Hikaru Shida vs. Ryo Mizunami (AEW, 3/7/2021)

 AEW - AEW Revolution 2021 (3/7/2021)

AEW Women's World Championship: Hikaru Shida vs. Ryo Mizunami

The match between these two in Shinjuku FACE in 2017 was one of my favorite women's matches that year, so it was great to see them show off their amazing chemistry as opponents on a bigger stage. The strike exchanges here were great. Sometimes strike-based matches can feel repetitive, but they were mixing up their strikes in interesting ways, both offensively and defensively. Shida has established herself as the heavy hitter in the AEW women's division, and Mizunami is a heavy hitter in her own right, so it was exciting to see them go back and forth.

***3/4

Stardom - All Star Dream Cinderella (3/3/2021)

0. High Speed Championship: AZM (c) vs. Natsupoi

This was a great opener. As usual with the High Speed division, there was speedy wrestling, pristine technique and hot pin-reversal battles. The story of Natsupoi's struggle was told well and I loved the way her new finisher was built up.

***1/2

0. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Donna del Mondo (Maika & Himeka) (c) vs. Oedo tai (Natsuko Tora & Saki Kashima)

A hard-hitting and action-packed tag team match. The finish was a bit sudden, but it was a fun high paced match with little downtime.

***1/4

2. Momo Watanabe vs. Nanae Takahashi

This was a G1 Climax style sprint. They never quite let up from attacking each other at the bell. It was fast-paced and hard-hitting.

***3/4

3. SWA World Championship: Syuri (c) vs. Konami

Syuri continued her strong reign as SWA champion. It was only 8 minutes but it was a dense 8 minutes, where they made full use of their striking and submissions.

***1/2

4. Mayu Iwatani vs. Yoshiko

This delivered to its dream match expectations. Yoshiko has slimmed down, but she still possesses her monstrous power. Mayu was perhaps an even scarier monster. She was in full zombie mode here, taking heavy damage only to explode back on the offensive. It started slow but developed into a high-impact back and forth.

****1/4

5. World of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Saya Kamitani

There were many doubters when Kamitani challenged for the belt, but she pulled through big time with a tremendous performance. She's always good at conveying her emotions and her high-risk offense always adds an element of drama and danger to her matches. Utami showed her championship killer instinct, targeting the lower back early and landing heavy offense throughout.

****1/4

6. Hair vs. Hair - Wonder of Stardom Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Tam Nakano

Each Giulia vs. Tam match is an improvement on the last while still standing well on its own and this was no exception. They upped the ante once more with even bigger spots and a dramatic stipulation attached. The storytelling was comprehensive and emotional. A storied rivalry, Nippon Budokan, Akira Hokuto on commentary, with scalps and a championship up for grabs. This had all the makings of a historic encounter. 

****1/2

Oedo Tai (Bea Priestley & Konami) vs. Donna del Mondo (Maika & Himeka) (Stardom, 2/14/2021)

Stardom - Go to Budokan! STARDOM Valentine Special Day-2 (2/14/2021)

Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Oedo Tai (Bea Priestley & Konami) vs. Donna del Mondo (Maika & Himeka)

Although Bea & Konami's tag team title reign was short-lived, they put together very solid and cohesive performances as a tag team. This was another great match from them. I liked the pairing of Maika & Konami, who specialize in ground wrestling, and Bea & Himeka, who are hard hitters. A well-rounded match with great teamwork and chemistry from both sides.

***3/4

Emi Sakura vs. Yuka Sakazaki (AEW, 2/22/2021)

AEW - AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament: United States & Japan Brackets (2/22/2021)

Emi Sakura vs. Yuka Sakazaki

This was another great match from Emi Sakura in this tournament. She's far past her peak, but it's great to see her shine on a big platform. She made the necessary tweaks to her character in AEW and she was the standout of the Japan side of the tournament. Emi built off of the strategy of Mei Suruga by targeting the damaged neck and back of Sakazaki, who had a great performance underneath, showing some off new moves.

****

Arisa Nakajima & Nanae Takahashi vs. Momo Watanabe & Saya Iida (SEAdLINNNG, 2/10/2021)

SEAdLINNNG - Shin-Kiba NIGHT (2/10/2021)

Arisa Nakajima & Nanae Takahashi vs. Momo Watanabe & Saya Iida

Even though this was a prelude to Momo vs. Nanae, I found the interactions between Momo & Iida and Arisa to be the most interesting and successful. There was some spottiness from Nanae, and while I wouldn't say she struggled to keep up with the energy of the match, her interactions with Momo didn't create much excitement for their upcoming match.

***1/2

AEW - AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament: Japan Bracket - First Round (2/15/2021)

 1. AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament Japan Bracket - First Round: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Mei Suruga

It seems there was some unfamiliarity in the execution, but overall this was a great way to open the tournament. The action was easy to follow and the performers showed their individual charm. Mei put pressure on the taped-up neck of Yuka with a variety of attacks, and Yuka picked her spots with powerful slams.

***1/2

2. AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament Japan Bracket - First Round: Emi Sakura vs. VENY

This was a great clash of styles, for two wrestlers who had only wrestled each other once prior to this match they seemed to have natural chemistry and rhythm in the ring. They worked an exhilarating pace with fierce strike exchanges and sharp counter work.

****

3. AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament Japan Bracket - First Round: Ryo Mizunami vs. Maki Itoh

The opening sequence was ideal in introducing first-time viewers to the personalities of these two. The actual body of the match wasn't so compelling until the very end when Itoh started going toe-to-toe with the powerhouse Mizunami in a strike exchange and landed some big moves.

***

4. AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament Japan Bracket - First Round: Aja Kong vs. Rin Kadokura

This was pretty much a uniform Aja Kong squash, but Aja looked like a true professional in the way she carried a lively match with an opponent who doesn't have much physical charisma.

**3/4

Stardom - Go to Budokan! STARDOM Valentine Special Day-1 (2/13/2021)

5. SWA World Championship: Syuri (c) vs. AZM

AZM was not only technically impressive in this match, but the intangible aspects of her performance were good as well. I don't think I've seen her display such a range of emotions previously. Syuri's sense of stability was amazing and it just seemed like her strikes had more power behind them than usual. They kept up quite a high pace and went back and forth with exciting offense; the whole match felt like a burst of action.

****1/4

6. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Starlight Kid

This was an excellent match that showcased Starlight Kid's growth and Giulia's ability to bring out a different dimension in her opponents. They were already doing such a great job of building tension and drama, but the mask tearing elevated the match to another level. You could feel the audience's discomfort at first, like they were witnessing an offensive act of desecration, but as SLK continued to fight, they reignited. It was like watching a climactic battle at the end of tokusatsu series when the hero's helmet gets broken. This was an emotional roller coaster of a main event.

****1/4