The Puppets Dance (CVerse '20 - 5SSW)

White Dolphin · June 8, 2020

(OOC: Thanks for the comments guys! Don't forget to give this diary a shout-out in DOTM if you like it, it would mean a lot.)

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Shogun TV Presents:

5SSW Big Crush Tour Night 2

Monday/Week 4/January/2020

5SSW heads to the Karasuno High School Gymnasium in Kyoto for its next event, the second part of the Big Crush Tour!

Opening things up, we see the promising European duo Lethal Strike (Thea Davis and Zofia Jankovic) take on the young Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin and Kate Avatar).

Next another tag team bout sees the Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi and Mio Takasu) try to bounce back form their debut loss, as they'll take on the Kanto Express (MAYA and Machiko Matsuda).

A singles bout takes place with two people looking to build momentum going into the Big Crush battle royale, with Kaede Sugiyama facing Paige Croft.

Next up, Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita and Etsuko Arihyoshi) look to make a statement against the duo of veterans Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura and Yukiko Matsumara).

Then we'll see an 8 woman tag, featuring an imposing team of Fuyuko Higa, Monster Ishimura, and the TermiNation taking on Eve Grunge, Aud Valkyrie, Ochiyo Iijima and Hana Ajibana.

Our co-main sees the 2018 J Grand Prix winner Gemmei Oonishi take on the promising young veteran Eri Sato, with both ladies hoping for spots in the Big Crush battle royale.....

Finally, our main event sees a special dream tag team match, as 5SSW World champion Yuma Maruya teams with her ally Shiori Jippensha, taking on 5SSW All-Asian champion Maki Yoshifumi and her partner Yu Hashimoto. This should be a good one!

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PREDICTION KEY

(OOC: Forecast is again cloudy with a medium chance of time limit draws.)

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

Mokoa · June 8, 2020

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

[This one I'm not so sure, but I guess Marcelin's and Avatar's statuses as young lions will probably mean they do not get the W]

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

[The new girls probably could use the win]

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

[i like Paige Croft more]

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

[i actually think team SUB will win, but I'm gonna root for team TsuYuki the old rock n' rollas]

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

[Team locker room cancer seem like the safe choice]

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

[Gemmei Onishi is great and a saint for putting up with Fuyuko Hickenbottom, but I'm assuming Sato will be getting this victory]

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

[i think it makes sense and Torment and Sorrow should look good in defeat as everyone in this match can go in the ring]

KyTeran · June 9, 2020

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

medla · June 9, 2020

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

Wicked Intentions · June 9, 2020

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

I so want to go with The Canadian Cats, because I really like the character you have for Erin, but more so than that I love Kate... between her and Jack are my go to UCs.

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

I don't know why I choose Kanto Express... just a guess really.

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

I love Paige... though I have actually never hired her or used a company that she's been in before strange...

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

Cause their Shiny! lol

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

I have a feeling that the heels are going to go over, but I can't I love Eve too much.

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

I don't know why... I'm not really too familiar with Japan in CVerse so most of these are random guess.

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

I just love the fact that she is a female version of Bret Hart and I may created a character to be her successor in long running games... lmao.

Herrbear · June 9, 2020

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

El_Ray · June 9, 2020

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)

Nice to see Zofia here.

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft

Croft is my favorite gaijin in the company, she has a lots of potential.

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)

White Dolphin · June 11, 2020

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="GYUe7nb.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GYUe7nb.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

5 Star Supreme Wrestling

Big Crush Tour Night 2

Monday/Week 4/January/2020

Karasuno High School Gymnasium

Kyoto, Japan

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<img alt="yB6cpmW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/yB6cpmW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zq0O1JC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zq0O1JC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="reqAKEm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/reqAKEm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

After a very brief spiel by the announcers, we open up with......

