Dream Star Fighting Marigold: Grand Opening Wars June 1st 2024

Welcome back for some more Marigold action. We got hopefully a good one today. I think it’s fair to say that there is no longer a new car smell to Marigold so it’s time to see what they are as a week to week promotion.

Chika Goto vs. Victoria Yuzuki

Background: Well these are two rookies and I think two babyfaces, I’ve liked what I’ve seen of both of them but generally they’ve needed their hands held. Chika is big and Yuzuki is quick, let’s get it.

The Match: Handshake sets up a lockup won by Chika but Yuzuki reverses and gets a strike in the ropes. The attitude, and perhaps temerity of this kid. Goto goes for a really tall test of strength, and Yuzuki goes for a really low one, okay that was funny. They trade wristlocks and other technical stuff for a bit but eventually Goto takes over with basic power stuff. Goto eventually loads up the band and gets a big hip check to send Yuzuki flying. Buttocks power or something. Victoria comes back with some forearms but Goto responds and the rook is doing the wobble-leg. Yuzuki gets some dropkicks and an armbar to get some space and then the ropewalk facebuster sets up another armbar. Chika’s inverted atomic drop lets her comeback however, Chika’s gutwrench something is foiled by some bad judo throws from Yuzuki. Wheelbarrow swing from Goto sets up a giant swing. They reset to a weak slugfest and then they trade rollups. Chika deadlifts Yuzuki into a powerbomb out of an armbar and gets the gutwrench powerslam for two and that means nothing cause we haven’t seen her finish with it yet. Crab from Chika doesn’t last but Goto gets a chokeslam and a back-suplex facebuster but when Victoria rolls into an armbar the match comes to a draw.

*

God bless them for trying but neither are any good and this match was way too long. This is better than it should have been at least.

Nagisa Nozaki vs. Zayda Steel

Background: Zayda is our mean, generic heel gaijin. Nagisa is our brawling tweener (we really need established heel/face roles).

The Match: They trade wristlocks but Nagisa gains control with an abdominal stretch and then some kicks. Nagisa goes up and gets kicked down by Zayda who follows that up with a tope. Zayda gets the double-knee drop into the corners (Mercedes’s spot) but Nagisa just gets up and kicks her, gets the wind-up kick, and then takes her down with a chinlock. Ropebreak from Steel and we reset to a slugfest. Zayda gets a backstabber and an enzuigiri for 2, and Nagisa gets a thrust kick, a short-arm pump kick and a low running boot for 3.

*½

Well Nagisa is competent if not particularly exciting but she didn’t really want to sell anything so she just gobbled Zayda up slowly and boringly. Too back and forth to be a squash but none of them tried to make it competitive either.

Nanae Takahashi vs. CHIAKI – Passion Injection Match

Background: So CHIAKI is our rookie powerhouse brawler with short-hair and gear that has a ton of chains, straps, and patterns on it. Nanae is our veteran powerhouse brawler with short-hair and gear that has a ton of chains, straps, and patterns on it. It’s also a Passion Injection Match as Nanae is going to see if CHIAKI has what it takes to make it in the wrestling business.

The Match: CHIAKI crushes Nanae’s hand on the pre-match handshake and Takahashi has to kick her away in a funny spot. We get a lockup with them both working it for a while, CHIAKI roaring and struggling through it all. Nanae reverses into the ropes and gives a clean break. We get the test of strength next that CHIAKI wins until Nanae reverses into a wristlock, they’re working basic stuff here but both are busting their buns and being intense about it. CHIAKI gets some shoulderblocks that don’t go anywhere so we get forearms from the rook, and then a biel toss on Nanae and the vet looks flummoxed for a while. Nanae catches CHIAKI coming with a charge and a shoulderblock and body slam set up a camel clutch. CHIAKI breaks that with a bite to the arm, so Nanae bites her back as the vet continues to dominate. Nanae sets up a deathlock but CHIAKI bites Nanae’s foot, who then bites CHIAKI’s foot. Nanae is salty now and biels CHIAKI around while slapping her and then works her over with chops in the corner. CHIAKI comes back with some dropkicks, a corner spear, and then a cartwheel knee drop. CHIAKI can’t get the fisherman’s though and Nanae gets a brainbuster. CHIAKI with a claw that gets broken up as both slug it out. Feint forearm sets up an uppercut for CHIAKI and a spear, but CHIAKI can’t get the fisherman’s and Nanae gets a crossface. They slug it out again, Nanae wins and gets a backdrop driver for 2, CHIAKI gets a scoop powerslam off the ropes and goes for the fisherman’s again and it’s stuffed so CHIAKI goes for a rack but Nanae is too big for that and boots the rook down. Nanae’s Refrigerator Bomb misses and CHIAKI gets some running boots and gets Nanae up for the rack! Argentine Facebuster by CHIAKI! This gets multiple nearfalls for the rook, but when CHIAKI goes up Nanae cuts her off and we get a superplex and then the Refrigerator Bomb gets 3 for Nanae.

