Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa vs. Hikaru Shida & Tomomitsu Matsunaga (DDT, 7/29/2014)

DDT - Beer Garden Wrestling - Golden Storm Riders Day (7/29/2014)

Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa vs. Hikaru Shida & Tomomitsu Matsunaga

The workrate was surprisingly high given that Nakazawa and Matsunaga are involved and neither of them are regarded as particularly good. Shida was no-nonsense and swinging for the fences with her shinai, and she has a great segment with Omega. The Star Wars bit was epic.

****1/4

HARASHIMA vs. Soma Takao (DDT, 11/30/2014)

DDT - God Bless DDT 2014 (10/30/2014)

KO-D Openweight Championship: HARASHIMA vs. Soma Takao

One of my favorite DDT matches ever and easily the best match of Soma's career. Very much doubt Soma tops this - EVER. The shift in tempo, when Soma reaches a breaking point and explodes into a flurry that leaves HARASHIMA bleeding from the head, was so well-timed and dramatic.

*****

Keisuke Ishii vs. Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 8/31/2014)

DDT - Memories of Summer Vacation 2014 (8/31/2014)

KO-D Openweight Title #1 Contendership Tournament - Finals: Keisuke Ishii vs. Tetsuya Endo

Fantastic clash with Tetsuya giving a strong effort against the veteran Ishii. They gradually build into an exciting finishing stretch that had the crowd invested, Endo's graceful high-flying and Ishii's rapid kicks and knee strikes.

****3/4

Danshoku Dino, HARASHIMA & Kota Ibushi vs. Jun Kasai, Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi (DDT, 11/19/2014)

DDT - Wrestling Cannonball 2014 In Orufunato (11/19/2014)

Danshoku Dino, HARASHIMA & Kota Ibushi vs. Jun Kasai, Minoru Suzuki & Sanshiro Takagi

I expected more out of this considering how star-studded it is, but it was good. I don't know why you would have Jun Kasai here and not have him doing something involving weaponry or crazy bumps, but he had a decent exchange with Ibushi. Ibushi is enjoyable to watch even when he isn't really trying.

**1/4

HARASHIMA vs. Kenny Omega (DDT, 7/20/2014)

DDT - Road To Ryogoku 2014 (7/20/2014)

KO-D Openweight Championship: HARASHIMA (c) vs. Kenny Omega

This was a great match, good physicality and selling, and the draw finish was done in a believable fashion. HARASHIMA hits a reverse frankensteiner from the apron to the floor (!) which takes its toll on both competitors and they're fighting back and forth until neither can continue. Great stuff.

***3/4

Kaori Yoneyama & Madoka vs. Zhao Yun & Cherry Lee (Gatoh Move, 8/13/2014)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・125 ~ 7 Day War (8/13/2014)

One Count Match: Kaori Yoneyama & Madoka vs. Zhao Yun & Cherry Lee 

This was... mildly amusing. They could have played up the danger of the 1-count stipulation more, but I liked the moment where Yoneyama is refusing to turn onto her stomach when Cherry tries to pin her. Madoka was great as usual, he single-handedly carries this, for what it's worth.

**

Guanchulo vs. Kenny Omega (DDT, 5/6/2014)

DDT - Road To Ryogoku In Yamagata ~ Dramatic Dream Tamakonnyaku (5/6/2014)

Guanchulo vs. Kenny Omega

I didn't expect anything too strong from this being that it was the opener of the show. They both played up their wacky gaijin personas, clowning around with silly strikes. Omega stops fucking around and zeroes in on the mid-section. It's a nice, aggressive workover. The finish had little build, Omega hits Croyt's Wrath and that's that. OK match.

**

Hikaru Shida vs. Kana (Hikaru Shida Produce, 9/6/2014)

Hikaru Shida Produce: Go Ass Train! ~ Azalea Taisho Wire Edition (9/6/2014)

Hikaru Shida vs. Kana

This was a fierce dogfight to determine who has the strongest ass in joshi puroresu. Hip attacks were in abundance. The match started to lose steam a bit towards the middle, and ending was the most basic of puroresu finishes, but there is still enjoyment to be found here -- it is ass-based offense at its finest.

***

Riho vs. Sareee (Gatoh Move, 1/4/2014)

Gatoh Move - Happy New Year Itabashi Tournament 2014 ~ Japan Tour・83

Riho vs. Sareee

This match felt like it went nowhere. It ends in a timeout draw as things start to get going. Sareee did Kurihara-style stomps and a German suplex that looked good. I don't recall Riho doing anything of note.

*1/2

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Sayaka Obihiro (Gatoh Move, 4/2/2014)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・97 ~ Sawasdee Car Tour in Osaka of Spring ~ (4/2/2014)

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Sayaka Obihiro

There wasn't much to this match. Obihiro brought her high energy as usual and she got squashed by Hiroyo.

**1/4

Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Happy Motel (Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo) (DDT, 9/28/2014)

DDT - Dramatic General Election 2014 Final Voting Day - Last Hope Special (9/28/2014)

KO-D Tag Team Championship: Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (c) vs. Happy Motel (Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo)

Fucking incredible tag match -- super catchy, fast-paced action to a hot crowd. This really felt like Takeshita & Endo's moment because Golden☆Lovers did a tremendous job putting the heat on them and Korakuen was craving a Happy Motel win. The finishing run between Takeshita and Omega was phenomenal. A magical performance by all four men!

****1/2

Emi Sakura vs. Madoka (Gatoh Move, 9/6/2014)

Gatoh Move - 2nd Anniversary Holiday Army (9/6/2014)

Emi Sakura vs. Madoka

Shiittt, these two were fucking each other up. There's some very hard smacks here, and the physicality only builds as the match reaches its conclusion. Madoka unleashes these hellish lariats to put Sakura away, and it's such an awesome 'escalation' of violence in the finishing run. Brilliant match.

