Natsumi Maki vs. Saori Anou (AWG, 10/9/2018)

AWG (10/9/2018)

AWG Championship Tournament - Quarter-Finals: Natsumi Maki vs. Saori Anou

This was an intense match, a surly back and forth between former tag partners turned rivals. There was brawling and some big time exchanges. Both have beautiful bridges that were on display as they traded suplexes.

***1/2

SAKI vs. Saori Anou (AWG, 11/15/2018)

AWG - Actwres girl'Z in Korakuen (11/15/2018)

AWG Championship Tournament - Finals (decision): SAKI vs. Saori Anou

This was a strong match to crown the inaugural AWG champion and close the promotion’s first ever Korakuen Hall event. SAKI has never performed on this level before, in a full-length singles main event with high stakes, but she delivered a fantastic performance. She was just getting better and better as the match went on. Anou was great as well and had the crowd firmly on her side.

****

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Mei Suruga (Gatoh Move, 11/8/2018)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・#389 ~ Stand Up Winter!

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Mei Suruga 

Good match, these two developed a fun chemistry. Mei showcased her skills and charisma, and Yoneyama is so great as a rookie eater.

***1/2

BEST OF THE SUPER JOSHI 2018 - Top 50 Best Bouts

These are my top 50 favorite joshi puroresu bouts of 2018.

Ice Ribbon - #930 ~ RibbonMania 2018

5. Hardcore: Hikaru Shida vs. Risa Sera

This was boring as hell, simply put. Basic hardcore wrestling with hardly any creativity. One good thing I can say about it is that that Sera's volley of Death Valley Bombs looked brutal.

*

7. ICExInfinity Championship: Tsukasa Fujimoto (c) vs. Maya Yukihi

Ehh... this had the problems that many Ice Ribbon singles main events tend to have, there's a stacking of sequences and movez but little in the way of nuance or substance. This didn't connect with me at all.

bad

Stardom - Year-End Climax 2018 (12/24/2018)

4. High Speed Championship: Mary Apache (c) vs. Hazuki

High paced, intense affair. Mary made counters that were punctuated by heavy hits and Hazuki gave her usual surly big boots. I thought they built tension well with the near falls leading into the finish where Hazuki almost bumps her neck into sawdust with a Shooting Star.

***1/4

6. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Queen's Quest (Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita) (c) vs. STARS (Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano)

Saki & Tam develop chemistry as the match goes on while Momo & Utami are a well-oiled duo. This was a really fun match with strong sequences and drama built around Saki's flash pin.

***3/4

Stardom - Goddesses of Stars 2018 (12/15/2018)

2. AZM vs. Hana Kimura vs. Mary Apache

Hana and Mary are quickly becoming one of my favorite duos in the promotion. The torture session on AZM was good, and AZM using her short stature and speed to her advantage was a lot of fun.

***1/2

5. Artist of Stardom Championship: STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano) (c) vs. Queen's Quest (Konami, Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita)

Another well-paced, well-laid out trios from Stardom. Great heat building for the upcoming Goddesses with Saki scoring another upset on Momo.

***1/2

Antonio Honda vs. Mei Suruga (Gatoh Move, 8/15/2018)

Gatoh Move - Japan Tour・373 (8/15/2018)

Antonio Honda vs. Mei Suruga

Honda's gimmick of interrupting the action to cut a 2-min promo is something that I am not a fan of, but this was an enjoyable bout. Some fun comedy and nice counterwork. Mei using Honda's knuckle strike combination was the highlight. 

***

Maika Ozaki vs. Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon, 12/9/2018)

Ice Ribbon - #926 ~ Ryogoku KFC Ribbon 2018 (12/9/2018)

ICE×∞ Championship #1 Contendership Tournament - Finals: Maika Ozaki vs. Maya Yukihi

Great finale to the #1 contendership tournament. Maya and Ozaki are two of my favorites on the roster at the moment and both of them worked an exciting match and told a story of growth.

***1/2

Stardom - Goddesses of Stars 2018 (12/7/2018)

2. Konami vs. Mary Apache

Fine technique on display in this clash of styles. Konami's triangle kick looks so crisp and Mary hits a heel kick to a loud, dull thud.

***

3. Saki Kashima vs. Hana Kimura

This had violent heel work and brawling from Hana. Unfortunately Saki's comebacks lacked fervor.

**1/2

5. STARS (Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani & Tam Nakano) vs. Oedo Tai (Hazuki, Kagetsu & Sumire Natsu)

Arisa's first encounter with Oedo Tai. The turmoil between her and Tam adds a fun dimension to really great trios action.

***3/4

Hiiragi Kurumi vs. Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon, 11/24/2018)

Ice Ribbon - #922 ~ Yokohama Ribbon 2018 ~November~ (11/24/2018)

ICE×∞ Championship #1 Contendership Tournament - Semi-Finals: Hiiragi Kurumi vs. Maya Yukihi

High paced struggle with explosive offense and great bumps. Maya's performance here was quite good as I thought she sold the stakes of the match well, while Kurumi was a powerhouse machine.

