STARDOM 3/30/2024 STARDOM in Sendai 2024

STARDOM 3/30/2024 STARDOM in Sendai 2024

Starlight Kid vs. Rian

This is Rian's debut. They lock up and Kid piefaces her on the ropes. Rian wristlocks her, Kid flips out of it then wristlocks her. Kid side headlocks her. Kid cartwheels over her then Rian springboard armdrags her. They then stand off. Rian hits single leg dropkicks then Kid slams her.

Kid hits a big chop then hair throws her. Kid low dropkicks her then Rian flying single leg dropkicks her.  Rian hits another dropkick then forearms. Kid forearms her down. Rian hits a forearm flurry to the chest then slams her.

Rian headscissors her out of the corner then fisherman suplexes her for 2. Kid dropkicks her then crabs her. Kid boots her while she's on her kneel then Rian cradles her. They do a cool flip into a backslide for 2 then Rian hits chest forearms. Kid forearms her and jumping kicks her for 2.

Kid cross legged fisherman suplexes her for 2 then Kid top rope moonsaults her. Kid then wins it.

It was a good debut for Rian. She didn't blow anything and her stuff looked okay. She seems to have some agility which is good but also seems to really be lacking fire and personality which isn't good. It went longer than it needed to here but it looks like Stardom has another decent looking rookie. Whoever is training Stardom's rookies these days needs a serious raise.

Aya Sakura vs. Sayaka Kurara

SK takes her down and flips over, then they roll on the mat. SK triangles her then they each grab leglocks. Aya blocks a take down then knees her and hits a hard slap. Aya arm throws her then they trade pin attempts. SK low dropkicks her.

They trade chest forearms and Aya slams her. Aya hits dropkicks for 2. SK sleepers her then Aya snapmares her. Aya kicks her in the back then headscissors her. SK hits dropkicks. Aya misses a spinning heel kick in the corner then they trade chest forearms. SK dropkicks her in the chest then slams her.

Aya tries pin attempts then chest kicks her for 2. SK hits a stiff spear and lets go on a rolling pin before Aya even kicks out. Aya chest kicks her then hits a high kick. They trade forearms on their knees then get up and trade. They go for more pins and the time limit expires. They then keep fighting some after.

They had a botch a piece or so here but I thought it was a pretty good effort for two of the younger wrestlers. They really beat the crap out of each other here and made it look like a real fight at times.  

I think they set up some kind of match after with Aya, Kurara and Yuna Mizumori vs Tam, Anou and Poi.

Oedo Tai (Rina & Ruaka) vs. God's Eye (Ranna Yagami & Saki Kashima) vs. Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama)

Ranna, Rina and Hana start us off. They do a triple test of strength. Rina is kicked by both opponents then shes pulls both down by the hair. Rina takes a double boot to the chest then Hana and Ranna trade. Ranna dropkicks Hana then Hana shoulders her over. Waka low dropkicks Ranna then hits hip attacks.

Waka misses a hip attack on the ropes and takes kicks to the butt. Saki rolls up Waka for 2 and hits boots. Waka back rolls Rina and Ruaka then low dropkicks both in the back. Rina puts an octopus on Waka. Rina throws out Ranna then Ruaka sentons Waka.

Hana drops Waka into a buttdrop on Ruaka. Hana splashes Ranna and Ruaka in the corner then crossbodies both at once. Ranna armbars Ruaka then Saki 2nd rope double stomps Ruaka. Ranna PK's Ruaka for 2 then armbars her. Hana suplexes Ranna then is dropkicked by Rina. Ruaka fisherman suplexes Ranna. Ruaka double arm chokeslams Ranna and wins it.

It was short and a waste of time. We only got to see a little of everyone before the time ran out. Hanako is really starting to get what she is doing out there. 

Yuna Mizumori vs. Mai Sakurai vs. Lady C

Mai takes a 2v1 early and trips Yuna onto C. She then poses on them. Yuna hits Mai for C's chops then C returns the favor for Yuna. Mai throws money at both then double dropkicks them. Mai paradise locks Yuna then Mai chases C around Yuna. C and Mai then both double low dropkick Yuna.

Yuna takes a double boot then C and Mai trade forearms. Yuna double crossbodies her opponents off the top then she rolls into a dropkick on Mai. Mai pump kicks Yuna then leg slices her for 2. C double lariats Yuna and Mai then C double throat thrusts Mai.

Mai does a neat pin attempt on C then takes a lariat from Yuna. C face kicks Yuna then Yuna rolls her up. Yuna then rolls C up again and rins it.

It was a very short sprint. Sure, it was entertaining and not boring but not even half of what it oculd have been.

C and Yuna keep fighting after. Mai gets on the mic after.

Yuzuki Gauntlet Match - Yuzuki vs. STARS (Hanan, Hazuki, Koguma, Mayu Iwatani, Momo Kohgo & Saya Iida)

Each match here is 1 minute.

Leg 1 - Yuzuki vs Mayu Iwatani

Mayu stomps her and spin kicks her in the gut. Mayu rolls her up and low dropkicks her. They trade forearms and Yuz spinning headscissors her. Mayu slaps her and the time runs out. Yuz then slaps her after.

Leg 2 - Yuzuki vs Momo Kohgo

Yuz does a nice takedown on her then Momo side headlocks her. Yuz armdrags her then rolls her up. Yuz blocks a pin attempt and gets reversed on hers. Then the time expires.

Leg 3 - Yuzuki vs Koguma

Yuz drops down and armdrags her. Kog lariats her then slams her. They reverse each others irish whips then Yuz rolls her. Kog rolls her as well and gets a 2 count. Yuz cradles her for 2 then the time runs out.

Leg 4 - Yuzuki vs Hazuki

Yuz side headlocks her and Haz dropkicks her. Haz goes for facewash kicks then is dropkicked during it. Yuz hits more dropkicks then does a tequila shot style rolling driver. Yuz hits forearms and the time limit expires. Haz face kicks her after it expires. Haz top rope sentons her.

