Leo Kitamura vs. Mizuki Endo
Clipped down match which looked like solid rookie action. Kitamura attempted some more elaborate moves and slipped up. Endo looks nearly unrecognizable. Really liked when Endo powered out of a full nelson and Kitamura hit this neat jumping headbutt to her shoulder. It‘s little moments like that which really get me even into a brief rookie match.
Midori Saito & Rumi Yasuda vs. Mikiko Futagami & Yukari Osawa
Osawa is a JWP veteran from the original class of 1986. This was pretty much your typical joshi undercard action, lots of moves done in quick succession. Futagami looked spunky. Things got heated for a minute when Osawa got busted open and ate some elbows to her cut, but it didn‘t build much further.
Eagle Sawai vs. Michiko Nagashima
Pretty much a clipped down squash with neither of them looking all that impressive.
Noriyo Tateno & Harley Saito vs. Miki Handa & Utako Hozumi
They went 36 minutes here, full bore. I enjoyed the opening going a lot with Saito and Tateno working together to cut off and isolate their opponents. A bunch of limb work happens that doesn‘t go anywhere and they lose me a bit in the middle, since nobody except Saito here is very interesting, really. Saito was fun running in to kick people hard. There was a section where she just destroyed Hozumi with kicks. Hozumis big comeback was supposed to be a dive but she got caught on the rope and landed on her face. Tateno doesn‘t do much interesting on offense but she was in he position to bring some character to the match and for someone who really doesn‘t have much charisma or character she did a fine job. Handa and Hozumi doing everything to edge out the win towards the end was really fun and the crowd reactions to the nearfalls were amazing. I could see people enjoying this because it‘s a slower paced, different type of joshi match, but temper your expectations.
Shinobu Kandori vs. Rumi Kazama
Badass match. Basically what you want from two wrestlers trying to establish their new promotion, just two ladies swinging for the fences, working cool grappling exchanges and mauling eaching other in violent fashion. Kandori looked like the baddest woman on the planet as usual, and Kazama was quite the fine Hotta stand in throwing absolutely rotten kicks to Kandoris face. I like how Kazama challenged the grappler Kandori to a wrestling exchange and Kandori just punted her. Middle portion was slightly meandering although the work was good and everything made sense. Ending was just a brutal onslaught with Kandori surviving several suplexes, then mauling Kazama on the ground before clocking her with a sick lariat, it was straight out of the BattlARTS playbook.
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