**½

This was pretty fun! CHIAKI seems decent and has a lot of charisma and Nanae was actually selling, acting annoyed by the Dark Wolf’s spirit. Plus we have the idea that if CHIAKI ever got her Fisherman’s whatever maybe she could have won.

Post-match they talk about passion and such and hug it out.

Misa Matsui & Natsumi Showzuki vs. Bozilla & Myla Grace

Background: Bozilla is our gaijin monster, Myla is our scrappy gaijin babyface who looks like budget Liv Morgan. Misa is the speed star that doesn’t do that much speedy offense and Showzuki is a kick devil.

The Match: Misa and Natsumi try a hot start and wipe Myla off the apron before isolating Boz and double-teaming her with jumping kicks but Boz just shoulderblocks them down and they powder. Boz press slams Myla onto the Japanese girls in the same spot that broke Giulia’s wrist and we get a mauling on the outside. Myla and Showzuki do some stuff on the inside and Myla botches 3 moves in a row and it’s brutal. Natsumi takes over with some Muay Thai knees on Grace and then a nice bridging fisherman’s suplex and she tags in Misa. Running crossbody into the ropes from Matsui! Running knee from Matsui! But Boz picks up Misa out of the pin and suplexes her and then double-avalanches the Japanese team in the corner before tagging in. Samoan driver gets 2 on Misa but Boz’s powerbomb is countered but Misa goes for a scoop slam to predictable results. Boz commands Myla climb the ropes and we get almost a cool rocket launcher spot with her and Boz but Myla botches it, well maybe it wasn’t her but given her track record I’m blaming her. Misa gets some spider monkey maneuvering out of a Bozilla fireman’s carry into a piggyback hold and the Japanese team wraps up Bozilla in a double reverse leg roll hold that the ref counts as legal despite it being two people? Anyway it doesn’t work. Showzuki with some nice spin kicks on a kneeling Boz, but the Japanese team both climb the turnbuckles and get double powerbombed for their trouble. Double Vader Bomb and a double pin is the end result.

**

I mean, Boz is still sloppy, but she has presence and gets how to play a monster. Myla is horrible. Misa showed some of that Speed Star stuff I’ve been looking for and Natsumi is just plain good, I’d like to see more of them but this was just a squashination and it delivered that in spades but at least they showed enough to not look like total geeks.

MIRAI & Utami Hayashishita vs. Mai Sakurai & Miku Aono

Background: So MIRAI and Utami are of course Stardom refugees and both have a judo background and play similar roles as technically sound powerhouse sorts. Utami is the bigger star but MIRAI is a rising star of her own, they’re also probably the two best workers in the company that are signed full-time. Mai is a fun comedy goof who eats pins and Miku is going to be able to test herself against some actual good wrestlers, lets see if this is any good.

The Match: Mai and MIRAI start with some technical stuff. MIRAI uses the ropes to break a wristlock but Mai catches her with a kick and then uses the ropes to work over MIRAI’s arm. Sakurai’s paradise lock is broken up by Utami though and the judokas get a double elbow and then it’s back to MIRAI using power on Her Ladyship and tagging in Utami. Hayashishita gets basic stuff to gain control and shrugs off Sakurai’s strikes until a running jump kick lets Miku tag in. Couple running dropkicks takes out Utami and MIRAI but a backdrop by Utami calms it down and we get the Red Queen in control. MIRAI comes in and hits like five high-speed corner charges in a row but Miku reverses a back suplex into a cool spinning slam and then gets some kicks but MIRAI gets her Rube Goldberg stuff to get a wheelbarrow slam and then Utami tags in with a spinebuster. They trade clotheslines with Utami winning but Miku counters the rack with a German and her own clothesline. Mai comes in and boots Utami around and gets an abdominal stretch. We get a pier sixer as it’s breaking down in Osaka and we get a Mai Sakurai plancha and then a nice double-team suplex/missile dropkick on Utami. Hayashishita dodges Mai’s elbow drop, but a Miku boot sets up a pretty cool cut-throat pumphandle suplex for Mai that MIRAI has to break up. Utami gets the sliding lariat but Mai gets a crucifix bomb for a very nearfall. It breaks down again for a bit but we reset back to Utami/Mai. Air Raid Crash only gets 2 on Mai but a Utami German and a MIRAI flying clothesline finish off Her Ladyship.

***

It’s actually really funny to see Utami walk the other ladies through their spots so they end up working a way different style than they normally do, so we see Sakurai doing these stiff-fests and tossing Utami around for the bumps Hayashishita takes. Anyway, MIRAI and Utami remain very good, Mai is carryable, and I need to see more of Miku to make a full judgment but this was a good match.

Well that’s all folks. Looks like the top of the card is good but man, the dregs of Marigold are dreg-y.