Leg 5 - Yuzuki vs Saya Iida

Saya running shoulderblocks her into the buckles then hits machine gun chops. Yuz hits a forearm flurry. Saya hits her in the gut and leg then sliding lariats her. Saya hits another lariat and pins her.

Leg 6 - Yuzuki vs Hanan

Yuz is still down from the last match and Hanan pulls her up. Yuz hits forearms then Hanan forearms her back. Hanan hits a running euro on her. All of Stars come in and beat up on Yuz for some reason which should be a DQ. The time runs out. Hanan backdrops Yuz after and Stars somehow group pins Yuz even though this no match at this point. Yuzuki seems to be welcomed to the group after.

This was stupid on multiple levels. Every match was only a minute so nothing had enough time. The girls beat up on Yuzuki after the matches, the one match started while Yuz was still down, Hanan's team interfered to help her, then they created a new match after where they all beat up on Yuzuki. I don't know what this was. 

Giulia & Tam Nakano vs. Queen's Quest (AZM & Miyu Amasaki) vs. Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe & Natsuko Tora) vs. Cosmic Angels (Natsupoi & Saori Anou)

G = Giulia

Tam and G stare down and Tam chops her. Poi, G and Miyu go at it. G and Miyu are armdragged then G backdrops Poi. Tam and Poi cartwheel into dropkicks on G then double headhunter her. Tam takes a superkick + step up enzugiri combo then Tam and Miyu take double boots from Oedo Tai.

Tora cannonbals 3 girls in the corner then Miyu is held for boots to the face. Momo drops Miyu with a chest kick and crabs her. Momo and Tora take stereo ddt's and G hits tam on the apron. Tam top rope crossbodies G then OT are tripped into low dropkicks twice.

AZM and Tam duck kicks then trade forearms. AZM suplexes Tam. AZM takes a double spinkick then Tora takes a double superkick. Momo uranages Tam then AZM top rope double stomps both of them.  Poi and Tam take stereo high kicks then Poi and Tam hit stereo germans with AZM getting dropped on her head. 4 girls then try to high kick each other at the same time.

G takes a double dropkick from Anou and Miyu. G forearms Tora then Tora eye rakes her. G is rolled into a sliding lariat from Tora. Tam is double tripped into a double basement dropkick. Tam hanging dragon sleepers Miyu in the corner and G hanging guillotines AZM in the corner. G and Tam then hit a top rope dropkick and crossbody from separate corners.

Anou top rope dropkicks G then G backdrops her on her neck. Anou germans G Anou takes a superkick + glorious driver combo for 2. AZM springboard double dropkicks OT then Poi top rope planchas outside. Miyu tornado ddt's Anou then puts her in a pin combination for 2. Miyu is superkicked and Anou backslides her to win it.

It was non-stop action for 10 minutes straight here. There were always 2-4 girls in this and it was basically chaos. Not a ton of storytelling or selling but a lot of fast paced wrestling.

G suplexes Tam on the floor after then Tam slams her on the floor.  

Hanan seems to challenge Anou for her title after.

Artist Of Stardom Title Match - God's Eye (Ami Sourei, MIRAI & Syuri) (c) vs. Empress Nexus Venus (Maika, Mina Shirakawa & Xena)

Mirai and Mina start us off. They lock up and fight for ocntrol. Mirai clean breaks her then takes a slap, forearms and clubs to the back of the neck. Mirai back elbows her then hits mounted forearms. Maika hip throws Mirai into basement dropkicks. Mirai jumping flatliners Mina and. Mina takes a chop flurry from Mirai and Ami.

Mina takes a 2 person double chop. Ami slams Mina then crabs her. Syuri snapmares Mina and kicks her in the back. Syuri shotgun dropkicks her then underhook suplexes her for 2. Mina dropkicks Syuri. Maika shoulders Syuri over a few times.

They trade forearms and they hit attacks on the ropes. Syuri flying headscissors her then bulldogs her out of the casadora for 2. Ami splashes Maika then hits a chop flurry on her. Ami double chops Maika and they shoulder battle. Maika shoulders her over then Ami shoulders her over.

Ami racks Maika and it gets broken up. Maika powerslams Ami. Xena boots Ami and hits forearms. Xena trips her into a pin attempt. Ami suplexes Xena then Mirai top rope dropkicks Xena. Xena hits a hard chop on Mirai and they trade chops. Xena chop flurries her then Mirai fujiwara armbars her.

Xena takes a double shoulder then a PK from Syuri. Ami finlay rolls Xena then Mirai vader bomb elbows Xena. Mirai corner lariats Xena then Maika backdrops Mirai. Mina rolls over Maika's back to splash Mirai.

Xena double underhook suplexes Mirai. Xena superkicks her then Mirai does a neat suplex on her. Mirai wheelbarrow half-nelson suplexes Xena then hits a nice lariat for 2. Mirai hits a stiff death valley driver on Xena for 2. Mina top rope dropkicks Ami then punches Syuri. Syuri codebreakers her. Maika 2nd rope superplexes Mirai. Syuri is double pendulum dropped into a splash on Mirai.

Mirai is held by Maika and Xena. Mina climbs on Maika and Xena's shoulders then drops down and splashes Mirai for 2. Ami double lariats Mina and Maika. Xena takes a triple team powerbomb for 2. Maika double lariats Syuri and Ami then Mina top rope planchas Syuri and Ami outside.

Xena and Mirai lariat each other then Xena flips her with one. Xena torture double gutbusters Mirai and wins it.

It was a good tag with non-stop fast paced action. Mina then Mirai got beaten up for the majority of this one. This is what you would want and hope for out of these girls. Mina really worked hard here.

Goddesses Of Stardom Title Match - Queen's Quest (Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita) (c) vs. Crazy Star (Mei Seira & Suzu Suzuki)

Utami and Suzu lock up. Utami side headlock takeovers her then Suzu headscissors her. They stand off. Saya and Mei miss dropkicks on each other. Mei slides under her then crossbodies her. Saya blocks an armdrag then armdrags her. Mei legsweeps her and basement dropkicks her.

