2024 Joshi Discussion Thread

[dragonzombie]

CHIAKI, Kouki Amarei, Natsumi Showzuki, Miku Aono, Misa Matsui and Chika Goto joined the Marigold roster.

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

Yuna Manase will take Totoro Satsuki's place in the ICExInfinity League. She'll face Yappy on May 4 in the first match for both.

Yuu has been booked to fill the gap. She'll replace Totoro in the scheduled tag match on May 3, so Yuu and Yuna Manase will face Yuko Sakurai and Sumika Yanagawa. Yuu will also replace Yuna on May 4 in her originally scheduled tag match, teaming with Mizuha against Yuko Sakurai and Makoto. Yuu has only appeared in Ice Ribbon twice before, a May 2020 win over Ibuki Hoshi, and a May 2023 win over Yappy, so it's good to see her coming back again! (Secretly, I'll wish for a Team 200kg appearance next.)

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

On 4/29/2024 at 11:13 AM, Stefanie Sparkleface said:

Of course, the rumor mill is churning that she'll show up in Marigold (because it seems any movement will get people thinking someone's going to Marigold), but this seems unlikely. Yuuki is busy with her idol group CLIPCLIP, and this is likely a situation similar to Amu Yumesaki and Aiki, where they were idols who tried wrestling out and found it wasn't for them after a few matches. If Yuuki does continue to wrestle, she'll need to be a lot more active; she was only working a match every few weeks, and while she has a lot of potential, she doesn't seem to put a lot towards using that potential. Time will tell.

Then again, I could be completely wrong and Marigold could just recruit all of CLIPCLIP to be trainees! I guess Rossy wanted his own Up Up Girls.

That's probably the best move if they wanted Yuuki, to take all of CLIPCLIP with her. Apparently Yuuki is back down to trainee status, which will be best for her since she was balancing her idol career with trying to go to practices, and the other members of CLIPCLIP weren't training whatsoever.

[dragonzombie]

4 more to join Marigold. All on the english twitter, https://twitter.com/Marigold_Joshi

[assfax]

Grand Queendom

Spoiler

Iwatani Sareeeeee:  First truly great match in the short history of IWGP womens belt. Haven't seen the Mina defense* but I'm guessing it wasn't this good. That was the toughest new shit I've seen since Kenoh/Nakajima 45 minute draw.  Not as indulgently flagellant. Serious cast iron. Match was primordial. This could've been GAEA. It's the best I've seen of Iwatani since the 5★star GP match with Syuri.  Didn't like the title match in January.  Too inconsistent for me. When she's floundering in another trios match and doin' the "hold the hands backflip off the rope thing"  I'm left cold.  When she's great it makes you want to weep from the pure love of pro-wrestling.  This was great even though there still seems to be a pall hanging over anything Mayu does because everything points to her leaving Stardom at first opportunity.  Is that cauliflower ear on Iwatani new?

 How the hell did WWF not do anything with Sareee?
(break out your snappy answers to stupid questions paperbacks)  
I only first saw her when she started coming back last year.  Everything I've seen has been amazing.  I want her to fight Maika.

*Yes I'm one of those cheapasses that waits until the show is on Stardom World and lives in mortal fear of spoilers.  Even though there are really only two things that happen in Stardom.  Title change/challenge and joining/leaving a unit.

High Speed match:  What the fuck even was this.  The booking on this is like some e-fed bullshit where they think they're clever with the logic but it just STINKS. Remember when Mei Seira and Yoneyama had that awesome 5 minute match?  That was cool.  Didn't love the Hazuki draw.  Mei Seira has that Megasus problem where she doesn't really have anybody to play with.  She's just too goddamned good.  High Speed division just has no coherence.  Some belts need retired pronto.

White Belt: Loved it.  My druthers is Hanan wins and Mei Seira comes out to challenge.  Ami can be led to real greatness.  Check out her 5 Star GP match with Tam.  Crowd was snoozing but it's the best thing Ami has ever been in.  With a rowdier crowd that would've been truly good.  I hated her future run.   I wanted the Lady C defense at Korakuen to be both of their big coming out parties.  That didn't happen.  What the hell am I talking about?

Red Belt:  Weird match.  Momo should've just immediately used the bat got the dq and moved to the hardcore match.  Meandering.  Not to mention that shit I hate where the seconds come in and hold up the ladder/table.  BMI 2000 just held the shit up and let Maika put Momo through that table.  Was there a small "we want tables"?  Bizarre.  The big war-fan stunk like a wet fart with a limp dick. It sucked when I saw Risa Sera use it and it sucked in this match.  Maika needs a huge Goemon pipe as her special weapon.  There was no Black Horse whisky.  No box of rotten peaches.  Rotting in the sun.  Weird match.

