Konami vs. Mika Iida (WAVE, 4/6/2018)

WAVE - Happy Birthday WAVE Sakurasaku 3.9 (4/6/2018)

Konami vs. Mika Iida

This was a technical sprint with great submission exchanges and selling. They managed to build up to exciting moments despite the match only being 6-minutes long and everything felt like it served a purpose. Brilliant stuff.

***3/4

WAVE - Suddenly Friday Fight Night (3/23/2018)

2. Mika Iida vs. Sonoko Kato

No idea why Sonoko Kato is part of Iida's retirement road, but here we are. These two are such different performers that I would have never expected them to have such good chemistry. I loved every second of this. Great back and forth with plenty of stiff uppercuts to go around.

****

3. Catch the WAVE 2018 Crazy Block: Miyuki Takase vs. Rina Yamashita

This was a great match. Newcomer Miyuki Takase is quickly becoming one of my favorites, she has a great look and she gets better every time I see her. Hot finishing stretch in this match with some gnarly lariats.

***1/2

4. Catch the WAVE 2018 Violence Block: Hikaru Shida vs. Misaki Ohata

Reassuring to know that Shida had at least one good match in this tournament before injury. Exciting sprint with twists and turns.

***3/4

6. Catch The WAVE 2018 Violence Block: Ayako Hamada vs. Hiroe Nagahama

This match defied my expectations completely - a timeout draw match featuring Nagahama sounds frightening on paper, but they did their main event slot justice. Great action with Hamada using everything in her arsenal and Nagahama refusing to give in.

***3/4

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Let's Go To Kasukabe In The Spring, Together With Your Friends! (4/8/2018)

3. Priscilla Kelly vs. Shoko Nakajima

Solid stuff, good showcase for Priscilla, but Shoko's comeback could've been stronger. She was dominated for much of the match and wins in two moves? lol.

***

5. Marika Kobashi vs. Reika Saiki

Great match, there was stiffness and a sense of struggle. Dug the story of Reika trying to strengthen her tag partner.

***1/2

6. Dragon Bombers (Maho Kurone & Rika Tatsumi) vs. Miyu Yamashita & Yuka Sakazaki

Solid main event. I enjoy the team of Miyu & Yuka (MiYuka!). Rika continues to be the least impressive performer in these lead-up matches, but I have no doubt that she will pull off something amazing in Korakuen.

***

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Let's Go To Osaka In The Spring, Together With Your Friends! (4/7/2018)

2. Miu vs. Yuu

This was an amazing burst of violence. It only lasts 4-minutes, but the action was laser-focused and economical. The Pink Up Up Girl was working hard.

***1/2

3. Maki Ito vs. Nodoka-oneesan vs. Shoko Nakajima

I can't say I'm fond of these 3WAY matches most of the time, but this one was great. The action was exciting and flowed smoothly, and the comedy was well-played. Ito was phenomenal, one of her best performances yet.

***3/4

4. Dragon Bombers (Maho Kurone & Rika Tatsumi) vs. Hyper Misao & Priscilla Kelly

I expected this to be a cringefest with Maho and Priscilla feuding, but I actually dug their interactions - great clash of characters. Misao as the hot tag was fascinating as well, I don't think I've ever seen her wrestle with so much momentum. Oh, and there's no way I can't mention the spot where Rika gets her ass eaten by Priscilla (and powers through it).

***3/4

6. Marika Kobashi vs. Miyu Yamashita

Big Match Marika does it again. This match was intense, action-packed despite only being 8-minutes. The work was tight and precise, and the pacing and transitions felt organic. Miyu kept things exciting with the neat ways she found to kick Marika in the head, and some of those chops from Marika were brutal.

****

Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 4/10/2018)

DDT - Live! Maji Manji 卍 #1 (4/10/2018)

Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita is just on another level. He does this leaping hurricanrana that was one of the most athletic things I've ever seen. All of his stuff looks so pristine. This was an absolute bombfest, an exhibition of stiffness and big bumps. The camera was obsessed with Moga-chan (ex-Dempagumi.inc) on commentary, and I could've done without the constant cuts to her reaction. Incredible match, still.

****1/2

Stardom - Dream Slam in Tokyo (3/28/2018)

1. Hanan & Leo Onozaki vs. Nao Yamaguchi & Ruaka

Good showcase for the rookies, crowd was into it. Leo and Nao looked good in their Korakuen debuts.

**

2. Tag Team Gauntlet: Bea Priestley & Xia Brookside vs. The Apache Sisters (Mary Apache & Faby Apache) vs. Kaori Yoneyama & Keneisha Moon vs. Queen's Quest (AZM & HZK) vs. Team Jungle (Hiroyo Matsumoto & Natsuko Tora)

This was boatloads of fun, the action was fast and hard-hitting. Bea & Xia were a cute team, and the Apache Sisters rule.

***1/4

3. Future of Stardom Championship - Finals (decision): Shiki Shibusawa vs. Starlight Kid

This may not have been the best match in terms of execution, but it was quite a rush of energy and the Korakuen was hot for it. I thought the counters and sudden momentum shifts were exciting.

***

4. Io Shirai vs. Natsumi

Cool to see the Paradise Lock make its way to Stardom via Natsumi. Love the move. This was a solid debut for Natsumi Apache, Io is well-suited for the role of rookie punisher. Good stuff.

***

5. Chibis (Hiromi Mimura & Konami) vs. JKGReeeeN (Jungle Kyona & Momo Watanabe)

Great match for Hiromi's Final Shout! The feuding between Hiromi and Kyona was the highlight. Konami's hot tag was great as well.

***3/4

6. SWA World Championship / ICW Women's Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Viper (c)

This is probably the best gaijin vs. gaijin match I've ever seen in Stardom. It was physical, the pacing and move progression felt natural, even the outside portion didn't feel tacked on. I thought Toni's superhuman no-selling was consistent with how she has been presented in Stardom. She lost anyway, so it didn't really matter in the end. Extra 1/4 for Toni hitting an ultra-stiff hip attack.

****

7. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano vs. Oedo Tai (Hana Kimura, Kagetsu & Sumire Natsu)

Big streamers all-star main event. Saki's thin physique really added to her FIP segment, because when she took damage it looked like she might break. Great return match for Saki Kashima, everyone came across well.

***3/4

WAVE - Catch the WAVE 2018 ~ Opening Battle (3/11/2018)

6. Catch the WAVE 2018 Violence Block: Arisa Nakajima vs. Ayako Hamada

Man, Arisa's arm drags are a thing of beauty. Hamada hasn't been this good in a while - she brought it in this match. Swell stuff.

****

7. Catch the WAVE 2018 Crazy Block: Nagisa Nozaki vs. Ryo Mizunami

Another great match between these two, they have a dynamic that works well. Right when Mizunami thinks she has Nozaki figured out, countering her sleeper into the Hot Limit, Nozaki unveils a new Dragon Sleeper finisher! Amazing finish.

***3/4

8. Catch the WAVE 2018 Violence Block: Hiroe Nagahama vs. Misaki Ohata

I'm not fond of Nagahama's dropkick-centric offense. She wrestles like a rookie even though she's 3 years into her career, which is basically veteran status in joshi puroresu years. Ohata's workovers were nice, but there was too much move repetition in this match for it to rate any higher.

***