Riho vs. Aoi Kizuki (Gatoh Move, 8/19/2017)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・307 (8/19/2017)

Super Asia Championship Tournament - Semi-Finals: Riho vs. Aoi Kizuki

What a match! This was a very well paced back and forth with exciting sequences and counters. Aoi~chan impressively pulls off her signature high-flying techniques within the confines of Chocolate Hiroba.

****

Stardom - Shining Stars 2018 (6/24/2018)

3. JAN (Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama & Natsuko Tora) vs. STARS (Tam Nakano, Shiki Shibusawa & Starlight Kid)

This was another solid JAN/STARS trios. I liked the way Starlight Kid set up her signature moves and she had a nice segment with Kyona. Tamu has been doing interesting things in the ring lately, I'm always looking forward to what new elements she will introduce next.

***

4. Kagetsu vs. Konami

Great match with crisp technical holds and stiff strikes. Konami was put over strong, getting a visual submission over the Red Belt champion, and Kagetsu needed to cheat and take short cuts to gain an advantage.

***1/2

5. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima) (c) vs. Oedo Tai (Hazuki & Sumire Natsu)

Some of the sloppiness hinders this, but there were some brutal kicks and boots to the face, and the finishing sequence was strong. Hazuki is such an amazing heat builder with her intensity and those little cheap shots she takes.

***1/4

Momo Watanabe vs. Deonna Purrazzo (Stardom, 6/23/2018)

Stardom - Shining Stars 2018 (6/23/2018)

Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo

I didn't find Deonna's previous work in Stardom impressive so I was caught off guard by how great she was here. She stuck to her game plan of targeting the arm and did a tremendous job working on top. Momo made strong counterattacks with violent stomps to the head and B Drivers.

***3/4

Tokyo Joshi Pro - The 5th Tokyo Princess Cup Final Fight (7/8/2018)

1. Tokyo Princess Cup - Semi Finals: Yuu vs. Nodoka-oneesan

This was an enjoyable sprint with an exciting closing run. Nodoka's counters at the end were very well timed.

***

2. Tokyo Princess Cup - Semi Finals: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Rika Tatsumi

Pissed-off Rika! Rika was aggressive, thinking on her feet, making those split-second counters. That frustration also led to mistakes that Yuka was able to capitalize on. Good storytelling in this match. Rika hits a cool Twist of Fate between the ropes, and nailed that diving hip attack. 

***3/4

4. NEO Bishiiki-gun (Saki-sama, Azusa Christie & Martha) vs. Shoko Nakajima, Yuki Kamifuku & Hikari

Bii-Gun were a lot of fun in this match, especially Azusa. It's refreshing to see them being characters again instead. Hikari taking advantage of Bii-gun's in-fighting and almost getting the upset on Saki-sama was fun.

***

6. Tokyo Princess Cup - Finals: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Yuu

I liked the early mat work and there were cool cut-offs, but this fell flat overall. The second half lacked the tension that you expect from a high stakes tournament finale. There was no sense that it could go either way. Yuka came off looking uncharacteristically weak as Yuu destroyed her with hardly any struggle.

**1/2

Stardom - Goddesses of Destiny (6/17/2018)

2. Hanan vs. Sumire Natsu

Sumire built the heat and got the crowd invested with her shtick. Hanan has a nice flurry of offense and near-fall towards the end. This was another good singles showing from Hanan this month.

***1/4

5. Oedo Tai (Hazuki & Kagetsu) vs. Thunder Rock (Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani)

Korakuen was red hot for Io's send-off. Oedo Tai played their roles well, and it was great seeing Thunder Rock reform for possibly the last time.

****

6. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Jungle Kyona

Momo shows an edgier, meaner side and Kyona does a fantastic job of working underneath. Kyona's one of the most emotive wrestlers on the roster and her performance in this match was a fine example of that. Sheer struggle as Momo seemingly has her number at every turn. These two did an excellent job. Momo showed that she's ready to carry Stardom into the future.

****

Stardom - Shining Stars 2018 (6/10/2018)

3. JAN (Jungle Kyona, Leo Onozaki & Natsuko Tora) vs. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Starlight Kid & Tam Nakano)

Good trios. Interesting ideas on display, but the execution wasn't always the best. Aggressive Tamu was great, and the stereo standing moonsaults from Mayu and SLK was such an awesome spot.

***

4. Oedo Tai (Hazuki, Kagetsu & Sumire Natsu) vs. Queen's Quest (AZM, Konami & Momo Watanabe)

This was a fun and action-packed trios. It was nice to see the in-ring banter between Sumire and AZM translated.

***1/2

5. Gauntlet: Io Shirai vs. AZM, Deonna Purrazzo, Hanan, Hazuki, Jungle Kyona, Kagetsu, Kaori Yoneyama, Konami, Leo Onozaki, Mayu Iwatani, Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora, Sumire Natsu, Saki Kashima, Shiki Shibusawa, Starlight Kid, Takumi Iroha, Tam Nakano, Toni Storm & Zoe Lucas

Io's final Shinkiba performance; there were a lot of fun moments. Highlights include the SLK, Konami, Yoneyama, and Sumire segments.

***1/4

OZ Academy - Rude in June (6/3/2018)

4. OZ Academy Tag Team Champship: Sekigun (Maya Yukihi & Mayumi Ozaki) (c) vs. MK5 (Kakeru Sekiguchi & Sonoko Kato)

Highly entertaining Sekigun torture session. MK5 put in a good performance fighting underneath; the bloodshed added to their peril. I wasn't sure about Sekiguchi at first, but she's improving rapidly.

***1/2

5. OZ Academy Openweight Champship: Yoshiko (c) vs. Hikaru Shida

Great match. Shida is getting creative with those knee strikes lately, the lariat counters and the Kamigoye were awesome. There was stiffness and nice sequences, but the finishing run was lacking. Still, Shida winning the Openweight is one of my favorite moments of the year.

***3/4