Riho vs. Nyla Rose (AEW, 10/2/2019)

AEW - Dynamite #1 (10/2/2019)

AEW Women's World Championship (decision): Riho vs. Nyla Rose

Nyla's pacing, facial expressions and mannerisms were on point. Riho was compelling as the physically overmatched underdog with fighting spirit, and the strong crowd support for her produced one of the best and most emotional comeback sequences of the year. This was an amazing match, and one of the best television matches I've ever seen.

****1/4

Yuna Mizumori vs. Kuishinbo Kamen (Gatoh Move, 1/11/2020)

Gatoh Move - gtmv #30 (1/11/2020)

Yuna Mizumori vs. Kuishinbo Kamen

Another “openweight” Mizumori match. This one integrated comedy into traditional wrestling in a way that was seamless and not overwhelming. There’s some fun antics with the referee (Aoi Kizuki) getting involved. Kuishinbo has masterful comedic timing.

***3/4

Yuna Mizumori vs. Yasu Urano (Gatoh Move, 1/13/2020)

Gatoh Move - gtmv #31 (1/13/2020)

Yuna Mizumori vs. Yasu Urano

Good intergender singles, with Yuna continuing the theme of being able to go blow-for-blow with male opponents. She’s about the size of the average indie wrestler in Japan. Although maybe not quite as strong. Urano is a wizard on the mat and a great heel prick.

***1/2

Stardom - The Way to Major League (2/8/2020)

3. Artist of Stardom Championship: Queen's Quest (AZM, Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita) (c) vs. Donna del Mondo (Giulia, Maika & Syuri)

One of the best Artist matches in recent memory. The mini-feuds running through the match were good and each of them felt unique. Maika looked beyond her years, showing confidence and deadly judo techniques. Syuri looked motivated working with fresh opponents. And Giulia was the most comfortable she’s been in a Stardom ring so far. Although this wasn’t DDM’s debut, this was a great “coming out” for them.

****

4. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki (c) vs. Bea Priestley

Another great title defense from Arisa. Bea has been presented as one of the strongest wrestlers on the roster so this really felt like one of the champion’s toughest challenges yet. There was heavy striking, and dynamic counters and sequences.

***3/4

5. Mayu Iwatani vs. Takumi Iroha

This was originally supposed to be Mayu Iwatani vs. Sareee, but Takumi Iroha was called in as a last minute replacement of the latter. Iroha controlled the pace, with power and precision striking, while Mayu fought from underneath with slick counters and aerial maneuvers. Iroha's attacks on the bandaged shoulder of Mayu were brutal; and Mayu's ragdoll selling sold the explosive power of Iroha. This was an epic meeting of aces.

****1/2

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Joshi 2020 Winter ~wonderful harmony~ (2/11/2020)

5. Pandemic Boo-Boo (Hikari Noa & Natsumi Maki) vs. Mirai Maiumi & Mizuki

This was a very good tag match. Pandeboo (Natsumi & Hikari) haven’t teamed up in a 2v2 format since Natsumi’s injury, but they haven’t missed a step as one of the best tag teams in the promotion. This had lots of exciting sequences and combination moves.

***3/4

6. Princess of Princess Championship: Yuka Sakazaki (c) vs. Lana Austin

Probably one of Yuka’s hardest-hitting bouts. They were throwing slugs. Yuka showed an aggressive side with some of her offense, that tree-of-woe backbreaker is a violent addition to her moveset. Lana seemed fundamentally solid, but lacked stamina, as she was breathing heavily throughout the match. The match could have used something to build around to make things more interesting, but it was a good heavy-hitter.

***1/2

Riho vs. Nyla Rose (AEW, 2/12/2020)

AEW - Dynamite #19 (2/12/2020

AEW Women's World Championship: Riho (c) vs. Nyla Rose

I loved this as much as their first match. Riho and Nyla feel like natural opponents, the face and heel dynamic between them is defined and easy to understand, and they always get the crowd excited. There were many great sequences involving Nyla being a giant monster and Riho being the undersized underdog using her speed and technical advantage. Riho also showed a rare intensity, the running dropkick across the table and dragon suplexes were awesome.

****1/4

Mei Suruga vs. Kagetsu (Gatoh Move, 2/9/2020)

Gatoh Move - gtmv #35 (2/9/2020)

Mei Suruga vs. Kagetsu

This felt like a special encounter, even in a shithole like Basement Monster. Both wrestlers were able to show off their unique and different styles as they traded offense and defense. Kagetsu looked to be having a lot of fun and put over Mei strong with her selling, and there were some great near-falls.

***3/4