Dream Star Fighting Marigold: Dream Star Grand Prix 08.10.25

Alright back to Marigold’s Dream Star. So they have had a couple small shows with a few tournament matches on them, but I’m not going to review the whole thing, the matches were fine! Misa Matsui beat Chanyota in the Star League in a solid match, Utami beat CHIAKI in a good match, CHIAKI finally got a win over Kouki in a middling match, and Mai showed out a bit over a struggling Chika Goto with a win. Anyway we’re in Sendai in the PIT and we got about 300 people in the crowd but it’s a cool venue, very club-y.

Oh, and as a note, I’m not reviewing undercard matches on tournament shows unless I want to, but uh…I don’t need to watch these super green tag acts go at it or the generic triple threats, so…there.

Nagisa Nozaki [2] vs. Chanyota [4] – Star League

Background: Nagisa is sort of a gatekeeping bully heel vet who viciously clobbers young girls and leads the Darkness Revolution stable. Chanyota is a big jacked up ex-fitness model who is kind of getting pushed a a power threat. Nagisa is in her furby raver gear and Chanyota has the basic lavender top and bottom deal to show off a lot of her (chiseled!) physique. IIRC Chanyota was also an ex-cop too?

The Match: Both dance around a spell before they go for a test of strength and yeah Nagisa immediately gets a kick and drags it outside for the brawl, then back inside and Nagisa is eating Chanyota up with more strikes and grinding holds. And Nagisa just chews up Chanyota and dominates her with cheating and strikes to the stomach and the SUPER DOMINANT POWERHOUSE is now throwing desperate strikes to build momentum. Desperate slam by Chanyota but Nagisa cuts her off and then tries a sleeper before just beating Chanyota down before the SUPER DOMINANT POWERHOUSE gets a reverse diving shoulder, another shoulder, poses (to prove what?) and goes for the rack but that gets cutoff…but at least Chanyota lands another shoulder, and now she gets the rack for a slam and a 2 count. But Nagisa is up first, beats Chanyota down before they tease a superplex, Chanyota gets thrown down, and Nagisa gets a missile dropkick for 2. Wristlock boot gets another 2 for Nagisa but Chanyota finally gets something with a lariat for a double-down. And now Chanyota is rolling with a pair of lariats and a crossface until Nagisa FINALLY hits the ropes. Chanyota goes to finish but Nagisa just demolishes her with kicks. Nagisa tries a sleeper again but Chanyota breaks free and gets a discus lariat for 2.8. Brainbuster by Chanyota is almost turned into an inside cradle but Chanyota powers out…and then gets sleepered by Nagisa and Nozaki turns it into an Asuka lock and Chanyota is out by TKO.

*

Ooof. OOOOF. Look, I try not to bring it up, but Nagisa is a super selfish, greedy vet who just doesn’t bump or sell for younger acts and this was egregious. Chanyota looks like a TOTAL chump here. Some of the work was fine but as a story, the jacked up superwoman getting absolutely eaten alive absolutely stinks.

And post-match Nagisa just demolishes her again. Oof.

Misa Matsui [4] vs. Mai Sakurai [2] – Star League

Background: So Mai is sort of a homegrown, blue collar (despite her gimmick focusing on how rich she is) people’s champ (and actual champ, she’s the National Champion!) and is a beloved babyface as this sorta scrappy, clever, ‘vet’ (despite her lack of experience). Basically imagine if CM Punk was an early 30s Japanese model. Misa is far more athletic, and is a former cruiser champion though now is an evil heel in Darkness Revolution and is dressed like a VIctorian call girl.

The Match: We get some standing grappling and reversals and Misa definitely has the upperhand at first. Mai immediately tries for a big move but Misa reverses and we head outside for some crowd brawling and Matsui just tossing chairs at Sakurai for an extended period of time. We go back inside but Misa tosses Mai onto the apron and pours water on her and smacks her with a bottle. Misa gets more heeling for a count and then gets the champ in a tree of woe and slaps her around before running crotch first (I guess it was supposed to be a knee?) and taking Mai out. More stuff sets up Misa’s cross-legged buster but Mai reverses that and gets running offense to drop Matsui. Back outside again and Mai gets her fired up offense and then tosses Misa into the chairs for comeuppance! Mai goes back in for the count out and rests in the turnbuckles and Misa slides back in…to eat an immediate Mai missile dropkick. Okay, fantastic. Misa gets squirrely though before Mai corrals her speedy foe with an abdominal stretch. Misa makes the ropes but Mai keeps stomping. But Misa gets a…towel to blind Mai and attack her eyes. Diving crossbody, running dropkick, and some posing but Mai throws a strike..and Misa is like “oh no” and gets a victory roll and a diving stomp for 2.5. Misa just REFUSING to get into a trade with Mai is a nice touch, and Matsui even gets some heel stuff as she knees a staggered Sakurai…but she plays to the crowd and goes up and that lets the champ snatch her for a superplex. Misa kicks out and they slug it out with Mai winning before Misa goes to the eyes again and gets a knee to the back…but a followup is turned into a backdrop driver and Mai is just fired up. STO for 2.6! Brainbuste and a diving elbow for 2.7. Glorious Driver attempt but Misa gets a la majistral for 2. Mai though gets a buzzsaw kick, low pump kick and a straitjacket STO…but Misa slips into a bridging cradle and that gets 3.

**¾

So I did not dig the early part, but Mai just sort of roughhousing this punk worked for me and Misa settling on “okay I can’t win any actual physical exchanges so I just have to be quick and cheap” worked and maybe has a path for her future as a heel. The evil rollup artist has legs I’ll say, and I like her going to the eyes a lot.

