Dream Star Fighting Marigold: Grand Opening Wars 2024

So after a pretty ugly noon show, let’s see if the evening show will be any better. We have Giulia coming out to start things off with a sling as she banters and has fun with the crowd and seems to be in good spirits.

Misa Matsui vs. Nao Ishikawa

Background: Nao has lost a few matches now and seems to be established as an undercard heel. Misa is an uppercard face who maybe will eventually show-off why she’s called the Speed Star. They’re both wearing their usual, though Nao has a pretty massive amount of tape on her knee.

The Match: Lockup and a pretty slow ‘technical’ sequence before the stalemate. Misa gets control by…stepping on Ishikawa’s foot and then kneeing and bieling her and stomping her in the corner and I uh…don’t know who these characters are now. More bully stuff from Misa with low dropkicks and sentons but Nao fires back with a desperation body slam and then some running stuff to set up a crab. Misa finally gets some Speed Staring going with a cazadora into a stomp but then both fight over a suplex. More running attacks and Misa is back to the head kicks on the mat. We get a slugfest and a backdrop suplex as this match is just careening through genres. Stretch muffler from Misa and then a cross-legged Fisherman’s Suplex but Nao kicks out. Cazadora from Mis and then an awful cartwheel headscissors takedown from Nao is followed up with a Gory Stretch Reverse STO, her butterfly suplex, and then the Implant Buster…for 2. Nao goes for the finish with a German but Misa lands her one cruiser move, a cazadora, and gets the bridging reverse for the pin.

*½

Huh, well if this match had fit any of the prior character work I’d seen from either of them I’d probably like it more, but as is Misa was a big-timing jerk who was tossing around Nao. The finish at least fit the Speed Star thing but uh, is she not actually a high speed wrestler at all and this is just marketing? Am I being bamboozled? Nao is still sloppy as hell and I liked her a lot more as a heel than a face.

Post-match Ishikawa cuts a breathless promo that sounds like she’s on the brink of tears.

Mai Sakurai vs. Myla Grace

Background: Myla is the face gaijin who tries a ton of flippy moves she can’t do. Mai is the beloved arrogant rich lady comedy goof. This match has real trainwreck potential but Sakurai has enough personality to carry a comedy match if they go that route.

The Match: Well we start with some technical stuff as they fight over a wristlock with Grace controlling until a boot from Sakurai (that misses by a foot) turns the tables. Nice transition to a Paradise Lock by Mai and then Myla just sorta reverse with some absurdly contrived offense of her own. Then some more weak kicks from Mai and a decent STF. Ropebreak and Myla fires back with some hideous strikes where she obviously slaps her own chest on but they don’t even make a nice slap sound. Bad fisherman’s neckbreaker by Myla helps Myla set up a ba-okay it was fine diving thesz press. A back suplex from Sakurai sets up some bad flash pin spamming from Myla. Mai counters the rolling cutter though and gets her jumping kick and a gourdbuster for 3.

*

Well this was bad. I like Mai but she’s only decent as a comedy goof and Myla is horrid.

Post-match Mai calls Myla a commoner and Grace attacks her.

Miku Aono vs. Zayda Steel

Background: Zayda is our heel gaijin jobber and Miku is somebody who was a bit of a name in AWG and might be upper-card. I guess we’ll see how this works.

The Match: Lockup to some technical stuff but Zayda throws a strike to gain control, international and Zayda dodges a dropkick to take control with simple stuff. Miku gets a few dropkicks to come back however and we reset into a slugfest that they take out to the apron and Steel gets a codebreaker and then blows a kiss and does some pushups. Look it’s a mish-mash of heeling but I’ll take it. Tope by Zayda finishes out the flurry and the crowd chants for her. This pisses Aono off who mauls Zayda bit outside with forearms but doesn’t maul enough as Zayda gets an electric chair facebuster on the apron. The heel of the match gaining an advantage when using the HARDEST PART OF THE RING is nice. More of the apron stuff as Zayda gets a codebreaker when Miku comes in through the ropes, but after Zayda taunts her Miku kips up and gets a swinging slam and a choke on the American. Steel gets an enzuigiri though and is frustrated at the 2 counts. Miku gets a lariat and the Styles Clash and that’s 3.

**

Just sort of a match but I’ll accept competent and just sorta mediocre at this point. Zayda might be an okay heel, I do need MIku to show me more in the ring and as a personality though. She’s fine but I’d like if she was more than that.

CHIAKI & MIRAI vs. Bozilla & Nagisa Nozaki

Background: So CHIAKI and MIRAI are the heroic scrappy duo. CHIAKI is power and brawling and is the Dark Wolf of the Ring and MIRAI is power and technique and is the Future Shock. I propose their team name be Dark Future or Wolf Shock. Bozilla is a monster hoss and Nagisa is a brawler of her own. This might be decent!