What I did notice was WAAAAY better video packages for the big matches.  Makes me forget all that frightening AI art titantron stuff they've been (and still are) using.  Is this why the video production sucked ass for the past couple months?  They knew they were getting NJPW production guys and didn't want to hire anyone short term?  Can I get some damn 4k 60fps shit now?  Every freaking Indie on youtube has 60 fps and good resolution.  I assume they're filming at higher quality but where is that footage going?  These marigold exodus era shows are going to stink if you're in 2028 and are trying to go back and see something and it's buried in a 4 hour single video with no card info. AND you can't search by wrestler names 'cause they're getting lazy with the tagging.  AND the tagging already has existing oversight.  There are 3 different Hanako tags.  Hanan has 2 different tags.  Some New Blood shows are lost on youtube.  I get it, transitional period.  Don't mean I ain't gonna bitch.  I can't believe they didn't film that Moondom Waka produce event.  What the hell is going on?  The incompetence on display is radiant!

English commentary:  Momo and Waka just ain't cutting it.  I understand that they get damn near zero practice and they are speaking their non-dominant language.  The Noah guy isn't my favorite either.  Everybody involved is kinda just bullshitting their way through it, but aren't we all?  Any time that guy starts going into factoid mode I just hear 9 tabs open on his laptop from cagematch. "two-hundred and ninety-eight singles matches with a fifty-nine percent win ratio."  He's bullshitting but has that professionalism that just lets him babble.  Then he does a softball toss "what do you think Waka?"  followed by "mmm,  yesssss.  It's difficult."  They'll start going good and then realize halfway through that they don't know how to finish the sentence in English.  Waka has better diction.  Dynamite drop in Monty. Even Thekla stunk on commentary. The girls get a zillion tons of leeway from me nonetheless.  The Noah guy will start rattling off some involved history where he's mentioning the distinguished competition and all this horseshit that has nothing to do with what in the fuck we're seeing and then realize maybe he should shut the fuck up.  When I heard Caprice Coleman on Supercard of Honor I was like "YES, this is it."  Get him and an actual knowledgeable straight-man.  There needs to be some sort of feature for online video that lets people record DVD commentary and have it play correctly over video.  If done correctly it would avoid all copyright license whateverthefuck.

 

[Cleavy]

so which company gets the "legal custody" of Fuwa-chan?

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

Ice Ribbon's two-day Yokohama shows appear to have gone well. The big news first: out of the aftermath of Unagi Sayaka's successful debut in Ice Ribbon, she's already getting her first title shot! After bickering with MIO, Yuki Mashiro decided to settle the problem by offering both a shot at the Triangle Ribbon title. The offer was accepted, and the match is set for the June 23 Korakuen (which will explain why Mashiro wasn't in the Infinity title league, as the final is happening that day). Interesting to note, MIO is not being listed for the match as MIO, but instead as Mio Shirai. Unagi continues to needle MIO, saying that she keeps coming out of retirement and is worse than Atsushi Onita. Mashiro has been busy, as she also challenged Arisa Nakajima to a singles match as part of her retirement road after Mashiro and Makoto lost to Best Friends yesterday in a match that went close to 20 minutes.

On the Infinity title league front, Arisa Shinose took a fairly big step in her career, holding Tsukasa Fujimoto to a draw, netting both a point. She even got Tsukka in Tsukka's own gokurakugatame at one point! Yuna Manase was similarly unable to do much with her first match, getting held to a draw by Yappy. The prior day, Saran snuck a quick win in five minutes over Asuka Fujitaki by wriggling out of a Splash Mountain attempt and turning it into a cradle, and Hamuko Hoshi reversed Misa Kagura's lariat into her specialized cradle which typically translates into "Woman's Obsession" but I don't recall the official name for it.

Currently the standings are:

Group A
1. Kyuuri (2 points, 1-0)
2. Hamuko Hoshi (2 points, 1-1)
3. Tsukasa Fujimoto (1 point, 0-0-1)
-. Arisa Shinose (1 point, 0-0-1)
5. Misa Kagura (0 points, 0-1)

Group B
1. YuuRI (2 points, 1-0)
2. Saran (2 points, 1-1)
3. Yuna Manase (1 point, 0-0-1)
-. Yappy (1 point, 0-0-1)
5. Asuka Fujitaki (0 points, 0-1)

Yuu split her matches in her return to Ice Ribbon, beating Yuko Sakurai and Sumika Yanagawa on Friday while partnered with Yuna Manase, but losing to Makoto and Yuko Sakurai while partnered with Mizuha today. Yuu said she wanted to return at some point, and Totoro Satsuki offered to do a trios match with Yuu, Yuna, and Totoro when Totoro was healthy. Somewhere, Asuka Fujitaki kicks a rock and mutters about being left out again.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Stardom Fukuoka spoilers

Spoiler

FWC become 3 time Goddess champs. 02line challenged for Korakuen.