Saya dropkicks Mei then kips down out of Suzu's lariat. She then dropkicks Suzu. Saya dropkicks Suzu and Mei both in the corner then slams Mei. Utami slams Mei several times then basement dropkicks her. Mei takes a double flapjack then a double basement dropkick. Saya double stomps Mei for 2.

Mei and Utami trade then Mei goes down. Mei spin kicks her. Suzu meteoras Utami in the corner then takes a chest forearm. Suzu then double rolling spears her opponents. Utami uranage's Suzu then Saya basement dropkicks Suzu. Utami lariats her on the ropes then Saya spining heel kicks Utami.

Saya armdrags Suzu then Suzu trips her and meteoras her in the back of the neck. Mei dropkicks Saya when she gets in.  Mei takes a double back elbow then a double basement dropkick. Saya is popped up by Utami into a double stomp on Mei. Saya northern lights suplexes Mei then Mei headhunters her for 2. Saya spinning high kicks Mei then Mei does a spin kick to her. Saya pump kicks Mei.

Suzu and Utami trade forearms. Utami forearms her then Suzu takes a double boot in the corner from both opponents. Utami 2nd rope dropkicks Suzu for 2. Suzu and Utami trade forearms then Suzu chest kicks her. Suzu does her drive by sliding kick outside. Utami takes a high/low kick combo Saya rolls Suzu into a backdrop then Utami torture rack drops Mei.

Utami lariats Suzu then Suzu hurricanrana's Utami. Saya crossbodies Mei off the apron outsid then Utami air raid crashes Suzu for 2. Suzu takes a magic killer then Utami swinging torture rack bombs Suzu. Utami takes a poisonrana from Suzu for 2. Mei 2nd rope codebreakers Utami and Suzu germans Utami off of it. Suzu hits kicks to a kneeling Utami then hits a tequila shot on her.

Mei dropkicks Saya then top rope plancha's her outside. Suzu germans Utami then holds on for another for 2. Utami takes a springboard dropkick into a delayed german and is pinned.

I'm pretty sure this match and the match before it happened to get the belts off the people leaving Stardom. Similar to the last tag, it was fast-paced, non-stop and stiff action. There wasn't a lot of story or selling going on here and it had people coming in and out constantly. It was entertaining but not exactly smart or great. Mei really hustled here.

Overall thoughts: Rian had a good debut here and Stardom really seems to have found the secret code to training rookies as they've been making some good ones lately. Aya and Kurara's match wasn't perfect but they were stiff and really felt like they were going at it at times so I liked it. The three way tag was short and a waste of time as the 3 way that followed it. The gauntlet made no sense. The last 3 matches were all fast paced matches with tons of moves and not a lot else. They were okay but not real memorable or different from the other.

NWA Powerrr 4/2/2024

NWA Powerrr 4/2/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/nwa-powerrr-3262024.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/nwa-powerrr-492024.html 

NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament Qualifier - Carson Drake vs Thom Latimer

Drake talks trash, Thom gives him the middle finger then pounds on him. Drake takes an atomic drop then a rolling spear. Thom chases him around the ring. Drake hits a double throat thrust then works on him in the corner. Thom lariats him out of the corner then Drake slides out to avoid a punch.

Drake misses an elbow drop then pulls Thom into the ropes. Drake hits knees to the body then short arm lariats. Drake knee drops him then misses one. Thom clips him and Drake does a full flip for it. Drake pulls him down backwards then gets pulled down backwards. Thom hits mounted shots on Drake and chokes him. Drake takes a pop-up sitout bomb then is tapped out with a crossface.

It was good with Drake playing the chicken heel for Thom, avoiding him the whole time and taking cheapshots before getting caught. Drake bumped big for him and did his job well here.

The Kidz (Alexander Lev and Jackson Drake) vs The Slime Ballz (Sage Chantz and Tommy Rant)

 

Lev has the blonde hair. Sage is the shorter and smaller one of his team and Rant is the heavier one.

One of the Slime's gets worked on to start. Sage hits corner spears on Lev then hits mounted corner elbows. Rant hits back elbows on Lev then splashes him against the bottom buckle. Sage is lariated by Lev then stomped on and choked. Drake chokes Sage on the ropes.

Sage takes a russian legsweep + regular legsweep combo. Drake gutwrench suplexes Sage then corner lariats him. Sage takes an STO from Lev for 2. Lev chinlocks Sage. Sage tags out and Rant lariats both opponents. Rant runs through a double lariat and hits a double lariat. Rant spinebusters Lev then angel's wings Drake onto Lev.

Rant sentons Lev then is pulled out by Drake. Rant is sent into the post. Sage misses a top rope crossbody then is held for a running face kick. Lev picks up the win on Sage.

It was a shorter and fast paced match. It was fine for what it was with The Kidz' playing heel here.

May Valentine interviews Joe Alonzo about Mo Jabari. Joe said we don't know anything about Mo and says Mo isn't a fast, rising star, he is. Joe says it's a waste of his time. Daisy Kill walks in. He said he thinks Joe's time is up. Joe tells him to sing a song in the corner. Daisy's big partner comes in and Joe walks off.

Daisy said they are coming for anything and everything except our filthy mothers. Daisy said they are bringing action, fashion, style and skill to the NWA. I hate Daisy's name, but he can talk and he has a good look.

Vampiro and Natalia Markova are interviewed. She said she did everything she had to do and is now the #1 contender to the women's championship. She said she was close to winning the title last time. She said Kenzie is tough and said she will do everything she has to do to get the title around her waist. Vamp says let's forget about respect and being nice. He said he's having a hard time fitting in here and took things in his own hands. He said he has friends in light and dark places so he can get things done. He said he can do a lot of favors for a lot of people. He tells Markova he can help her real quick but there's a price she has to pay.

This was rough.