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<img alt="xI8mrAU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xI8mrAU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="wQ9Yzya.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wQ9Yzya.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="nr0H7y3.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nr0H7y3.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Opw8tAi.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Opw8tAi.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Lethal Strike (Thea Davis/Zofia Jankovic) vs. Canadian Cats (Erin Marcelin/Kate Avatar)</div>

Lethal Strike come in this time to establish themselves against the near-bottom team in the 5-Star food chain. Erin Marcelin shows some signs of mild improvement, and Thea uses her experience to keep things together, but the match is really about Zofia Jankovic. The ending sequence sees Zofia at her best, sidestepping wild swings from Erin before sneeringly countering with a vicious Smash uppercut that cold-cocks Erin. Zofia then hauls her woozy opponent up and finishes her off with the Demon's Bane (Go 2 Sleep) for the win.

<div style="text-align:center;">Result: Lethal Strike def. Canadian Cats (Jankovic pins Marcelin) in 7:34

Rating: 48

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<img alt="38BdHBV.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/38BdHBV.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div>

Kaiya Kuwahara makes her appearance again for a cosplay video promo, re-announcing the future tour dates and locations, and hyping possible matches.

<div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 61

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<img alt="xlNkAyS.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xlNkAyS.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="fzlESSC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/fzlESSC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="sJhu7eb.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sJhu7eb.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="APlokTw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/APlokTw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Gamma War Unit (Kaori Takenouchi/Mio Takasu) vs. Kanto Express (MAYA/Machiko Matsuda)</div>

The Gamma War Unit look a bit better in their second outing as a team, and manage to push the Kanto Express quite hard. The young team however draws on hard-earned European technical expertise to stem the tide, but its a surprisingly good back-and-forth match.

The Kanto Express ultimately pick up the win however, hitting the Last Stop (Magic Killer) on Takenouchi for 3.

<div style="text-align:center;">Result: The Kanto Express def. Gamma War Unit via pinfall (MAYA pins Takenouchi) at 10:22

Rating: 54

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<img alt="lL30Zqr.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lL30Zqr.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="Ut6aCND.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ut6aCND.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Kaede Sugiyama vs. Paige Croft</div>

This match comes off fairly well, and is given time to help it marinate. Croft starts the match with a bit of confidence and swagger, but ends up getting frustrated as time goes by and she can't break down Sugiyama. Sugiyama's Stone instincts kick in enough to keep Croft at bay, as Sugiyama repeatedly manages to escape the Memphis Deathlock (Kneeling Inverted Sharpshooter), even when stunned. However, Sugiyama isn't able to pin down the elusive chain wrestler Croft with anything substantial either, finding herself unable to get any Stone-Saults or setups off her Spinning Arm Breaker.

Paige gets desperate for the win as the clock ticks down, going for all sorts of flash pinfalls, but can't get the levereage and timing right, and the match ends in a time limit draw after 15 minutes of back-and-forth action. Paige is furious, but both women honestly made a decent accounting for themselves here.

<div style="text-align:center;">Result: Kaede Sugiyama drew Paige Croft at 15:00 when the time limit expired

Rating: 57

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<img alt="I5FBwBx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/I5FBwBx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div>

Cihyeko Kita, talking on her strong and silent partner's behalf, says that this tour will be all about the accomplishments of Team SUB, and warns everyone in the Big Crush battle royale that they intend to stick together as the final 2 and then may the best woman win. Generic promo, Kita may be a better talker than Arihyoshi but is still not quite elite at it or respected greatly by the audience.

<div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 37

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<img alt="I5FBwBx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/I5FBwBx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zaZg1I3.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zaZg1I3.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="iobILVo.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iobILVo.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BjC1KJ8.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BjC1KJ8.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita/Etsuko Arihyoshi) vs. Shining Force (Otsune Tsumura/Yukiko Matsumara)</div>

Thankfully, the match is much better received, carried extensively by the hard work of Arihyoshi and her on-point submission wrestling. Kita and Matsumara contribute as well, and it all makes up for a shocking amount of botches from Otsune Tsumura, who was having an off-day to say the least.

Ultimately the crowd is very appreciative of some good action in the bout, and Matsumura does a good job rallying the crowd to her side. Eventually Tsumura has to tag in again though, and gets put in the Arihyoshi Lockdown (Dragon Sleeper/Inverted Abdominal Stretch), with little choice but to tap out.

