Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom, 4/5/2019)

Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple (4/5/2019)

Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Utami Hayashishita

This is a big first time match-up and while it wasn't the large-scale epic it probably would have been if it happened in Japan, it's very good. Great back and forth action, with good building and heated near-falls.

****

GEKOKUJyou (Kyuuri & Maika Ozaki) vs. Azure Revolution (Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera) (Ice Ribbon, 3/17/2019)

Ice Ribbon - #949 ~ Chiba Ribbon 2019 (Day) (3/17/2019)

International Ribbon Tag Team Championship: GEKOKUJyou (Kyuuri & Maika Ozaki) (c) vs. Azure Revolution (Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera)

A fantastic sequel to last year's International Ribbon match between these teams. This one was more heated and hard-hitting, they're largely exchanging moves, but they kept the action varied enough for that to be interesting for 18-minutes.

****

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio (DDT, 3/30/2019)

DDT - Goodbye Hakata Starlanes! (3/30/2019)

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio (DDT, 3/30/2019)

Vast improvement over their outing last year which I thought was a total borefest. I enjoyed the volleying one-upsmanship and Ikemen's approach to arm work. There's devastating looking suplexes and slams as well.

****1/4

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

Stardom - Dream Slam 2019 (3/28/2019)

5. Women of Honor World Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Natsuko Tora

Tora was an aggressor with a game plan and Mayu was fighting through the pain with an enthusiastic crowd on her side. The stakes were high with the championship and a placement on the MSG supercard up for grabs and both delivered big time performances.

****1/2

6. World of Stardom Championship: Kagetsu (c) vs. Goya Kong

There's no way I wasn't going to enjoy this. Kagetsu has proven to be really great working underneath and she has a super powerhouse with great looking offense to bump around for before making the comeback. This was such a compelling story and it was told with only a few moves.

****1/4

7. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Andras Miyagi

This was a great coming out party for Oedo Tai's Bio Organic Weapon and one of the more unique entries in Momo's White Belt reign. Miyagi's new and unproven so Momo was dismissive of her initially, but once Miyagi starts to control the pace with neck-targeting offense she's recognized as a real threat.

****

Shoko Nakajima vs. Pinano Pipipipi (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 3/30/2019)

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Spring Tour '19 ~ Ready Set, Go! (3/30/2019)

Shoko Nakajima vs. Pinano Pipipipi

You're witnessing something special when there's an apron battle in a Pipi match. This was a good match, Pinano showed great movement as she kept up with Shoko and they did a good job building tension with the time they were given.

***1/2

magical sugar rabbits (Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki) vs. KANO SISTERS (Yuki Kamifuku & Yuna Manase) (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 3/23/2019)

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Spring Tour '19 - Ready Set, GO! (3/23/2019)

TOKYO Princess Tag Team Championship: magical sugar rabbits (Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki) (c) vs. KANO SISTERS (Yuki Kamifuku & Yuna Manase)

This moves fairly quickly as there is little down time and the character / comedy segments are well placed into the action. Yuna might have been the workhorse of the match, she showed a range of offense and kept up a good pace.

***1/4