SHOW REPORT: Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix – Night 7 (Monday, 23rd September 2024)

Notes

• Rea Seto will continue to miss action until the end of September due to a fractured rib.
• Naho Yamada – who passed her Marigold Pro Test recently – will make an appearance in front of the Korakuen crowd tonight to introduce herself, though it is not clear when she will debut for the company.

Current League Standings (Before 23rd September 2024)

Quick Results

• Tag Team Match: Myla Grace & Nao Ishikawa def. Komomo Minami & Minami Yuki w/ Michinoku Driver (4:30)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Misa Matsui (2) def. Kizuna Tanaka (0) w/ MKD (6:09)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Bozilla (8) def. CHIAKI (2) w/ Sit-Out Powerbomb (5:42)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Sareee (10) vs. Nanae Takahashi (9) Ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Nagisa Nozaki (7) def. Victoria Yuzuki (3) w/ Noir Lancer (9:21)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Natsumi Showzuki (5) def. MIRAI (7) w/ Rolling Yokoiri (8:04)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Chika Goto (2) def. Kouki Amarei (8) w/ Pinfall Reversal (9:40)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Miku Aono (8) vs. Mai Sakurai (9) Ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00)
• Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Utami Hayashishita (8) def. NORI (8) w/ Hi-Jack Bomb (10:03)

Match #1 – Myla Grace & Nao Ishikawa def. Komomo Minami & Minami Yuki w/ Michinoku Driver (4:30)

It was always going to be interesting how Myla and Nao would co-exist with Nao having accidentally smashed Myla in the face with a very real elbow that caused a huge shiner and a bloody nose. Thankfully, after a little bit of hostility near the beginning of the match, the pair get along very well, perhaps helped by Nao coming out in new gear in the colours of Ireland and her hair in the same style as Myla’s. They get the win and finally embrace to show that all is forgiven, which is nice.

Match Rating: **1/2

Match #2 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Misa Matsui (2) def. Kizuna Tanaka (0) w/ MKD (6:09)

Despite both of these two women being incredibly entertaining to watch throughout this tournament, this match here is the literal definition of a ‘dead-rubber.‘ Neither woman can progress, and have actually been mathematically eliminated for a long time, however it’s the pride of getting their first win of this tournament and the accompanying desire to not finish the tournament with 0 that makes the match-up still rather captivating. Both women are bright throughout the match, perhaps buoyed by that aforementioned desire and what follows is a really enjoyable sprint. Tanaka is given a lot throughout the match, and it looks like her persistent work of Misa’s arm is going to pay dividends, especially after the close nearfall she gets with the Re:Dream. Unfortunately for her, Misa is just that bit too quick and that bit too experienced. Having collided with the young Tanaka with a succession of Running Knee Strikes, and claiming her own two count with the European Clutch, Matsui scoops up Tanaka into the MKD for the win – getting her first two points of the tournament, and meaning that Tanaka goes into the final night against CHIAKI needing a win to not be the only person in the two blocks to lose all 7 of their matches!

Match Rating: ***

Match #3 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Bozilla (8) def. CHIAKI (2) w/ Sit-Out Powerbomb (5:42)

It would take a far braver person than me to both antagonise, and then smash Bozilla over the head with a chair. However, that’s the path that CHIAKI opts to take, having avoided a Bozilla Lariat causing it to floor the referee, she grabs at the eyes and slams the chair into the head of the German Powehouse, only for it to have little-to-no effect. It would take an even braver person to not wilt under the furious gaze that Bozilla sets on the Dark Wolf after this, and it feels more like a mercy than anything that she ends proceedings with a solitary thunderous Sit-Out Powerbomb rather than prolonging the torture. She does however deliver a final F5 and a middle finger to CHIAKI after the bell, inconvenienced but undoutedly happy that her tournament is still alive and kicking heading into that highly-anticipated match-up with Sareee on the final night in Nagoya.

Match Rating: ***

Match #4 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Sareee (10) vs. Nanae Takahashi (9) Ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00)

Courtesy of Sareee having a prior engagement in the form of a match in SEAdLINNNG against Unagi Sayaka later today, we get this main event calibre match up as the fourth match. Sareee highlighted both Nanae and Bozilla as her most difficult matches of the tournament, but stopped short of giving any real respect. This is something Nanae remembers, and the two explode out of the traps at each other. There is a palpable change in atmosphere in Korakuen, with the crowd seemingly realising that they are indeed about to witness something special. What follows is an absolute war, with the pair bludgeoning each other with frightening fury, at one point setting up chairs across from one another and slapping each other as hard as possible across the face. When the action does return to the ring, the pair simply continue with what they were doing, landing blow after blow, though Nanae begins targeting Sareee’s right leg, and Sareee Nanae’s arm. As we veer wildly towards the closing stretch, the aggression only intensifies, with Sareee’s forearms coming across more like gunshots, and Takahashi apparently trying to decapitate the Marigold World Champion with Lariats. As many of us predicted, the match goes to the time limit, but it feels earned. Hopefully, this breathless war means that we see this run back for Sareee’s championship, and this is something she alludes to as well, holding the belt in Takahashi’s face before storming from the ring.

