Arisa Nakajima & Misaki Ohata vs. ASUKA & Ayame Sasamura (SEAdLINNNG, 6/8/2018)

SEAdLINNNG - Shinkiba 4th Night! (6/8/2018)

Arisa Nakajima & Misaki Ohata vs. ASUKA & Ayame Sasamura

Solid stuff. Arisa continues her storyline of trying to find a replacement for Tsukasa and failing, and Sasamura showed off her ability.

***3/4

Stardom - Bright Summer ~ RISE vs. Stardom (7/16/2018)

3. Artist of Stardom Championship: JAN (Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama & Natsuko Tora) (c) vs. Britt Baker, Dust & Kylie Rae

Rock solid first defense for JAN. I like the idea of Kyona, Yoneyama & Tora being the ace team of the trios division. Thought their new costumes looked silly at first, but I like them now.

**3/4

4. SWA World Championship: Viper (c) vs. Tam Nakano

Loved this. Tam fights with urgency, striking before the bell rings. Her kick-heavy offense and the way she isn't afraid to throw a stiff really reminds me of Yuzupon. I liked the dramatic set-up for the Destiny Hammer from the apron. Destructive offense from Viper who looked like a tank in this match.

***1/2

5. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Oedo Tai (Kagetsu & Sumire Natsu) vs. Rey Wagner & STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima)

Super fun trios - Oedos brought annoying air corns to create that authentic lucha libre feel.

***1/4

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

This was a really good match. Hazuki's offense looked amazing as always and she was really good as the aggressor, loved the Scott Norton rope hung DDT. Momo's selling of the headbutt and the diving somato were also match highlights. Hazuki feels more natural in Oedo Tai, but she still has some weak points to improve that hinder her matches from being truly great.

***3/4

Emi Sakura, Mei Suruga & Riho vs. NEO Biishiki-gun (Martha, Saki-sama & Yoshiko-sama) (DDT, 8/1/2018)

DDT - Beer Garden Fight 2018 ~ Shuten Doji & HARASHIMA DAY ~ (8/1/2018)

Emi Sakura, Mei Suruga & Riho vs. NEO Biishiki-gun (Martha, Sakisama & Yoshiko-sama)

Supremely fun match with a mixture of action and comedy. Martha was working hard, displaying great technique and bumping ability. Suruga is GM's newest rookie and she delivered an impressive performance. The reaction of the crowd whenever Yoshiko-sama landed a senton was gold.

****

Jungle Kyona vs. Yuna Mizumori (Gatoh Move, 7/28/2018)

Gatoh Move - Good Work Summer! Itabashi Tournament ~ Swimming this Summer ~ (7/28/2018)

Jungle Kyona vs. Yuna Mizumori

This was great, it was a battle of charismatic power fighters with lots of emotion and energy. Yuna showed a lot of heart, and I really liked the running spinebuster into the turnbuckle. Kyona has a strong presence for someone with only 2 years of experience, she really came across as a star in the Gatoh Move ring.

***1/2

Stardom - Bright Summer ~ RISE vs. Stardom (Night) (7/14/2018)

3. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Shiki Shibusawa & Starlight Kid) vs. Queen's Quest (AZM, Konami, Momo Watanabe & Viper)

This was another fun multi-man tag match, nice action, nice comedy, some fun pairings like Shiki and Konami. Kid and AZM have one of their best sequences yet, they're building really strong chemistry together.

***

4. Dream Come True Tournament - Finals: Britt Baker vs. Tam Nakano

This was... passable. There were minor timing issues, but no botches or blown spots, and the crowd was receptive. Tam had been unproven as someone who could hold a match together against a worker of lesser experience, but here she showed that she could do that. 

**

Riho vs. Yuna Mizumori (Gatoh Move, 3/13/2018)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・345 (3/13/2018)

Riho vs. Yuna Mizumori

This was my first time watching Yuna, she's charismatic like you would expect from an idol wrestler. Riho gave the usual veteran-versus-rookie performance, winning with a Boston crab. Solid match.

***1/4

Isami Kodaka vs. Masahiro Takanashi (DDT, 7/8/2018)

DDT - Masahiro Takanashi 15th Anniversary Show ~ In The World There Is No Storehouse ~ (7/8/2018)

Isami Kodaka vs. Masahiro Takanashi

Solid, doesn't measure up to their 2016 outing, but still good. Sometimes I feel Masahiro tries too hard to be innovative with his unorthodox holds and their meticulous set ups. Sometimes a simple approach is best. But you have to appreciate how he gets the crowd to rally behind him.

***1/2