Joe Alonzo vs Mo Jabari

Joe rolls up Mo and tells him it was this close. Joe hammerlocks him and Mo reverse it. Joe headlock takeovers him and Mo headscissors him. Mo armdrags him and they roll each other up. Mo dropkicks him then rolls him up for 2. Mo misses a dropkick then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Mo hits a dragon screw then crossbodies the ropes when Joe moves.

Mo ends up outside then backdrops him on the apron. Mo chinbreakers Joe then Joe jumping back elbows him. Joe crossfaces him on the ropes then snap suplexes him. Joe pulls him down backwards then rakes his face with his foot. Joe knees him in the gut then Mo neckbreakers him.

Joe takes an atomic drop and a russian legsweep. Mo 2nd rope elbow drops him an goes for a sharpshooter. Joe rolls him up and hits a full nelson slam. Joe then wins it.

They messed up near the end as Joe tried throw Mo's leg into the ref and missed. It was an average cold match that could have been a little shorter.  

Knox, Trevor Murdoch and Eric Smalls vs The New Spectaculars 2.0 (Slade, Rush Freeman and Rolando Freeman)

 

Knox's team is rushed and everyone pairs off to fight. Slade is thrown into Rush then Murdoch splashes both in the corner. The Spectaculars hide outside then Smalls topes them all.

The bell rings and I guess this officially starts. Knox face kicks Rush then rakes his face on the ropes. Knox leg lariats him on the ropes. Rush takes a double chop in the corner. Rush double throat thrusts Murdoch. Murdoch chops Slade then full nelson slams him. Slade jumping knees him.

Smalls bronco busters Rolando. Rush knees Smalls from the apron then Slade suplexes Smalls. Rush and Rolando choke Smalls. Rush slams Smalls then elbow drops him for 2. Rolando hits mounted punches on Smalls then gyrates. Slade world's strongest slams Smalls. Smalls hits a step up enzugiri then Murdoch gets in.

Murdoch cleans house and sky high's Slade. Knox sky high's Rush. Knox and Murdoch do a double high/low in a cool spot. Smalls 2nd rope moonsaults Rush and wins it.

Rolando goes for a cheapshot after and gets caught by the other team. Smalls punches Rolando in the nuts.

Having the midgets (and I consider Rolando one) in here vs people much bigger than them was dumb and hard to believe. Knox could have thrown Rolando into the 5th row if he really wanted to. If they made it so only Rolando and Smalls could be in there, it might have made more sense. It was hard to buy Rolando's or Smalls' offense as being painful in any way. They tried to cover for the midgets the best they could, but I wasn't buying it.

Overall thoughts: I liked the first match. The second match was acceptable. The third match was average and the main was too hard to buy with the midget wrestlers in there with the bigger guys. Markova and Vamp had a bad promo segment as well. I wouldn't recommend this one.

WWE Monday Night Raw 4/1/2024

WWE Monday Night Raw 4/1/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/wwe-monday-night-raw-3252024.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/04/wwe-monday-night-raw-482024.html

We see some of the Wrestlemania set being constructed and see clips from last week with Rock and Cody.

The Rock comes out. He said he made that boy bleed. He said he rammed his head into the bus, got blood on his hands and wiped the blood on the belt as he promised. He said the only thing that is missing on the belt is the tears of Mama Rhodes.

He said the Cody Crybabies are upset he made Cody bleed and asks if there are any here tonight. He said he would beat Cody like a dog and he did. We see clips kids crying due to Rock beating up Cody. He said it breaks Rock's hurt. Rock said he's a proud 3x "girl dad".

He tells the kids there's moments in life when a man has gotta do what he's gotta do. He said there's moments in life when people talk sh*t when they shouldn't and said there's times when The Rock has to beat Cody's @ss over and over again.

He said wrestling is cool now because of him. He said the fans set a record for the largest gate in the history of Raw. He said it's because finally The Final Boss has come back to Brooklyn. He said he didn't come alone and the rest of The Bloodline come out.

Roman says to acknowledge me. He said if you saw his A&E bio last night, it's family about all. He said he came to acknowledge his family and said "no yeet" when the crowd chanted yeet. He said he will leave if the crowd keeps chanting it. He said this will be the easiest Mania of his life thanks to Rock. He said we will smash those fools and said they will have their way with Cody.

He said Rock whooped Cody and it felt good to see him do it. He said Rock put his family above all, setting a good example. He said Cody isn't fit for leadership. He said he's lucky to be here. He said Cody was off somewhere doing nothing when they made this cool in 2020. He said they allowed Cody to have some fun and said they can't have him trying to take him off the top of the mountain. Roman says this is their mountain and they run this business.

Seth Rollins then comes out through the crowd. Seth said if they want to pull the crap on him that they did to Cody, they have to come in the stands and fight the whole city. Seth said Roman crossed the line. He said the time for talk is over and he's ready for a fight. He wants to fight tonight. Seth said the fans deserve the biggest main event of all time. Seth said it should be him vs The Rock tonight, but he said ol' DJ doesn't have the balls. He said his cousin Roman might have grown a set. He said Bloodline can pick the wrestler and the stipulation.

The Rock calls Seth a punk. He said Cody has brain damage from their beating of him and Seth don't want none of that. He said he's not fighting Rock or Roman but he said they have a plan. Solo Sikoa grabs the mic and says Seth is fighting him. Seth said Solo has the biggest bag in The Bloodline and says he's on. Rock says it's Bloodline Rules and they will see him tonight.

It was a longer segment that was just average for the most part. We knew Rock and Roman weren't going to be doing any matches here.

We see clips of Rhea on The MMA Hour today. Becky calls in and said they can't keep talking about her. Becky said she's outside the building then comes in. Becky gets in Rhea's face and pushes her and it gets broken up.

Becky Lynch is interviewed. She said she's here to finish what she started and she will be in the ring if Rhea cares to answer the call.