One of the most aggressive, unyielding battles I’ve seen in Marigold. Both women pour everything into this and it feels so special because of it! Yes, Marigold has only been in existence since May, but you will be hard-pressed to find a better match than this. A match of the tournament, and save for a miracle in the last day and a half of the Dream Star, it’s unlikely to even be close! 

Match Rating: ****3/4

Match #5 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Nagisa Nozaki (7) def. Victoria Yuzuki (3) w/ Noir Lancer (9:21)

With both women now eliminated from the tournament, Nozaki as a result of her loss to Kouki Amarei, this match is for little more than pride. Pride so happens to be Yuzuki’s wheelhouse, though she overpowered repeatedly by Nozaki who seems intent on both toying with, and drawing the fire out of the self-proclaimed ‘Future-Ace’ of Marigold. That pride I spoke about, and the fiery determination to be in a better position than the one she finds herself in, leads to an inevitable comeback, including a desperately close nearfall with the Rolling Arrow. She doesn’t quite have enough fight though, and Nozaki is able to finish her off with the Noir Lancer, to the apparent suprise of Stewart Fulton on commentary! With that, Nozaki marches on to Nagoya to face MIRAI, knowing she can only get a maximum of 9 points which won’t be enough to see her through. Yuzuki however faces NORI, and has the opportunity to have a powerful say in how the block ends up! 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Match #6 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Natsumi Showzuki (5) def. MIRAI (7) w/ Rolling Yokoiri (8:04)

Even after defeating Yuzuki in her home prefecture of Iwate, her loss to Kouki Amarei means that MIRAI needs to win both her remaining matches and hope that Kouki slips up against either the winless Chika Goto or Utami Hayashishita. Showzuki has already been eliminated, but is someone you can bet your bottom dollar is going to do everything she can to ruin MIRAI’s tournament. She’s the stronger starter as well, immediately targeting MIRAI’s left arm in a bid to neutralise the Lariat and chops. She’s exudes so much effort in doing this though, that it looks like she runs out of steam half-way into the match, allowing MIRAI to gain a foothold and begin powering the Superfly Champion around the ring. After a very impressive catching of Showzuki’s Corner Double Kneestrike and transitioning it into a Powerbomb, and a transitioning a Crucifix Bomb into a Samoan Driver, it looks like it’s only a matter of time before MIRAI can get the win. There are warning signs though, with Showzuki getting to incredibly close nearfalls with quick roll-ups. This warning is not heeded by MIRAI, and she finds herself being rolled into a rolling Yokoiri pin for the victory. Devastated, eliminated from the tournament despite being many people’s favourite to go the entire way having beaten Utami just a week ago, MIRAI hurriedly departs the ring, clutching her Twinstar Championship belt to her chest as though she can’t bear the thought of losing that as well. 

Match Rating: ****

Match #7 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Chika Goto (2) def. Kouki Amarei (8) w/ Rolling Yokoiri (8:04)

Goto’s lack of confidence heading into this match having lost all five of her previous League matches has perhaps been helped by securing a pinfall win over Myla Grace during a handicap match in Morioka, but she stands across from her tag team partner Kouki Amarei who has currently only suffered one loss, and is joint top of the block; differing fortunes indeed! That being said, it’s Goto that starts the stronger of the pair, responding to everything Amarei can throw at her and demanding more. However, it’s not been about the performances for Gochika, and she needs to turn them into results. So when she gets flattened with a Ripcord Cutter, it looks like we could be going back to the same old playbook, especially as the commentary team continue to discuss Goto’s potential lack of stamina towards the tail end of matches. She is able to muscle Amarei into the Giant Swing though, and then avoids the Amethyst Butterfly, slamming into Kouki with two Lariats that only get her a two count apiece. Amarei, still sporting a series of bruises under her chin as souvenirs from her matches with MIRAI and Nozaki, hits a Back Suplex but as she goes for the pin, Goto immediately reverses it and puts all the pressure on her so that she can’t kick out, securing her first victory of the tournament and severely denting her tag team partner’s chances of qualification. That being said, Amarei seems happy for Goto finally getting out of her slump and the pair share a joke in the middle of the ring and hug it out before Amarei departs. Kouki can still qualify, but needs Utami to defeat NORI in the main event, and then needs to beat Utami herself in Nagoya on Saturday!

