Dream Star Fighting Marigold: Summer Shine 7-30-24

Hey, so it’s been a while but I’ve felt the urge to do the next big Marigold show. It’s uh…definitely not a sellout at Korakuen Hall this time but there’s some people in the crowd. The big thing is that this is the crowning of the Twin Star Championship, i.e. tag team titles. We’ve had a bit of a tournament and we’re doing the finals tonight, with us establishing who the semi-finalists are and the finals will be happening in what I think is the main-event. Anyway, Marigold is uh…well the bloom might be coming off the rose but they’ve also established a bit of a pecking order on the card at least, let’s get to it!

Nao Ishikawa vs. Rea Seto

Background: Both rookies, Nao is a bit more established and is super tan and has the bum knee and bum everything as she keeps getting hurt and has orange gear that is very busy and patterned, almost like her mentor Nanae Takahashi’s, so that’s a neat touch. Rea is an incredibly nervous looking young woman with a hime cut and giant, doll-like eyes, she’s wearing white gear.

The Match: Very basic headlock/hammerlock stuff to start and eventually Rea starts with the weak dropkicks that Nao no-sells and we get some chinlocking from the ‘vet’. More dominance from Nao as she gets a running body attack I’ll call it. Seto gets a weak dropkick and a facebuster and a slightly less weak dropkick to follow up. Nao comes back with a handspring knee drop that misses so it’s just a handspring twisting splash instead. Slugfest next and then a backslide from Rea sets up a double-chickenwing spot from the rookie-rookie and even a Cattle Mutilation. Rea keeps it up with a delayed bodyslam and then another couple terrible dropkicks. They fight over a suplex and Nao gets a Gory Stretch flipped into a gutbuster (it didn’t look good) but Nao gets a cazadora in response. Nao with the delayed butterfly suplex and then an over the shoulder throw thing but Rea gets a desperation victory roll and gets 3.

½*

Woof. Yes they’re two rookies, but this was bad and rough. Still, it’s what you should expect but it was just kind of a mess of a match with no real structure.

Post-match Nao tries to jump Rea and kinda fails in that as she just doesn’t know how to like…brawl so it ends and then Nao leaves and Rea bows. Awkward.

Myla Grace & Zayda Steel vs. Komomo Minami & Misa Matsui

Background: Myla and Zayda are the resident gaijin jobbers as always and they seem to be teaming and both are wearing pink outfits so I guess they’re a full-on team now. Who knows. Komomo has the black and gold gear and she’s with Misa Matsui in the blue and white.

The Match: Myla and Misa start with some high-speed stuff of various levels of contrived. Komomo and Zayda in next and Steel gets an enzuigiri and Komomo gets a cazadora into an armbar, that’s neat. The Japanese girls work Zayda over in the corner and Misa gets a knee and then a nice bridging Fisherman’s Suplex but Zayda gets a dropkick to come back and the white girls do some doubles in the corner and Zayda once again spams taunts and does weak strikes in between them. I mean, I guess I’d rather she do that instead of just weak strikes but like…work on your craft a bit. Myla rolls Misa into a Border City Stretch but Misa makes the ropes, they do some grappling where Misa keeps going back to the Stretch Muffler and Myla tries a crossface. Misa wins and then gets a low dropkick into the ropes and then a diving crossbody. Komomo tags in and does some awkward stuff with Grace but gets the seated armbar, Myla takes out the Japanese rookie with some forearms but Komomo fires back with her own. Myla gets a lariat and a backdrop driver as she busts out the All Japan offense and then gets a BAD fisherman’s neckbreaker for 2.8. Misa gets a Busaiku knee and Komomo with the over-the-back DDT that Grace does a nice handstand bump for. Komomo spams rollups but Myla gets a Michinoku Driver for a a guaranteed 3…until Misa breaks it up. But Myla gets a weird twisting DDT thing and that’s 3 I guess?

*

Well it was better than the first match.

And post-match Myla and Zayda embrace and celebrate. I guess they’re a full-on team now, and this was apparently Zayda’s first win in Marigold? And also former Ice Ribbon trainee Yuuki Minami is here and she challenges Komomo Minami (no relation…I think) to a match. Yay, more rookies with no experience.

