SHOW REPORT: Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 2 (Sunday, 8th September 2024)

Notes

• Rea Seto will continue to miss action until the end of September due to a fractured rib.
• Nao Ishikawa continues to be absent from action due to ‘poor health’ but will make her return to in-ring competition on Saturday’s show in Shin-Kiba.

Current League Standings (Before 8th September 2024)

Quick Results

• Tag Team Match: Kizuna Tanaka & MIRAI def. Myla Grace & CHIAKI w/ Lariat (8:07)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: NORI (5) def. Chika Goto (0) w/ Spin Kick (9:28)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Utami Hayashishita (4) def. Victoria Yuzuki (1) w/ Shocking Baszler (8:07)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Kouki Amarei (2) def. Natsumi Showzuki (3) w/ Roll-Up (11:20)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Nanae Takahashi (2) def. Misa Matsui (0) w/ One Second EX (11:03)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Bozilla (6) def. Miku Aono (4) w/ Styles Clash (9:08)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Sareee (2) def. Mai Sakurai (2) w/ Wrist-Clutch Back Suplex (11:13)

Match #1 – Kizuna Tanaka & MIRAI def. Myla Grace & CHIAKI w/ Lariat (8:07)

It’s a fun tag team match to open the show here and whet people’s appetites for the upcoming tournament action.

There seems to be a bit of friction between the team Grace and CHIAKI to begin with, and their bickering leads to MIRAI and Tanaka hitting stereo Dropkicks and taking charge of the early goings. However in spite of this, Myla and then CHIAKI are able to regain control and begin to dominate Tanaka.

The course of the match changes with MIRAI in the match, though her success is no doubt helped by the ongoing disagreements between CHIAKI and Myla, the former throwing the latter into the referee so that she can attempt to use the chair. Myla refuses to let her though, grabbing it as CHIAKI looks to crash it over MIRAI.

Ultimately, she pays for her conscientious observation of the rules. She looks briefly like she might sneak a shock win with a pair of roll-ups and a Swinging Neckbreaker, but when MIRAI kicks out, she sets for the Fall From Grace. Unfortunately for Myla, MIRAI gets free and subsequently ploughs into her with a Ripcord Lariat for the win.

Match #2 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: NORI (5) def. Chika Goto (0) w/ Spin Kick (9:28)

NORI has been incredibly impressive in her opening tournament matches, and has the chance to go clear at the top of Dream League; at least until Natsumi Showzuki takes on Kouki Amarei anyway. Go Chika on the other hand has had a rather different tournament, continuing to shine in big performances yet ultimately failing to make it count.

It looks very much like it could be the same story here in the opening throes of this match. Goto looks a little out of her depth against such an adept striker, especially after not paying any mind to a warning kick from her opponent when she attempts a Greco-Roman Knuckle Lock and trying it again. She eats a flurry of kicks to the back of the legs for this, and this proves to set the tempo for the remainder of the match.

Goto certainly has her moments in this, landing two of her patented Hip Attacks and the Giant Swing, even coming close with a La Majistral cradle and a Schoolboy. Unfortunately though, it appears to be more a case of Goto attempting to front up to the sheer ferocity of NORI’s strikes for vast swathes of this match. When she is Snapmared and kicked in the spine, she screams for more, despite the fact that it is clearly very painful, and when NORI maintains wrist control in order to deliver more crunching blows, Chika responds for as long as she can with forearms.

She is stunned by a Buzzsaw Kick, but is able to kick out of the resultant pinfall attempt at 1. The moment NORI brings out the Spin Kick however, it floors Goto like a felled tree, giving the LLPW-X member her second win in the tournament, moving her to five points despite her initial confusion.

This is without doubt Goto’s best performance of the tournament thus far, with her courageous underdog spirit playing off wonderfully against someone as potent-a striker as NORI is. Her demands for more and her gritty determination not to back down will stand her in good stead moving forward, though the ultimately disappointing run of results continue.

I will just say to close, that not enough people are talking about how darn catchy NORI’s entrance theme is – what a rip-roaring foot-stomper!

Match #3 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Utami Hayashishita (4) def. Victoria Yuzuki (1) w/ Shocking Baszler (8:07)

It’s unquestionable Ace against future Ace in this Dream League match-up. Yuzuki has wrestled just once so far in this tournament, wracking up a hard-earned point that arguably should have been more against Natsumi Showzuki on the opening show. Utami meanwhile recovered from her shock opening show loss to Nagisa Nozaki with a victory against Chika Goto.

Predictably, Yuzuki begins this match with absolutely no fear, and with a sense of ferocious passion. Indeed for much of the opening throws of the match, it’s Utami having to repeatedly put Yuzuki down as she bounces up again and again to try put her down.

