2023 was a tough one for Ice Ribbon, as several cracks expanded into fissures. It was such a disaster that I worried we might be about to see the end of a company that I, and many others, have a lot of affection for. However, slowly but surely, things have started to turn around, and with new ownership at the top, there’s the possibility that things might be moving in the right direction. We’re a long way from the heights of a few years ago, and I have my doubts if we’ll ever get back there, but the chance to create a fun and exciting product is there if they can grasp it. What better place to start than Ribbonmania, the show that serves as both their year-ender and year-starter.
Final quick note: I never stopped watching Ice Ribbon entirely (I even went to the Korakuen in August), but I have been more out of the loop than usual, so I may be missing a few slithers of context. Let me know in the comments if I say anything egregiously stupid.
Momo Tani, Saran & Nanae Furukawa defeated Yuko Sakurai, Mayuka Koike & Yuu Hanaya in an elimination tag
The Challenger rookies made up the bulk of this match, all of whom have wrestled to varying degrees since making their debut at that August Korakuen. In Yuu Hanaya’s case, Cagematch has this down as her first appearance since then. Thankfully, they had 14-year-old Saran in there to keep them right.
And you could tell that Hanaya and Koike had four matches between them before this match. Their in-ring work still feels like two people trying to remember what to do next, and their offence lacks bite. However, what they had in abundance was enthusiasm and charm, something Ice Ribbon has always excelled at. Is Koike a good wrestler yet? No, but her defiant last stand when the match came down to her vs Momo and Saran was enough to win me over. They’re still wrestling babies, figuring out the in-ring stuff as they go. Hopefully, it will come, but right now, I’m happy to let them coast on their likeability.
On the flip side, Nanae Furukawa was the rookie who impressed me the most on that Korakuen, and she again showed a lot of upside for someone so young in their career. She’s not quite at your Suzu Suzuki levels of prodigy, as there is a touch of awkwardness and a need to figure out exactly when to do things, but she’s got a lot of potential, and the snap missing from the others’ offence is there for her. I particularly enjoyed her team’s triple powerbomb on Sakurai, which, for reasons unknown to anyone apart from them, included a bit where they bounced her up and down for a while. It looked fun rather than painful, but hey, who am I to question the process?
Outside of the kids, Momo Tani was the one who did the most work to hold this together, as she always impresses me when she pops up somewhere I watch. She played a pivotal role in this being a fun wee opener that, while bearing the telltale signs of a rookie match, had enough good stuff to make it worth your time.
Verdict: A Fun Run Out For The Kids
Arisa Shinose defeated Yuuki Minami
Yuuki Minami has only had a couple of Ice appearances since making her debut (I should say, I’m going off Cagematch for these stats, which, as a Marvelous fan, I know isn’t always entirely accurate), but got the chance to show what she could do against slightly more experienced rookie Arisa Shinose. Unsurprisingly, they kept this one short and sweet.
That was probably for the best, as this felt like it was about to fall apart at any moment. Everything was a bit frantic and awkward, as I was desperate for them to stop, take a breath and slow things down a touch. However, to give them their credit, it never actually did collapse. It teetered and tottered, but they always found a way to stay on their feet, even when something went wrong. That’s a small thing, but it’s important, as it would have been easy for either one to panic and have this go crashing off the rails.
There were also a couple of nice touches amongst the general air of chaos, as Minami is already figuring out how to use her slightly longer-than-average legs to her advantage. She’s not quite at Kamiyu or Saki Akai levels yet, but she put them to use with a cool submission, and that’s certainly not an awful path to follow. Shinose, meanwhile, finished things off with a Shining Wizard, which was one of the more impactful moves of the match, even if it was somewhat lacking in elegance. Still, I’d prefer something to look sore than pretty, so it’s a decent start.
It all meant that, in its little way, I enjoyed this a lot. Was it a perfect match? Not even close, but I’ve got a lot of time for people trying to figure shit out, and that’s what this felt like. It might be a while before they nail it, but it could be fun to watch them try.
Verdict: Messy, But It Had Its Charms
In what I’m taking as the perfect way to start 2023, Yuuki Mashiro popped up next and announced that she will be returning to the ring at Ice Ribbon’s January Korakuen. She struggled not to burst into tears as she did so, and I am delighted to have her back. If Nu-Ice Ribbon wants to win me over, they’ll have her go nowhere near the title for at least a year and let her loose in the midcard to do all the nonsense.
