SHOW REPORT: Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 1 ~Afternoon Show~ (Saturday, 31st August 2024)

Notes

• Rea Seto will continue to miss action until the end of September due to a fractured rib.

Quick Results

• Four-Way Match: Myla Grace def. CHIAKI, Komomo Minami & Minami Yuki w/ Fall From Grace (6:00)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Bozilla (2) def. Kizuna Tanaka (0) w/ Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (5:10)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Natsumi Showzuki (1) vs. Victoria Yuzuki (1) Ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: NORI (2) def. Kouki Amarei (0) w/ Head Kick (9:53)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Miku Aono (2) def. Misa Matsui (0) w/ Styles Clash (6:44)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: MIRAI (2) def. Chika Goto (0) w/ Complex Joint Hold (9:43)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Nagisa Nozaki (2) def. Utami Hayashishita (0) w/ Noir Lancer (8:47)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Mai Sakurai (2) def. Nanae Takahashi (0) w/ STF (13:53)

Match #1 – Myla Grace def. CHIAKI, Komomo Minami & Minami Yuki w/ Fall From Grace (6:00)

CHIAKI is wearing the glasses bequeathed to her by Giulia which is a nice touch, as well as sporting new gear and a new haircut. She has no desire to shake hands during the opening of the match, and this causes her to be attacked immediately by the other three. 

Though Komomo is a whisker away from recording her first win in Marigold, and Minami Yuki’s Pumphandle Back Suplex is incredibly impressive and shows an already expanding moveset, it’s Grace who impresses most here. She appears to be the focal point of the entire match, even after eating a rather half-hearted chair shot from CHIAKI. She recovers though, and is able to conceive a wonderfully innovative way of transitioning Komomo into the Fall From Grace for the win. 

Not being in the tournament could ultimately prove to be something of a blessing over the coming weeks, giving her the opportunity to build momentum as the tour continues, rack up wins and maybe even put herself in line for a title shot. 

Match #2 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Bozilla (2) def. Kizuna Tanaka (0) w/ Drill-A-Hole Piledriver (5:10)

Poor Kizuna Tanaka. She really can’t seem to keep out of Bozilla’s way at the moment, and that’s not somewhere you ever really want to find yourself, nevermind on the back of a sub-seven minute battering she received the last time she faced the German Powerhouse on the 12th August.

Ultimately, this match lasts even less time, but that only tells a small portion of the story. Tanaka fights with everything she has and completely refuses to lie down in spite of terrifying insurmountable odds. Not only is she the aggressor early on when Bozilla refuses to shake her hand, but she even manages to wrap her up in the Armbar on more than one occasion, with one in particular looking like it could have Bozilla in a spot of bother.

As is so often is the case with Bozilla, she looks like she is playing with her food, mocking Tanaka’s punitive strikes and taking great pleasure in watching her significantly smaller opponent simply bounce off her. However, when she almost gets rolled up with the Re:Dream, she responds by deciding that enough is enough, almost immediately planting Tanaka with the Drill-A-Hole Piledriver for the victory. 

A dominant display as we thought it might be from Bozilla, especially as she has to be considered a favourite to progress from the block. Tanaka is not expected to get many points, but it’s her performances that people will be focusing on, and it’s an incredibly spirited start from the incredibly-talented rookie; don’t be surprised to see Tanaka steal a shock win at some point in the tournament! 

Match #3 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Natsumi Showzuki (1) vs. Victoria Yuzuki (1) Ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00)

Yuzuki is undoubtedly looking for a fast start to this year’s tournament, and her focus is evident from the way she slaps away the hand of the Superfly Champion before erupting into forearms.

Of course Showzuki, adorned with a new shorter hairstyle, is certainly not going to shy away from an exchange of strikes and welcomes it with arms outstretched. Especially in the early goings though, it appears that the zeal Yuzuki is bringing to the table will be enough to secure her the victory, locking Showzuki in the Armbar and taking her down with a Dropkick and Flying Headscissors. It actually takes Showzuki the majority of the match to regain a foothold in the encounter, wrestling back momentum after an extended period locked in a Rings of Saturn starting with an entertainingly furious struggle to get Yuzuki up for a Bodyslam. 

With the time-limit rapidly approaching, and in spite of Yuzuki having taken out her left arm, Showzuki manages to land some fierce forearms into the super rookie’s chest before flooring her with a Buzzsaw Kick. However, as she connects with the Front Flip Neckbreaker Hold, the bell sounds signalling the time-limit.

