Tokyo Joshi Pro - Let's Go! Go! If You Go! When You Go! If You Get Lost You Just Go To Osaka! (1/7/2018)

1. Nodoka-oneesan vs. Yuka Sakazaki 

Yuka turned this into something more than an ordinary rookie squash - spectacular performance from her. Nodoka looked good as well, I liked the comedy spot where she was afraid to jump from the top rope to the outside.

***1/4

3. Super Milk Combination (Nonoko & Yuna Manase) & Yuki Kamifuki vs. Maho Kurone, Mizuki & Rika Tatsumi

This went on for way too long, and the work wasn't interesting enough for the time that it got.

*1/4

4. NEO Biishiki-gun (Saki-sama & Azusa Christie) vs. Marika Kobashi & Yuu

Solid match that served its purpose in putting over Biishiki-gun. Marika Kobashi seemed really motivated, she had a good momentum going. The Yuu-Saki-sama strike exchange was easily the highlight - Yuu's chops are horrific.

**3/4

Dick Togo vs. Diego (DDT, 12/1/2017)

DDT - Let's Dare Say That It Is Shin-Kiba (12/1/2017)

Dick Togo vs. Diego 

The pacing and layout was all Richard Togo, but Diego did good - he was stepping up and shows a fire that you don't often see from him.

***

Ice Ribbon - #858 ~ RIBBONMANIA 2017 (12/31/2017)

1. Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Tsukushi

The anticipated re-debut of 'Switchblade' Tsukushi was a solid match, it has its flaws (Fujimoto's sloppy execution, awkward transitions), but I can forgive them since this is the opener. The counterwork was really nice. This Tsukushi redemption story is interesting and I think it will help her grow in the long run.

***

4. Akane Fujita vs. Arisa Nakajima

This was the usual violent Arisa encounter, the action flowed organically, the strikes looked good and raw. There's little knees, elbows and kicks during transitions that made the match feel like a constant fight.

***1/2

6. GEKOKUJyou (Kyuuri & Maika Ozaki) vs. Saori Anou & Tae Honma

Exciting, fast-paced tag team match. I love the GEKOKU attires.

***

7. Young Ice Tournament - Finals: Maruko Nagasaki vs. Nao DATE

Solid David-Goliath battle. Maruko focused mostly on submissions and pinning combinations since Nao has her beaten when it comes to strikes.

***

8. ICE×∞ Championship: Risa Sera (c) vs. Hiiragi Kurumi

This was a solid, high-impact back and forth. Nothing really out of the ordinary for an ICE main event. 

***1/4

SEAdLINNNG - Share The Moment (12/13/2017)

3. Ayako Hamada & Masato Tanaka vs. Nanae Takahashi & The Great Sasuke

This was really good, nice hard-hitting action from everyone involved. Sasuke is practically immobile at this point and reacts slowly, he was hilarious to watch.

***3/4

4. Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

This was an awesome blend of technique and violence. They're trying to inflict grievous bodily harm, but also show off their technical abilities with matwork and counters. Really liked the sequence towards the end where Arisa is controlling the wrist of Fujimoto and they're just pummel each other with strikes.

****

5. Ryo Mizunami vs. Yoshiko

Solid main event, doesn't set the world on fire or anything, but it's exactly what you would expect from these two powerhouses. I thought they were going somewhere interesting when Yoshiko hurt her leg diving from the apron and Mizunami targeted the injury, but they quickly drop the limbwork in favor of bomb-throwing. Yoshiko hits a sick headbutt in the finishing sequence!

***1/4

SEAdLINNNG - Shin-Kiba 1st NIGHT (11/22/2017)

3. Captain's Fall: Ayako Hamada, Mio Momono & Saki Akai vs. Nanae Takahashi, Rina Yamashita & Satsuki Totoro

Saki Akai is no Sareee, I didn't enjoy her portions of the match very much, and I can't say that I'm a fan of her becoming a regular in the D. Rina, Momono and Nanae brought the explosiveness that I like to see from these SEAdLINNNG scramble matches.

**3/4

4. Arisa Nakajima & Ryo Mizunami vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto & Yoshiko

This was a good prelude to Arisa-Fujimoto and Mizunami-Yoshiko. It begins to lose steam towards the middle, but I really enjoyed the Arisa segments, she and Fujimoto were mauling each other.

***

「Kotori」vs. MIZUKI (Gatoh Move, 6/7/2015)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・170 (6/7/2015)

「Kotori」vs. MIZUKI

Wrestlingdata incorrectly lists MIZUKI as Riho in this match, I guess you can't blame them since they're practically twins. This was a timeout draw so they take it slow before they get into the flashy stuff. There was constant movement and struggle in the mat-based portions that kept things engaging. "Kotori" applies some painful holds, and her wall-bounce elbow is always visually appealing.

***1/4

Daisuke Masaoka vs. Masashi Takeda (FREEDOMS, 3/23/2017)

FREEDOMS - The Gekokujo 2017 (3/23/2017)

King of FREEDOM World Championship: Daisuke Masaoka (c) vs. Masashi Takeda

This was mindless action where they're going a million miles per minute. I don't remember much of what happened since there wasn't much to sink your teeth into, but I had a lot of fun watching it unfold. They're just going and going and going -- a high speed death match.

