Stardom - New Years Stars 2018 (1/3/2018)

2. Hiromi Mimura vs. Kaori Yoneyama

This was boring during Yoneyama's control segment, per usual with Yoneyama matches, but once they start getting into the shouto stuff it gets really good.

**1/4

5. Oedo Tai (Hana Kimura, Kagetsu, Kris Wolf & Sumire Natsu) vs. Queen's Quest (AZM, HZK, Io Shirai & Momo Watanabe)

This was enjoyable, a lot of fun. Nothing in joshi puroresu comes close to the intimacy of Stardom's 1stRING shows.

***

Stardom - Best of the Goddesses (11/19/2017)

2. Konami, Shiki Shibusawa & Starlight Kid vs. Team Jungle (Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama & Natsuko Tora)

***

3. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe

**

4. Chardonnay & Scarlett vs. Queen's Quest (AZM & HZK)

**1/4

5. Hiromi Mimura vs. Sumire Natsu

**

6. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Oedo Tai (Hana Kimura & Kagetsu) (c) vs. Bea Priestley & Kelly Klein

I like the image of Hana & Kagetsu holding the gold, but I haven't been impressed by their reign so far. This match was a step in the right direction. Klein & Bea's workover session was good, and the crowd was strongly behind Oedo Tai (even though they were cheating!). Good match.

***

7. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Yoko Bito (c) vs. Io Shirai

Bito announced her retirement shortly after this match and you could see that she was very emotional, but I still felt her performance was lacking. Her strikes were great, Io sold them like crazy, but I didn't find her compelling. Io on the other hand was incredible, her counter to the B Driver was brilliant. I'm interested in her as White Belt champ again. Solid main event; nothing outstanding.

***

WAVE - Be Exciting! (7/2/2017)

6. WAVE Tag Team Championship: Over Sun (Yuki Miyazaki & Yumi Ohka) (c) vs. Gokigen BBA (Cherry & Kaori Yoneyama)

For some reason BBA really want to be put in Miyazaki's Embarrassment Hold, and there was a creative moment where Yoneyama tries to force herself into it. Miyaki also does an inverted version of the move on Cherry, which looked cool as fuck. Probably making this match sound better than it actually was... it was very, very boring other than Miyazaki.

*

7. Regina di WAVE Championship: Ryo Mizunami (c) vs. Rina Yamashita

This was mostly action with almost no emotional depth, and there is nothing wrong with that when the action is fresh... but this was nothing I haven't seen from these two before. Still a solid enough slugfest, though, they were trading bombs, and Yamashita's cracks herself open with a headbutt.

***

Stardom - Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2017 (10/14/2017)

5. Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2017: Oedo Tai (Kagetsu & Hana Kimura) vs. Chibis (Konami & Hiromi Mimura)

Chibis got a lot of shine, and they did some double team stuff. Hiromi's charge-up dropkick is a fun spot. Hana's selling during the closer was good and her submission finisher always looks vicious.

**3/4

6. Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2017: Queen's Quest (Io Shirai & HZK) vs. Yoko Bito & Jungle Kyona

Solid main event. Proper cohesion, double maneuvers, etc. It goes without saying that Io is a genius of the ring, she worked hard to make this feel special. The heated interactions between HZK and Jungle were also very good.

***1/4

Heart Move Kei Reform (Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama) vs.「Kotori」& Makoto (Gatoh Move, 7/5/2015)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・174 (7/5/2015)

Heart Move Kei Reform (Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama) vs.「Kotori」& Makoto

"Kotori" was a nasty aggressor here; Emi tried toying around with her and got a hard slap to the face (!). She was easily the MVP of the match, and brought the heat. Nice flow, and the action got better and better as it went on. Good stuff.

****

Emi Sakura, Kaori Yoneyama &「Kotori」vs. Riho & Buribato♡ (SAKI & MIZUKI) (Gatoh Move, 5/3/2016)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・226 (5/3/2016)

Emi Sakura, Kaori Yoneyama &「Kotori」vs. Riho & Buribato♡ (SAKI & MIZUKI)

*****

OZ Academy - Dolphin (9/3/2017)

1. Aja Kong vs. Kaori Yoneyama

***1/4

3. Sekigun (Alex Lee, Mayumi Ozaki & Yumi Ohka) vs. MK4 (Kaho Kobayashi, Shoko Sekiguchi & Sonoko Kato)

***1/2

5. Hikaru Shida & Yoshiko vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Tsubasa Kuragaki

***

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

OZ Academy - Summer Soft Breeze (7/16/2017)

1. Aja Kong vs. Hikaru Shida

An uphill battle for Shida, and she had to use whatever openings she could find, and seize the opportunity with shinai strikes and knees to head. It didn't reach the violence of their past encounters, with the blood and what have you, and the double KO ending hurts, but I thought this was otherwise an awesome brawl.