Mai Sakurai & MIRAI vs. CHIAKI & Nagisa Nozaki – Marigold Twin Star Championship Tournament Semi-Final

Background: So this is the tag-title tournament that Marigold is running, and we have as teams Mai and MIRAI, who are of course ex-Stardom talent who were even in Donna Del Mondo together (for like…2 weeks before the stable split) Mai has an absolutely ridiculous hat and an amazing fur coat, MIRAI is in the regular blue and white dragon outfit. CHIAKI and Nagisa are a new team as well of crazy brawlers. CHIAKI has really figured out her presentation, she’s got the big overcoat, the wild gear with plenty of zippers and holes in it, she has a strong jaw, a wolf tattoo on her arm, short-hair, and she’s sticking her tongue out and has the crazy eyes and is walking to the ring with a chair. Nagisa is mostly doing a bored vet thing and has a lot less florist but she is the vet of the two and the ‘leader’ who recruited CHIAKI.

The Match: MIRAI and CHIAKI start in the battle of the all-caps single-name wrestlers, and when MIRAI offers a handshake CHIAKI takes it, and then brings her in for a small package. They trade roll-ups and CHIAKI powders with MIRAI offering her a way back in as commentary says that MIRAI and CHIAKI have teamed a bit and MIRAI still sees the good in CHIAKI even though the Dark Wolf of the Ring is y’know, hitting people with chairs and being a jerk. And as they say that Nagisa trips up MIRAI on a rope-run and the heels start tossing the faces into chairs and the like. Back in and Nagisa comes in to continue kicking MIRAI. More choking against the ropes follows but MIRAI fires back with a GOOD dropkick and almost makes the hot tag. CHIAKI runs and MIRAI turns the double against them and in comes Mai with a missile dropkick and then a paradise lock on Nozaki. Nagisa has taken three offensive moves in a row though so she fires back and gets a few running kicks against Mai and then a rear naked choke. MIRAI comes in and that lets Mai come back with her own boots, as we have a big boot slug fest that Sakurai wins as commentary drops “More boots than a Dr. Martens factory.” Mai gets the pumphandle suplex and Nagisa gets a running dropkick…and then Mai gets one…and then Nagisa gets one. Uh, their offense might be a bit repetitive. To keep it going, CHIAKI comes in and stomps Mai but she unleashes…THE CLAW! And then a Clawhold Slam! CHIAKI gets the Argentine Facebuster MIRAI breaks it up though and the faces hit their wheelbarrow/bulldog combo and and Mai gets her inverted DDT/legdrop on the Dark Wolf. And then Sakurai busts out her Masahiro Chono approved STF! Ropebreak and Mai gets a big boot in the ropes, MIRAI gets the rolling jumping flatliner, and another running boot gets 2.8 for Mai. Gourdbuster by Sakurai but Nagisa breaks it up. MIRAI gets a lariat and the diving elbow by Mai gets 3…but Nozaki pulls the ref out. And she’s in with a chair. But Sakurai ducks it and CHIAKI takes out Nagisa! Another MIRAI lariat and another jumping boot from Mai sets up a stereo Northern Lariat/Jumping Roundhouse to CHIAKI, but the Wolf kicks out and spears Mai! Argentine Facebuster attempt but Mai slips out and locks in the STF fully and CHIAKI taps.

**¾

Well that was a lot of fun. Two teams with an easy to understand dynamic and real chemistry together and you have something pretty fun. I hope the dirty brawlers stick around as a team, I think CHIAKI is improving in the partnership even if I don’t like Nagisa all that much, and Mai is actually pretty good as a tag wrestler and MIRAI of course remains very solid. Fun stuff if still flawed.

Miku Aono & Natsumi Showzuki vs. The Twin Towers (Chika Goto & Kouki Amarei) – Marigold Twin Star Championship Tournament Semi-Final

Background: So Chika and Kouki are both very tall and they’re both former models. Chika is the master of the giant swing and Kouki is the Amethyst Butterfly. Also apparently Chika’s entrance taunt is her saying “This way? That way? My way!” which I think I got anyway. ‘Brilliant Future’ Miku is of course United National champ and Natsumi is the Super Fly Champion so they’re a super-team of sorts and much more experienced than the Twin Towers across the ring.