There is a point where passion – unless your Nanae Takahashi of course – can be counterintuitive though, and that’s what we see unfolding here with Yuzuki repeatedly sprinting full-tilt into forearms and Lariats from Utami, as though her zeal is causing her to make mistakes. Twice she gets caught in variations of the Air Raid Crash as a result of this, and it’s actually only when she slows things down that she gets her biggest opening of the match in the shape of an incredibly tight nearfall with the Rolling Arrow.

Utami for her part toes the line of coming across as imperious, whilst also allowing Yuzuki a lot of leeway., selling some of her offence beautifully. For example, the bump from a Crucifix Bomb leads to her being unable to bridge properly for the German Suplex, causing her to rapidly amend her offence; it’s little nuances like this that put Utami in a class of her own in Marigold. Rather aptly, Yuzuki charges Utami again, but this time is caught in the Shocking Baszler, which gives Hayashishita her second win of the tournament.

This is a fantastic match, playing the youthful exuberance off against a near-insurmountable Ace is always a fun dynamic to watch, but these two played their parts spectacularly. I regularly state that Yuzuki is destined for great things, and the way she wrestles this match just seems to add fuel to the fire of what I and many others have been saying for months; she just gets pro-wrestling. She’s an incredibly special talent and the undoubted future of Marigold. Utami is the now however, and whenever she enters the arena at the moment, you feel the air almost change. Very few people possess that type of aura and charisma, but Hayashishita has it in spades, whilst also coupling it with a phenomenal in-ring ability.

Match #4 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Kouki Amarei (2) def. Natsumi Showzuki (3) w/ Roll-Up (11:20)

I was previously completely unaware that these two women had as much history as they did. Even before Marigold, the pair were in the faction The Royal together in AWG battling against and team with each other on multiple occasions. Of course recently, the pair were on opposite sides in the semi-finals of the Marigold Twinstar Championships tournament. In spite of this, and having been in matches together more than 20 times, this will be their first singles match.

It’s a scratchy opening, with Kouki looking to use her height and reach to her advantage. Showzuki looks to completely negate that by going after Amarei’s leg. It’s a sound strategy to begin with, but not one she can ultimately capitalise on, with her desperation for a victory causing her to change tack and attack the arm instead. The intensity ramps up, with the pair rolling on top of each other in a messy battle of forearms before Kouki finally regains the upper hand and begins turning the screw. After kicking out of a Showzuki Fisherman’s Suplex, Amarei rallies and makes for the top rope. However, the resultant Amethyst Butterfly doesn’t quite get the job done, with Showzuki throwing up an arm at the last second.

Having dropped the Superfly Champion with a Back Suplex that, had Showzuki not got her hands up on the landing just in time, could have resulted in a very dangerous landing, Kouki then wraps her up in a variation of a Crucifix pin for the win, winning her first match of the tournament and moving to two points.

Showzuki misses the chance to draw level with NORI at the top of the block, and will be ruing the missed opportunities to put Amarei away. For Kouki however, who was very over with the crowd from the very outset, this is a big win, and a win over a champion could mean a championship match further down the line…

Match #5 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Nanae Takahashi (2) def. Misa Matsui (0) w/ One Second EX (11:03)

The Passion Injection match between these two from back in June is widely considered to be one of the most underrated match in the company’s short history. However, fast-forward to now and both women find themselves on zero points, with Nanae on the receiving end of a Mai Sakurai win, while Matsui has endured back-to-back defeats to start her own tournament.

With both looking for the early advantage, Matsui forgoes her ordinary fast start as the pair begin trading waistlocks. Eventually Nanae comes out on top due to her power and experience advantage, but it’s not long before Misa begins targeting the arm of Nanae in an attempt to level the playing field. This tactic works very well for a time, with Takahashi wincing with every Lariat she throws, and screaming loudly everytime Matsui catches her in an Armbar again.

The ending of the match becomes more ragged as the pace quickens. Matsui seems to be falling into the same trap as Victoria Yuzuki in being far too over-zealous, and this shows during the final sequence. Having gained a desperately close two count with her European Clutch, Matsui charges and is immediately flattened with a Lariat. Nanae gets her up for the Nanaracka, though Misa is able to kick out just before the three count. Before Matsui has time to recover though, Takahashi hoists her up into the One Second EX for the victory, her first of the tournament.

In spite of struggling with both her footing and her kneepad, Matsui was fantastic in this match as she has been throughout this tournament. It’s not the result once again, but due to her tenacity and determination, you know that that victory is just around the corner – similar in a way to Chika Goto in the Dream League. Meanwhile, it’s another example of why I think Nanae is going such stellar work in Marigold. Yes she won, but once again Misa feels elevated because of this match!

Match #6 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Bozilla (6) def. Miku Aono (4) w/ Styles Clash (9:08)

It’s a rematch of the Pure White Belt match from Summer Destiny as two of the unbeaten heavy-hitters in Bozilla and United National Champion Miku Aono collide.