The New Day and DIY vs The Judgment Day

The faces hit plancha's to start. Finn pounds on Johnny then Dom pounds on Johnny. Dom suplexes him and gets suplexed. Johnny throws Dom out then gets lariated by Finn. Ciampa lariats JD and Dom in the corners. Priest pump kicks Ciampa then is top rope chopped by Kofi. Kofi walk up the buckles twisting crossbodies JD then JD cradles him. Kofi top rope dives Finn then Woods does an attitude adjustment into a body drop on JD. Johnny topes Dom outside.

Woods boots JD then JD standing spanish fly's him. Ciampa hits shots on Priest then Priest lariats a running Ciampa. Priest catches Kofi off the buckles then chokeslams him. Priest razor's edge's Ciampa and wins it.

It was short for how many people were involved in it. It was fine and fast paced but we only saw a little of some of the people in it before the finish. It is the show before Mania though, so no one was doing anything too wild here.

The Bloodline are in the back. They say Solo is ready. Roman says he has to go write a speech for Paul Heyman's Hall of Fame induction this weekend. Paul then explains it to us.

We see Sami Zayn and Chad Gable training at The Performance Center. They watch videos and Sami works out. Chad puts a sleeper on him and makes him tap out. Sami asks what that was. Chad said Sami won't care if he's exhausted and tells him to run it again. Sami said he won't let Chad run him into the ground one week before the match. He said Sami's hunger is gone compared to last year. He asks him what is holding him back. Sami said he's afraid of letting people down. He said Chad told him he couldn't beat Gunther. Chad said he wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear, he told him what he needed to hear. He tells him to find that hunger and prove them wrong together. We then see Sami work out more. We see him throw Chad, then they shake hands and the segment ends.

We get our first commercial of the night as the first hour was commercial free.
The Judgment Day talk in the back. Rhea said she's good and got Becky's attention. Legado del Fantasma comes in and Rhea said he didn't tell them they had company. Priest said this is too much and tells him to cut the crap. Rhea tells him he did it now while Legado looks confused. They talk in Spanish and Dom says let's play darts.

Sami Zayn vs Bronson Reed

Reed pushes him back and poses. Sami hits forearms and chops. Sami hits corner punches then sunset flips him. Reed misses a butt drop for 2. Reed splashes him on the ropes then hits chops. Sami lariats him over the top then tope con hilos him outside.

Sami's top rope crossbody is caught and he is powerslammed. Sami 2nd rope elbows him in the head then is caught with a urange and elbow drop. Sami sunset bombs him off the buckles for 2. Reed death valley drivers him for 2. We go to break and return.

Reed clubs on Sami and Sami walks up the buckles and tornado ddt's him. Reed twisting suplexes him and sentons him. Reed misses a top rope splash. Gunther then drags Chad Gable out onto the entrance way. Sami gets distracted and goes to help Chad. Gunther then running boots Sami. Gunther lariats Sami and chops him. gunther grabs him by the hair and yells at him. Gunther then face kicks him. Gunther yells at him more and hits more chops. Gunther then holds the title while stepping on his chest. Gunther walks away and Sami gets up. Gunther then hits him with the IC title.

It was an okay match with Sami working as the face vs the bigger Reed. The Gunther angle worked but probably would have been better if it had happened early as they won't have a lot of time to follow up on it.

Jey Uso talks to Lil Wayne in the back. He tells him to come to Philly for Mania if he's free. Wayne says he will be there and is premiering a new song. Jey says he will see him there.

We see Damage Ctrl earlier in the day.

Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile vs Indi Hartwell and Candice LaRae

CL and Ivy lock up. CL is thrown into the buckles and tags out. Indi takes a takedown from Ivy. Max 2nd rope double axe handles Indi. Indi slams Max then Max is thrown backwards by CL. CL beats up Max in the corner then Max cradles her. CL pounds on her and runs into the buckles when Max moves.

Ivy gets in and forearms CL off the apron. Ivy hits kicks on Indi then spinning headscissors her. Ivy spinning enzugiri's her then flying chest kicks her. CL pushes Ivy off the buckles. Indi is dropkicked into CL then Max rolls up Indi and wins it.

It was short and average. The crowd didn't react at all here.

CL yells at Indi after as Indi looks shocked. CL tells her she should be ashamed of herself.

Seth Rollins is looking at his title in the back and Jey Uso comes up to him. Jey calls him crazy. He said it's Bloodline Rules and said he has his back if Bloodline try anything shady. He said he's got him and Seth asks him to take a walk with him.

Natalya says Owen Hart vs Bret Hart at Wrestlemania X was her favorite Mania moment.

We see Drew McIntyre looking at a casket. He grabs a mic there. He says look in my eyes, what do you see? CM Punk has no match in Philly. He said the world lost a chance to see an out of shape Punk lose out on his chance at Mania. He said Punk's tricep wanted to get as far away from Punk as possible. He said Seth built his personality on The Joker and calls him Seth "Cringelord" Rollins. He said he has one foot in the grave and deserves the beatings coming his way. He said he will take Seth's corpse out back and put it down once and for all at Mania.

Ivar vs Ricochet

Ric flying shoulders him and just bounces off. Ivar blocks his armdrag then shoulders him over. Ric flips over Ivar's back then backflips into a headscissors. Ric dropkicks him out then misses a plancha outside. Ric goes for a move on the ropes and is knocked down to the floor. We go to break and return.

Ivar chinlocks him an se him crossbody him against the LED board ring skirts during the break. Ric superkicks him then Ivar butt drops him in the corner. Ric is thrown into the LED board ringskirts then Ivar misses a crossbody against them. Ric flying space tiger drops him.

Ric springboard lariats Ivar then standing ssp's him. Ric handspring back elbows him then Ivar spinning heel kicks him. Ivar tiger drivers him for 2. Ivar misses a bronco buster.

Ric pumping knees him then is caught on a springboard, taking a spinning slam. Ivar then springboard twisting crossbodies him. Ivar misses a top rope moonsault. Ivar is caught on a crossbody and Ric fallaway slams him. Ric top rope 630's Ivar and wins it.

