee: Joey Ryan)

People give Joey a lot of flack, but I appreciate him. This was mostly comedy that built up to a fun spot involving Zexy magazine.

**

4. Ito Maki vs. Reika Saiki

Man, the crowd was going absolutely bonkers for Maki Ito, popping for every single thing she did. Ito has a lot of heart and keeps getting back up for more and more, and the fans loved every second of her comeback sequences.

***3/4

5. Candice LeRae vs. Mil Clown

Mil Clown dresses up like the long lost member of Los Psycho Circus, but incorporates little clown antics into her moveset. I wish she would have incorporated more character work. This was decent; the Ballplex spot was great.

**1/2

6. Miyu Yamashita vs. Saki Akai

Saki Akai's tall, lanky body gives her kicks a whip-like effect and they look especially devastating. Yamashita isn't the most charismatic wrestler, but you can feel her intensity through body language and when she's had enough of Akai's shit, you can definitely sense her frustration. These two are the perfect opponents, wonderful match.

****1/2

7. TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship: Yuu (c) vs. Shoko Nakajima

This was a big improvement over their 2016 match. The groundwork was tighter with smoother transitions, but still has that roughness to it that makes the struggle look genuine. Yuu was amazing as the aggressor, she tosses and drops Nakajima with reckless abandon. Nakajima hits the best Nothern Lights suplex I've ever seen, the torque, the speed, the impact. This was an excellent clash.

****3/4

GANBARE☆PRO-WRESTLING - BAD COMMUNICATION 2016 (10/04/2016)

1. Ai Shimizu & Aoi Ishibashi vs. Emi Sakura &「Kotori」

Four of the smartest workers in modern joshi putting together a solid match.

***

2. Keisuke Ishii vs. Yukihiro Abe

***

3. Shuichiro Katsumura vs. Takafumi Ito

Two shooters going at it. Sleek, smooth and hard-hitting. I have no idea who these guys are.

**3/4

4. Shiori Asahi vs. Shinichiro Tominaga

No earthly idea who Shinichiro Tominaga is, which goes for a couple of guys on this card. This match told me everything I need to know about him via a wonderfully-crafted story. Asahi tortured Tominaga in the neat ways that only a student of K-DOJO could, goading him to give it his all and prove himself worthy. Tominaga was once a K-DOJO guy as well and Asahi is obviously the more accomplished of the two so there's a backstory based in reality that they played into. It all culminates into a great finish.

****

5. Madoka & Saki Fujita vs. Bambi & Minoru Fujita

Saki and Minoru were once a married couple, but now they're not. Story of the match. Minoru does a wonderful job as Saki's asshole ex husband, garnering boos from the crowd. This was mostly a comedy match, feel good ending, etc. I need to get more familiar with Bambi.

**3/4

6. No Rope Barbed Wire Street Fight: Atsushi Onita, GENTARO, Hideki Hosaka & Osamu Namiguchi vs. Ken Ohka, Masayuki Mitomi, Shota & Yumehito Imanari

The crowd reaction made this match for me, it's a train-wreck, but a very fun one. Korakuen booed everything Onita did and were super supportive of Ohka and his band of indie trash.

***

Ice Ribbon - YOKOHAMA RIBBON ~AUTUMN~ (9/19/2016)

4. Hardcore Ribbon: Abdullah Kobayashi vs. Risa Sera

This was a fun match. You could tell that Sera was having fun even as Abdullah ripped the skin off of her forehead with a fork. A good time.

***1/4

5. Triangle Ribbon Championship: Ai Shimizu (c) vs. Maruko Nagasaki vs. Miyako Matsumoto

Fun as these Triangle Ribbon matches usually are. Shimizu fits well in Ice Ribbon ring, and Maruko is rapidly improving.

**1/2

6. International Ribbon Tag Team Championship: Best Friends (Tsukasa Fujimoto & Arisa Nakajima) (c) vs. This is Ice Ribbon (Tsukushi & Hiiragi Kurumi)

Best Friends have been on a killer run since their formation. That said, this match wasn't my favorite match from them and certainly did not live up to my expectations, but it did have its moments. The finishing stretch between Fujimoto and Tsukushi was hot and rad.

***