A Review by Kevin Wilson
Date: January 11th, 2015
Location: Tokyo Asakusa in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
This is a commercial release that I just now got, which is why the review is six months late. It isn't a big show so I am not sure why it got a commercial release, but it did and here we are. No title matches but we do get Kana, so that kinda evens things out a bit. Here is the full card:
- Eri vs. Yako Fujigasaki
- KAZUKI vs. Rydeen Hagane
- Shu Shibutani Road to Retirement: Leon vs. Shuu Shibutani
- Command Bolshoi and Kayoko Haruyama vs. Kana and Yua Hayashi
- Hanako Nakamori vs. Kyoko Kimura
- Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Rabbit Miu and Tsukushi
Not a really long card, let's get started.
Eri vs. Yako Fujigasaki
Tie-up to start, Eri gets Fujigasaki into the ropes but Fujigasaki switches positions with her and hits an elbow. Jumping double chops by Fujigasaki and she covers Eri for a two count. Eri comes back with a kick and snaps off a DDT followed by a dropkick. Irish whip by Eri and she hits an elbow in the corner, but Fujigasaki fires back with a pair of dropkicks. Three more dropkicks by Fujigasaki and she covers Eri for a two count. Fujigasaki goes off the ropes but Eri dropkicks her in the knee and applies a rolling ankle hold. Fujigasaki inches to the ropes and eventually is able to get a break, Eri goes off the ropes and dropkicks Fujigasaki in the chin. Another dropkick by Eri but Fujigasaki ducks an elbow, she goes for her own elbow but Eri ducks it and hits a DDT. Eri goes for a diving crossbody but Fujigasaki moves out of the way, Fujigasaki goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Fujigasaki but it gets two. Fujigasaki goes off the ropes and she goes for a backslide but Eri rolls through it. Drop toehold by Fujigasaki and she goes for a wing clutch hold but Eri blocks it. Fujigasaki throws Eri to the mat and applies the wing clutch hold this time, but it gets two. Fujigasaki picks up Eri and hits a wrist-clutch Northern Lights Suplex but Eri gets a shoulder up. Eri hits two quick DDTs, she goes off the ropes and hits a jumping DDT for a two count cover. Punches by Eri and she hits a perfect half hatch suplex for the three count! This was really basic as there were a lot of repeated moves, but both are high energy anyway. Eri debuted long enough ago that I would like something more complicated than this from her so I wouldn't call it a good way to open up the show.
KAZUKI vs. Rydeen Hagane
They start slow and end up on the mat with Hagane applying a bodyscissors, but KAZUKI gets out of it and they return to their feet. Elbow by Hagane and she hits a scoop slam followed by a body press for a two count. Hagane picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI hits a back bodydrop, Irish whip by KAZUKI but she can't shoulderblock Hagane down. They trade shoulderblock attempts with no luck, until Hagane finally successfully hits a shoulderblock. Knee by KAZUKI, Irish whip but Hagane hits a quick hiptoss. Side headlock by Hagane but KAZUKI rolls out of it and applies a STF. Hagane gets out of it with some help but KAZUKI lariats both Hagane and her little friend (couldn't see her face too well, single camera setup), and KAZUKI knees Hagane in the corner. Reverse double kneedrop by KAZUKI and she hits a second one for a two count. KAZUKI picks up Hagane, knees by KAZUKI but Hagane picks her up and applies a backbreaker. Hagane puts KAZUKI in the corner and she hits a body avalanche. Lariat by Hagane but KAZUKI avoids the next one and hits a Codebreaker. KAZUKI knees Hagane into the corner and hits a running knee, KAZUKI puts Hagane on her shoulders and hits a cutter for a two count. Hagane gets KAZUKI up and hits a backdrop suplex followed by two reverse splashes for a two count. Hagane goes up top and hits a diving body press, but KAZUKI gets a shoulder up. Hagane goes back up top but KAZUKI throws her back into the ring, they trade quick pins but both get twos. Lariat by Hagane, but that also gets a two count. Hagane goes for the Rainmaker but KAZUKI ducks it, Oil Check by KAZUKI and she applies a School Boy for the three count! I was feeling this match until the end of it. They both do 'power wrestler' stuff well and the parts they were trading big moves was good. But it started slow, and having a power vs. power match end with an Oil Check/School Boy just seemed like a let down. I still thought it was an almost decent match but it didn't reach the level I thought it could so I can't really recommend it.