***3/4

Isami Kodaka vs. FUMA (BASARA, 1/8/2018)

BASARA - Vajra 56 ~ Osaka Winter Team and People (1/8/2018)

Union MAX Championship: Isami Kodaka (c) vs. FUMA

I have found that Kodaka is the only wrestler in BASARA that you can count on to deliver good matches consistently. FUMA throws a chair at Kodaka's head during a dive and Kodaka blades, which seemed excessive to me, but that's Kodaka for you. This was a breeze to watch; kicks, the set-ups, the cut-offs, all enjoyable.

***1/2

Keisuke Ishii vs. Soma Takao (DDT, 11/28/2010)

DDT - God Bless DDT 2010 (11/28/2010)

Young Drama Cup 2010 - Finals: Keisuke Ishii vs. Soma Takao

The crowd could not give less of a shit about these two, the reaction is not unlike the match they had at AJPW's ryogoku in 2016. Solid young lion battle, there's a couple of good, stiff hits. Soma unfortunately has not grown a lot, his performance still lacks to this day, while Ishii has improved tremendously.

**1/2

Tokyo Joshi Pro - '18 (1/4/2018)

4. NEO Biishiki-gun (Saki-sama & Azusa Christie) vs. Super Milk Combination (Nonoko & Yuna Manase) (w/ Haruka Nishimoto)

Not the best effort I've seen from Super Milk Combination, but solid. The finishing stretch was nuts -- Saki-sama makes a counter of the boinmaker into an STO!

**1/2

5. TOKYO Princess Tag Team Championship: MiraClians (Yuka Sakazaki & Shoko Nakajima) (c) vs. Mizuki & Riho

Riho in TJPW! I feel like this could have been so much better, but I probably had unrealistic expectations for it. It was still really good. They created great moments even though the execution could be spotty, and the high speed exchanges between Riho and Shoko were easily the highlight.

***1/4

6. TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship: Reika Saiki (c) vs. Miyu Yamashita

This was everything you'd want from a match between these two and more, a spirited back and forth with beautiful kick exchanges. It doesn't reach the dramatic heights of Reika's previous defenses, but it still was very good. I hope to see these two clash again in the future.

***3/4

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.

***

Daisuke Sekimoto vs. HARASHIMA (DDT, 7/25/2010)

DDT - Ryogoku Peter Pan 2010 ~ Summer Vacation (7/25/2010)

KO-D Openweight Championship: Daisuke Sekimoto (c) vs. HARASHIMA

Great match. It was an intense and competitive championship bout, where HARASHIMA shows off a wide range of facial expressions. The finishing run probably went overkill with headbutt trading and HARASHIMA kicking out of a CROSS-ARM GERMAN SUPLEX, but I was totally into it.

****

Masa Takanashi vs. Yuji Hino (DDT, 5/4/2012)

DDT - Max Bump 2012 (5/4/2012)

KO-D Openweight Championship: Masa Takanashi (c) vs. Yuji Hino

Masa cheats his way to a victory by pretending that he was attacked by Hino with the belt, but the GM restarts the match. Now Hino is ultra pissed, his groans and facial expressions putting him over as this no-nonsense monster. Masa finds sneaky little ways to mount offense and targets the leg, and Hino punishes him with sheer brute strength. Great clash of power and technique.

**** 

KUDO vs. Masa Takanashi (DDT, 11/6/2011)

DDT - Osaka Bay Blues Special 2011 (11/6/2011)

KO-D Openweight Championship: KUDO (c) vs. Masa Takanashi

Masa's aiming for the leg in this match, a game plan that got him far in his first Openweight challenge against Daisuke Sekimoto. This match ruled, loved the slap exchange and KUDO's Palo special between the ropes (into a rolling German suplex) was awesome.

***1/4

W*ING - Dead or Alive (5/7/1992)

3. W*ING World Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Qualifying Match: Masaru Toi vs. Masayoshi Motegi

An engaging match, with explosive offense and selling. There's a powerbomb where their heads collide and they start pouring out blood, match doesn't go on for much longer after that.

**1/2

4. Mitsuteru Tokuda vs. Mongolian Mauler

**

5. W*ING Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship: Yukihiro Kanemura (c) vs. Super Invader

Third match in a row to start off with an outside brawl. This was action-packed, and it's only 9 minutes long. There's a sloppy avalanche belly-to-belly from Super Invader where Kanemura lands on his arm; both threw caution to the wind in some of the bumps they took.

***

6. Indian Strap Match: The Grappler vs. Wahoo McDaniel

Loving the gritty tone of this show. This was a violent brawl with tons of a bloodshed. Wahoo drags the lifeless body of The Grappler to each corner as blood leaks on his white boots -- a chilling visual.

***1/2

7. Undertaker Deathmatch: Jason the Terrible vs. Mr. Pogo

More brawling and bloodshed. The ending was madness. Pogo and Super Invader try to set Jason on fire while he's in the casket, and that causes a giant brawl to end the show. Jason is taken away in the casket (his mask mysteriously returning after having been removed) with a title card promising his return.

***3/4