SEAdLINNNG - Nanae Takahashi 25th Anniversary ~ Arigatou (7/11/2021)

4. SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship: ASUKA vs. Ryo Mizunami

This was a great match. It turned into a total firefight where they were exchanging heavy blows. The striking was diverse and dynamic so it never felt repetitive. ASUKA shined on offense, using her natural athletic ability to attack from various angles. Mizunami, a veteran of more than 10 years, seems to have gained a new vigor after returning from AEW. The armwork was just a way to build the match and get the crowd into it and I think it worked. Even though ASUKA's reign ended without a successful defense, she went out with a bang.

****

5. Nanae Takahashi vs. Arisa Nakajima

I don't know if it's because of her age or if her body is in shambles, but Nanae has slowed down and her physical condition doesn't look good. I thought Arisa's offense was amazing, especially the downward elbows to the head, but I would like to see her break away from this repetitive pattern of wrestling. If you've seen the previous matches between these two, it's more of the same. This is easily my least favorite type of Japanese women's wrestling. Directionless move exhibition with little buildup between moves, little regard for selling, and of course, a million finisher kick-outs.

**

Stardom - Yokohama Dream Cinderella 2021 in Summer (7/4/2021)

2. Queen's Quest (Momo Watanabe & AZM) vs. Oedo Tai (Starlight Kid & Ruaka)

This was good tag team action, with timely momentum shifts and a well-executed finishing sequence. Starlight Kid adds an interesting variable to Oedo Tai, who have been gaining momentum with expanding membership. Her entrance and mannerisms were cool. And again, Ruaka has been showing such great improvement and feels so much more motivated than she was prior to joining Oedo Tai. 

***1/2

3. Future of Stardom Championship Tournament, Finals: Mina Shirakawa vs. Unagi Sayaka

This was a solid match, but I felt it was lacking in terms of tension and drama for a tournament final. They performed some cool looking moves with nothing in between to create meaning. Although I was impressed by Mina's performance. Her grounding wrestling and strikes were impressive.

***

4. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Donna del Mondo (Giulia & Syuri) (c) vs. STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Koguma)

This was a great tag title defense. The action was very well-paced and the dramatic sequences were well constructed. Despite a six-year absence, Koguma has been doing excellent work since her return. She was given the spotlight and her genius really shined. Her German suplex from below the waist was Gary Albert level. Giulia's striking ability and steep head drops were as brutal as always. Also, Mayu and Syuri, who have a history at Yokohama Budokan, had a sweet callback to their feud.

****

5. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Tam Nakano (c) vs. Saya Kamitani

A confrontation between master and disciple. The strike battles weren't high level, but what they lacked in technique they made up for in unbridled emotion, and that is the kind of storytelling that is typical of the white belt. The pace felt a little off in the beginning, but they developed a good rhythm as the match progressed. Tam's body work and kicks were great. And Kamitani, who took a lot of damage head-on and yet refused to back down, was super compelling to watch. There was something reminiscent of Mayu Iwatani in her performance.

****

Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Tae Honma (Ice Ribbon, 5/30/2021)

Ice Ribbon - #1123 ~ Nagoya Ribbon 2021 (5/30/2021)

ICExInfinity Championship: Tsukasa Fujimoto (c) vs. Tae Honma

This was Fujimoto's third defense in three weeks so I didn't expect her to go all out. And I think it's fine that she didn't. This was a good technical wrestling match, with positional battles on the mat, smooth transitions and timely counters. Honma gave the match a proper title match feel through her dramatic selling.

***1/2

Miyu Yamashita vs. Saki-sama (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 6/26/2021)

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Stand Proud 2021 (6/26/2021)

Princess of Princess Championship: Miyu Yamashita (c) vs. Sakisama

The layout of this match felt all wrong. Saki-sama is the super heel who rarely loses and yet she barely got any significant offense. She was the one surviving an onslaught of big moves and making the comeback from underneath at the end even though she's the clear heel. There was such an easy story to tell here and they screwed it up with a strange role reversal. If the idea was to shatter the illusion of Saki-sama, I suppose this match accomplished that, but it didn't make for a compelling story. The in-ring itself was also not strong. For a match between two strikers, this was lacking high-level strikes. The strikes looked soft and seemed to have little power behind them, save for a couple of exceptions at the end.