It was a good match here with both guys putting forth a good effort. Ric did his flying and Ivar used his weight against him. Ric got some big shine by catching and slamming him here and the two worked well together. 

We see Judgment Day/Legado in their hideout watching the Ricochet match. Priest said he doesn't get why Ric hasn't been handled yet. Priest asks if they are The Judgment Day. JD says he will do it in the battle royale on Smackdown. Finn says he's sick of Ric and asks what kind of name it is. Dom says he has the man for the job if JD can't do it and brings in Andrade. Andrade and Santos shake hands. Dom tells Andrade he will be made a full member of Judgment Day if he handles Ric. Andrade agrees. Rhea said she heard Becky i on her way to the ring and leaves. Priest asks Dom if they are using his darts.

Becky Lynch comes out. She said she came looking for a fight. She said she started a fight earlier and they can finish it now. Becky tells Rhea to come out and fight her.

Adam Pearce comes out. He gets booed and said he's the April Fool for trying to do the right thing. He said they are not doing this tonight as they don't want to jeopardize the Rhea/Becky match. Pearce asks her to leave the ring. Rhea Ripley then comes out. Pearce tells her to save it for Mania.

Rhea throws something at him then starts nailing the security guards. She and Becky hockey fight. Rhea taks her down and pounds on her. Becky fights off the security guards then dives off the top onto the guards and Rhea. The guards then separate them.

I don't like the girls beating up on the guys. It's not believable and it pushes the double standard of girls being allowed to hit guys but guys not being able to do it back.

Damage Ctrl does a promo. They said they are the most dominant fiction in the history of the women's division. Kai talks about the titles they have. Kai said they want to prove they are the future and here on Raw to see if anyone has what it takes to prove them wrong. They then announce them vs Stark, Nox and Baszler next.

The fight between Rhea and Becky continues backstage. Pearce and security can't stop it and tells security to control Rhea.

Damage Ctrl (Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane and Asuka) vs Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and Tegan Nox

No entrance for Nox's team. Nox gets triple teamed to start. Nox takes a double team sequence from Asuka and Sane. Dmage Ctrl take triple stereo germans then triple kicks from the faces. Nox and SB hit baseball slides then Zoey springboard plancha's outside.

We go to break and return. Zoey hits lariats on Damage Ctrl and flips over Asuka in the corner. Zoey germans Asuka then springboard dropkicks Sane. Sane ddt's Zoey off a suplex attempt. Kai and Nox go at it. Nox hits forearms then chokeslams her. Nox headbutts her in the chest then suplex lifts her into a knee. Nox running kicks her then corner snetons her.

SB sleepers Asuka, gets tripped by Sane then high kicked by Asuka. Zoey superkicks Asuka. Zoey springboards and is superkicked by Kai. Nox running euros Nox then misses a corner senton. Kai pump kiks her. Nox is held for a top rope elbow by Sane. Sane pins Nox.

I liked this one. Not perfect but it was fast paced and Zoey had a good showing here. Damage Ctrl won as expected. Not real sure why they had the heels and faces teaming up here against Damage Ctrl.

Seth Rollins is interviewed as he walks backstage to the ring. He said he only has one gear and it's pedal to the metal and empty the tank. He said he always has a Plan B. He runs into Drew McIntyre in the back. They stare down. Seth tells him he ain't dead yet. Drew says "yet".

They said there's 30 hours of WWE programming this week which is wild. Most of it is talking though of course.

Bloodline Rules - Seth Rollins vs Solo Sikoa

Seth nails Solo before he gets in then topes him. Seth bangs Solo's head off the apron and rails. Solo goes head first into the steps when Seth moves. Seth and Solo get their heads banged off the commentary table. Seth is thrown over the rail.

Seth throws chairs at Solo's head then chairs him. Seth ddt's him on a chair. Seth sets up a table in the ring then superkicks Solo. They fight on the buckles and Solo 2nd rope samoan drops him through the table. Seth's head hits the table in a bad way and he holds his head after.

We go to break and return. Seth's head is banged off the steps. Solo charges at him then goes into the steps. Seth bangs the steps off Solo's head. Seth is dropped throat first on the top rope. Seth is put on the buckles and gets hit. Seth powerbombs Solo through a table then curb stomps him.

Jimmy Uso comes down and superkicks Seth. Jey Uso comes down and they fight in the entrance way. The Rock comes out and throws Jey down. He sends him into the tron. The Rock stares down Seth in the ring. Cody Rhodes then comes out with bandages on his head. Cody hits punches on Rock and drops him.

Cody clears off the commentary table and Rock's head is banged off of it. Seth pounds on Rock. Rock and Cody are on the table. Cody teases a rock bottom then Roman Reigns pulls Cody down. Cody's head is banged off the steps. Roman trips over a table cover while fighting Seth and sends him into the post. Cody is sent into the post and the crowd chants "CM Punk".

Roman superman punches Seth then spears Cody. Rock grabs a weightlifting belt and whips Cody and Seth with it. Roman whips Cody and Seth with it. Rock whips Cody's back then he and Roman pose.

Well, technically the Solo/Seth match never ended since it was No DQ. Seth was dumb for taking that samoan drop bump on the table with Mania being this week. It was okay for what it was and they did far more than I expected. The after match stuff was okay but nothing too interesting. I do think the faces should have been protected a bit more here.

Overall thoughts: It was an okay show but not great or super memorable. They got me interested in the Sami/Gunther angle, but I think it needs more time. The women's trios match wasn't bad. Rhea/Becky had female on male violence which I don't support. Ivar/Ricochet was good, the 8-man tag was short and Sami/Reed was okay. As has been the case the last few weeks, they have done very little promotion of Cody/Roman and I still wouldn't entirely rule out Cody losing again as he is just not being protected or pushed like someone who will win.