Black Fire (Akari & Yappy) defeated Crea & Tsukina Umino
Before we get into the match, Yappy takes a lot of the credit for me not giving up on Ice Ribbon over the last year. It still sucks that the likes of Nao Ishikawa and Asahi felt like they had no choice but to walk away, and I’m by no means ready to accept that everything is going to be okay now (the company themselves telling us that is not enough). However, Yappy’s determination to improve things and the work she seems to have put in to bring that determination to life gave me hope things could get better. We’ll wait and see if it sticks, but whoever is in charge behind the scenes better appreciate her.
She’s also formed the exact kind of tag team Ice Ribbon needs with Akari. Black Fire are a perfect act for a company in transition, as you can slot them in title matches, pair them up with rookies and generally rely on them to deliver a decent showing anywhere on the card. They’re a versatile powerhouse team, and up against two opponents who they know well, there was a lot of fun to be had. Whether it was Akari and Crea showing the kind of chemistry that comes from working together regularly or Yappy throwing Umino around, it was a solid, well-worked display.
On top of that, it was what was needed at this point in the show. I enjoyed the two rookie matches, but they were undeniably flawed, so sending out four pros to do their thing, get the crowd a bit excited and have the powerhouses go home with a win was some strong show management. That’s all my way of saying this was good. It’s probably not one I’ll ever go back to, but it did everything it needed to do, and that can sometimes be as important as any five-star classic.
Verdict: Good, Solid Wrestling
Sumika Yanagawa & Misa Kagura defeated ドンどす (Totoro Satsuki & Asuka Fujitaki)
Talking of teams I like, here’s a pair of them. Although Totoro and Fujitaki better hope Emi Sakura doesn’t get wind of that ‘We Will Rock You’ bit they’re doing. It was somewhat familiar.
Not that I’ll be cliping on them, as they’re growing into an entertaining hoss pairing. I particularly enjoyed them working over Misa, although her being one of the better underdog babyfaces around played a part in that. Watching her, I realised she is essentially a reverse Miyuki Takase. Where Takase is a wannabe hoss in the body of an underdog, Kagura is an underdog in the body of a hoss. I’d suggest we Freaky Friday them, but they’re both doing fantastically with what they’ve got, so I’m happy to leave them be. Either way, it’s clear Totoro is rubbing off on Fujitaki in the right ways, and out of all of the Challenger lot, I think she might be my favourite. She’s a little bit unpolished, but with her, it feels more like someone trying to come to terms with their power, and there’s a chance that one day she’ll start bulldozing her way through everyone in her path.
Unfortunately for her, Misa remembered how hard she could hit towards the end, taking Totoro out of proceedings with a lariat and leaving Sumika to bend up Fujitaki for the win. Still, it felt like the former champs rode their luck a bit here, only really coming together at the end, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are plans for both these teams going forward. I was sad to see Yanagawa and Kagura’s reign end so early, so I’d have no issues with that, and this was another solid, well-worked match.
Verdict: More Good Stuff
Makoto defeated Hamuko Hoshi
One of the interesting (and perhaps sad) things about this current iteration of Ice Ribbon is that the influence of Emi Sakura is hard to find. It’s not vanished entirely (whether they’d admit it or not, Ice Ribbon’s philosophy is still pure Sakuraism), but up until the last couple of years, there was still a prominent group of wrestlers trained under her watchful eye. Now, with Tsukasa Fujimoto enjoying a well-deserved rest (as much as one can describe having a baby as such), we’re down to these two, one of whom isn’t even a full-time roster member. I guess what that means won’t be revealed for a while yet, and I suspect as long as Tsukka is involved, a bit of Emi will remain, but it opens the possibility for change.
Away from my ruminations, this was a veteran battle between two friends that devolved into a game of one-upmanship. They weren’t going for anything fancy, and they even opened up with a bit of messing around, but the deeper they got, the more the spirit of competition took over. By the time they were exchanging hard lariats, there was no hint that these two were buddies. They were looking to put each other down.
A lot of that, it has to be said, came from Makoto. She’s quietly one of the better heavy hitters in the scene and is a brilliant utility player. That can sometimes sound like damning with faint praise, but whether it’s tagging with ASUKA in SEAd, pissing around in YMZ or bringing a bit of experience to Ice Ribbon, you know you can rely on her. I’m not going to put her up with the great strikers, but everything looks good, and with someone like Ham (who isn’t on Makoto’s level but is a solid hand in her own right), you can guarantee you’ll get something decent.