Match Rating: ***3/4

Match #8 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Star League Match: Miku Aono (8) vs. Mai Sakurai (9) Ended in a Time Limit Draw (15:00)

After saying in a Tokyo Sports interview that she sees Miku Aono as little more than a person holding a belt, the lack of respect explodes into an angry back-and-forth between the two, exacerbated by Sakurai’s refusal to shake Aono’s hand before the match. The initial brawl on the outside sees Mai come out on top, taking the time to hit the Champion with a chair before rolling back in to the ring. This briefly asserts her dominance, but also serves to awaken the fire in Aono who proceeds to then do the same on the outside on the other side of the ring. After igniting a heavy forearm exchange, then targets Sakurai’s leg mercilessly. This is a brand-new Mai Sakurai however, and she is in no way ready to lie down, and meets Aono on the top rope with a thumping headbutt. In fact, as we near the time limit, it’s Mai who is in complete control, hitting the Gourdbuster and locking in the STF right in the centre of the ring. Miku Aono is able to get to the bottom rope, and this prompts a truly frantic back-and-forth during the closing minute, culminating in Miku trying desperately to hit the Styles Clash. Equally desperately however, Mai clings to the leg of Aono to stop her hitting the move, only stopping when the bell rings to signal the end of the match. Miku hits the move anyway, though this feels more out of frustration more than anything else. Frustration at the result, frustration at herself, and frustration at the fact that she can no longer qualify for the finals of the Dream Star Grand Prix on Saturday! After Mai rubs the fact that she will be the one moving Marigold forward into Miku’s face, reminding everyone that it was Miku that she actually debuted against, Aono calls out her opponent for the final night; Nanae Takahashi. What follows is something of a wildly unhinged screaming match where each tries to out-passion the other, all whilst promising to smash the other’s face in. What a wild closing segment to follow a fantastic match!

Match Rating: ****1/4

Match #9 – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 Dream League Match: Utami Hayashishita (8) def. NORI (8) w/ Hi-Jack Bomb (10:03)

Utami Hayashishita simply has to win this match. Anything but that, and she’s eliminated from proceedings. A loss however, and NORI already has her card punched for the finals as she would possess the tie breakers over both Utami and Kouki Amarei, it’s not hyperbole to say that this is the most important match of the Dream League thus far. It becomes very clear almost right at the start of the match that NORI’s striking game could be the deciding factor in the match, especially as both Stewart Fulton and Sonny Gutierrez on commentary are repeatedly in awe of how someone can manhandle Utami the way NORI is doing. Utami is able to fight back though, and where NORI has been able to grind down opponents with her striking in her previous League matches, Hayashishita makes it far more difficult by simply overpowering her. Between Shoulder Tackles, the Torture Rack Bomb or simply sending NORI into the stratosphere with German Suplexes, Utami is not only able to quell the striking of NORI, but is also able to build an advantage. Building an advantage and killing off matches are two very different things however, and when NORI is able to wriggle free of two consecutive Hi-Jack Bomb attempts, it looks like it could be another ‘nearly’ story for Hayashishita. However, after ducking NORI’s incredibly lethal spin kick, she’s finally able to connect with a blistering Lariat and follow it up with Hi-Jack Bomb for the most crucial of victories heading into the final night of tournament action. Having suffered defeats to MIRAI and Nagisa Nozaki, results elsewhere mean that Utami’s destiny in the Dream Star is back in her own hands. A win over Kouki Amarei in Nagoya on Saturday and she will progress to the final no matter what. For NORI however, she needs to defeat Victoria Yuzuki and hope that Kouki can get the victory or that the match goes to the time-limit.

Match Rating: ****

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 28th August – Dream Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 8 ~ Finals, Nagoya International Conference Center, Aichi (LIVE)
• Saturday 5th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 1, Osaka 176BOX, Osaka (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Monday 7th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 2, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Saturday 12th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 3, KBS Hall, Kyoto (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Sunday 13th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 4, Act City Hamamatsu, Hamamatsu (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Monday 14th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 5, Shibuya Ward Sports Center, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 20th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 6, ARCS Hall, Nagano (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Thursday 24th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 7, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 27th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 8 ~Afternoon Show~, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 27th October – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 8 ~Evening Show~, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Saturday 2nd November – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 9 ~Afternoon Show~, Sapporo Gateau Kingdom, Hokkaido (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Saturday 2nd November – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 9 ~Evening Show~, Sapporo Gateau Kingdom, Hokkaido (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Monday 4th November – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 10, Nagoya Congress Center, Aichi (VIDEO ON DEMAND)