The Match: Chika is selling nervousness to start but it’s Miku and Kouki who start. Lockup and headlock by the taller wrestler and Amarei gets the cartwheel and some big kicks to knock down Miku. Goto follows up she gets the Jaida Parker style butt-drop in the corner. The Twin Towers keep up the abuse with a double-team senton but Miku gets her kicks and two running dropkicks in the corner and now Natsumi comes in with double-knees and the slingshot knee drop. Natsumi walks through the ropes and gets an awkward DDT on the apron but Kouki almost immediately reverses a kick into a double-arm stretch. They trade dropkicks but Natsumi reverses the Dominator into a sunset flip. Scoop powerslam of sorts by Kouki next and that lets Goto come in and gets a ten revolution giant swing and some hip checks. Natsumi dodges one though and Goto falls to the outside and we get a huge run-up for a Natsumi meteora. Chika plays possum I guess and we get a weird spot where Kouki big boots Natsumi off the apron into a Goto suplex or something and it didn’t work. More weird doubles from the Twin Towers but they set up a double military press and Miku breaks it up and Natsumi gets what is supposed to be a DDT on Kouki but they kinda botch it. Does uh…Amarei not know how to take DDT bumps? The champs set up some doubles and MIku gets a missile dropkick on Chika but Goto blocks an enzuigiri with a giant swing attempt but MIku sits up and forearms her and gets a crab. Kouki breaks it but Natsumi runs in to set up Miku going up…but Aono gets cut off with an electric chair facebuster and then the Twin Towers get their double press slam and Kouki gets a Dominator on Chika onto Miku in a neat double-team. But Amarei misses the 180 splash. Chika gets a chokeslam on Miku but Natsumi breaks that up and the champs get a flurry of strikes but Chika barely kicks out of a sliding lariat from Aono. But Miku’s followup buzzsaw kick gets the 3.

**

Look uh, the Twin Towers are trying hard and I think maybe they turn into something fun but they are just so rough and awkward together. The match was very disjointed and strange in general but it did have some decent sequences in there. Natsumi remains to me the best of any of them however.

Nanae Takahashi vs. Bozilla – Passion Injection Match

Background: So Nanae is a grumpy vet (though she has PASSION) and her Passion Injection matches are her beating ‘passion’ into wrestlers. Bozilla is a big German monster lady. It is important to note that Nanae has won every Passion Injection Match…except against Utami.

The Match: Good heat to start as Nanae fires the crowd up. Lockup and Boz easily wins it and Nanae looks a bit worried about how much stronger her opponent is. Second lockup and Nanae reverses it and Boz is in the ropes and Nanae gives a clean break other than hitting the chest and yelling “PASSION!” Some standing switch stuff as Boz is getting increasingly irate. Boz actually with some armbars and wristlock stuff as she cranks out the technical business. A shoulderblock goes nowhere for Boz and she seems irked by this…and another shoulder sends Takahashi to the outside. Outside and Nanae fires back with an…umbrella, but that doesn’t last long and Boz throws Nanae around some more. And Nao Ishikawa, Nanae’s apprentice throws some strikes at Bozilla…who just flattens her in response. And Nao comes back again for more abuse as uh…Boz tells her to leave the premises using a certain four-letter word. Boz just stomps out everybody and we’re back inside as the abuse continues. Nanae fires back with some stiff slaps and palm strikes, but Boz responds with the same, and then we get some chops from both of them. Nanae finally gets something going when she dodges a Bozilla corner avalanche and gets some kicks, and then reverses a slam into a sleeper…but Boz slams her down. Boz gets a rather awkward cartwheel corner clothesline in a weird spot but Nanae gets some strikes to down the European monster. Boz slugs back and we get stereo lariats into a double down. Nanae finally figures something out with a dragonscrew into a kneebar. Ropebreak but Nanae still can’t get the backdrop driver and a clubbering forearm from Boz takes out Nanae. Nanae finally comes back and gets the backdrop driver but Boz dodges the sliding lariat and gets her own choke sleeper but Nanae breaks. Boz gets a missile dropkick (?!) and a running senton and the vet is almost done here. Bozilla goes up and Nanae fires up with a superplex, but Boz gets a lariat out of that and only gets 2.8. Nanae and her own lariat into a Gedo Clutch…but Bozilla catches her out of the air and gets a katahajime with bodyscissors and that puts Nanae to sleep for the win.

***

Okay, this kinda…rules? Obviously some problems but Boz having to expand her skillset and actually figure out new ways to murder her opponents is a fun and terrifying new touch. Nanae actually played overmatched veteran and was bumping as much as she could for this new young monster. Just a fun, exciting, chaotic brawl and a great finish. Good stuff.