Little early for Crazy Star to drop IMO but either result was honestly fine. I'm trying to get out of the mindset of thinking what this means for contracts & the like because who the fuck knows at this point, just try to enjoy it for what it is.

ExV retained the Artists over Stars, Cozuen continue to struggle against OT. SLK will not win again until she embraces the colour change (probably)

[assfax]

Incoming MOTC tonight!

TJPW Korakuen

Yuna Manase vs Runa Okubo

 

I like Runa's forearm strikes better than Toga's and Yuna is monumentally topographical.  Pillows of heaven may tremble.  I mean pillars. 

Will report back tomorrow on how I fell asleep during the UUG segment.

[Elsalvajeloco]

14 hours ago, Mr. Monday Morning said:

Stardom Fukuoka spoilers

  Reveal hidden contents

FWC become 3 time Goddess champs. 02line challenged for Korakuen.

Little early for Crazy Star to drop IMO but either result was honestly fine. I'm trying to get out of the mindset of thinking what this means for contracts & the like because who the fuck knows at this point, just try to enjoy it for what it is.

ExV retained the Artists over Stars, Cozuen continue to struggle against OT. SLK will not win again until she embraces the colour change (probably)

I saw a clip where Hazuki come up a bit short on tope suicida. Looks like it just looked bad the way it was shot, and she wasn't actually hurt. Now I know why there are 10 other wrestlers around the ring.

[Ace]

On 5/1/2024 at 7:39 PM, assfax said:

Grand Queendom

  Hide contents

High Speed match:  What the fuck even was this.  The booking on this is like some e-fed bullshit where they think they're clever with the logic but it just STINKS. Remember when Mei Seira and Yoneyama had that awesome 5 minute match?  That was cool.  Didn't love the Hazuki draw.  Mei Seira has that Megasus problem where she doesn't really have anybody to play with.  She's just too goddamned good.  High Speed division just has no coherence.  Some belts need retired pronto.

 

Spoiler

Saki Kashima was, until last night, working on a sprained ankle.

 

[assfax]

TJPW Korakuen

VERY crowd pleasing show, trios match notwithstanding. Itoh's mic performance to Haru had me living in a telenovella. Main event had extremely high cool factor.  Guys were wrestling their asses off.

[Cleavy]

the Daisy Monkey vs WAKANAAA/HIMAWARI match was really good.  not quite as good as Crazy Star vs FWC, but pretty close.

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

Kyuuri and YuuRI won their matches today (over Arisa Shinose and Yappy, respectively), so they widen the lead in their blocks. The new standings are:

Group A
1. Kyuuri (4 points, 2-0)
2. Hamuko Hoshi (2 points, 1-1)
3. Tsukasa Fujimoto (1 point, 0-0-1)
4. Arisa Shinose (1 point, 0-1-1)
5. Misa Kagura (0 points, 0-1)

Group B
1. YuuRI (4 points, 2-0)
2. Saran (2 points, 1-1)
3. Yuna Manase (1 point, 0-0-1)
4. Yappy (1 point, 0-1-1)
5. Asuka Fujitaki (0-1)

No upcoming league matches have been announced. Kyuuri still has Misa Kagura and Tsukasa Fujimoto to go, so she's not out of the woods yet. YuuRI's in the same situation, as she has a bruiser in Asuka Fujitaki and a major roadblock in Yuna Manase left. A thing to keep in mind; Kyuuri has never beaten Tsukka in a one-on-one match, and YuuRI has never beaten Yuna. I have a feeling those matches are being held until the last match for both.

Group A does still have a spoiler as Hamuko Hoshi is lurking as well, but she's going to need some help; she'll need to beat both Tsukka and Arisa Shinose, then hope Kyuuri doesn't win another match if she wants to advance. There's no word on how Ice Ribbon would handle tiebreakers, but historically Hamuko would be out of the running with just one more Kyuuri win. Beating Tsukka will be a big ask for Hamuko; they've faced each other in singles matches 41 times, with Hamuko only winning 6(!) times, the last time happening in 2013. Of those 6 times, 4 came in Hokkaido-based Hokuto Pro Wrestling, where Hamuko was inspired by being in her home prefecture.

[assfax]

Ok, if Aja Kong can come out to unmuted Electric Eye on Wrestle Universe can they get Aerosmith Woman of the World for Giulia on this Marigold show?

[assfax]

Inoffensive yet hackneyed.

[nofuture]

Looks like they've added coloring:

[Ace]

6 hours ago, assfax said:

Inoffensive yet hackneyed.

Using Red and White belts goes all the way back to AJW, so this isn't a surprise.

 

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

Ice Ribbon had two shows this weekend, their usual dojo show on Saturday, and their return to Ueno today. The Ueno show looks like it was a little out of control, and if you're familiar with Ice Ribbon that should not be a surprise.

