News, April 5

In addition to the results & schedule tabs, I'm going to have a news tab for my commentary. I'll also be posting this stuff on JoshiFans (through several threads and in more detail), and DVDVR and SSS (as weekly updates).

WAVE had a birthday show on 4/4 since GAMI likes cake and slapstick humor. It was Toshie Uematsu's 35th birthday and a comedy battle royale with everyone in costumes from various parts of Toshie's career was held. Moeka Haruhi, in Toshie's rookie green swimsuit, won the match and the DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship with a double pin of Toshie and title holder Bullfight Sora. Moeka is the 777th champion and successfully fought off a roll-up attempt by Toshie during the title ceremony. Also, the Shirai sisters (Mio & Io) advanced to the TLW Tag Team championship (a new junior tag belt) by beating Cherry & Apple Miyuki. They will face Moeka & Tomoka Nakagawa at the end of this month. Yumi Ohka's 30th birthday ended in her losing to Nanae Takahashi in the main event.

IBUKI had a show on 4/5 with pretty unremarkable results. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Misaki Ohata beat Sendai jobbers DASH Chisako & Yukari Ishino as Hiroyo used the backdrop on the young rookie Ishino. We also had Tomoka Nakagawa beat Ayumi Kurihara. They are currently stablemates in OZ Academy, although Tomoka is not pleased with Ayumi's presence. The main event saw Ray & Natsuki*Taiyo beat Fuuka & Shu Shibutani as Ray hit a Sky Twister Press on Shu.

Coming up are JWP's show at Korakeun Hall on 4/12, OZ Academy at Shinjuku FACE on the same day, NEO & JWP at Hakata Star Lanes on 4/19, WAVE oop north in Sapporo on 4/19, the finale of Sendai's Jaja Uma tournament on 4/19, and Ito Dojo running a show with the handful of joshi wrestlers not in Fukuoka, Sapporo, on Sendai on that date.

JWP will have both the singles and tag titles up for grabs at Korakuen. Yumiko Hotta & Keito defend against Command Bolshoi & Megumi Yabushita, while Kayoko Haruyama has her 5th defense of the JWP Openweight Championship against the woman that she took it from almost one year ago. OZ's tag belts are to be defended by Chikayo Nagashima & Sonoko Kato vs KAORU & Takako Inoue. Will Chikayo & Sonoko be the first to ever successfully defend these seemingly cursed titles? A complicated points system to determine the next challenger for Dynamite Kansai's OZ Openweight Championship will involve 5 challengers (Aja Kong, Manami Toyota, Carlos Amano, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Hiren) earning points over the next several months with the winner getting the shot at the Plum Mariko Memorial show in August.

Hakata Star Lanes gets a title match, as Kyoko Inoue & Hiroyo Matsumoto have their first defense of NEO's tag titles against Yoshiko Tamura & Ayumi Kurihara. The final four in Sendai's Jaja Uma tournament is an all Senjo vs Ibuki affair, with Sendai Sachiko vs Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami vs Esui. I think Ryo Mizunami is going to win, probably over Ohata. Then I expect her get a chance to revenge last year's loss to Hiroyo in that tourney to try to win the JWP Junior & P.O.P. Championships. This could take place at Ibuki's Korakuen Hall show.

The end of this month features a returning young star and a rash of retirements. Shuri "Tyrannosaurus" Okuda will make her MAKEHEN debut on 4/25 after being out the past 10 months due to injury and departure from Meiko Satomura's Sendai Girls group. Her new ring name is Basara ( 羽沙羅 ) and she'll team with Mikado against Mio Shirai & Bambi. The next night sees Hikaru & Saki Maemura retire as the SUN sets on women's wrestling in ZERO1. On 4/29, Sasori (Dump Matsumoto's bald partner) calls it quits. Sakura Hirota (who is an actress now) is making a one-time comeback to face Sasori in the opener. I'm expecting a Dump imitation. Sasori's finale is against AJW classmate Nanae Takahashi.

Haruka Matsuo from NEO retires on the May 5th show. That show will also feature Nanae vs Tamura for the NEO/NWA Pacific singles titles.