A Review by Kevin Wilson
Date: May 5th, 2015
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 158 Fans
I realized I had not reviewed anything for REINA yet for 2015, so here we are. REINA uses talent from CMLL as well, just in case you don't recognize some of the wrestlers, and sometimes CMLL titles are defended on their events. Kana and Syuri are both here so I know at least some parts of this show will be fun, hopefully there will be a surprise or two as well. Here is the full card:
- EL 920 vs. The Winger
- Aoi Kizuki vs. Konami
- Alex Lee vs. Carmen Rose vs. Demi Bennett
- Kana and La Comandante vs. Hitana and Kurumi
- CMLL-REINA International Championship: Princesa Sugeith vs. Maki Narumiya
- Makoto and Rina Yamashita vs. Syuri and Tsukushi
Let's get to it!
EL 920 vs. The Winger
I have no idea what or who EL 920 is but he is a male, for whatever that matters.
Winger gets EL 920 into the ropes but gives a clean break. EL 920 applies a stretch hold and then he applies a leg lock. Back up they lock knuckles, Winger gets EL 920 to the mat and he applies a leglock. Scoop slam by Winger and he hits a second one for a two count. Chops by EL 920 but Winger rakes him in the eyes. Winger throws EL 920 to the corner but EL 920 moves when he charges in and knocks Winger to the mat. Stunner by EL 920 and he applies a crossface, but Winger gets a foot on the ropes. Winger hits a low blow on EL 920 and he sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Backdrop suplex by Winger, he puts EL 920 in the Romero Special, and EL 920 has to submit! This was a really really basic opening match, I am assuming that EL 920 is still honing his craft but they did nothing here interesting at all. Dull way to start things off.
Aoi Kizuki vs. Konami
They trade waistlocks and hammerlocks to start, snapmare by Kizuki and she applies a chinlock. Kizuki throws Konami into the corners back and forth and she chops Konami in the chest. Kizuki applies a modified camel clutch before applying a stretch hold. Elbows by Konami but Kizuki elbows her back and applies an ankle hold before putting Konami in a cross-arm submission until he reaches the ropes. Scoop slam by Kizuki and she hits a bunch of running sentons for a two count. Konami and Kizuki trade elbows, big lariat by Kizuki but it gets another two. Konami hits an enzigieri but Kizuki bends her backwards over her knee. Irish whip by Kizuki to the corner and she hits a running crossbody. Kizuki goes up to the second turnbuckle and she hits a diving senton, but Konami gets a shoulder up. Kizuki applies a STF but Konami gets to the ropes. Schoolboy by Konami and a backslide, but Kizuki kicks out of both. Konami applies a short armbar into a cross armbreaker, but Kizuki gets to the ropes. Kicks by Konami but Kizuki chops her back. Konami rolls Kizuki to the mat and applies an ankle hold but Kizuki gets to the ropes again. Konami goes off the ropes but Kizuki hits a lariat. Kizuki goes up top and she delivers a diving lariat, but Kizuki barely gets a shoulder up. Kizuki picks up Konami and hits a Northern Lights Suplex but that also doesn't work. Scoop slam by Kizuki, she goes all the way up top and she hits the twisting body press, picking up the three count! Konami is still quite green (she just debuted in October) but she has all the basics down pat. She is trained by Kana which naturally means she will be awesome down the road. Anyway pretty straightforward with Kizuki dominating but Konami got in a few hope spots and she didn't go down easy, so that is definitely a plus. A good effort by both. Mildly Recommended
Alex Lee vs. Carmen Rose vs. Demi Bennett
I have no idea who Rose and Bennett are. They all lock knuckles to start and Lee hits a double armdrag. Double lariat by Lee and she hits a double missile dropkick. Lee kicks Bennett but Rose elbows her from behind. Bennett and Rose both elbow Lee but Lee chops both of them. Lee eats a dropkick from both of them and Rose rolls up Bennett for two. This makes Bennett angry and she shoves Rose, Rose shoves her back and they trade elbows. Bennett kicks Rose and covers her, but Lee breaks it up. Bennett and Rose kick Lee out of the ring but Rose hits Bennett from behind. Neckbreaker by Rose but Lee breaks up the pin again. Lee is thrown into the corner, lariat by Rose and Bennett hits a big boot. Bennett covers Lee but Rose breaks it up. Bennett and Rose shove each other, and Lee dropkicks both of them. Superkicks by Lee and she hits a single arm suplex on Rose. Lee knees Rose and throws her out of the ring, Bennett and Lee trade elbows and Lee hits a chokebomb. Rose hits Lee from behind, throws her out of the ring and covers Bennett for the three count! This was your normal silly triple threat match where two are friends and keep breaking up each other's moves before getting mad at each other. I hope REINA didn't fly these three over just for a short mid-card match. Overall lacking in redeemable qualities.