***1/2

Mary Apache vs. Saki Kashima (Stardom, 12/2/2018)

Stardom - Goddesses of Stars 2018 (12/2/2018)

High Speed Championship: Mary Apache (c) vs. Saki Kashima

This match is at its best when Mary is battering Saki with her heavy offense. She may be lacking in character, but her ringwork is super crisp. Saki performs lucha at a decent enough level with the crowd behind her and has a great near-fall.

***1/2

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tetsuya Endo (DDT, 12/8/2018)

DDT - D-Ou Grand Prix 2018 in Osaka (12/8/2018)

D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 Block B: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tetsuya Endo

This is probably the best bout that I've seen from this match-up. Although this is a small venue, they delivered a main event fit for Korakuen Hall with big time moves and counters. Endo's assault on Takeshita's leg pays off nicely.

****1/4

Go Shiozaki vs. Akito (DDT, 12/1/2018)

DDT - D-Ou Grand Prix 2018 in Nanto (12/1/2018)

D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 Block A: Go Shiozaki vs. Akito

I had zero expectations for this match, but it hooked me with Akito going after an injured arm the way that only Akito can and Shiozaki doing a tremendous sell-job. The size differential plays a role in the finish in a great way.

****

Stardom - Best of Goddesses (11/23/2018)

2. Future of Stardom Championship: Starlight Kid (c) vs. Natsumi

Thought they kept up a good tempo throughout and kept the crowd into the action. Both wrestlers showcased a variety of moves and created good near-falls. 

***

4. Hana Kimura & Mary Apache vs. Oedo Tai (Hazuki & Kagetsu)

Hazuki and Mary are in a high speed feud so there's lucharesu action in this match. I liked the chair shot counters from Hana, and Mary cutting off Kagetsu's momentum with a big lariat from the apron was wicked.

***1/2

5. AMA (Arisa Hoshiki & Mayu Iwatani) vs. Queen's Quest (AZM & Konami)

Strong return match for Arisa after six years away (!). Having her work underneath is a smart layout for someone who has been away from the ring for so long. AZM & Konami were looking dominant as the gatekeepers of QQ and there's a couple of sequences and big moves that brought this to a high level.

***3/4

6. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: JAN (Jungle Kyona & Natsuko Tora) (c) vs. Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita

It's been a while since we've had a Goddesses of Stardom match of this magnitude. This surges to an emotional struggle between Kyona and Utami and I dug the feuding between Momo and Tora.

***1/2

Tokyo Joshi Pro - 5th Anniversary ~ Five Year Old Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling ~ (12/1/2018)

6. Yuu vs. Nodoka Tenma

Yuu being a violent aggressor and Nodoka giving one of her compelling underneath performances. I feel like all this needed was one or two dramatic kickouts and it would've reached that high point. Very good, still.

***1/2

7. 2 out of 3 Falls: Miyu Yamashita & magical sugar rabbits (Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki) vs. Maki Ito, Shoko Nakajima & Riho

Story-driven trios epic with character and superb technique, plus the novelty of seeing Miyu and Riho face off for the first time. Hell of a build towards 1/4.

****1/2

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey (DDT, 11/30/2018)

DDT - D-Ou Grand Prix 2018 in Shinjuku (11/30/2018)

D-Ou Grand Prix 2019 Block B - Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Mike Bailey

For the second time this year Speedball opens the D-Ou with a marvelous match. This time against Takeshita Konosuke. Very cohesive bout with stiffness and hard bumps and pristine execution. Always fun when a wrestler unveils a new technique that catches their opponent off guard.

****1/2

Arisa Nakajima vs. Command Bolshoi (PURE-J, 8/11/2018)

PURE-J - 1st Anniversary ~ Rainbow Mountain (8/11/2018)

Arisa Nakajima vs. Command Bolshoi

This had beautiful technique on display from the competitors. Arisa just muscling Bolshoi into those suplexes was my favorite thing.

***3/4

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls, 11/17/2018)

Sendai Girls - Joshi Puroresu Big Show 2018 In Osaka (11/17/2018)

Sendai Girls World Championship: Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs. Meiko Satomura

I don't think there was much here to distinguish this from their other bouts, other than it being held in Osaka, but these two are obviously incredible performers so they'll always produce good results together in the ring.

***3/4

Chihiro Hashimoto & DASH Chisako vs. Oedo Tai (Hazuki & Kagetsu) (Sendai Girls, 11/16/2018)

Sendai Girls (11/16/2018)

Chihiro Hashimoto & DASH Chisako vs. Oedo Tai (Hazuki & Kagetsu)

Oedo Tai representing Stardom in an interpromotional clash and the crowd responding to them as proper heels was a lot of fun. Chihiro had great moments where she showed off her explosive arsenal. Hazuki's athleticism is insane. Interested in the future implications of this match.

***1/2