wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix Night 4 Review
Image Credit: Marigold
Loading...Marigold Dream Star GP Night 4
September 16th, 2024 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 755
NOTE: For anyone following all of my reviews, my WrestleMania Series is still ongoing. It’s something I’m doing in my free time though so reviews from 2024 (like this one) take precedence. Also, I’m up to the Manias that are like, 7 hours long so it takes a while.
I’ve really got to get on this because these shows are starting to pile up since we’ve hit a point where there are several shows in a handful of days.
STAR League: CHIAKI [0] vs. Misa Matsui [0]
Two winless ladies to kick things off. We’ve got a case of a typical heel against a traditional underdog babyface. Simple enough. They kept things going at a fast pace, making for a fun, short match. They used the babyface/heel formula in the short time and made it work well enough even if nothing stood out. Both girls picked up flash pin attempts late, including a great one on a bridging pin by Misa. I bought that as the finish. CHIAKI countered a rana into her own pin to get her first win at the 6:28 mark. Like I said, nothing special here but decent enough. [**¼]
DREAM League: Chika Goto [0] vs. Victoria Yuzuki [1]
The second straight match with two people looking for their first victory. It’s also a case of two wrestlers who still need a lot of work in terms of experience. That was clear in some of the early exchanges which had a handful of awkward moments. They worked through it though and came out the other side with some better back and forth. Chika’s big swing looked a lot better here than in some other matches. After a heated bit of trading chops, this picked up and improved. The finish saw Yuzuki counter a chokeslam attempt that led to rolling pin attempts which she got the three count on in 6:35. Short, sweet, and to the point. I feel like they have a better match in them at some point down the line. [**½]
STAR League: Kizuna Tanaka [0] vs. Mai Sakurai [4]
Another winless competitor though she’s up against Mai Sakurai, who has established herself as a favorite in this tournament. The focus here was that Kizuna is the teenager bringing the energy and looking to make her mark while Mai is the veteran who is taking thing seriously and putting her to the test. Like the opener, that is a simple formula but it was executed better here because of Mai’s veteran knowhow. She made sure that Kizuna looked impressive, gave her a lot of offense, and she even scored a handful of near falls on flash pins. Mai settled things down though and won with an STF in 8:06. Another solid match. [**¾]
DREAM League: Natsumi Showzuki [3] vs. NØRI [6]
This feels like the place where this show could step up. Natsumi has been good in the GP but NØRI has been a true highlight and has one of the most impressive W/L records. Natsumi was in control early on and her biggest moment saw her block an apron kick from NØRI and deliver a fisherman buster to the floor. She kept up the pressure and really had NØRI on the ropes. When it was time for the NØRI comeback, it was fueled by her signature kicks. The difference here to her other matches is that Natsumi was able to fire back kicks of her own. And I’m someone who appreciates a good match based around kicking. NØRI ended up winning with an enziguri style kick in 11:11. That was very good and the step up in quality we needed. That said, I do think NØRI needs a better finisher kick. It often doesn’t have the snap or impact you want so it just ends up looking like any of her other kicks. [***½]
STAR League: Bozilla [6] vs. Nanae Takahashi [4]
A clash of the titans. Nanae is the ultimate tough veteran who pushes younger opponents though it’s often against smaller women. Bozilla is a powerhouse who has dominated and her only loss so far in the tournament is via countout. These two met on 7/30 and it was pretty good (***¼). Bozilla was disrespectful from the start, flipping off Nanae before the bell and being arrogant throughout. Bozilla no sold some early chops and came back with her own before the fight went outside. Things got a bit awkward there as Nanae was thrown into chairs but fans were in the way so she had to slow down and barely hit the chairs. Once back in the ring though, they were just having a good old fashioned hoss fight and I was here for it. I want these two throwing bombs like two powerhouses and that’s what I got. The way Bozilla got her feet straight up, rather than her knees, to stop a Nanae splash was great. Just when it was really getting to the best stuff, Nanae caught Bozilla with a rollup to win in 8:48. That ruled and with a better finish and a couple more minutes, I think they could really do something special. [***¾]
We just might get that too because Bozilla choked out Nanae after the bell.
STAR League: Miku Aono [4] vs. Sareee [4]
This could main event most Marigold shows as it’s the company’s top two champions. Sareee holds the Marigold World Championship while Miku is the United National Champion. Can Miku prove that she’s on the same level as Sareee? Sareee was in control for a lot of this as you’d expect from your top star. She was out to show that Miku, while a good champion, was beneath her. Miku would get in her stuff but Sareee always seemed to have an answer. She’s the champion for a reason. As this progressed, Miku started getting more offense in and began picking up near falls. Considering Sareee’s comments about a recent win being “easy,” it’s possible that she took things too light and started finding trouble because of it. They were nearing the time limit and Miku started throwing lariats to combat Sareee’s signature dropkicks. A sliding lariat got her a two count and with under a minute left, Sareee got two after dropping Miku on her head. Miku got dropped again but time ran out before Sareee could get the pin, giving us a 15:00 draw. An excellent match between the top two champions and the first small chink in the armor of Sareee. Miku has been right in step with the likes of Sareee and MIRAI so far. [****]
DREAM League: MIRAI [3] vs. Utami Hayashishita [4]
I know these are the bigger names but it is odd to not close things out with Miku/Sareee. This was a lot like an exhibition early on as they were going through a feeling out process and doing good stuff that didn’t have a lot of fire behind it. Things picked up when it was MIRAI on offense as you got the sense that she was out to cement herself as the top star to come from STARDOM, not Utami. When Utami rallied and applied a chokehold, I really liked the spot where she covered MIRAI’s eyes to prevent her from seeing where the ropes are. We should see more of that in wrestling. They did the typical big match no sells of lariats until someone managed to stay down from one. When they hit the 10:00 mark, it felt like you knew this wouldn’t go the distance as they were going hard. And indeed just as I thought that, MIRAI folded Utami with a lariat to win at the 10:30 mark. A really good match that got better as it went on. The idea that Utami needs to step up is an interesting story to tell. [***¾]
| DREAM LEAGUE | POINTS | STAR LEAGUE | POINTS |
| NØRI | 8 (3-0-2) | Mai Sakurai | 6 (3-1) |
| MIRAI | 5 (2-0-1) | Nanae Takahashi | 6 (3-1) |
| Kouki Amarei | 4 (2-1) | Bozilla | 6 (3-2) |
| Utami Hayashishita | 4 (2-2) | Sareee | 5 (2-0-1) |
| Natsumi Showzuki | 3 (1-2-1) | Miku Aono | 5 (2-1-1) |
| Nagisa Nozaki | 3 (1-1-1) | Chiaki | 2 (1-2) |
| Victoria Yuzuki | 3 (1-2-1) | Kizuna Tanaka | 0 (0-3) |
| Chika Goto | 0 (0-4) | Misa Matsui | 0 (0-4) |