Kana and La Comandante vs. Hitana and Kurumi
Kana and Kurumi start off and they trade holds, Kana goes off the ropes but Kurumi catches the hip attack and hits an atomic drop. Kurumi goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock followed by two more. Kurumi goes off the ropes but Kana hits a hip attack. Another one by Kana and she tags in Comandante. Kurumi tries to shoulderblock Comandante over but can't, and Comandante hits a shoulderblock. Kurumi goes for a crossbody but Comandante catches her and slams her to the mat. Kurumi tags in Hitana but Comandante chops her. Comandante throws Hitana around the ring and hits a lariat in the corner. Hitana avoids the next one and lands on the apron, and Hitana hits an armdrag off the ropes. Comandante tags in Kana and they knock Hitana to the mat. Comandante holds Hitana for Kana and Kana kicks Hitana in the stomach. Kana throws Hitana out of the ring and his an ax handle off the apron before throwing her into some chairs. Kurumi tries to help but Comandante takes care of her as they brawl around the ring. Comandante and Hitana get back in as well as Kana, and Comandante hits an ax handle off the second turnbuckle. Comandante and Kana slam Hitana to the mat, Giant Swing by Comandante to Hitana but Kurumi runs in to help. Double Irish whip to Comandante but she hits a double lariat. Double Irish whip by Comandante but both Kurumi and Hitana dropkick her. Another dropkick by Hitana but she can't pick up Comandante.
Scoop slam by Comandante and Hitana tags in Kurumi. Kurumi dropkicks Comandante off her feet and then dropkicks Kana as well, Kurumi picks up Comandante but Comandante blocks the slam attempt. Scoop slam by Comandante and she applies a Rocking Horse to Kurumi, she releases the hold and applies a front necklock. Comandante tags in Kana and Kana hits a missile dropkick. Kicks by Kana but Kurumi catches one, Kana applies an Octopus Hold but Hitana breaks it up. Kana hits a sliding kick on Kurumi, Irish whip to the corner but Kurumi hits a lariat. Cannonball by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton for two. Kurumi goes to the second turnbuckle but Kana avoids her when she jumps off. Kick by Kana, Comandante comes in and hits a body press. Buzzsaw Kick by Kana but Kurumi kicks out. Hitana comes in and rolls her up, and the referee counts two. I guess Hitana is legal now. Kana catches Hitana with a short armbar but Kurumi breaks it up. Comandante slams Kurumi to the mat while Kana puts Hitana in the Kana Lock, picking up the submission victory! This match was mostly about Comandante, for better or worse. Comandante is slower and bigger than everyone else so the match dragged a bit when she was in there. Kana was taking it easy for the most part and while Hitana and Kurumi looked good there wasn't much they could do here. It wasn't bad but Comandante didn't really fit in too well.
(c) Princesa Sugeith vs. Maki Narumiya
This match is for the CMLL-REINA International Championship. Sugeith and Narumiya start off jockeying for position, Sugeith gets Narumiya to the mat but Narumiya applies an armbar. Sugeith flips out of it and they trade armdrags until Narumiya applies a leg lock. Sugeith gets back up, armdrag by Narumiya and they flip around before returning to their feet. Dropkick by Narumiya and she clubs Sugeith but Sugeith elbows her back. Sugeith kicks Narumiya but Narumiya knocks her to the mat. Sugeith hits a spinning headscissors, dropping Narumiya onto her face in the process, and she throws Narumiya out of the ring. Sugeith gets on the apron and goes for a springboard move, but Narumiya knocks her legs out from under her. Narumiya returns to the ring as does Sugeith, and Narumiya throws Sugeith to the mat. Stomps by Narumiya and he elbows Sugeith in the corner. Roll-up by Narumiya and she puts Sugeith in the Rocking Horse. Sugeith goes off the ropes but Narumiya hits a big boot. Irish whip by Narumiya but Sugeith kicks her in the leg and hits a dropkick. Narumiya rolls out of the ring to re-group but returns after a moment, backslide by Sugeith but it gets two. Irish whip by Sugeith but Narumiya kicks her back and hits a spear. Cover, but Sugeith kicks out. Vertical suplex by Narumiya but Sugeith drives her back, Narumiya flips Sugeith out to the apron and snaps her neck over the top rope. Sugeith falls out to the floor, Narumiya gets on the apron and dives off but Sugeith kicks her on the way down. Sugeith gets on the apron and she hits a cannonball of sorts (it is on the wrong side so camera didn't really catch it) before returning to the ring with Narumiya. Sugeith slams Narumiya to the mat and pins down her arms, but she gets two. Sugeith picks up Narumiya and she hits the Sujey Driver. Sugeith goes up top but Narumiya joins her and hits a superplex for a two count. Narumiya goes off the ropes but Sugeith hits La Mistica, picking up the quick submission victory! I adore Narumiya but this match just felt flat. It had constant interruptions in the action and it never really got going at a decent speed once they were done with the introductory work. The moves were hit fine for the most part, it just lacked pop and didn't feel at all like a title match.