Giulia & Sareee vs. Kizuna Tanaka & Victoria Yuzuki

Background: So Giulia and Sareee obviously have history as the initial deal with the company is hardline joshi traditionalist Sareee hating the soft, weak Marigold idols and Giulia representing that sort of outsider to joshi situation. They wrestled, Sareee won and she’s world champion right now and they’re teaming to put down the new rookie tandem of Yuzuki, who has been the clear Next Big Thing for Marigold and her partner here, Kizuna Tanaka, who of course is Minoru Tanaka’s daughter. It is notable that Giulia has wraparound sunglasses while walking to the ring, and they also have spikes on it and I now know what I want for Chanukah.

The Match: Hot start as the rookies double-dropkick the vets and they spam more dropkicks. Giulia finally removes her entrance furs though and after tanking some Yuzuki forearms Sareee cuts off the rook and the vets just clobber Victoria with forearms. Double backdrop suplex and the arrogant pin from Giulia puts Yuzuki in trouble and now comes in Sareee. Crab on Yuzuki as Giulia runs interference. Giulia back in with a jumping kick and then a chinlock as Yuzuki is getting brutalized. Sareee back in and finally Yuzuki gets something going with a dropkick and a headscissors and in comes Tanaka with more dropkicks which actually look good for a rookie. Missile dropkick by Kizuna but they fight over a suplex and Sareee wins, but Kizuna gets a few rollups that shake the champ a bit. Sareee gets an exploder though and in comes Giulia to stomp on a new rookie and preen and pose in the process. Kizuna finally catches Giulia with a flying armbar but Sareee breaks it up, and Yuzuki breaks that up and then we get it all falling down and we get stereo manjigatames from the vets. Ropebreak and we’re back to Kizuna and Giulia, the vet torments the rook in a dismissive fashion. But after Giulia yells about Kizuna’s weight, Tanaka gets a fisherman’s suplex to pay her back. Yuzuki comes in off of this and gets a slam and then an awkward submission and the rookies try to take down Giulia. But Crazy Charisma gets a STO and a headscissors choke. That gets broken and Giulia just stomps on her in the ropes in a way that would probably be a MMA stoppage. Yuzuki finally comes back with some slaps that uh…go badly for her. Glorious Driver is attempted but Yuzuki slips out and lands a superkick that rocks Giulia. And Victoria actually gets real heat on her and lands a brutal suplex and steps over her to climb to the top…and that fires up Giulia with her double-arm superplex. Sareee gets a diving stomp, Giulia a running knee, and Sareee gets the low dropkick on the ropes, but Giulia’s backdrop driver gets broken up by Tanaka. Glorious Driver attempt is broken up and Yuzuki gets her whacky 7-part rollup for a very close 2.9 and Sareee breaks it up and Giulia has the backdrop driver out of that…and the Glorious Driver sets up the rudimentary pin but Tanaka breaks it up. But Giulia and Sareee get stereo Northern Lights Bombs and Ura-Nages for 3.

**¼

This was waaaay too long for what it was. I get they want to put Yuzuki over, but she’s the least interesting wrestler in the match, it was fine I guess, but the seam marks were too obvious in the match. I do like Tanaka at least, she has potential. Sareee also I guess was in the match but damned if I can remember if she did anything interesting.

Post-match Giulia puts a ton of wrestlers over but she’s tearing up and she says that she’s leaving very soon and she’s leaving to WWE (which well, we all knew) and it’s very soon. August 19th is her final Japanese match. She has five left, but also she is leaving and will return to Japan later on to beat Sareee.

Miku Aono & Natsumi Showzuki vs. Mai Sakurai & MIRAI – Marigold Twin Star Championship Tournament Finals

Background: So we do have some heat here despite all being erstwhile babyfaces. MIRAI has had a brief but intense feud with Miku where they had a ton of draws for the United National title before Miku finally beat MIRAI and then later on won the belt. So there’s that, and there’s the Stardom veterans vs. AWG veterans deal as well. They’re dressed in the regular cause y’know, second match and all that.

