The Daily Sports 60th Anniversary joshi show was July 21 at IMP Hall in Osaka. There will be a second show at Korakuen Hall on Aug. 3. The emphasis here was on nostalgia with the reuniting of the Jumping Bomb Angels and Dump Matsumoto doing her thing. There is also a Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship tournament. The show was booked by JWP owner Commando Bolshoi so there's a lot of suspect booking as well. I'll get to that. Considering that the reuniting of JBA is a big deal, the attendance was a very disappointing 613 fans. Maybe nostalgia isn't enough anymore and I think it was a very poor decision to have JBA strictly in a nostalgia match and not have them as a part of the tournament. I understand the decision but it's wrong anyway. At 45 years of age, Itsuki Yamazaki looks in better shape than many current wrestlers. She always took a lot of pride in her mat skills so I'm sure she could have played a more significant role. And you'll notice JBA is wearing those denim jackets they used to wear back in the 80s.
There were eight matches on the show and I can't help thinking that a couple of the matches weren't needed. The only purpose of a battle royal is to get a large number of wrestlers on the show thinking that it makes the show seem important. I wouldn't mind seeing a ban on battle royals for six months so I won't dislike them anymore. The show could have done without the opener too. It had Ayako Sato & Misaki Ohata vs Ryo Mizunami & Pinkie Mayuca. Tyrannosaurus Okuda was pulled due to a back injury. I know what they're thinking. Oh, look! It's the new generation of joshi wrestlers! The future of joshi is bright. Nobody told them that the light at the end of the tunnel is another train. Delusional idiots! It was a standard match and nothing special. And how long does Ayako Sato have to be in the business before she's considered a veteran? Sato hits a dropkick on Mayuca. Ohata tags in with a bodyslam. But Mayuca comes off the ropes with a cross body and then goes for a victory roll. Ohata rolls through for a two. A change of partners and Mizunami hits a shoulder breaker on Sato followed by a Mayuca missile dropkick. The end comes when Sato hits Mayuca with a missile dropkick followed by a German suplex for the win at 15:16.
Next was what was called a Clan Battle. You have Devil Masami, Toshie Uematsu & Ran YuYu vs Kaoru Ito, Takako Inoue & Hanako Kobayashi. I guess it's supposed to be GAEA vs Ito Dojo or something. And what's Kobayashi doing in this match? She should have been in the opener. Unless a major upset is planned, I'm not a fan of telegraphing the jobber. Of course the story of this match is Kobayashi getting spunky with the veterans and getting her butt kicked. She stands up to Devil and then Uematsu and all three beat on her. Kobayashi escapes with a cross body on Ran and tags Takako. Takako & Ito take over for a while but Kobayashi tags in and Uematsu abuses her. Uematsu's lariat is followed by a superplex and a flying body press off Ran's shoulders. Uematsu gets the win with a tiger suplex at 13:11.
Next up is the 12 girl battle royal. Participants were Yumi Ohka, Kana, Ryo Mizunami, Misaki Ohata, Devil Masami, Pinkie Mayuca, Toshie Uematsu, Ran YuYu, Harley Saito, Kei'to, Tomoko Morii and KAZUKI. It was the usual notion of thinking a battle royal is special when it isn't because promoters do them too frequently. There's a lot of silliness as one would expect. In joshi, a wrestler can be eliminated by being tossed over the top rope or by pinfall or submission. It's just a lot of confusion and goofy group spots with Uematsu & Ran directing traffic. You have a figure four head scissors chain. They all get turned over and Mayuca applies a Boston crab on Ohka. Then a chain brainbuster. Oy! Mayuca hits Morii with a missile dropkick but in trying to follow it up, she gets tossed over the top rope by Ohka & Kei'to. Ohka & Kana are left in the ring. Kana hits a hip attack followed by a neck breaker. Ohka comes back with chops and wins with the Big Boots at 9:48. Well, her fans will be happy.
Next is this goofy masked wrestler match. Commando Bolshoi teamed with Tigers Mask Lady vs Ranmaru & Fuuka Kidd. It turns out that Tigers Mask Lady was a tribute to the Hanshin Tigers baseball team. It's obviously Tojuki Leon. I can't tell who's under the Fuuka Kidd mask. It's what one would expect, a mix of flying around and goofiness. Bolshoi & Tigers Mask both dive to the floor on the opponents. Bolshoi does a handstand elbow to the corner on Fuuka Kidd. Bolshoi walks the ropes as always. Fuuka Kidd tries to break up a double team with a dropkick. The end comes with a double team suplex on Ranmaru followed by Tigers Mask Lady's Tigers Splash for the win at 10:36.
