22) Review

After a weekend in which I got to witness a Marvelous match in person before drunkenly deciding that I needed to talk to Chigusa Nagayo about Team Eccentric and dogs, we’re back in the somewhat more familiar (and much soberer) surroundings of Shin-Kiba. It might not be as exciting as a trip to the UK (for them, being in the UK is an everyday hell for me), but big things are brewing in Japan, as we’re building towards a one-day tournament on December 4th where we will crown a new AAAW champion. Who is it going to be? Perhaps we’ll get a hint or two on this show.

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18/11/2022 0

TJPW City Circuit Autumn (15/11/22) Review

TJPW were down a few faces for this show, with Miyu and Misao in the UK (wrestling for EVE, a pair of events that I was at, which is why this review is later than usual) while Nao was performing in a play. However, they were in the unique confines of KBS Hall, which is generally enough to make up for a few missing wrestlers, so let’s see what went down.

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17/11/2022 0

TJPW Autumn Tour (6/11/22) Review

TJPW has announced that the headline match for their next Korakuen will be Billie Starkz vs Yuka Sakazaki, which feels like something a bit different, despite having once been the norm. It’s easy to forget that before the pandemic foreign wrestlers coming over and challenging for a title wasn’t that unusual, with Lana Austin being the last one to have a shot at the big belt (which was coincidentally held by Yuka) right before the pandemic struck. I’ve never seen Billie wrestle, so I have no idea how it will go, but she seems to be a bit of a prodigy, so I’m expecting big things. Before we get to that, TJPW had a show at KFC Hall, where they said goodbye to another visiting star, Willow Nightingale. Let’s see what went down!

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07/11/2022 1

Marvelous (4/11/22) Review

Marvelous are in the midst of a streak of rotten luck. Just as Mio Momono gets fully back to fitness, Takumi Iroha picked up another injury, damaging her clavicle. Thankfully, it’s not as serious as the last one, but she’s still going to be out for three months, which is a right pain in the arse. Then, to make matters worse, Mio was ill for this show, as she was struggling with a headache (although they seemed to indicate on Twitter that the doctors said she’d be fine), and Rin had to miss it for personal reasons. Thankfully Marvelous have enough friends on speed dial that they can continue on even with a much-depleted roster.

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05/11/2022 0

Ice Ribbon #1238 ~ 3rd Kizuna Tournament (30/10/22 Evening) Review

Show two of the Kizuna Tournament took place hours after the first, so there was no rest for those involved. However, with a big old trophy and a couple of wishes on the line, I’m sure they were all fired up to impress. Who would come out as the winner? Well, it was a few days ago, so you probably already know, but if you don’t, read on to find out!

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02/11/2022 0

Ice Ribbon #1237 ~ 3rd Kizuna Tournament (30/10/22 Afternoon) Review

The Ice Ribbon Kizuna Tournament has quickly become a yearly tradition and a fun one at that. With the winning team awarded a wish each, it’s a hefty prize and something worth the tough day’s work getting said victory means. I’ve been a bit lax on covering Ice recently as, to be brutally honest, I haven’t had enough money to justify buying their PPVs. However, I decided to treat myself to these two shows, so it seemed the perfect time to jump back in.

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31/10/2022 0

TJPW The Mountain Top (29/10/22) Review

Having battled her way to the International Title, it was time for Miu to see if she could hold onto it. Her first opponent was intriguing, as Moka Miyamoto stepped up to the top of the card, making this show’s main event a big occasion for both wrestlers. On top of that, TJPW treated Osaka to the debut of Willow Nightingale, the karate nurse teaming with the Ace and an appearance from Yuki Arai. It sure sounds like a good time, so let’s find out if it was.

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30/10/2022 0

Marvelous (25/10/22) Review

Marvelous’s latest trip to Shin-Kiba was a sneakily big show for them. With Unagi Sayaka making her debut for the company (having turned up at the last event to assess Takumi Iroha), there was every chance there would be a few new eyes on the product. Could they do enough to keep them around? Let’s find out.

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26/10/2022 0

TJPW Dream On The Ring (14/10/22) Review

Rhia discovering it’s hard to stay heel in TJPW. Credit: TJPW

Over the last few months, TJPW has been running Dream On The Ring, a reality show where they took a group of models and trained them to be wrestlers. That culminated at Shinjuku Face, where (under the watchful eye of Aja Kong) the three remaining rookies made their debuts. To be honest, I haven’t watched the show, but new wrestlers are always exciting, and with a bonus Max match included, I went in expecting to enjoy it all. Let’s find out if I did.

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17/10/2022 0

Marvelous in Kariya (15/11/22) Review

After a cracking show the day before in Osaka, Marvelous headed to Kariya for another card that looked like it had the potential to deliver something exciting. Would it? Well, let’s find out.

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16/10/2022 0