7. Cinderella Tournament 2022 - First Round: Utami Hayashishita vs. Tam Nakano
These two have an interesting feud, having only faced each other in singles exclusively in tournaments. In Utami's debut year, she bulldozed through Tam by referee stoppage. Last year, Tam was finally able to get revenge when the two were arguably at the height of their strength as the promotion's top champions. Now both of them are beltless fighting their way back up after having been defeated by Saya Kamitani. This was a sprint-style match with exchanges of big moves and some comical elements mixed in. It wasn't an ideal match, but it was good for what it was given the limitations imposed by the rules of the tournament. Hopefully they meet again in the near future. ***1/2
14. Cinderella Tournament 2022 - First Round: Giulia vs. Thekla
A mostly mat based affair with striking kept to a minimum. Thekla recounted a story in Shupro about how she and Giulia had a fierce sparring session during their Ice Ribbon days where she ended up bloodied by a head butt. This match was much like that, with the two trading ground moves and gradually developing into more intense offense. There were few wasted movements, as almost every move was logically chained to another. ***1/4
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