OZ Academy in Osaka

The Oct. 5 OZ Academy show at the Delfin Arena in Osaka was more of a time waster than usual with zero intriguing developments in the #1 contender league. The one interesting note was that OZ Academy announced on their website that Dynamite Kansai has refused to speak to the office. Well, you know what that means. The opener had Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Tomoka Nakagawa. Nakagawa tries to get the jump on Matsumoto and gets a quick two count. Nakagawa gets a headlock but is whipped into the ropes. Matsumoto's shoulder block is follwed by a hair throw and stomping. Matsumoto applies a camel clutch and grabs her nose and ties her up in the ropes and pulls hair. Nakagawa is whipped into the corner and Matsumoto follows with a lariat. Matsumoto climbs to the top. Nakagawa tries to get a win by throwing her over the top rope but Matsumoto kicks her and follows with a missile dropkick and a Boston crab. She turns it into a half crab and grabs Nakagawa's hair. Matsumoto kicks Nakagawa and gets a two count. As she kicks out, Nakagawa gets an ankle lock followed by a sleeper. Matsumoto gets loose and they exchange elbows and Matsumoto hits a sidewalk slam for two. Matsumoto hits a missile dropkick. Nakagawa reverses a whip into the corner and follows with an elbow. Matsumoto ducks another elbow and attempts to toss Nakagawa over the top rope. Nakagawa ducks an elbow and shoulder blocks Matsumoto through the ropes and rolls her up for two. Nakagawa tries a cross body from the top but Matsumoto carches her in a power slam and follows with a German suplex attempt. Nakagawa counters with an ankle lock but Matsumoto blocks it and goes flying off the ropes into another ankle lock. Nakagawa turns it into a Majistral cradle for two. Matsumoto hits a Tokaido drop for two. She follows with a backdrop, a lariat and a back elbow for the win at 9:46.

Next is Ran YuYu vs Hiren. Hiren's surprise attack doesn't work and Ran hits a brainbuster followed by an enziguri and a gourd buster. Hiren counters with several kicks and elbows followed by a neck breaker for two. Ran comes back with a German suplex for two. Ran throws her by the hair but Hiren ducks when she charges into the corner and with Mika Nishio's help, Hiren attempts to throw Ran over the top rope. AKINO grabs Nishio to break it up. Ran kicks Hiren and then hits a diving knee drop followed by a low dropkick. Hiren hits two missile dropkicks. Ran counters with a back elbow but Hiren hits a German suplex and a schoolboy for two. Then she goes for the ankle lock. Ran kicks out of it. She catches Hiren's kick and hits a running elbow for two. Hiren again goes for the ankle lock. Ran gets to the ropes bur Hiren tramples her and stands on her ankle. Ran counters with a high kick and then a missile dropkick and a brainbuster for two. Ran goes to the top corner. Nishio tries to grab her but is intercepted by AKINO & Aja Kong. Ran elbows Hiren and follows with a diving knee drop for the win at 6:36. Nishio tries to break it up but is held back.

Because OZ was in Osaka Pro country, they decided to have a mixed match with Osaka Pro guys. It was Mayumi Ozaki & Black Buffalo vs Carlos Amano & Atsushi Kotoge. A lot of it is the usual Ozaki attacking Amano with various weapons and double teaming, nothing you haven't seen before. Black Buffalo wins with a lariat at 12:39. Next is Manami Toyota vs KAORU. KAORU nails Toyota with the desk board. She misses and Toyota hits the Big Boots and does the dropkick into the ropes spot followed by a swinging choke on the apron. On the floor, Toyota beats KAORU with a chair. Then she places her hand in the chair and stomps it. Toyota sits KAORU in the chair, hits her with another chair followed by a missile dropkick. But Toyota misses a moonsault press and KAORU hits Toyota with the desk board and tramples her on the ropes. KAORU takes Toyota out to the floor, beats her with the chair and wraps it around her neck. KAORU rolls her into the ring for two. KAORU tramples some more. She misses the Big Boots and Toyota tries to throw her over the top rope. KAORU falls back into the ring and Toyota get two. Toyota follows with a face crusher for two. But KAORU comes back with the desk board followed by a brainbuster for two and a moonsault press for two. Toyota gets the rolling cradle for two. They both get two counts with big moves. KAORU hits a moonsault press and the Excalibur and Toyota hits a German suplex and then a double arm suplex all for two. A couple of attempted rollups and time runs out and it's a draw.

I'm sure you've noticed that this was a strange show with mostly allies facing each other. So now we have Chikayo Nagashima vs Sonoko Kato. There's no heat. Kato begins with a backdrop followed by a high kick. Kato charges the corner but Nagashima gets her boot up. Nagashima goes up for the diving foot stamp. But Kato knocks her onto the apron and then tries to force Nagashima to the floor for the win. It's a bit of a cat & mouse game but Nagashima avoids defeat and slingshots Kato off the ropes. They exchange kicks and Kato's high kickis followed by a backdrop for two. Kato hits a kick to the face. They exchange elbows and Kato hits a high kick followed by a German suplex for two. Nagashima comes back with a backdrop for two followed by kicks and a backfist for two. Kato hits a fisherman buster for two. Kato goes to the top corner but Nagashima catches her and rolls her up for two. Kato hits a Crowns Gate followed by a high kick for two. Nagashima hits a fisherman buster for two. Then another fisherman buster for two. Kato comes back with an avalanche style brainbuster. Kato goes to the top but Nagashima knocks her to the mat and hits some soccer ball kicks. Kato goes for the dragon screw but Nagashima counters with kicks and a figure four leglock. They turnover a couple of times. Nagashima gets a two count and then hits three diving foot stamps for two. Kato comes back with rapid fire kicks and a kneelift for two. Kato hits a high kick but misses a diving guillotine leg drop. They exchange elbows but Kato's high kick followed by a German suplex gets two. Then a backdrop for two. Nagashima comes back with kicks and a backfist for two. Nagashima goes for a fisherman buster but Kato blocks it and rolls her up for two. Nagashima goes up to the corner. Kato catches her but Nagashima kicks her in the head. She gets a headscissors drop or the Nawasima for the win at 9:51.

Now Jungle Jack 21 members Aja Kong & AKINO face each other. Aja backs AKINO into the ropes and chops her. Aja follows with a lariat and a camel clutch and several kicks. Aja tramples AKINO on the bottom rope and picks AKINO upto toss her over the top rope. Ran YuYu stops her and Aja glares at her. Aja kicks AKINO in the back followed by a body slam. AKINO comes back with kicks. They exchange kicks but Aja ges the edge but misses a diving elbow drop. AKINO goes for the cross arm breaker but Aja gets to the ropes. Aja hits a piledriver for two. AKINO comes back with kicks. Aja hits a double chop but misses an elbow drop. AKINO hits a brainbuster and hooks an armbar vut Aja gets to the ropes. They go outside and AKINO slams Aja's arm into the ring post. Aja hits a brainbuster on the floor followed by a lariat. AKINO hits a missile dropkick back in the ring. AKINO hits a diving foot stamp on Aja's arm followed by a hammerlock. Aja picks up AKINO from this position and tries to toss her over the top rope. AKINO escapes and then attacks Aja's arm with a missile dropkick for two. Aja hits a brainbuster but doesn't follow up because of her arm. Aja hits AKINO over the head with the metal can and hits a vertical fall brainbuster but time runs out and the match is a draw. The tournament continues on Oct. 12.