**1/2

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Additional Attack (6/17/2021)

4. Mirai Maiumi vs. Yuki Arai

Arai, making her singles debut, expressed her fighting spirit well through her facial expressions and body language, and showed a high level of technical skill with her big boot > axe kick combination. I also thought this was Mirai's best singles match to date, and the fact that she was given this kind of role shows how capable she is.

***3/4

6. International Princess Championship: Hikari Noa (c) vs. Marika Kobashi

This was better than I expected it to be. There were few highlights and the technique was nothing impressive, but the action was generally solid, and the layout and composition were good. However, the finish fell flat. This was another Hikari finish that felt too abrupt after the damage she had taken.

***1/4

7. Princess Tag Team Championship: NEO Biishiki-gun (Mei Saint-Michel & Sakisama) (c) vs. 121000000 (Maki Ito & Miyu Yamashita)

This was a fun, action-packed tag team main event. The fast pace with little downtime made it very easy to watch and it didn't feel like a nearly 20 minute match. It's great to see the feud between Miyu and Saki-sama back in full swing.

***3/4

Stardom - Tokyo Dream Cinderella 2021 Special Edition (6/12/2021)

1. Cinderella Tournament - Semi-Finals: Maika vs. Unagi Sayaka

Even though Maika had wrapped up legs, her base seemed as strong as always. Unagi, who is rather unathletic, has a certain charm that reminds me of Kairi Sane, who was similarly weak but showed a lot of personality and fighting spirit. This match felt like it ended just as the action was starting to escalate.

***1/4

2. Cinderella Tournament - Semi-Finals: Himeka vs. Saya Kamitani

This was just as good as their match from the league tournament last year. Their styles mesh really well. Kamitani showed great vigor and urgency and a high level of execution. Himeka, who was returning from injury, hardly showed any rust and hit some hard hitting power moves. Both geniuses at facial expressions too.

***3/4

3. 3Way Shuffle Tag Match: Natsupoi & AZM vs. Tam Nakano & Giulia vs. Mina Shirakawa & Momo Watanabe

This was a really fun, fast-paced match with great action and comedy. Momo doing a gravure pose was interesting, and I liked the synchronized sequences between the mixed-up teams.

***1/2

4. Elimination - Loser Must Join Rival Unit: Oedo Tai (Natsuko Tora, Konami, Fukigen DEATH, Ruaka & Saki Kashima) vs. STARS (Koguma, Hanan, Starlight Kid, Mayu Iwatani & Rin Kadokura)

This was another epic chapter of the Oedo Tai vs. STARS feud. Multi-man tag action worked at a blistering pace. Surprising falls and dramatic momentum shifts. Koguma's movement is still good despite her weight gain and she is a natural in the ring.

****

5. Cinderella Tournament - Finals: Maika vs. Saya Kamitani

Kamitani and Maika are in their first and second year respectively and yet have so much depth as performers. I can't think of another organization where you can see wrestlers of such youth and relative inexperience wrestling at a level like this, with a major prize at stake. Kamitani showed her killer instinct by targeting the injured leg of Maika, while Maika showed a lot of spirit and mental strength fighting through the pain.

****

6. World of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Syuri

This was an epic main event clash. A dense 40+ minutes of incredible wrestling, stamina and endurance. Syuri seemed to have a thousand holds at her disposal, not to mention many different ways to kick her opponent, keeping the action fresh throughout. They traded hard-hitting strikes and massive bumps. Some of the bumps were something out of NOAH during its heyday. This was another great defense for Utami, who has had an amazing title run so far.

****3/4

Mei Suruga vs. Haruka Umesaki (ChocoPro, 5/27/2021)

ChocoPro #121 (5/27/2021)

Mei Suruga vs. Haruka Umesaki

This was a really fun match for Mei's 3rd debut anniversary, against generational rival and former Darenjyo colleague Haruka Umesaki. They mostly kept to the basics, but they paced everything well so it hardly felt like its 25-minute duration.

***1/2