***3/4

2. MK4 (Kaho Kobayashi & Sonoko Kato) vs. Kaori Yoneyama & Yoshiko

Awesome match; loved the double team maneuvers. Yoshiko and Yoneyama had a fun team dynamic, and Sonoko is just the best.

***1/2

3. Manami Toyota vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki

**

4. Sekigun (Alex Lee, Mayumi Ozaki & Yumi Ohka) vs. Aoi Kizuki, Hiroe Nagahama & Rina Yamashita

This was a perfectly fine houseshow trios match. The opening FIP segment was pure sadism; Hiroe is a great bumper. I'm warming up to Alex Lee in Ozakigun.

***

5. AKINO vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

**

Stardom - Shining Stars 2017 (6/28/2017)

2. Hana Kimura vs. Gabby Slays

*1/4

3. Kagetsu vs. Shanna

**3/4

4. Hiromi Mimura & Mayu Iwatani vs. Team Jungle (Hiroyo Matsumoto & Natsuko Tora)

***1/2

5. Konami & Yoko Bito vs. Team Jungle (Jungle Kyona & Kaori Yoneyama)

Damn good main event. I love this kicker team of Bito and Konami. Yoneyama was putting in work here, which I feel she doesn't do often in Stardom. It was great to see.

****

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita (WAVE, 4/10/2016)

WAVE - P-Tech Presents "CATCH THE WAVE 2016 ~ Opening Battle ~" (4/10/2016)

Catch THE WAVE African Violet Block: Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita

Yoneyama is at her best when she's working fast pace, IMO. I liked the strike exchanges she has here, and how she finds any opportunity to hit her  little running knee strike. The ending felt abrupt, but I guess the idea is that Yamashita overexerted herself with the headbutt, allowing Yoneyama to take advantage with the Yone-Zou. Good match.

***1/4

Stardom - Galaxy Stars 2017 (6/21/2017)

1. Starlight Kid vs Hetzza

Hilarious match.

2. Queen's Quest (HZK & AZM) vs. Shanna & Gabby Slays

DUD

3. Yoko Bito, Hiromi Mimura & Konami vs. Team Jungle (Kaori Yoneyama & Tora Natsuko) & Rebel 

A fun trios match for Bito's return; dig the new attire. The Bito-Tora finishing sequence was great, they train closely together so they have a good chemistry.

**1/2

4. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Team Jungle (Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona) (c) vs. Oedo Tai (Kagetsu & Hana Kimura)

This match felt chaotic, and not in a good way. There wasn't a real sense of flow and there was awkwardness at times. I love the decision to put the belts on Kagetsu & Hana-chan, though.

**1/4

5. World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Mayu Iwatani

This was a great match, but never reached that next level due to Io's selective selling of the neck. There are moments where she collapses due to her bad neck, followed by moments where she's jumping around, throwing German suplexes without so much as wincing. I thought it made the match less compelling, and Mayu's big moment didn't feel as grand because of it. But, there is a lot to be enjoyed here, like Mayu's tombstone! I hope she adopts it in tribute to Io.

***1/2

Stardom - Shining Stars 2017 (6/17/2017)

2. Hana Kimura vs. Rebel vs. Tora Natsuko

**

3. Shanna & Gabby Slays vs. Mayu Iwatani & Konami

**

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

***

Stardom - Shining Stars 2017 (6/11/2017)

3. Hiromi Mimura & Konami vs. Rebel & Shanna

**1/4

4. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Kaori Yoneyama vs. Jungle Kyona & Natsuko Tora

**1/2

5. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Hana Kimura

***1/2

6. HZK vs. Io Shirai

***

Stardom - Gold May 2017 (5/21/2017)