All Japan Pro Wrestling 3/30/2024 Dream Power Series 2024 Day 5

All Japan Pro Wrestling 3/30/2024 Dream Power Series 2024 Day 5

The ActWresGirl'Z crew danced before the show, to the delight of seemingly nobody in the crowd.

Ayano Irie & Miku Aono vs. Kanamic & Kouki

Miku side headlocks Kouki then lariats her. They lariat battle and mess up a spot then Kouki lariats her down. Kana folls over Kouki's back and sentons Miku. Kana corner dropkicks Miku then Miku hits 2 dropkicks on her in the corner. Miku spinning slams Kana then Irie low dropkicks Kana for 2.

Irie crabs Kana then puts her in the heavenly lock. Kouki breaks it up. Kana flying headscissors Irie then Kouki jumping face kicks Irie. Kouki slams Irie and Irie gets her knees up on Kouki's splash. Irie lariats her then Miku top rope dropkicks Kouki.

They trade chest forearms and Miku shin kicks her. Kouki corner lariats her then corner face kicks her. Kouki hits a dominator on her. Miku kicks Kouki in the back then Kouki spinebusters her. Miku double underhook suplexes her then they lariat each other. Miku lariats her in the back of the neck then Kouki backdrops her for 2.

Kana germans Miku then shiranui's her. Kana jack knifes her then rolls forward again to try it a 2nd time. Kouki top rope 180 splashes Miku then Kana top rope swantons Miku for 2. Miku lariats Kana then Irie running face kicks her. Kana germans Irie for 2 then Miku lariats Kouki and Kana in one run. Irie russian legsweeps Kana for 2 then does a bizarre falcon arrow type of move to her. Irie twisting death valley drivers Kana and wins it.

It went a little long but it was a decent match in front of a crowd who wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. These girls were screwed here before it started and there was nothing they could do about it. It would have been much better at a joshi show. I assume Kanamic is pretty new but she didn't look out of place at all.

Naruki Doi, Ryo Inoue & Seigo Tachibana vs. Fuminori Abe, Kaz Hayashi & Seiki Yoshioka

Ryo has longer orange hair now. He and Abe start us off. They trade some basic holds and stand off. Ryo dropkicks Abe. Doi and Seiki trade chest chops then Seiki flying single leg dropkicks him.

Kaz and Seigo go at it. Kaz shoulders him over. Seigo kips up after it then running back elbows him. Kaz hits kicks to Seigo's back then Seiki does it as well. Seiki bullies him around then Seigo takes a double chest kick. Abe kicks Seigo in the back and they trade forearms.

Seigo STO's him and tags Doi in. Abe punches Seiki on accident then Doi flipping sentons Abe. Abe teases rolling out but holds onto the bottom rope then punches Doi. Kaz shotgun dropkicks Doi and hits a corner kick. Kaz running face kicks him then Doi spinning neckbreakers him. Ryo hits a chest kick flurry on Kaz then PK's him for 2.

They trade forearms and Kaz drops him. Seigo face kicks Kaz while Doi holds Kaz. Seiki and Abe come in and help. Ryo flying kicks Seiki then does the same to Abe. Ryo underhook suplexes Kaz for 2. Ryo spin kicks Kaz in chest/face for 2 then spin kicks him. Seiki axe kicks Ryo. Kaz does a final cut on Ryo and wins it.

It was a 10 minute juniors tag with Seigo getting bullied and Ryo trying to get the upset on Kaz here. It was fine for what it was but obviously not memorable or great. 

KONO & Toshizo vs. Kuma Arashi & Takao Omori

Omori was technically fired but he's back I guess. Kuma and Omori are thrown out and hit by the heels. Kuma gets sent into the rails Tosh hits Omori with the rails then throws a rail at him. Taru whips Kuma with a whip.

Tosh throws Kuma in then Kuma hits shots on Kono. Kono eye rakes him then side headlocks him. Kuma racks Kono then samoan drops him out of it. Omori and Kuma double chop their opponents together and pose. Kuma stands on Kono's gut then hits double chops.

Taru trips Kuma from the outside and throws powder in his face. Kuma is thrown out and Taru/Tosh beat him up. Tosh whips Kuma with a belt then Kono kicks Kuma in the crotch for 2. Kuma hits a nice dropkick and senton.

Omori face kicks and spinning heel kicks Kono. Kono eye rakes Omori then Omori backdrops him. Tosh hits Omori with an empty gas can then Omori takes a hip throw from Tosh. Kuma double crossbodies his opponents. Omori goes for a double axe bomber from behind but misses and trips. Omori then hits Tosh with one and hits a samurai driver for 2. Omori axe bombers Tosh and wins it.

The heels should have been DQ'd for cheating in front of ref. Omori's double lariat botch here was really bad and it went on longer than it needed to.

Battle Royal - Hartley Jackson vs. Kento Miyahara vs. Kuroshio TOKYO Japan vs. Shotaro Ashino vs. Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ryuki Honda vs. Hokuto Omori vs. Ren Ayabe

They had one person enter at a time here after getting the first two people in. Honda attacked Yuma from behind to start this. The first half of this was not super serious. Hartley took a flat back bump off the apron to the floor when he got eliminated. Yuma low blowed Omori at one point in front of the ref. He then bridge pinned him and Ren pined Yuma while he did it. Ren and Kento ended up as the last two people in this and Kento won with a delayed german.

This was a waste of pretty much everyone involved and accomplished little. I thought for sure they'd give Ren the win since Kento didn't really need it, but nope.

Ren put on an AJPW jacket after and I guess is now a confirmed full-time roster member.

All Asia Tag Team Title Match - Exploding Bat Match - Atsushi Onita & To-y (c) vs. Dan Tamura & Hikaru Sato

Onita misted I think one of the sponsors before this started. Dan and Sato are wearing suits. Onita gets sent over the rails then Dan's head is banged off rails in the stands by Toy. Toy machine gun chops him and Onita sends Sato into the post. Sato's head is banged off a table then Onita piledrivers him through it.