Match #4 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: NORI (2) def. Kouki Amarei (0) w/ Head Kick (9:53)

Having seen little of NORI outside of her appearance at Summer Destiny, her matches are something I am looking forward to as a complete unknown, especially after being told of her amateur-MMA experience

A warning sign is fired off at Kouki as she attempts to lure her into a Greco-Roman Knuckle Lock, NORI kicking the hand away, but it’s actually The Amethyst Butterfly who takes the early control of the match, targeting NORI’s back. She locks in Boston Crab and a brutal-looking Lion Tamer before hitting the Dominator, but it’s not long before NORI begins to work her way into the match, thundering into Kouki’s legs with stinging kicks. After taking the time to dissect the legs and ring another set of kicks to Amarei’s spine, NORI begins to tighten her grip with a Sleeperhold, grounding Kouki and wrapping her legs around her with a Bodyscissors. 

The Amethyst Butterfly fights free however, and after planting NORI with some her patented Big Boots, she begins running the ropes to build momentum! It’s as Kouki comes off the ropes though that NORI slams into her with a frenetic combination of kicks, causing Amarei to keel over backwards and lay comatose as NORI covers her for the victory. It’s an impressive first outing for the LLPW-X member, proving herself to not only be an extremely proficient striker, but an incredibly dangerous purveyor of submissions. For Amarei, a loss is not devastating, but she will need to correct course quickly and pick up a victory against Natsumi Showzuki in Bolfert Toyama as back-to-back defeats now – including a loss to Miku Aono for the Pure White Belt – have the potential to knock the stuffing out of Kouki and derail the rest of her tournament. 

Match #5 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Miku Aono (2) def. Misa Matsui (0) w/ Styles Clash (6:44)

Miku is in an uphill battle before the match even starts, as not only is she having to battle Misa Matsui, but also a sash that in no way wants to stay over her shoulder! 

Surprisingly given her nickname of the Speedstar, there is no quick opening with Matsui instead choosing to target Miku’s leg in an attempt to eradicate her kicks. This initially works very well, with Misa then using her pace to frustrate Aono as she attempts to swing with Lariats from a more static base. The problem comes when Miku is able to connect with one of those Lariat, wiping out Misa with several variations after locking in the Miku Lock in an attempt to grind her down. 

Matsui continues the assault on Miku’s leg, locking in a Stretch Muffler and utilising a whole host of pinning attempts to force the United National Champion to use the bad leg to kick out, leading to a close nearfall with a European Clutch. A warning sign comes however when Misa attempts a Frankensteiner, only to be very nearly hit with the Styles Clash. It’s not a warning Misa heeds, and before long Aono is able to plant her with the Double Underhook Suplex followed by the Styles Clash to get her tournament off to a winning start.

It will be interesting to see how wear and tear on Miku’s leg could potentially play out over the course of a tournament, and how she could adapt her offence without her devastating kicks. Misa may have lost this match, but should she continue with this aggressive mindset, she shouldn’t have to wait too long for her first victory; though she does have Bozilla next, so we’ll see! 

Match #6 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: MIRAI (2) def. Chika Goto (0) w/ Complex Joint Hold (9:43)

Chika Goto has undoubtedly been mightily impressive over recent weeks, putting in fantastic displays against Giulia and Nanae Takahashi, and against the team of Sareee and Arisa Nakajima inside Korakuen Hall. Performances mean little however when they result in losses, and that is something that Go Chika will be acutely aware of heading into this tournament.

It doesn’t start well however as, after a cagey opening, MIRAI pounces on Goto’s right arm and mercilessly targets it for the majority of the rest of the match. For over half of the match, each time Goto attempts to gain momentum or regain a foothold in proceedings MIRAI ramps up the intensity and aggression towards the arm. 

This doesn’t stop Goto using the arm out of seeming desperation however, managing to achieve an Inverted Giant Swing and then turning it into an Elevated Facebuster. This could be perceived as naivety though, as she tries to use the injured arm once to often, allowing MIRAI to snatch it into a vicious submission hold. Not happy when Chika doesn’t immediately submit, MIRAI keeps manipulating the hold and changing it up until she has successfully wrapped her opponent in what looks to be one of the most brutally complex holds I’ve seen. Goto has nowhere to go, and no choice but to submit, giving MIRAI the perfect start to the tournament.