The Match: MIRAI and Boz start with a lockup the German easily wins and then just tosses the smaller woman around before we get a low-bridge and a plancha…that Boz catches and then tosses MIRAI around some more. MIRAI tries more speed to get control but another reversal is caught and slammed and then Nagisa comes in to brutalize MIRAI with stomps but MIRAI gets a dropkick out of a whip and in comes CHIAKI. The Dark Wolf gets a corner charge and some facewashes and having wrestlers who wrestle like their gimmicks is such a refreshing change. Nice brawl from Nagisa and CHIAKI that the Dark Wolf wins with a spear and then we get MIRAI with a missile dropkick to come in and keep it up. But Nagisa dodges the back suplex and gets some fancy kicks and a choke. MIRAI backs the choke into the ropes though and hits some elbows to set up her spinning Vader Bomb. Nagisa manages to stuff a roll-through and gets a wicked running kick to bring Boz back in. MIRAI with some nice momentum shifts on the ropes to take the giant down and Boz is the first person to bump for the running reverse STO well. Good job! MIRAI tries to lift Boz up though and after a brief Octopus Hold is thrown and senton’d for her troubles. MIRAI finally gets a gorgeous omoplata armbar into a disgusting looking double-armlock with just her legs but Nagisa breaks it up. MIRAI and CHIAKI gets the double-team with a dropkick on Boz. CHIAKI keeps it up with some knee and elbow drops as the giant is downed. CHIAKI gets greedy though with the Iron Claw and Boz gets up and flattens her. MIRAI trips up Bozilla though and CHIAKI goes back to the arm with her teeth before attempting an armbar that’s broken up by Nagisa. Massive headbutt from Bozilla and the Vader Bomb…but that’s only 2. CHIAKI avoids a powerbomb, but a Bozilla superplex and a second powerbomb flatten the Wolf.

***¼

This was a really fun time and I’ve got to give most of that credit to MIRAI who is a really fun wrestler to watch, and her and CHIAKI’s chemistry. Boz is…well she has presence and plays her role well so talented wrestlers can make really interesting stuff happen with this one. Nagisa is uh…there? She didn’t mess anything up but I can’t say I noticed her at all.

Natsumi Showzuki & Victoria Yuzuki vs. Kouki Amarei & Utami Hayashishita

Background: Natsumi seems the best of the AWG wrestlers and has a kicky sorta deal. Victoria is the bold rookie challenging big stars and hoping to make a name for herself. Utami is the person who is almost assuredly going to become the ace of the company when Giulia dips and Kouki is somebody that I think they really want to turn into a big deal. So this uh, this is a showcase of the current good wrestlers and who should be the next gen. Also, proposed name for a Victoria and Natsumi tag team, ShowYuzuki.

The Match: Natsumi and Kouki start with a test of strength that’s won by Kouki and then after Kouki does one cartwheel evasion to show over her agility, it’s Showzuki who has faster acceleration and gets an armdrag after her dropkick doesn’t bother the bigger wrestler. *sniffs* It’s…it’s just beautiful that Kouki has actually started to wrestle her size and they’re using stuff early in the match to establish what each wrestler is good at and how they could win the match. Next up is Yuzuki and Utami and Victoria tries to use her speed but gets taken down uh…quickly by Utami and they trade basic submissions. Yuzuki almost gets something going but Utami gets the hang off the ropes deal to stop an Irish whip and then wipes out the rook and knocks Natsumi off the apron to isolate her with Kouki’s help. Amarei comes in and gets a pretty fun spot where she tosses Victoria towards the ropes but then hits the ropes herself and Victoria sells it like she’s being rebounded by the ropes and takes a big flip bump. 100% safe and weirdly decent looking as Kouki does it to all four sides of the ring before getting a big crab. Victoria gets the ropebreak and fires back with speedy stuff, flying headscissors, dropkick, and in comes Natsumi to return the “wipe ‘em off the apron” favor to Utami and then gets some rapidfire kicks and kneedrops on Kouki and then an armbar. Natsumi tries to lock in the Manji-Gatame but Kouki just breaks it with pure strength and then gets a couple big boots and a big body slam and it’s just amazing how much better she is in this match than the prior ones. Sunset flip from Shozuki and kicks have Amarei screaming in pain but a scoop powerslam gets Kouki tag in Utami. Utami gets a few power moves but Showzuki catches Hayashishita going up and tosses her off. Natsumi gets some more stuff with knees and kicks as Utami tries to mount mini-comebacks and eats a monster DDT from Showzuki to bring in Victoria. Yuzuki gets a number of dropkicks that Utami bumps beautifully for…but Yuzuki is still a rookie and a dropkick of her own lets Utami smash Yuzuki with the Samoan Drop. They reset to a slugfest but Yuzuki gets control with Showzuki’s help and Victoria gets the rope-running facebuster. Utami with some power stuff, Victoria with a rolling cradle but Kouki runs interference and we get a stereo Missile Dropkick/180 Splash. Air Raid Crash and a bridging German by Utami finishes of Yuzuki.

**½

Just a pretty solid match with some promising, if green rookies anchored mostly by Utami but Natsumi helped as well. This is the best I’ve seen Kouki look and it’s so clearly cause Utami was calling the match and having the rookie show-off her actual strengths.

Much better and more hopeful show than the noon deal. The undercard of Marigold is probably going to stink, but I think Utami, MIRAI, Sareee, and Natsumi might be able to anchor enough of the card for the rookies to improve and level up their game.

Well that’s all folks, I don’t know if I am going to review every Marigold show but probably the big ones at least.