Onita hits Sato with a barbed wire bat. Dan hits shots on Onita then hits him with an exploding bat in the chest. Dan hits forearms and lariats on Toy then Toy step up enzugiri's him. Sato and Dan put armbars on Toy and Onita breaks it up.

Sato turns a siren on and gets misted by Onita. Onita then hits Toy with the exploding bat when Sato moves. Dan lariats Toy multiple times then Sato enzugiri's him. Dan lariats Toy then Sato death valley drivers him. Onita breaks the pin attempt up with a bat shot.

Dan activates the siren then Toy takes a double exploding bat shot. Toy then gets pinned.

It was long, slow and not good. They bat shots had no everlasting effects here and didn't make anyone bleed. They were also real casual about it and it just wasn't any good. I'm a big Onita fan, but I could go without ever seeing one of these again.

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title Match - Rising HAYATO (c) vs. MUSASHI

Musashi wristlocks him and Rising ends up flipping out of it. Rising spinning headscissors him out then dropkicks him out. Rising springboard plancha's him then is popped up into the rails outside. Musashi ddt's him on the floor. Musashi corner dropkicks him then does a cobra twist variation on him.

Musashi ddt's him then chops him down. Rising shotgun dropkicks him then running back elbows him. Rising ddt's him over the 2nd rope to the apron. Musashi exploders him then tope con hilos him outside.

Musashi hits kicks then falcon arrows him for 2. Musashi puts him in a tequila sunrise variation with a texas cloverleaf. They trade chops and Musashi single leg dropkicks him. Musashi superkicks him then gets superkicked.

Musashi rolls up Rising for 2 then Rising codebreakers him into a submission. Rising asai moonsaults him but Musashi gets his knees up. Musashi germans him for 2 then half-nelson slams him. Rising superkicks him in the back of the head then Musashi germans him. Rising package tombstones him but it's no sold then he does it again, dropping him straight on his head. Rising top rope asai moonsaults him and wins it.

It might have been okay as a generic juniors match, but then they kept going and it was clear there was no story or logic involved.

Kaz Hayashi challenges Rising after.

AJPW World Tag Team Title Match - Hideki Suzuki & Suwama (c) vs. Voodoo Murders (Jun Saito & Rei Saito)

Jun and HS go at it. Jun side headlocks him then shoulders him over. HS does like an iron claw taunt at him and Rei tags in. HS still wants more of Jun though. Suwama gets in they shove and forearm each other then Suwama flurries on him on the ropes. Toshizo hits Suwama with the empty gas can from the outside then Suwama gets beat on by Voodoo Murderers outside. The ref Wada sees it and doesn't care.

Suwama is thrown into the chairs by Taru. Rei machine gun chops Suwama in the ring. Suwama flatliners him then HS neckbreakers and legdrops him for 2. HS works Rei's arm and armbreakers him. Suwama belly to belly suplexes Rei then armbars him.

HS snapmares Rei then stomps his arm. HS does an octopus variation on Rei's arm while Suwama sleepers Jun. Rei slaps and lariats HS. Suwama flying shoulders Jun then corner lariats him. Suwama germans Jun then spinning lariats him for 2. HS fujiwara armbars Rei then Suwama corner lariats Jun. Jun takes a double team underhook suplex then takes a double dropkick.

Jun face kicks Suwama then Suwama takes a corner lariat. Suwama takes a double chokeslam then HS takes a double chokeslam. Jun spears Suwama for 2. Jun chokeslams Suwama and wins it.

It was really average for the most part. The heels should have been DQ'd early for interference and weapons usage but weren't. Suzuki did his usual slow motion offense and the only good part of this was Suwama's brief comeback. Not awful or anything, but just totally average and unexciting.

Taru talks after and Toshizo unmasks. Suwam is brought back out and Jun shakes hands with him.  They then raise hands with Suwama.

Triple Crown Title Match - Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Yuma Anzai

KN hits leg kicks then side headlocks him. Yuma jumping knees him then hits a forearm flurry in the corner. Yuma belly to belly suplexes him then dropkicks him out. KN is sent into the rails outside. KN face kicks him in the ring and takes a jumping knee.

They trade forearms and KN hits leg kicks. KN drops him with a chest kick. KN hits mounted forearms then foot slaps him. yuma fights back with forearms then is dropped with a forearm. KN backdrops him then hits chest kicks. KN running face kicks him.

KN spin kicks him in the gut then chest kicks him. KN drops him with chest kicks then dragon screws him. KN drops him with a leg kick then fujiwara armbars him. KN hits kicks to the body. Yuma is tripped into the buckles and kicked in the back. KN superkicks him then hits kicks to the body.

KN sleepers him then grounds him. Yuma hits forearms then is dropped with a punch. KN kicks him in the head while he's on all fours. KN slaps him around then Yuma flying knees him. Yuma germans him and wins it.

I didn't like the finish at all. Yuma got basically nothing in all match long then jumping knee'd him and won with a german. It was your usual Nakajima match where he gets 95% of the offense in and just beats the crap out of the other guy until the finish comes. This was essentially a very long reverse squash where the person getting all of the offense in loses.

I like Yuma. I don't hate him winning the title because it was a formality at some point but it's really early and he just has not done much so far. He doesn't have great rivals or partners and all of his matches have been him getting beaten up then making a comeback. Maybe he can rely on that for a while, but I don't know if he's going to be capable of carrying someone like a Hideki Suzuki, a Jun Saito or others who are limited or don't bring much to the table.

It also came out that Nakajima will be leaving AJPW. He drew in some fans so that's all that matters, but they ran through a lot of the matches you'd want to see and his matches are rather limited. He just always has to win and be pushed with his style and that limits what you can do with him.

Overall thoughts: I wasn't a big fan of this show. The crowd wanted nothing to do with the ActWresGirl'Z crew as usual. A lot of the best wrestlers on the roster were stuck in a stupid battle royale and none of the four top matches impressed. While I was a big fan of AJPW last year, we are starting to see what things look like without Shuji Ishikawa booking and it's not looking good.