By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Kitsune Women’s Wrestling “Gong!”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
October 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California at Kitsune Hall
Kitsune Women’s Wrestling features the stars of Marvelous, who have been touring the United States in the past week, literally from Washington state to North Carolina in the same weekend. I admittedly hadn’t heard of any of the Japanese talent before this tour, but I know nearly all of the U.S. based female talent on this show.
Veda Scott and the injured Kidd Bandit provided commentary. Veda could barely conceal her excitement. She said many of these competitors are in the U.S. for the very first time. I’ve never heard Bandit on commentary, but I came away impressed; they added a lot to commentary. This is a large ballroom; it looks like a nice room. Attendance is in the 350-450 range.
* A ring announcer warmed up the crowd but was interrupted. At first I thought it was Maki Itoh because she has the same infectious energy. Her name is Miyako Matsumoto and she is starting the GONG Rumble. This is WWE-style Rumble rules but also allows for pinfalls. Names are NOT displayed on the screen so I may have some slight misspellings.
1. Brooke Havok won the GONG Rumble at 18:52. Matsumoto and Karisma started; I just saw Karisma for the first time last weekend. Aspyn Rose was #3; think WWE’s Isla Dawn. Brooke Havok was #4 at 3:00 and she hit a double suplex. Alex Gracia was #5; I haven’t seen her in months! Tara Zep, covered in tattoos and white face paint, was #6. J-Rod, who is tall and athletic, was #7; I saw her for the first time recently, too. She put Karisma across her back and did several squats, showing her impressive strength. Zara was #8; she reminds me of a young WWE’s Jazz. Gracia was pinned. Zep also was eliminated. J-Rod was tossed. Jada Stone entered at #9; I’ve seen her in Al Snow’s OVW and in North Carolina based Deadlock Pro. Zyra was #10; she wore pink and black and I don’t think I’ve seen her before.
Mokomoto pinned Jada at 12:30. Kitana Vera is #11 and she’s big and muscular. We had rapid-fire eliminations and it’s down to Mokomoto and Brooke Havok very quickly. Veda reminded us that Miaka started the match. At 16:00, we were told we have a surprise contestant, it is Nanashi? She wore a white outfit, looking a bit like a zombie, and had a knife and she swung it around. They kicked her and Nanashi collapsed, and Veda wondered if she was dead. Nanashi hopped up and fled through the crowd. Mokomoto hit a Shining Wizard for a nearfall at 18:30. She went to the top rope, but Brooke kicked her off the top rope to the floor to win. A bit messy at times but passable. By winning, Havok gets a match later in the show.
2. Black Swan defeated Rachel Armstrong at 6:35. Rachel is the small up-and-comer I compare to pop singer Corrine Bailey Rae. As the name implies, Black Swan is dressed as a ballet dancer. They traded mat reversals and Black Swan really plays up the gimmick with graceful arm motions. Rachel hit some Superman Punches at 3:30. Swan hit a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall at 5:00. Rachel hit a Sliced Bread out of the corner for a believable nearfall. Swan applied a high-angle Muta Lock, showing great flexibility, and Rachel tapped out. Impressive finish.
3. Rina Amikura defeated Trish Adora at 9:30. Rina is dressed in yellow and orange; she held a sign that apologized for not bringing an oversized title belt with her from Japan. A nice applause for the well-known Adora. She hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Rina. Adora did the splits across Rina’s back and pushed Rina down onto the mat at 3:00. Adora tied her in a pretzel in the middle of the ring. Rina hit a Stinger Splash at 5:30, and she applied a modified Torture Rack across the back, then she hit a flipping senton for a nearfall. Adora hit a Gerrman Suplex, then a Mafia Kick. She hit a second German Suplex for a nearfall at 7:30 and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. They got up and traded forearm shots, with Adora dropping Rina. Rina hit a gutwrench suplex, then a top-rope senton bomb for the pin. That was really good.
4. Sandra Moone defeated Jordan Blade via DQ at 11:03. I’ve seen Jordan a few times and I’ll again make a comparison to WWE’s Jazz, as she is thicker and clearly stronger than the average female competitor. Moone is a top indy star on the West Coast; she just returned from a Japan tour and also competed recently in Mexico. Blade immediately wrestled her to the mat and showed she can overpower Moone. Blade hit an enzuigiri in the corner for a nearfall at 2:30. Moone hit a German Suplex for a nearfall. Blade hit a shotgun dropkick for a nearfall at 6:00. Moone hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Blade applied a rear-naked choke on the mat, but Moone was able to lean back and get a nearfall.
Blade again tied up Moone in a pretzel. They got back to their feet, with Jordan hitting some blows to the stomach. She hit some kneelifts to the chest. Moone fought back with a German Suplex. Blade hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 10:00. Blade applied a rear-naked choke while Moone was in the ropes. The referee admonished Blade and eventually counted to five, then she called for the disqualification. Veda said Jordan is vicious and that chokehold in the ropes could have been a “career-ender.” Okay match.
5. “Magenta” Maria and Riko Kawahata defeated Chikayo Nagashima and Rachael Ellering at 11:25. Magenta dress alike and danced to the ring. Veda noted that Chikayo’s match last week in West Coast Pro was her U.S. debut. Ellering traded deep armdrags with Riko to open. Chikayo, dressed in yellow, entered at 1:00 and faced Maria. Ellering and Chikayo stomped on their opponents’ fingers. Magenta hit front-and-back kicks on Chikayo and began working her over. Ellering got in and she hit a senton splash on Riko for a nearfall at 7:00.