The Match: We start with the big meetup between Miku and MIRAI as they stalemate a lockup and then do the standing grappling. MIRAI gets the between the ropes armbar reversal deal and gets a dirty break as she’s clearly hungry for a win. The Stardom Girls double Miku in the corner and Mai is tagged in. Sakurai is quickly shut-down with a slam and a crab by Miku and after a break Miku kicks at Mai in the ropes with Natsumi’s aid. MIRAI’s interference is cutoff and the stomping continues…but Mai reverses a whip and gets a dropkick and in comes MIRAI to face off with Miku again. MIRAI gets her run and gun go-go-go sequence with the corner strike spam and the crowd is hot for it as MIRAI gets the missile dropkick. Miku breaks up the offense though with a flurry of dropkicks (hrm) and then Natsumi comes in to do the double-knee/slingshot knee drop combo but MIRAI breaks that up and we get Mai with a series of boots. But Natsumi uses speed to get the manji-gatame break in the corner and the AWG Duo get the corner dropkick from Miku (hrmmmm) and the double knee from Natsumi. But when they go up MIRAI takes her off the top and Mai gets a breather. Desperation enzuigiri lets Natsumi bring in Miku though and she kicks Mai around and ends with a Blizzard Suplex. But Mai fires up and we get a slugfest. Mai finally gets a series of boots and then cranks in the Masahiro Chono Approved STF but Natsumi breaks it up. Miku tries a backdrop driver but Mai gets a bulldog in a nice spot and MIRAI comes in. They do their sequence with a bunch of reversals and MIRAI gets the Vader Bomb. And I realize that the ref is Kyohei Wada and he barks at MIRAI as she’s stomping away in the corner in defiance of a five count. Interesting we have full babyface MIRAI in her feud with CHIAKI and also her going tweener-y in her feud with MIku. And speaking of Aono gets the spinning slam for a 2.9 and then a German suplex as she took advantage of MIRAI’s aggression. Mai shows up for a save and they set up Miku on the top rope to get a double superplex…but when MIRAI goes up for another Vader Bomb she gets cut off by Natsumi and the AWG Crew sets up a powerbomb/diving Meteora combo. MIRAI kicks out but Miku explodes with her regular (okay I guess her regular is the dropkicks she spams but she gets some kicks and such). Natsumi comes in and they set up a double kick but MIRAI ducks and Mai gets the missile dropkick…and then Mai sacrifices herself with the plancha. MIku back in and a fired up and fresh MIRAI goes for the Miramare Shock, MIku slips out but the wheelbarrow slam goes for it before a Natsumi breakup. And then MIRAI attempts another Miramare Shock, Miku slips out but goes into the ropes where Mai gets a rope-assisted neck snap/stunner and we finally get the MIramare Shock…for 2 as Natsumi breaks it up again. But now Natsumi is the target and she ats a lariat from MIRAI and a diving elbow from Sakurai and now the Stardom Girls can focus on MIku…who gets the delayed butterfly suplex and sets up the Styles Clash but MIRAI backdrops out. Mai in and we get a lariat/jump kick combo. Weird straitjacket double slam from the Stardom talent and some MIRAI lariats only get 2. And then MIRAI gets the running lariat on Miku for 3 and the titles.

**½

This match had some real high points but it was FAR too long (wow) and I’m increasingly unimpressed by Miku Aono. Still, they worked hard and had some good sequences and it paid stuff off. The Platonic ideal of “a fine match.”

Post-match and Natsumi and Miku look very peeved. We get some promos and the Twin Towers come out to challenge them. And the Giulia comes out to congratulate them and we get Mai saying she wants a match with Giulia. Giulia agrees to the match and says that it needs to happen and will be Giulia’s final match in Marigold. Giulia gives the slap and Mai responds and it seems to be official.

Oh and then Nanae and Nao also come out to challenge MIRAI/Mai.

Well, I mean, the last couple matches were fine, but there is nothing blowaway and while I appreciate them building out a card, and the people involved, this remains flawed as a promotion. Not enough going on and the talent isn’t good enough to escape that. Stardom a few years ago could do some “You, Strawberry, hit a homerun” booking but when that’s not available you see the cracks showing. I do think that they’re doing some interesting things but when Giulia says she’s gone you’re left with the limited starpower of Sareee as champion, and while this show didn’t have Utami, that only raises more questions about if you can trust her health to carry a company. I remain very cynical about this, but at the same time I’m watching it so maybe I’m a fool and this will carry the company forward.

Anyway, peace and love to you all.