Predictably, Aono tries and fails in an ill-advised power exchange, with Bozilla easily able to shrug her off in her early lock-up attempts. Bozilla is in a terrifyingly savage mood tonight, and as the action makes its way to the outside, and Aono involuntarily into the chairs, it looks like things could be done in short order. However that changes when Aono begins targeting Bozilla’s knee after stunning her on the outside. Unlike Showzuki earlier in the night, Aono is completely unrelenting in her attack of the leg, bouncing back whenever Bozilla powers up.

Lariats and a Missile Dropkick rain down on the champion, but still Aono persists in targeting the knee, with an Inverted Figure Four Leg Lock looking especially close to gaining the victory. Bozilla isn’t human though as we all know, and the moment Miku strays from her plan to try and hit the Styles Clash, the German Powerhouse is able to Back Body Drop her. A couple of chance roll-ups – the way Aono won the Pure White Belt against Bozilla I hasten to add – are the only fleeting chances she has to pin Bozilla after this. A devastating Spinning Sitout Powerbomb isn’t quite enough to put Miku down, but rather than attempt the Drill-a-Hole Piledriver, Bozilla chooses to rub salt into the wound. She instead plants Miku with the Styles Clash and then covers her for the win, winning with Miku’s own move, delivering her first loss of the tournament, and herself moving to six points at the top of Star League.

Aono is furious and a brief post-match scuffle breaks out with the pair having to be separated. When they are, Bozilla looks as though she is going to walk away, but instead she makess for the time-keeper’s area where Miku’s title sits. Sauntering towards Aono in the ring with the Pure White Belt over her shoulder, looking for all the world as though she is going to lay down the challenge for another title shot, Bozilla hurls the belt into the ring and says that she’s only interested in the Crimson Red Belt.

These two are another pairing that have really good chemistry, perhaps helped by Miku being one of the only people on the roster that it is believable could pin Bozilla! She executes the plan of cutting out Bozilla’s leg from under her with ruthless precision, but ultimately succumbs to the unmatched power of her. In short, though I still consider her match with Nanae at Korakuen to be her best and most competitive singles outing, I’d have to say that this is a close second!

Plus, if we are veering towards a Sareee and Bozilla program, count me all the way in!

Match #7 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Sareee (2) def. Mai Sakurai (2) w/ Wrist-Clutch Back Suplex (11:13)

After a star-making performance against Giulia, and an impressive victory over Nanae Takahashi, Mai Sakurai is positively chomping at the bit to get started. This is Sareee’s first match of the tournament and her first in Marigold – not counting her one-minute match against Giulia during her Farewell Gauntlet – since her fractured wrist.

Immediately Mai makes for the arm, not even allowing Sareee into the ring before unleashing a volley of strikes and stomps. Even after Sareee rallies, Mai grabs a chair from ringside and hurls it at the bad wrist before planting her with a Shotgun Dropkick. She continues the assault on the arm by running it into the corner post, before bringing the action back into the ring.

Sareee of course isn’t the Crimson Red Belt Champion for nothing, and she rallies, locking in the Muta Lock before bludgeoning Sakurai with forearms. Mai comes back with a slap, only for Sareee to pay her back with a blistering response that sends Sakurai staggering before each woman grabs a fistful of the other’s hair. Sareee hits a Fisherman’s Suplex from the top rope, but when she then attempts to go to top rope, Mai boots her to the outside before landing a Diving Crossbody and sending her sprawling into the front row of chairs.

More forearms follow in the ring, with Sakurai once again refusing to back down. She kicks out of a Fisherman’s Suplex and a Diving Double Footstomp, before elbowing herself free of a Wrist-Clutch Urunage attempt and flattens Sareee with a Big Boot and a Dropkick. With Sareee kicking out of a Tiger Suplex and an Elbow Drop before then managing to crawl agonisingly to the ropes to break an STF, it looks Mai might be running short on options to finally put the Crimson Red Belt Champion away.

She makes next for the Glorious Driver, only for Sareee to spin free and land a disgusting headbutt, the sound of which echoes with a dull thud around Bolfert Toyama. With Mai stunned, Sareee snatches her up into the Urunage. Mai kicks out, rather groggily admittedly, but seemingly more out of instinct than anything else. Wasting no time whatsoever, Sareee hauls her back to her feet and roughly muscles Sakurai over into a Wrist-Clutch Back Suplex, keeping her shoulders down for the three count.

It’s been a special year for Sareee in terms of match quality, and she repeatedly proves that she is able to have outstanding matches at any point and with anyone. More importantly is that this match is another in a rapidly growing list of excellent Mai Sakurai singles matches. Do not be surprised if we see her in the Crimson Red or Pure White belt pictures before too long; she’d certainly have earned it!

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 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)