Leon vs. Shuu Shibutani
They bounce off the ropes to start, springboard armdrag by Leon and they trade trips/quick pins with no luck. They lock knuckles, snapmare by Leon and she applies a stretch hold. Leon picks up Shibutani and hits a scoop slam, and then she hits a somersault senton. Back up, Shibutani applies a hammerlock but Leon hits a side headlock takedown. Shibutani gets out of it but Leon applies a bow and arrow. Stomps by Leon, Irish whip, but Shibutani avoids her in the corner and snaps Leon's neck over the top rope. Slingshot DDT by Shibutani, Irish whip and Leon clubs Shibutani in the back of the head. Leon goes off the ropes but Shibutani hits a Northern Lights Suplex for the two count. Shibutani goes up top and she delivers a missile dropkick, but the cover gets two. Leon and Shibutani trade waistlocks, and Leon hits a backbreaker. Texas Cloverleaf by Leon but Shibutani gets a hand on the ropes. Leon picks up Shibutani and gets her on her back, Shibutani slides away but Leon hits a dropkick. Spear by Leon, she goes up top but Shibutani avoids the diving body press. Tilt-a-whirl slam by Shibutani, cover, but Leon kicks out. Leon charges Shibutani but Shibutani hits a reverse STO before applying a submission hold. Leon doesn't give up so Shibutani releases the hold, elbows by Shibutani and she goes up top. Leon smacks her and goes up with her, hitting an avalanche capture suplex. Cover, but Shibutani barely gets a shoulder up. Leon picks up Shibutani but Shibutani hits a cutter. Tilt-a-whirl slam by Leon, she goes up top and delivers the diving body press. Leon picks up Shibutani and goes for a Capture Buster but Shibutani gets out of it with a DDT. Elbows by Shibutani but Leon elbows her back and they trade blows. Shibutani goes off the ropes and snaps off a hurricanrana, but it only gets a two count. Shibutani goes off the ropes but Leon nails a spear for another two. Leon picks up Shibutani, kick by Leon and she nails the Capture Buster for the three count! Both of them brought their working boots and I thought this was a solid match. Leon is smooth as can be, and while Shibutani is a bit awkward at times she made up for it by just never really stopping. Liked the avalanche capture suplex and the Capture Buster is always a quality way to end a match. Overall a good mid-card match. Mildly Recommended
Command Bolshoi and Kayoko Haruyama vs. Kana and Yua Hayashi
Hayashi and Haruyama begin things, elbows by Hayashi but Haruyama absorbs the blows and comes back with a hard elbow of her own. Haruyama throws down Hayashi by her hair before Kana and Bolshoi are tagged in. Kana and Bolshoi trade holds on the mat, roll-up by Bolshoi but it gets a two count. Kana tags in Hayashi, Hayashi kicks Bolshoi in the corner and she hits a running elbow. Another elbow by Hayashi and she boots Bolshoi in the chest. Bolshoi pops back up, gets kicked again, pops up again but they repeat the process. Irish whip by Hayashi and she boots Bolshoi for a two count cover. Short armbar by Bolshoi but Kana breaks it up, Hayashi kicks Bolshoi and covers her for two count. Hayashi tags in Kana and Kana hits a sliding kick. Kana kicks Bolshoi in the chest, Bolshoi catches one and goes for a lariat but Kana grabs her arm and applies a cross armbreaker. Bolshoi rolls out of it but Kana goes for Hayashi's leg, they get back up as Kana goes for another sliding kick by Hayashi blows it and applies a modified STF. Hayashi breaks it up, Bolshoi goes off the ropes but Kana hits a bodyscissors takedown. Ankle hold by Kana but Haruyama breaks it up, Bolshoi and Hayashi trade elbows until Kana hits a high kick. Palm strike by Bolshoi, and she covers Kana for a two. Bolshoi tags in Haruyama, Haruyama throws Kana into the corner and she hits a lariat. More lariats by Haruyama but Kana ducks one and goes for Haruyama's arm. Short armbar by Kana and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Haruyama gets a foot on the ropes. Back up they trade strikes, lariat by Haruyama but Kana hits a high kick. Haruyama comes back with a superkick, and both wrestlers end up on the mat. They get back up, lariat by Haruyama and she covers Kana for a two count. Kana applies the chickenwing but