SHOW REPORT: Marigold Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 10 (Monday, 4th November 2024)

Notes

• As announced at Korakuen Hall on the 24th October, Chika Goto will be absent from Marigold shows for a month as she recovers from a sternum injury. This means that her current timetable for return is the end of November.
• Rea Seto and Nanae Takahashi have both been removed from this card, with the latter’s due to an injury sustained whilst taking a Urunage from Sareee in Hokkaido on the 2nd November.
• Attendance Notes: This is the fourth time that Marigold have run the Nagoya International Conference Center, and the first time since the Dream Star Grand Prix finals. The announced attendance of 315 is the lowest Marigold have drawn to the venue, a 54% decrease on the last time they ran the Nagoya International Conference Hall (28th September for the Dream Star Grand Prix finals on 28th September.) It’s also a 33% decrease from their previous lowest at the venue (472 as a part of the Summer Gold Shine tour in July). It is the lowest attendance Nagoya International Conference Center since DDT’s Dramatic Survivor Show in September 2021, though it is worth noting that it they and Stardom are the only two joshi promotions running the venue at the time of writing.

Quick Results

• Singles Match: Nao Ishikawa def. Naho Yamada w/ German Suplex (8:21)
• Singles Match: Misa Matsui def. Komomo Minami w/ Misa Kawaii Driver (9:02)
• Singles Match: Nagisa Nozaki def. Myla Grace w/ Rear-Naked Choke (7:49)
• Tag Team Match: Natsumi Showzuki & Hummingbird def. Selene Flora (Victoria Yuzuki & Kizuna Tanaka) w/ Diving Double Knee-Drop (10:21)
• 6-Woman Tag Team Match: Bozilla, Mai Sakurai & Miku Aono def. Utami Hayashishita, MIRAI & Kouki Amarei w/ Diving Elbow Drop (20:21)

Undercard

It’s a shame Nanae has been pulled from this card, as there is an almost unhinged amount of passion to open up this match! Yamada looks to execute a plan of grinding down Nao’s legs with her Bridging Figure Four Leg Lock, but can’t seem to string too much in the way of offence together, even if she does hit her Pedigree variation for a two count. Instead it becomes a case of if Yamada can kick out of Ishikawa’s offence, repeatedly kicking out of a whole host of Nao’s big moves until she is finally planted with the Bridging German Suplex. This bring Nao her first ever pinfall victory in Marigold which, despite being an incredible moment for one of the most over undercard wrestlers they have, does seem odd that it hasn’t happened at Korakuen Hall in just over a week’s time. (**1/2)

Last time Misa lost in a Superfly Championship match, she experienced something of a slump and needed to build herself back up again; it looks like she might have to do the same this time. However, following the aggression she showed against Natsumi Showzuki in Hokkaido, it appears she is channelling that and more against poor Komomo Minami. Matsui tortures the poor rookie but finds herself losing focus and almost losing the match as a result, taking her eye off the ball and letting Minami in. She’s able to regain the advantage though, planting Komomo – who puts on yet another really solid display – defiantly with the MKD for the win as she once again begins the long road to building herself back into the title picture! (***) 

Having eaten a Noir Lancer in Hokkaido, Myla Grace is looking for revenge here – not that it starts that well. Nozaki has a noticeable power advantage, and begins an onslaught on Grace’s stomach and back. However, Grace has a plan, and it’s one she sticks to, desperately trying to neutralise Nozaki’s leg. It’s a strong plan and does eradicate the Noir Lancer, which has been used to utterly devastating effect in recent times. Unfortunately, it’s not a plan that can be followed through to completion. Grace misses her Modified Skytwister Press, allowing the opportunity for Nozaki to snap into a single Noir Lancer. Whether it is due to the work Grace has done on the leg, Nozaki clearly doesn’t have the confidence that the move will keep her down, and instead dives on Grace and locks in the Rear-Naked Choke, forcing the Irish Beauty to tap in short order. (***1/4)