Makoto and Rina Yamashita vs. Syuri and Tsukushi
I hope this is a good match so I can justify purchasing this event. Makoto and Tsukushi begin the match, Tsukushi gets Makoto into the ropes and elbows her repeatedly. Irish whip by Tsukushi but Makoto boots her. Armdrag by Tsukushi but Makoto returns the favor, dropkick by Tsukushi and she throws down Makoto by her hair. Tsukushi clubs Makoto and Syuri comes in the ring so they can both run on Makoto. Tsukushi applies a stretch hold to Makoto while Syuri does the same to Yamashita, and Tsukushi tags in Syuri. Syuri stomps on Makoto but Makoto kicks her. Irish whip by Syuri but Makoto hits a shoulderblock. Kick to the chest by Syuri but Makoto boots her back. Makoto tags in Yamashita, and Yamashita wrestles Syuri to the mat. Syuri gets out of it and they trade wristlocks, side headlock by Yamashita but Syuri knees out of it. Kicks to the chest by Syuri but Yamashita moves when she charges her and Syuri falls out of the ring. Makoto goes up top but Tsukushi pushes her off and all four fight on the floor. Tsukushi goes to the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Makoto and Yamashita. Syuri kicks Yamashita around the ring and throws her into a row of chairs. Yamashita fights back and rolls Syuri back in the ring before hitting an elbow drop. Chinlock by Yamashita but Tsukushi breaks it up. Makoto comes in the ring and they both shoulderblock Syuri. Double vertical suplex to Syuri, Yamashita picks up Syuri but Syuri elbows her. They trade shots, Yamashita charges Syuri in the corner but Syuri moves and hits a knee. PK by Syuri, cover, but it gets two. Syuri tags in Tsukushi, and Tsukushi dropkicks Yamashita. Makoto runs in and kicks Tsukushi, double Irish whip to Tsukushi but she hits a double dropkick. Tsukushi picks up Yamashita and elbows her before hitting a knee. Tsukushi puts Yamashita in the ropes and hits a dropkick. Cover, but it gets two. Tsukushi goes for a sunset flip but Yamashita blocks it, sitting on her for two. Yamashita elbows Tsukushi and they trade blows, which Tsukushi gets the better of with a series of shots. Tsukushi Irish whips Yamashita but Yamashita slams on the breaks and elbows her.
Shoulderblock by Yamashita and she hits an elbow drop. Yamashita tags in Makoto, she hops on Yamashita's back and Yamashita hits a double kneedrop. Cover, but Syuri breaks it up. Makoto picks up Tsukushi and she hits a face crusher. Cartwheel double kneedrop by Makoto, she goes off the ropes but Tsukushi dropkicks her. Another dropkick by Tsukushi and she covers Makoto for two. Tsukushi puts Makoto in a submission but Yamashita breaks it up. Syuri throws Yamashita out of the ring, they throw Makoto into the corner and Tsukushi hits a dropkick. Running knee by Syuri, Tsukushi goes off the ropes and she hits a hurricanrana on Makoto for two. Tsukushi tags in Syuri, and she trades elbows with Makoto. Knees by Syuri, Makoto goes off the ropes but Syuri catches her with a release German suplex. Makoto fires back with a spear, bridging double arm suplex by Makoto but it gets two. Makoto tags in Yamashita, and Yamashita kicks Syuri in the chest. Yamashita kicks Syuri into the corner and she hits an elbow. Cover by Yamashita but it gets two. Syuri drops Yamashita on the second turnbuckle and jumps down on her back. Boma Ye by Syuri but the covers gets two. Syuri locks in a cross armbreaker but Yamashita gets into the ropes. Kicks by Syuri but Yamashita applies a sleeper. Syuri gets in the ropes, Yamashita picks her up but Tsukushi dropkicks her. Another knee by Syuri, cover, but Yamashita barely gets a shoulder up. Waistlock by Syuri and she hits a German suplex hold for two. Syuri stomps Yamashita and hits a high kick. Cover, but Makoto breaks it up. Yamashita gets the sleeper applied but again Syuri gets to the ropes. Backdrop suplex by Yamashita, cover but Tsukushi breaks it up. The bell then rings, signifying time has run out and the match is a Draw. While far from a blow-away match, it was the best match on the card. Syuri is great and Tsukushi has a lot of spunk, so they were able to keep things interesting even though Yamashita doesn't do much for me. I'm not a big fan of having a Draw in the main event since I don't think it would have killed someone to have a pinfall but what can ya do. Some really solid parts and the end stretch was good, but still hard to recommend since some sections dragged and the ending was disappointing. Mildly Recommended
Final Thoughts:
REINA... typically isn't very good. I have to watch it as they do use wrestlers I like (such as Kana and Syuri) and you just never know when there will be a hidden gem. Unfortunately there are no hidden gems to be found here, a few of the matches were watchable but there wasn't anything memorable on the show. You can safely skip this one.
Grade: D-
review completed on 5/9/15
|