In the Infinity League, Saran has wrapped up her slate of matches, taking Yappy to a draw on Saturday and losing to Yuna Manase on Sunday. All in all, this is a pretty great showing by Saran, who still has a lot to learn in her career. I honestly expected to see her swept, so three points was a nice surprise. Also on Saturday, Hamuko Hoshi pinned Arisa Shinose to keep herself in the running while simultaneously ending Arisa's hopes, and Kyuuri got taken to a draw by Misa Kagura.

Current standings are now:

Group A:
1. Kyuuri (5 points, 2-0-1)
2. Hamuko Hoshi (4 points, 2-1)
3. Misa Kagura (2 points, 1-1)
4. Tsukasa Fujimoto (1 point, 0-0-1)
5. Arisa Shinose (1 point, 0-2-1)

Group B:
1. YuuRI (4 points, 2-0)
2. Yuna Manase (3 points, 1-0-1)
3. Saran (3 points, 1-2-1) - no matches left
4. Yappy (2 points, 0-1-2)
5. Asuka Fujitaki (0 points, 0-1)

The only matches announced next are Misa Kagura vs. Arisa Shinose and Yuna Manase vs. Asuka Fujitaki on 5/25 at 176BOX in Osaka. Misa's match is a must-win for her, as a loss knocks her out of the running and a draw will make things incredibly difficult for her. Arisa has a great opportunity to play spoiler. Asuka has a great chance to be a dark horse, as she only has one match done so far, and she's not exactly been shy about her jealousy over Yuna Manase taking over her spot as Totoro Satsuki's teammate.

Of course, Tsukasa Fujimoto is the big question mark. She has three matches to go and, if Misa Kagura makes it out of 176BOX still in the running, all three of Tsukka's remaining matches will determine the group's fate. She's not scheduled for a league match at 176BOX, instead teaming with her Best Friend Arisa Nakajima against Makoto and Hamuko Hoshi.

Speaking of Arisa Nakajima, Best Friends made a successful intrusion into Stardom, as they beat Mayu Iwatani and Hanan on Saturday. Tsukka wasn't alone from Ice Ribbon, accompanied by both of the Hoshis, Saran, and Arisa Shinose, who held the ropes for her as she entered the ring. After Best Friends won, Mayu offered an IWGP Women's Title match to Tsukka, and Tsukka said she'd love to do it - but asked for it to be held in Ice Ribbon! If this happens (and I would not be surprised if it did), then it would be Mayu's second match ever in Ice Ribbon, the last one taking place twelve years ago at a TEENS Produce event at Shin-Kiba (she teamed with Hikari Minami to lose to Manami Katsu and Eri Susa). Stardom and Ice Ribbon actually do make natural allies, considering they both have promotional alliances with CMLL. (Bring back Stephanie Vaquer, please.)

Last, Ice Ribbon does have another foreign wrestler in its midst for a few weeks, as Australia's Miki Fortune is in for training and to wrestle. This follows JC Storm's appearance in the winter. Miki lost her first match, teaming with Ancham in Saturday's main event against Yuki Mashiro and Sumika Yanagawa, with Miki getting surprised by Mashiro and pinned. Next up for Miki is teaming with Yappy at 176BOX against YuuRI and Tsukina Umino, in Tsukina's return to action after a few months off.

[dragonzombie]

Hikari Noa "graduated"  from TJPW. She's also no longer part of UpUpGirls anymore.

[Ace]

When Stardom's Flashing Champions goes up, go out of your way to see Eye Contact (Mayu Iwatani & Hanan) vs Best Friends (Tsukasa Fujimoto & Arisa Nakajima). Brutal as hell.

 

[Matt D]

Dawned on me that I never cross-posted the Momono vs Ozaki review here. It was quite the thing:

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2024/05/mio-momono-enters-thunderdome.html

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

13 minutes ago, Matt D said:

Dawned on me that I never cross-posted the Momono vs Ozaki review here. It was quite the thing:

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2024/05/mio-momono-enters-thunderdome.html

If I could make gifs work, I'd put in a standing ovation or something.

Oz Academy can be a tough watch because of the constant stream of interference, as it's basically a lawless land for the heels, but it's worth it for moments like this when someone like Mio Momono might actually break through it all. It helps that Mio is fantastic, too.

[Curt McGirt]

There you go

[Elsalvajeloco]

9 hours ago, Stefanie Sparkleface said:

If I could make gifs work, I'd put in a standing ovation or something.

Oz Academy can be a tough watch because of the constant stream of interference, as it's basically a lawless land for the heels, but it's worth it for moments like this when someone like Mio Momono might actually break through it all. It helps that Mio is fantastic, too.

I hope one day someone loves me as much as Mayumi Ozaki loves 1999 American pro wrestling. She REFUSES to let it go.