It’s another good performance for Goto, but it’s yet another loss. It’s something she’ll want to remedy heading into her second match as she faces tournament favourite Utami Hayashishita. MIRAI meanwhile looked impressively aggressive in this match, latching onto a limb and refusing to lose focus on it. This killer instinct could be key in her escaping the block, with many fans believing it to be a two horse race between her and Utami.

Match #7 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Nagisa Nozaki (2) def. Utami Hayashishita (0) w/ Noir Lancer (8:47)

Whilst the previous match may have started with more of a feeling out process, that couldn’t be farther from how Utami and Nozaki start this match, aggressively locking up before unloading forearms into each other.

As previously stated, Utami comes into this tournament as the overwhelming favourite, and it will be interesting to see how she deals with the pressure throughout the tournament. After flattening Nozaki with a Lariat on the apron, and then launching her into an Avalanche Air Raid Crash minutes later, it’s Nozaki who is able to build momentum. She locks in the Sleeperhold and throw Utami across the ring with a vicious Sleeper Suplex after kicking out of the Torture Rack Bomb. 

Utami does kick out of the first Noir Lancer, but isn’t able to connect with the Hi-Jack Bomb. After the aforementioned crunching suplex, she staggers to her feet straight into a second Noir Lancer, with Nozaki rolling her up for the pinfall victory. The first shock of the tournament brings audible gasps from the Osaka crowd, though it’s hard really argue that Nozaki doesn’t deserve this victory.

The tournament favourite starts with a confidence-crushing loss and now faces something of an uphill struggle to regain momentum and get back to winning ways. It’s certainly not fatal by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s much easier to build momentum that to get it started.

Match #8 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Mai Sakurai (2) def. Nanae Takahashi (0) w/ STF (13:53)

Mai upped her own stock significantly following her match with Giulia in Korakuen Hall, but to say that she’s not feeling the ‘passion’ would be an understatement, immediately attacking Nanae before she has chance to even get in the ring.

Mai is unrelenting for the majority of the match from there, crashing to Nanae with such unrelenting ferocity that the latter legitimately struggles to find her footing in the match. Hit with Dropkick after Dropkick, Nanae does manage to reap a little revenge on the outside of the ring after Mai’s initial assault, but save for a few bruising Lariats, she can’t mount a consistent offence and constantly finds herself on the receiving end of Big Boots, Dropkicks and the Diving Elbow Drop from an impassioned – ironically – Sakurai.

She manages to lock in the STF once, but Nanae is able to fight free. The second time however sees her locked in the middle of the ring with nowhere to go. After an agonising period, the referee takes the decision out of Takahashi’s hands and calls an end to proceedings, giving Sakurai what is undoubtedly the biggest singles win of her career. 

I regularly state on the Marigold Standard that Nanae is doing some of her best work in years in Marigold, and this victory for Sakurai is exactly what I mean. A huge statement victory over a joshi legend is of enormous significance for Mai, and really does elevate her into contention to win the block – which is an enormous credit to her work when you consider just 9 months ago she was little more than a comedy undercard wrestler in Stardom! 

It is worth noting however, that Nanae never officially submitted. If we’re building to a rematch on the back of this as the post-match comments suggest, then I am very much on board with that! 

You can check out the Marigold roster win/loss records for 2024 right here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11_PWxd5BDxeHIfKqtQ2YtiwhGteRrVUZ3B5L4yrDQE0/edit?gid=517287206#gid=517287206

You can check out a comprehensive run down of the Marigold Championship Histories here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18MJ2Cebe36Nvfcpj8uVs1AtMbAV1chn-lG7t-xn44DY/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Upcoming Shows

• Saturday 31st August – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024: Opening Round ~ Evening Show, EDION Arena Osaka #2, Osaka (LIVE)
• Sunday 8th September – Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 2, Bolfert Toyama, Toyama (VOD)
• Saturday 14th September – Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 3, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Monday 16th September – Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 4, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Friday 20th September – Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 5, Sendai PIT, Miyagi (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Saturday 21st September – Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 6, Morioka Gymnasium, Morioka (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Monday 23rd September – Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 7, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Saturday 28th August – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 8 ~ Finals, Nagoya International Conference Center, Aichi (PPV)