Now it's time for some blood with Dump Matsumoto & Sasori vs GAMI & KAORU. Of course Dump brings her gang with her. Sasori starts out with GAMI and traps her on the ropes followed by a double toehold. Dump tags in and after a lariat, she pulls out her greco roman fork and stabs GAMI in the forehead. This is what you get with Dump. I liked her in the 80s but it's not entertaining anymore. Dump continues to rip away at GAMI. When KAORU comes in, she gets the fork too. So now they're both busted open. Sasori misses with a metal can and hits Dump over the head. She no sells it. Dump nails KAORU with a piledriver. GAMI comes back with a tiger suplex on Sasori. One of Dump's pals wraps a chain around KAORU's throat. Dump hangs KAORU with the chain wrapped around the top rope and hits her with a kendo stick. KAORU tries to hit Dump with the desk board. The whole thing ends in a schmozzle when Dump's pals attack ref Tommy Ran and KAORU & GAMI win by DQ at 9:11. The whole thing was one big mess.
Now it's time for the big JB Angels reunion against the Dynamite Gals. So it's Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno vs Jumbo Hori & Yukari Omori. I can't believe how great Yamazaki looks. Look what she's wearing. And Omori is wearing a baggy t-shirt. Oh well. Yamazaki & Tateno nail Omori with a double lariat followed by a double dropkick. Yamazaki climbs the ropes and hits a flying armdrag. Hori tags in and has a test of strength with Yamazaki. Tateno tags in and Hori traps her in the corner followed by a figure four leglock. Tateno gets to the ropes but Hori jumps on her leg. Yamazaki tries to break it up. She tags in and Hori hits a gut wrench suplex. Yamazaki & Tateno nail Hori with a double lariat and a double suplex. The match ends in a ten minute draw and the JB Angels make a triumphant return. Like I said before, they should have been part of the tag team tournament.
In an attempt to try and create some heat for this tag team tournament, Kayoko Haruyama said that she was already JWP Open Weight champ and one half of the JWP Tag Team Champs. She bragged of her plans for a trifecta by winning this tournament. Yumiko Hotta looked at her like she was from Mars. Haruyama even called Hotta & Toyota "aunties". So it's obvious where they're going. The first semi final has Kayoko Haruyama & Tsubasa Kuragaki (in matching outfits) vs Yoshiko Tamura & Arisa Nakajima. Tamura traps Haruyama in the corner and gives her a facewash. Nakajima dives onto both of them on the floor. Haruyama & Kuragaki double team Nakajima and have her in a combined camel clutch and toehold. The abuse continues and Haruyama applies a camel clutch. Nakajima finally escapes and comes off the ropes with a flying forearm. Tamura traps Haruyama in the corner with a facewash. Nakajima hits a northern lights suplex for two. Tamura hits a flying forearm for two. Kuragaki tags in and lifts Tamura & Nakajima in an Argentinian backbreaker. They try to double team Kuragaki but she hits a double lariat and a double backdrop suplex. Kuragaki lifts Tamura in an inverted body vice. But Tamura rolls her up for two. Nakajima tags in and hits a tiger suplex for two. Nakajima tries to lift Kuragaki in a body slam but Kuragaki turns it into an attempt at her Metal Wing finisher. Nakajima slips out but is nailed with a lariat. Kuragaki hits a moonsault press but Tamura breaks up the pin. A double lariat gets rid of Tamura and a double team facebuster followed by Kuragaki's Metal Wing finishes Nakajima at 18:43.
The second semi final is Manami Toyota & Yumiko Hotta vs Chikayo Nagashima & Sonoko Kato. Kato hits Toyota with a knee while Nagashima hits a facebuster off the ropes. Toyota nails Kato with a missile dropkick. Toyota applies a double toehold and bridges into a chinlock. She turns it into a camel clutch. Kato reaches the ropes and tags Nagashima. Toyota gets her in a camel clutch while Hotta kicks her in the face. Hotta applies a figure four leglock on Kato. Toyota tags in and hits a front suplex on Kato. Kato comes back with a forearm smash and Nagashima applies the hanging head scissors over the top rope. Toyota traps Kato & Nagashima in the ropes and hits a dropkick to the back. Hotta tags in and kicks Kato. Kato comes back and Nagashima hits the diving foot stamp from the top. Kato goes to the top but Hotta follows her and throws her to the floor. Toyota dives from the top rope onto both of them. Toyota hits Kato with a missile dropkick. Kato comes back with a full nelson suplex for two. Nagashima tags in and hits a German suplex for two followed by a side suplex and a full nelson suplex. Hotta breaks it up. Nagashima hits a diving foot stamp but Hotta distracts her and Toyota wins with the Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb at 22:36. So not surprisingly, it will be Manami Toyota & Yumiko Hotta vs Kayoko Haruyama & Tsubasa Kuragaki in the Daily Sports Women's Tag Team Championship final on Aug. 3 at Korakuen Hall. The "aunties" could be looking to kick some JWP butt.
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