And that’s what we got. Ham and Makoto followed the rest of the card by being good but perhaps not great, although I’d struggle to be anything other than happy with it. They built the action nicely, transitioning from that early silliness into some solid wrestling before ramping things up towards the end. It was a professional showing, and with these two involved, I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
Verdict: A Solid Veteran Match
Kyuri & Mifu Ashida defeated QUEEN VALKYRIE (Ancham & YuuRI) to win the International Ribbon Tag Team Titles
If it wasn’t clear from earlier in the review, I love an overenthusiastic rookie, so Mifu Ashida managing to be the one who is a bit much when paired with strangling menace Kyuri is right up my street. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t make her life any easier in this match. The vast majority of this was built on QUEEN VALKYRIE beating the shit out of her. Ancham, in particular, was in a mean old mood. Every submission looked a bit tighter than usual, and she hit a double knee in the corner that knocked out one of my teeth. They were determined to put her through the wringer, and she took it like a champ, but damn, she must have been hurting by the end.
The other magic touch was the person who was barely in it. Kyuri spent nearly the whole thing stuck on the apron, but she never stopped moving. Whether it was leading YuuRI in a chase around the ring (occasionally nipping in to slap Ancham in the back of the hit in an ineffectual attempt to break up a hold) or the setup for the finish that saw her create an Ancham sandwich with some tape at ringside, she was ridiculously entertaining. If Ice Ribbon released the Kyuri-cam cut of this match, I would greedily eat up every second of it, as she proved that while her partner is very enthusiastic, few people menace like her.
Ribbonmania needed this match. I know I praised them for dropping in a good tag match after the charm of the rookie-heavy stuff, but a couple more good matches later, I was in danger of being lulled to sleep. They needed something to bring things up a notch, and between Ashida being bullied and Kyuri’s brilliance, this was exactly that. It was easily the best match on the show so far and one you should go out of your way to see.
Verdict: A Step Up
Ibuki Hoshi defeated Kaho Matsushita to retain the IcexInfinity Title
Kaho Matsushita and Ibuki Hoshi are now firmly positioned as the future of Ice Ribbon. However, I don’t think it’s ridiculous to suggest that wasn’t the plan. Like recent Tottenham managers, Kaho was not their first choice, and it’s only been the slow bleeding out of talent that has led to her taking this position. I don’t mean that as a slight on her ability, as she’s come a long way remarkably quickly, and they had high hopes for her from the beginning, but if everything had gone the way Ice Ribbon wanted, I don’t think she’d be headlining a Ribbonmania already.
So, how did she do? Well, let’s start with something of a negative. The narrative thrust of this match built off Ibuki entering as the confident champion who knew she would win. She wrestled mean, laying things on thick, but also with a sense that she was enjoying herself. As she set Kaho up in a chair so she could run the length of Korakuen to hit a crossbody, you got the impression that she wanted to show off for this crowd, to add a bit of razzle dazzle to her first Ribbonmania as champ. In response, I wanted Kaho to get angry and show a bit of edge, but for much of the match, it wasn’t quite there. We got hints of it, and she snapped towards the end, but it felt like this was calling for her to go that bit deeper to try and force Ibuki into a fight.
However, even with that, this was good, perhaps even great. There were niggles. I think they strove a bit too hard for the epic, and as good as Ibuki’s chops are, I didn’t need them to focus on drawn-out strike exchanges as much as they did. Yet, they still managed to hook me towards the end, and there were some fantastic nearfalls. I would have gone home happy if they’d ended this on Ibuki’s brilliant running crucifix driver. Plus, there’s still that Ice Ribbon magic when you get into the intricacies of them battling between pinning combinations, drawing on the sense that a slip at the wrong time can lead to someone being bundled up for the three. Sadly, I never bit on a Kaho victory, but if I were in that room, I reckon I would have gone for it at least once.
It all means that while I don’t think this was anywhere close to a perfect match, it was perhaps the best match for Ice Ribbon right now. They are a company in transition, trying to find their feet again after a period of turbulence, and I’m not quite sure where they’re going to end up. There’s already good stuff there, but there is the potential to be even better, and it’s up to them now to try and find it. Kaho and Ibuki will do this again, and I have faith that they’ll find a way to improve on what they did here. In the here and now, it was still a damn good main event.
Verdict: A Strong Start
Overall Show
That was an important, if not necessarily outstanding, Ribbonmania. There wasn’t anything awful there, as even the rougher rookie stuff had its charms, but there was a chunk of the card that was good without being particularly exciting. Thankfully, the last two matches brought the level up a notch or two, and I’m going to be smiling while I think about that Kyuri performance for a long time. Most importantly, though, this was Ice Ribbon’s first foray into a new era, and I am hopeful it will make up for some of the mistakes of the last few years. We won’t know for a while yet if they do, and a good wrestling show doesn’t equal things being good behind the scenes, but let’s hope they’re moving in the right direction.
You can watch Ice Ribbon shows here: https://iceribbonlive.ctpfs.jp/
Or you can become a member of Club Ice Ribbon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/iceribbon/featured.
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