Mayu Iwatani [2] vs. Rea Seto [2] – Dream League

Background: Mayu, giant star, kind of a goofball legend who is a bit of a pratfall artist, fantastic bumper, has some lucha stuff with crazy counters. I dunno, she’s our bumbling, down to earth,’ but actually a model lead who is sort of a big silly kid. Rea is a youngster who is ALSO in Darkness Revolution, and is sort of this creepy doll person, solid enough character beats for her age and a crazy underdog for here.

The Match: Hot start as Rea ambushes Mayu mid-entrance and gets some running offense and a stomp, and then Mayu tries to fire back but Rea doesn’t let up and whips her with a belt. Rea gets an eye rake across the ropes, a turnbuckle smash, and Mayu is like ‘wait why am I in trouble?” and dropkicks the kid, gets a stinger splash, missile dropkick for 2. Mayu hypes the crowd up and Rea actually struts her stuff and gets a whizzer into an ankle lock until Iwatani hits the ropes and is actually in both shock and pain as she’s being messed up by this rookie. Rea wraps the leg up in the ropes, running dropkick, and back to the ankle hold and even gets a whacky stretch where she steps on the back of Mayu’s leg to wreck the wheel. Mayu breaks on the rope but Rea is like “oh I got this” and tries a suplex, doesn’t work, but her followup dropkick gets Mayu to bail and Seto talks mad noise to the outside. Iwatani goes back in, Rea tries a kneebreaker and can’t complete it…and Mayu slips out for a superkick and we get a double-down. Mayu limps up, beats the heck out of Rea, gets a dropkick against the ropes (selling the leg in process) but the Ace is just like, yeah, I can’t lose to her and guts up to the top-rope for a frog splash…which misses and Rea is like that ankle is mine! And snatches the leg again, Mayu is just torn up as she’s dragged to the middle of the ring but Iwtani rolls through…and Rea gets a heel hook!!! Mayu grabs the hair (?!?) to force a break with an inside cradle, and Rea’s rollup is whiffed and Mayu gets a buzzsaw kick and a bridging German for 3.

***

Okay Rea might have something. Good cocky vet is also the underdog as Rea was totally outmatched, jumped on her, just kept at the leg, had a great gameplan but Mayu used her vet savvy, pulled the hair and got that space to finish. Fun stuff! And didn’t overstay its welcome.

Victoria Yuzuki [4] vs. Seri Yamaoka [4] – Dream League

Background: Both young stars breaking out as babyfaces with top level buy-in from the company, but undefeated with two wins. Yuzuki is the high-flying traditional wrestling ace of big emotions and dramatic flourish, Seri is an amateur wrestling standout who was the disciple of Nanae, and from here learned PASSION! Seri has shorter, black hair and a multi-colored singlet while Yuzuki has sparkling white gold gear with feathers and a half-braided, half loose blonde hair style.

The Match: Big lockup and Seri eats her up and then gets a forearm out of the break and Victoria is like “hey that’s rude” and gets her own shot and tries to grapple but Yamaoka just eats her up and gets a leg crank and Yuzuki makes the ropes, Seri is in full-heel mode and stomps at Yuzuki. Victoria tries to speed it up with armdrags and gets a running kick to finally make some space but checks on the knee as Yamaoka powders. But Victoria follows, gets a strikes on the grappler and they trade slam attempts before Seri hotshots Yuzuki on the apron and teases a count out. Victoria crawls back and eats a dropkick and a few double-leg turnbuckle slams as she’s being eaten up. Ground and pound by Seri follows and we get more wrestle destruction before Yuzuki gets a sunset flip and then a judo toss out of a charge to set up a chinlock to give our blonde heroine anything. Yamaoka hits the ropes and they trade whiffed backdrop drivers before they speed it up and just bludgeon each other before Victoria gets a weak kick flurry for a pause. But Seri comes back for more and gets dropped again with a kick series for 2.6. Yuzuki follows with a missile dropkick cut in half with Seri’s own, and a follow up gives the amateur some space with a double-down. Both crawl to their knees and duke it out. Seri wins an exchange and gets a German…which lets Victoria get the fiery no-sell. Seri cuts that off with an Air Raid Crash and then goes up with an awkward splash that meets knees. Yuzuki now has the vet savvy and follows with the dropkick against the ropes. Seri powders again, and then Yuzuki follows with a dramatic plancha. Back inside and Yuzuki goes up again with a missile dropkick for 2.7. Yuzuki goes back for a chinlock but clamps the arm this time. And Yuzuki converts to a double-arm hold that has Seri screaming and being a toe’s weight from the ropes, and as Yuzuki readjusts, so does Yamaoka who FINALLY crawls the ropes with her foot. And her arm is totally dead as Yuzuki smells weakness. Backdrop driver for 2.8 and now Victoria fires up again, but even that just lets her stagger to her feet. VIctoria goes for an arm-trap backdrop driver but Yuzuki slips out for a rollup. Yuzuki with a superick and then her back suplex side effect is turned into another rollup by Seri, Yamaoka fighting back with a weak spear and then a few Karelin lift suplexes get just 2.8. Seri now with the German into her double-nelson but Victoria gets her Rolling Arrow and that gets 3.

***¼

I will say they kind of hit a point where it was looking better but they did the time limit squeeze and hit a rollup contest and while that’s intriguing on some level, it felt a BIT contrived. Still, very fun stuff as both laid arguments for why they should be top dog in the future. Just an “okay, I get it” match and both played multiple roles. I think if they were a bit less ambitious it’d be a better match as the natural contrast between the two is so exciting you don’t need as much artifice.

Post-match Victoria talks and is excited about the future I assume.

I guess I might include more “not part of big show” matches later on if you want or care, or maybe I don’t want or care so I won’t.