Bolshoi quickly breaks it up, and Kana tags in Hayashi. Hayashi kicks Haruyama but Haruyama kicks her back and hits a face crusher. Kana and Hayashi both kick Haruyama but Haruyama hits a scoop slam on Hayashi while Bolshoi holds onto Kana. Haruyama gets on the second turnbuckle but Hayashi avoids the diving leg drop and rolls up Haruyama for two. Lariat by Haruyama, she slams Hayashi again in front of the corner and this time she hits the guillotine leg drop. Cover, but Kana breaks it up. Haruyama picks up Hayashi but Kana delivers a high kick, roll-up by Hayashi but Bolshoi breaks it up. Bolshoi boots Kana off the apron and then kicks Hayashi, Haruyama grabs Hayashi and delivers the double arm facebuster for the three count! There were a few miscommunications but overall I enjoyed it. The Kana and Hayashi exchanges were really good, I like them both a lot and those sections were quite smooth. Haruyama is one dimensional but looked fine here and Hayashi mostly was just watching since Kana did the heavy work. Nothing mind blowing but a solid mid-card match. Mildly Recommended
Hanako Nakamori vs. Kyoko Kimura
Tie-up to start and Nakamori kicks Kimura against the ropes. Kimura catches one and pushes her to the mat, she applies an armbar but Nakamori gets to the ropes and rolls out of the ring. Kimura goes out after her and throws Nakamori around the ring, until Nakamori turns the tables and hits Kimura with a chair. They finally get back into the ring and Kimura knees Nakamori into the corner. Kneelock by Kimura but Nakamori gets out of it, Kimura pushes Nakamori back to the ropes and clubs on her. Kimura and Nakamori trade strikes, Kimura elbows Nakamori into the corner but Nakamori chokes her with her boot. PK by Nakamori and she covers Kimura for a two count. Camel Clutch by Nakamori and she applies a bodyscissors but Kimura gets out of it and she goes after Nakamori's ankle. Nakamori finally fights back some, elbows by Nakamori but Kimura elbows her back. Kicks by Nakamori, she goes off the ropes but Kimura catches her kick and elbows Nakamori in the leg. Jumping lariat by Nakamori and she kicks Kimura in the chest before hitting a PK for a two count. Nakamori goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, she goes up top again and she hits another one for a two count cover. Kimura rolls Nakamori to the mat and applies a kimura, but Nakamori gets to the ropes. Kimura twists Nakamori's over her knee before throwing her to the mat, Kimura picks up Nakamori and she applies a short armbar but Nakamori quickly gets out of it. Kick to the arm by Kimura and she re-applies the hold, but Nakamori gets to the ropes. Kimura twists Nakamori's arm around the top rope and charges her, but Nakamori kicks Kimura back.
More kicks by Nakamori but Kimura kicks her back. Stomps by Kimura and she covers Nakamori for a two count. Kimura grabs Nakamori's arm and snaps it over the top rope, she goes up top but Nakamori joins her. Kimura dumps Nakamori out to the apron and goes for a stomp, but Nakamori moves. Nakamori kicks Kimura off the apron to the floor, she then gets on the apron and dives out onto Kimura with a jumping knee (I am assuming). Fisherman buster by Nakamori, she goes up top and she hits a jumping knee to Kimura's head for a two count. Nakamori grabs Kimura but Kimura slides away and applies a sleeper. Cross armbreaker by Kimura but Nakamori quickly gets to the ropes, high kick by Nakamori but Kimura headbutts her and both wrestlers fall to the mat. Sleeper again by Kimura but Nakamori kicks her in the head, roll-up by Nakamori but Kimura rolls through it as they trade quick pin attempts. Kimura picks up Nakamori and they trade headbutts, buzzsaw kick by Nakamori but the bell has rung signifying time as expired. The match is a Draw. This was dull and uninspired, to put it mildly. Neither wrestler really showed any fire, it is like they were going through the motions and for a twenty minute match not a whole lot happened. Plus I am not a fan of Draws anyway unless there is a strong storyline reason for it, as it is just a downer. Very limited redeemable traits if any, thinking about better ways I could have spent that twenty minutes makes me depressed.
Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Rabbit Miu and Tsukushi
Tsukushi and Miu charge their opponents to start
but Fujimoto avoids the double dropkick. Nakajima and Fujimoto both dropkick their opponents and hit footstomps before things clam down with Miu and Nakajima in the ring. Nakajima throws Miu around and hits an armdrag before tagging in Fujimoto. Fujimoto kicks Miu in the back and applies a chinlock, leg submission by Fujimoto and she stomps Miu in the back. Miu snaps off a quick DDT and tags in Tsukushi, Fujimoto and Tsukushi trade elbows until Tsukushi throws down Fujimoto by her hair. Fujimoto fires back with a dropkick and she hits a running cutter for a two count cover. Fujimoto tags in Nakajima, crab hold by Nakajima to Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets to the ropes. Stomps by Nakajima and she hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Nakajima stomps Tsukushi in the corner, Irish whip, but Miu runs in to help. Fujimoto comes in too, Nakajima and Fujimoto both Irish whip their opponents but they miss their charges. Miu and Tsukushi both hit dropkicks, they put Nakajima and Fujimoto in the ropes and dropkick them in the back. Cover by Tsukushi to Nakajima but it gets a two count. Tsukushi and Miu take turns running over Nakajima and Tsukushi puts Nakajima in a stretch hold. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Nakajima elbows her and they trade blows. Double arm suplex hold by Nakajima and it gets two, big boot by Nakajima but that gets a two as well. Nakajima tags in Fujimoto, kicks to the back by Fujimoto but Tsukushi ducks the PK. Nakajima runs in and they both kick Tsukushi, but Miu breaks up the cover. Tsukushi elbows Fujimoto into the corner, Irish whip by Tsukushi and she hits a dropkick. Fujimoto dropkicks her back and she covers Tsukushi for two. Tsukushi slips away from Fujimoto and applies a submission but Fujimoto rolls through it and applies a crossface.
Fujimoto dropkicks Tsukushi in the back but Tsukushi pushes her off and hits the Killswitch. Victory roll by Tsukushi for two, and she tags in Miu. Miu dropkicks Fujimoto but Fujimoto elbows her, dropkick by Miu but Fujimoto hits a dropkick of her own. Tsukushi comes in as Fujimoto is elbows by both, German suplex by Miu but Fujimoto hits a scoop slam. Kick to the back by Fujimoto and she hits a PK for a two count. Fujimoto applies the cross-arm submission but Tsukushi breaks it up with a dropkick. Nakajima runs in to knock Tsukushi out of the ring, Miu is thrown into the corner and both Nakajima and Fujimoto hit running strikes. Dropkick by Fujimoto, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Fujimoto tags in Nakajima, Miu and Nakajima trade elbows, face crusher by Miu and she hits a dropkick. Miu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to Nakajima for a two count cover. Miu grabs Nakajima but Nakajima elbows her off, Tsukushi runs in and hits a dropkick, German suplex hold by Miu but it gets a two count. Miu goes for the Rabbit Suplex but Nakajima blocks it and nails a big boot. Rolling Germans by Nakajima, she goes up top but Tsukushi grabs her from the apron. Nakajima headbutts Tsukushi and then hits a missile dropkick on Miu, Nakajima knees Miu but Tsukushi runs in and elbows her. Fujimoto dropkicks Tsukushi out of the ring while Nakajima slams Miu into the mat. Nakajima goes up top but again Tsukushi grabs her, Fujimoto pulls at Tsukushi but by now Miu has recovered and joins Nakajima up top. Superplex by Miu, her and Tsukushi go up to the same corner but Nakajima avoids the double footstomp from both. Fujimoto dropkicks them, Nakajima goes up top and hits a diving footstomp to Miu for a two count. Elbows by Nakajima, Fujimoto hits an enzuigiri to Miu and takes care of Tsukushi, German suplex hold by Nakajima to Miu but Miu gets a shoulder up. Nakajima grabs Miu and she nails the Daruma-Style German Suplex Hold, and she picks up the three count! This was a really fun match, just constant action and great teamwork throughout. My only complaint is simply that Nakajima and Fujimoto were a step above so they never felt in real danger, but Miu and Tsukushi worked really well as the feisty underdogs. A good mixture of hard hits and suplexes with enough drama to keep things interesting. By far the best thing on this show and worth a watch. Recommended
Final Thoughts:
Even thought JWP does have some individual wrestlers that I like, overall I can't really recommend this show. It was the co-main that killed it, the main event was good and most of the mid-card was watchable but Kimura/Nakamori simply did nothing for me. Seeing Kana and Bolshoi go at it was fun and you can't do much better for a small show main event, but this seems like an odd show to release commercially as there was nothing critical for storyline purposes (ie no title matches) and it wasn't a very long card either. The main is quality so watch it, and Kana is always entertaining, but as a complete show it was lacking.
Grade: D+
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review completed on 7/28/15
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