aguakun
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Everything posted by aguakun
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5STAR Grand Prix 2018 Finals: Mayu Iwatani vs. Utami Hayashishita This was a star-making performance for Utami in her first ever Korakuen main event. The dismissive veteran versus the cool super-rookie dynamic was played well. Mayu does a splendid job bumping (as usual) for Utami's power-based offense when the tide turns and her comebacks were well obtained. Excellent match to cap off a great tournament. ****1/2 -
OZ Academy Openweight Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Aja Kong What a war this match was, these two beat the hell out of each other. The limbwork between them was brutal and they did a splendid job of selling the damage of it. The visual of Aja brandishing the shinai as blood pours from her head was amazing. Great defense for Shida, this rivalry always delivers. ****3/4
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This year's Stardom GP was my favorite one. I've seen what I could of all of them except for the 2011 tournament (own 2013 and 2014 in full on DVD) and I believe this is the best one. Most of the matches that looked promising on paper delivered and there were dozens that surprised me. The finals of the tournament have almost routinely been unremarkable (or bad), but the finals this year was masterful. Top 5 best bouts of the tournament: Utami-Mayu (9/24), Hazuki-Mayu (9/16), Kyona-Utami (9/9), Hazuki-Momo (9/9), Kagetsu-Kyona (9/8)
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5STAR Grand Prix 2018 Block A: Hazuki vs. Momo Watanabe Another great timeout draw on this show, it hardly felt like they were killing time, and the soldout Shinkiba crowd gave it good atmosphere. I liked the intense urgency from Hazuki, she was unrelenting with her rabid offense. Momotaro holds up her end of the bargain with punishing reprisals. ****
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5STAR Grand Prix 2018 Block B: Jungle Kyona vs. Utami Hayashishita This was basically an upgraded version of Utami's debut match. Great layout, pacing and some excruciating submission struggles. Kyona's been having such a great run in this tournament. ****
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5STAR Grand Prix 2018 Block B: Natsuko Tora vs. Tam Nakano Great slugfest, these two brought the fire and raw emotion. The opening was ugly, in a good way, they're tussling, covered in streamers, beating the hell out of each other. Tam has been having captivating singles performances lately, I wouldn't mind seeing her get a run with one of the belts. ***3/4
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TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship: Miyu Yamashita (c) vs. Yuu Yuu takes her vile chops to the next level when she starts chopping Miyu on the back and hitting double arm chops! This was a vicious back and forth where the hits got harder and the beatdowns more violent as the match progressed. Pure barbarism on display from the two best wrestlers in the promotion. ****3/4
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Miyu Yamashita & Hikari vs. Yuu & Yuna Manase The escalation of violence between Miyu and Yuu was great - they start off with careful mat grappling but as the match progresses they're out for each other's blood. Hikari performed well, earning some sweet moments with her cobra twist. Yuna wrestled in her wolf shirt and worked heelish during her workover session, which was far interesting than what she normally does. ***3/4
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Yeah! Metcha Tag Tournament 2018 Summer - Semi-Finals: Saitamuscles (Reika Saiki & Miu) vs. magical sugar rabbits (Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki) They got straight to the action in this match. Reika and Mizuki always create magic when they're in the ring together, I liked their session here. Stereo backbreaker racks from Saitamuscles was a cool spot. ***3/4
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World of Stardom Championship: Kagetsu (c) vs. Viper Viper's looking so great lately with her offense, much of what I enjoyed of this was her clobbering and squashing Kagetsu around the ring. The Cobra clutch that she transitions into a number of power moves was used to great effect here. Viper worked as a subtle heel, Kagetsu showed fire as the crowd rallied behind her while still retaining those cool heel elements. ****
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SANADA sells the leg at a critical moment in the match when he misses his moonsault and lands on the bad leg so I don't understand this "no sold" stuff.
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Super Asia Championship Tournament - Semi-Finals: Riho vs. Aoi Kizuki What a match! This was a very well paced back and forth with exciting sequences and counters. Aoi~chan impressively pulls off her signature high-flying techniques within the confines of Chocolate Hiroba. ****
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Tokyo Princess Cup - Semi Final: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Rika Tatsumi Pissed-off Rika! Rika was aggressive, thinking on her feet, making those split-second counters. That frustration also led to mistakes that Yuka was able to capitalize on. Good storytelling in this match. Rika hits a cool Twist of Fate between the ropes, and nailed that diving hip attack. ***3/4
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Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo I didn't find Deonna's previous work in Stardom impressive so I was caught off guard by how great she was here. She stuck to her game plan of targeting the arm and did a tremendous job working on top. Momo made strong counterattacks with violent stomps to the head and B Drivers. ***3/4
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Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Jungle Kyona Momo shows an edgier, meaner side and Kyona does a fantastic job of working underneath. Kyona's one of the most emotive wrestlers on the roster and her performance in this match was a fine example of that. Sheer struggle as Momo seemingly has her number at every turn. These two did an excellent job. Momo showed that she's ready to carry Stardom into the future. ****
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OZ Academy Openweight Champship: Yoshiko (c) vs. Hikaru Shida Great match. Shida is getting creative with those knee strikes lately, the lariat counters and the Kamigoye were awesome. There was stiffness and nice sequences, but the finishing run was lacking. Still, Shida winning the Openweight is one of my favorite moments of the year. ***3/4
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World of Stardom Championship: Toni Storm © vs. Kagetsu Totally fine with Toni Storm defending the belt twice (in Japan) against high profile opponents. It isn't much different from Satomura's reign with the belt. This was an awesome match, both worked hard and pushed each other to the limit in what I feel is the best match of their respective careers. Intense, snug action throughout. Super Toni's second wind and Kagetsu channeling senpai with the Death Valley Bomb were such great moments. ****3/4
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Mabudachi❤Chu2byo卍卍 (Kyuuri & Mio Momono) & Tsukushi vs. Maika Ozaki, Saori Anou & Tae Honma Fantastic trios, there were were wild sequences and great little moments in between. Kyuuri and Maika are normally partners so them getting the closing segment was interesting to see. ****
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Asahi vs. Miyako Matsumoto Miyako's armlock where she grabs all of her opponents limbs to prevent them from moving to the ropes is awesome. I find her matwork to be very compelling. This was lots of fun with a hot crowd rallying behind the rookie. ***3/4
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Nao DATE vs. Risa Sera This was Nao's breakout match, she looked so awesome in control and nailed all of her stuff, and Sera's selling and explosive comebacks were great. Great heavyweight clash. If only Sera had matches like this during her long ICE×∞ reign. ****
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Wonder of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai © vs. Momo Watanabe This is a match that perfectly represents the epic main event style only found in Stardom. Io's performance was mesmerizing, when she wasn't savagely beating the shit out of Momo, she was making the challenger's offense look like death. Massive moment for Momo. ****1/2
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Worth noting that Miracle Apricots is not their tag name, It's actually MiraClians (as confirmed by Shoko (not SYOKO!) herself). Miracle Apricots was a translation error by DramaticDDT.