1. Hetzza vs. Kaori Yoneyama

**

2. AZM vs. Jessicka Havok

*

3. HZK vs. Toni Storm

**1/4

4. Io Shirai vs. Rebel

**1/2

5. Artist of Stardom Championship: Hiromi Mimura, Kairi Hojo & Konami (c) vs. Jungle Kyona, Mayu Iwatani & Natsuko Tora

***3/4

SEAdLINNNG - GOLDEN GO!GO! (5/14/2017)

1. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rin Kadokura

***

2. Highspeed: Maruko Nagasaki vs. Mio Momono

****

3. Hamuko Hoshi & Yoshiko vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Rina Yamashita

***3/4

4. Best Friends (Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto) vs. Nanae Takahashi & Sareee

This was fast, furious hard-hitting tag team action, and what the glorious sparkling D is all about!

****1/2

Stardom - Grow Up Stars 2017 (4/16/2017)

1. AZM vs. La Rosa Negra

**1/2

2. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona vs. Konami & Tora Natsuko

**3/4

3. High Speed Championship: Kris Wolf (c) vs. Hetzza vs. Kaori Yoneyama

***

4. Mayu Iwatani & Arisu Nanase vs. Oedo Tai (Kagetsu & Hana Kimura)

***1/2

5. Queen's Quest (Io Shirai & HZK) vs. Kairi Hojo & Hiromi Mimura vs. The Craft (Jessicka Havok & Tessa Blanchard)

***3/4

Queen's Quest (Io Shirai, HZK & AZM) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Jungle Kyona & Tora Natsuko (Stardom, 4/15/2017)

2. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf

Hey, a rematch from the 5★STAR GP2016 FINALS, and there's some callbacks to that match here too. Wolf gets overly ambitious and does an extremely sloppy springboard headscissors takedown sequence that ruined the flow until the finish. She finds a counter to Yoneyama's rolling German that I liked.

**

3. Artist of Stardom Championship Tournament, Semi Final: Queen's Quest (Io Shirai, HZK & AZM) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Jungle Kyona & Tora Natsuko

This was another really good Queen's Quest trio in a line of really good Queen's Quest trios. Jungle Friends were a very energetic team, and I thought Tora was fun. HZK's feud with Kyona is starting to heat up. Io is the ace, but she kind of let's her teammates get the spotlight.

***3/4

4. Artist of Stardom Championship Tournament, Semi Final: Oedo Tai (Kagetsu, Hana Kimura & La Rosa Negra) vs. Kairi Hojo, Hiromi Mimura & Konami

La Rosa Negra is wearing pink, which is not part of Oedo Tai's palette. But none of that even matters because Hana-chan gets a big win over Hojo.

**3/4

5. Mayu Iwatani & Hetzza vs. Jessicka Havok & Tessa Blanchard

**1/2

6. Artist of Stardom Championship Tournament, Final: Queen's Quest (Io Shirai, HZK & AZM) vs. Oedo Tai (Kagetsu, Hana Kimura & La Rosa Negra)

This felt all over the place.

**1/2

Stardom - Grow up Stars 2017 (4/9/2017)

4. Jessicka Havok vs. Tora Natsuko

***

5. Oedo Tai (Hana Kimura, Sumie Sakai & La Rosa Negra) vs. Kairi Hojo, Mayu Iwatani & Hiromi Mimura

***

6. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona (c) vs. Queen's Quest (Io Shirai & HZK)

****

Benten-Musume vs. Dotomi Bolshoi vs. Fairy Nipponbashi vs. Hibiscus Mii vs. Kuro Benten-Musume vs. Kuroneko vs. Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Mei Lee vs. Misaki Glico #2 vs. Misaki Glico #3 vs. Mr. Misaki Glico vs. Nyanber vs. Police Wo~man vs. Rina Yamashita vs. Sawako Shimono (DAIJO, 2/12/2017)

DAIJO - Valentine Labyrinth (2/12/2017)

Hikake Bridge OSAKA G1 GP Rumble: Benten-Musume vs. Dotomi Bolshoi vs. Fairy Nipponbashi vs. Hibiscus Mii vs. Kuro Benten-Musume vs. Kuroneko vs. Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Mei Lee vs. Misaki Glico #2 vs. Misaki Glico #3 vs. Mr. Misaki Glico vs. Nyanber vs. Police Wo~man vs. Rina Yamashita vs. Sawako Shimono

***1/4