OZ Academy Openweight Championship: Hiroyo Matsumoto © vs. Kagetsu

 

I thought Kagetsu did a great job conveying her panic as move after move failed to get the job done. There's some real dramatic escalation here, and Hiroyo throws a little curve ball, hitting a wheelbarrow Crash Thunder Buster. I like how she has stepped up her game since winning the Openweight belt, finding new approaches to her offense. This was a solid filler before the inevitable defense against Shida. ***1/2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBcpCNo5J94

 

This was fantastic. I liked how Kagetsu used her quickness in the early going to avoid Hiroyo's strength. Hiroyo finally does get a hold of her and starts working over her back in an effort to slow her down and that made Kagetsu's big highspots come off as riskier later in the match. I wasn't that thrilled with the all the finishers that were kicked out of but they redeemed themselves at the very end with some simple back and forth till Hiroyo catches a charging Kagetsu with a nasty lariat and a backdrop driver. This might be the best singles match of Kagetsu's career, certainly better than her super disappointing match with Io Shirai in Stardom the month before. ****1/4