Maria, who appears a bit taller, made the hot tag and she hit a running knee as Rachael was against the ropes. Maria applied a cross-armbreaker on Rachael, but Ellering stood up and hit a powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:00. Ellering nailed a Black Hole Slam for a nearfall. Ellering and Chikayo yelled at the referee in disbelief. Ellering hit a swinging uranage for a believable nearfall. Riko and Chikayo brawled on the floor, while Ellering laid in some hard chops on Maria in the ring. Maria applied a mid-ring Octopus, and she cranked back on the arm, until Rachael tapped out. That was really good and the finish came out of seemingly nowhere.
6. Nicole Savoy defeated Hibiscus Mil at 5:48. Savoy’s “retirement” lasted a year and I’m so glad she’s back, as she’s a top-tier indy talent. Mil wore a camouflage one-piece and she has blonde streaks in her hair. They brawled to the floor. In the ring, Savoy hit some Facewash kicks in the corner at 4:00 and Mil did some ‘fake crying,’ but then she stomped Savoy’s foot. Savoy hit a snap suplex for a nearfall. Savoy snapped on a cross-armbreaker on the mat, and Mil tapped out! Fine match but shockingly short.
7. Risa Sera defeated Billie Starkz at 8:18. Risa has short blue hair; she looks like the female version of NJPW’s Master Wato. Billie got quite a pop. Standing switches and a feeling-out process to open. Billie set up for a dive to the floor, but Risa threw a chair at her to cut Billie off. Risa took control in the ring, and she applied a Boston Crab at 3:30, and she turned it into a pendulum swing. They got up and traded forearm shots. Billie caught her with a spin kick to the head that dropped Risa.
Billie hit a neckbreaker over her knee for a nearfall at 5:30. Risa hit a sideslam, then a Vader Bomb-style double kneedrop for a nearfall. Billie nailed the Gory Bomb for a nearfall. Risa got a chair and threw it at Billie’s face. She hit a running double knees to the face, then a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Risa hit a Sabin-style Cradle Shock for a nearfall at 8:00, then an Air Raid Crash for the clean pin. That was really good stuff.
8. Haruka Umesaki defeated Brooke Havok at 7:24. Havok won the earlier battle royal to get this match. Haruka wore a red outfit very similar to Hikaru Shida’s, and she was bathed in pink streamers. Haruka immediately twisted the left arm. She hit a doublestomp to the chest at 3:00 and put Havok in a bow-and-arrow. They got up and traded stiff forearm shots. Havok hit a chinbreaker over her knee. Haruka hit a basement dropkick and a suplex, then a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall at 6:00. Havok hit a running neckbreaker and a pump-handle sideslam for a nearfall. This hass been really good. Haruka got a magistral cradle for the pin. That was fun.
9. Willow Nightingale and Konami defeated Mercedes Martines and Janai Kai at 10:43. Konami has short blonde hair with a similar hairstyle to Asuka. I’m such a big fan of all three U.S. talents in this match. Kai and Konami opened. Willow and Mercedes fought. Kai backed Willow into a corner and hit a series of kicks for a nearfall at 4:00. Kai applied a Stretch Plum sleeperhold but Willow fought free. Willow nailed an enzuigiri and they were both down. Mercedes and Konami each got hot tags. Konami hit a running knee, then a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall at 7:00.
Kai hit some spin kicks on Konami, then some stiff kicks to the spine for a nearfall at 9:00. Mercedes hit an impressive brainbuster on Konami. Konami hit a missile dropkick on Kai, and Willow hit a Pounce! Konami hit a German Suplex on Kai for a believable nearfall, then she tied Janai in a mid-ring Octopus on the mat, and Janai tapped out. That was really, really good and deserved more time.
10. Unagi Sayaka defeated Tae Honma and Dark Sheik in a three-way for the vacant Kitsune Women’s Wrestling Championship at 12:53. Dark Sheik, the beloved transgender star, is taller than Sayaka and Honma. Sayaka is blonde with two pigtails. Honma has dark, short hair, is thin, and wore green. They played to the crowd and didn’t lock up for more than a minute, and they opened with a three-way test of strength. Sheik hit a slingshot legdrop and a slingshot senton on Honma. Honma applied a cross-armbreaker in the ropes on Sheik at 3:30. Unagi hit a dropkick to Sheik’s face. Unagi hit a double Lungblower move, then a double legdrop.
Honma hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall at 6:30. Sheik hit a splits legdrop, and suddenly everyone was down. They got up and traded forearm shots. Unagi hit a Lungblower. Honma applied a cross-armbreaker on Sheik at 9:30, but Sayaka made the save. Sayaka and Honma traded stiff forearms. Sheik hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall on Honma. Unagi hit a basement clothesline on Honma for a nearfall. Sheik missed a top-rope spin kick. Sayaka hit a Jay White-style Bladerunner swinging faceplant on Sheik at 12:00. She nailed a running Mafia Kick for a believable nearfall on Sheik. Sayaka hit a double-armbar powerbomb move to pin Sheik. That was fun.
Final Thoughts: I want to open by praising Veda and Kidd Bandit, as their knowledge of the wrestlers and their backstories made this so good. Had I watched without commentary, not knowing anyone here, I just wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. I’m going with Willow/Konami vs. Mercedes/Kai for best match, ahead of Magenta’ts tag match for second, with Billie-Risa for third, with the main event as honorable mention. The Royal Rumble was a bit of a mess at times and didn’t get the show off to a great start, and I’m sure Moone and Blade have a better match in them if they got a rematch. But my complaints are minor, and anyone who has an IWTV subscription should try this as this was fun, different, and felt meaningful.
Thanks for posting this. Konami is a badass!