Main Event Matches

Tag Team Match: Natsumi Showzuki & Hummingbird def. Selene Flora (Victoria Yuzuki & Kizuna Tanaka) – Yuzuki and Showzuki have history stemming from their two consecutive time-limit draws, first from the Dream Star Grand Prix and then for the Superfly Championship. After an exchange of chain-wrestling followed by a set of more severe strikes, Hummingbird continues on from her solid performances in Hokkaido with some impressive counters and more of the athleticism that she is clearly going to be bringing to the character. Yuzuki is not the only one who has an apparent chip on their shoulder, as Tanaka also attacks the match with a renewed aggression. Her arsenal of Armbars is on full display here, and her clear passion is enough to get what has so far been a rather tepid crowd into the match. However, whether it be inexperience or perhaps too much passion – though Nanae might say that’s not possible – Tanaka can’t make it count when it matters, Hummingbird managing to break a few holds before Showzuki is able to get to the ropes. The frustration only intensifies when Hummingbird breaks up the Re:Dream before Showzuki is able to reverse the pressure on an Armbar and begin her own period of aggressive domination of Tanaka. Showzuki is the glue that hold this match together, as she so often is, and she seems extra motivated during this match, which is not a good thing for Selene Flora, who feel the full extent of her kicks and submissions. Indeed, once Tanaka has lost momentum, she can’t wrestle it back and, after kicking out of a Fisherman’s Suplex, the Shinkansen Attack and managing to fight her way to the ropes to break a Rings of Saturn, Showzuki crashes into her with a Diving Double Knee Drop for the win. There’s just enough time before both teams evacuate the ring for a little bit of a scuffle, Hummingbird and Tanaka taking umbrage with each other while Showzuki shoves the Superfly title into Yuzuki’s face. Is a championship rematch on the horizon between the pair? I honestly cannot think of a single person who would complain if it is! (***1/2)

6- Woman Tag Team Match: Bozilla, Mai Sakurai & Miku Aono def. Utami Hayashishita, MIRAI & Kouki Amarei – There is something incredibly jarring about watching German Powehouse Bozilla coming out to Miku Aono’s music, but she seems fine with it so who am I to argue? It’s billed as a ‘Dream Star Special’, with the three members of both Star League and Dream League teaming up against each other. This in itself leads to some interesting match-ups, not least between the Twinstar Champions MIRAI and Mai Sakurai who, in spite of their friendship and tag team accolades, have absolutely no problems ripping into each other. Mai Sakurai in particular, freed from the ‘shackles’ of a tag team seems to relish doing her own thing, and her and MIRAI absolutely lay into each other. MIRAI also gets to face off with Bozilla, a pairing we haven’t seen too often, and they don’t disappoint. MIRAI does very well on both sides of the coin, griding down Bozilla with her Chinlock and other brief flashes of submission wrestling, but her selling of Bozilla’s power is excellent, especially when she is that exhausted that she can’t complete the forward roll to her corner in order to tag out. The same can be said for the partnership of Utami and Bozilla, with the former able to temper the sheet power of the Biggest Kaiju with her own brand of power and speed. Unfortunately this can’t last, and Bozilla launches Utami into the air with an F5 before we get Kouki and Mai squaring off. Perhaps unintentionally, but the upcoming Twinstar Championships match at Korakuen Hall seems to be built around more around Mai and Kouki than it is around Utami and MIRAI and this additional focus in the build has been really beneficial – especially for Amarei. Sakurai cares nought for Amarei’s additional spotlight, and instead throws her around the ring with a series of Back Suplexes before locking in the STF. Thanks to MIRAI and Utami, the hold is broken, and it looks momentarily like their team might be able to rally, though a suspect referee’s call is the reason Kouki doesn’t get the win with a Jackknife; the indication being someone missed their cue! This is where Bozilla – the great equalizer – enters and launches Miku Aono over the top rope and onto all three of their opponents on the floor. Sakurai leaps on her opportunity, dragging Kouki back into the ring and hitting her with a Superplex and then the Diving Elbow Drop for the victory. (****)

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

• Thursday 7th November – Fantastic Adventure 2024 – Night 11, Hodogaya Kokaido, Kanagawa (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Thursday 14th November – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 1, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Saturday 23rd November – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 2, Tochigi Prefectural Cultural Center, Tochigi (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Thursday 28th November – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 3, Edogawa-ku Higashibu Friend Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Saturday 7th December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 4, Osaka 176BOX, Osaka (VIEDO ON DEMAND)
• Sunday 8th December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 5, Taharu City General Gymnasium, Aichi (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Friday 13th December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 6, Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Friday 20th December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 7, Sendai PIT, Miyagi (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Saturday 21st December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 8, Yamagata Big Wing, Yamagata (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Thursday 26th December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 9, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Thursday 31st December – Winter Wonderful Fight 2024 – Night 10, Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Friday 3rd January – First Dream 2025, Ota-Ward City Gymnasium, Tokyo (PPV)