****1/2

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Natsu Dakara! Shin-Kiba! (8/2/2014)

2. Tokyo Princess Cup - Semi Finals: Miyu Yamashita vs. Shoko Nakajima

There's a moment here where Miyu is staring down at Shoko from the edge of her massive chin that I thought made for a great visual. This was a concise, neatly packaged underdog story.

***1/2

3. Tokyo Princess Cup - Semi Finals: Nonoko vs. Yuka Sakazaki

no

5. Tokyo Princess Cup - Finals: Nonoko vs. Shoko Nakajima

**3/4

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Circuit 2014 Round.7 (7/17/2014)

2. Tokyo Princess Cup 1st Round: Ai Shimizu vs. Shoko Nakajima

I coined a new phrase while watching this match. 'Ero-puroresu'.

***

3. Tokyo Princess Cup 1st Round: Chikage Kiba vs. Nonoko

Chikage seems to be the best worker in TJP around this time period. Her moves had good impact and her legwork was compelling. Nonoko brought the seriousness here even though she was attacking with her boobs and squeezing them. There was conviction in her oppai assault that I liked.

***

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Circuit 2014 Round.6 (6/22/2014)

2. Tokyo Princess Cup - First Round: KANNA vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Not much happening in this one. Yuka Sakazaki looks like a trainee for an early 2000s indie promotion. You get a rough idea of her gimmick, but it still needs the finishing touches. KANNA isn't good, and never got good.

*

3. Tokyo Princess Cup - First Round: Erin vs. Miyu Yamashita

This was a main event that went 4-minutes, and it wasn't an engaging 4-minutes. It was heatless and dull. These were interesting times for Tokyo Joshi Pro.

*

「Kotori」& Riho vs. Buribato♡ (SAKI & MIZUKI) (Gatoh Move, 8/7/2014)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・119 ~ 7 Day War (8/7/2014)

「Kotori」& Riho vs. Buribato♡ (SAKI & MIZUKI)

Another good match from these teams. Some of the execution was rough, but still good. The「Kotori」and SAKI submission exchange was particularly great, as were all of the vicious wall slams.  

***3/4

DAIJO - September (9/12/2014)

1. Yuu Yamagata, Hikaru Shida & Mika Iida vs. Kana, Tomoka Nakagawa & Kaho Kobayashi

Excellent opener. Kana was the highlight of the match, always get enjoyment out of her feuding with Shida over who has the best hip attacks. Furthermore, Iida got a taste of her glorious stinkface. 

**3/4

2. Kuishinbo Kamen vs. Kyoko Kimura

There's mat work at the start that looks like a genuine struggle, with strikes thrown during holds. The clown fights dirty with closed-fists. Kyoko is more than happy to return the favor. It's not often you see a face Kyoko, but Kushinbo was such an asshole in the way he worked her over that it just worked.

****

3. Fairy Nipponbashi, Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru & Hibiscus Mii vs. Benten-Musume, Misaki Guriko & Nyanbar 

***1/4

4. Ayako Hamada vs. Rina Yamashita

The first half was Hamada smothering the rookie with her superior mat game, and the second half was Hamada overwhelming the rookie with her superior everything else. Rina's offense basic as she is still in her rookie phase, but I thought she made a good fighting spirit rally.

***1/2

5. Yumi Ohka vs. Sawako Shimono

Ohka throws a killer big boot and they are here in abundance, and Shimono's huge hips makes for a painful raiden drop. I thought this flowed well and the selling was good.

***1/2

Arisa Nakajima vs. Rina Yamashita (REINA, 12/26/2014)

REINA - Final Stage 2014 (12/26/2014)

Arisa Nakajima vs. Rina Yamashita

REINA has some diamonds in the rough. This went 8 minutes and was everything you'd want from these two hard-hitters. Intense exchanges and counters, a RAINMAKER, a SHOOT HEADBUTT. Yamashita was only in her first year, but you could definitely see that spark of potential.

***

Stardom - Stardom X Stardom 2014 (8/10/2014) (Io Shirai/Yoshiko)

Stardom X Stardom 2014 (8/10/2014)

World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Yoshiko

This match was all about Yoshiko and her growth as a wrestler. She was on a different level than when she challenged Io for the belt back in 2013; bigger, stronger, wilder. Io had to breakout new tricks and go back to the drawing board to keep the monster guessing because Yoshiko had the champion well-scouted. It was sheer dominance from Yoshiko through brute force.

***1/2

Stardom - Queen Tradition 2014 (12/14/2014)

2. Kellie Skater vs. Makoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

**

3. Kinya Oyanagi & Lin Byron vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Koharu Hinata

I don't know how or why this match was booked on a Stardom card, but I thought everyone did good here, even Kinya Oyanagi, whose gimmick seems to be 'most boring wrestler in the world', with Hinata being the standout. Lin Byron a cute.

**1/2

4. Act Yasukawa & Syuri vs. Takumi Iroha & Reo Hazuki

This is Act's homecoming match and she's brought along Syuri as her special tag partner. Kind of a basic tag match other than the novelty of Syuri wrestling in a Stardom ring. Hazuki running double foot stomping Yasukawa for almost a minute straight was fun.

**

5. Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani & Yoshiko vs.  Nanae Takahashi, Kairi Hojo & Koguma

Watching this has made me nostalgic for the old Yoshiko. She was a wild beast. Really fun spotfest. The bear cub in blue shorts looked especially impressive.

****