<div style="text-align:center;">Team SUB def. Shining Force by submission (Arihyoshi taps Tsumura) in 10:47

Rating: 58

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<img alt="ZoM1wH5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZoM1wH5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="d9jSwtE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/d9jSwtE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="AFBofo7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AFBofo7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tWGT8UZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tWGT8UZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="lWRxFeH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lWRxFeH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="WiScHV7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/WiScHV7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Zb8U70Q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Zb8U70Q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="EgHhLyR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/EgHhLyR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Fuyuko Higa / Monster Ishimura / Unstoppable Tai / Toku Kijmuta vs. Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana</div>

This match is hurt fairly significantly by the fact that the crowd only cares about maybe 2 or 3 of the parcipitants, and want to see more of Higa, even though they're really starting to dislike her antics.

Of course Higa has her contrarian anti-respect Japanese fans in the audience, who have been waiting for Miss Perfection to go off like this for a while now. Thus, like a lot of recent Higa matches, it becomes all about her, which helps hide flaws like Ishimura's offense and the recent poor form of Iijima and Ajibana as of late.

Eventually Higa clears the ring and "generously" steps aside and allows the TermiNation to finish things off at the 10 minute mark, with the Spike Flapjack planting Iijima face-first into the mat for an academic pinfall win.

<div style="text-align:center;">Result: Team Higa def. Team Jobbers via pinfall at 10:04 (Tai pins Iijima)

Rating: 52

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<img alt="d9jSwtE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/d9jSwtE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ZoM1wH5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZoM1wH5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div>

Post-match Monster Ishimura comes back from ringside and starts throwing her opponents out of the ring like Toshiro Mifune tossing drifters out of the bar. Besides that we get a somewhat humourous visual at ringside of Higa stealing a small box of Pocky from a planted fan, eating it with a smile on her face while watching Ishimura clean house, making a statement heading into the Big Crush battle royale.

<div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 41

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<img alt="S5zYtKU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/S5zYtKU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="kFF47yY.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/kFF47yY.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Eri Sato</div>

Higa stays out on her chair (and still eating Pocky) for the co-main, and spends a lot of the match shouting advice to her partner during her bad parts and ignoring the good parts. Oonishi is getting increasingly weirded out by her long-time tag partner, and it allows the dangerous Sato to build up an offensive.

The two show good in-ring chemistry together, exhibiting the usual story of striker vs high-flyer that has become a staple of 5-Star's in-ring work, but for whatever reason something is missing. Perhaps its Sato whiffing a couple kicks that Oonishi sold anyways, perhaps the match is missing 5 minutes, perhaps Higa's ring-side gaga distracts from things, or perhaps the fans don't buy Sato as having a chance. Ultimately, the match is merely decent, but not great.

Oonishi picks up the win just before the time-limit draw deadline, taking advantage of Sato missing the Sato Tornado spinkick into the corner, getting hung up on the turnbuckles, and that enables Oonishi to get the pin with the classic Stone Roll in just under 15 minutes, to Oonishi's delight and Higa's indifference.

<div style="text-align:center;">Result: Gemmei Oonishi def. Eri Sato via pinfall at 14:40

Rating: 53

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<img alt="aDF3DSi.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/aDF3DSi.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div>

Yuma Maruya gives a good fired-up pre-main event promo, saying that while she respects Torment and Sorrow and won't underestimate their abilities, 5-Star Defense are still the banner standard here, and the standard of the company won't fall to the usurpers tonight.

<div style="text-align:center;">Rating: 67

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<img alt="aDF3DSi.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/aDF3DSi.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ytBvNDA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ytBvNDA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> vs. <img alt="K34xbzQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/K34xbzQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zUFAzFy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zUFAzFy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

5-Star Defense (Yuma Maruya/Shiori Jippensha) vs. Torment and Sorrow (Maki Yoshifumi/Yu Hashimoto)</div>

This match straight up ruled. 5-Star Defense, the part-time main event alliance formed to fend off the ANTI in the 2010s, is as good as gold here and have their fine instinctive understanding of what to do together and how to do it.

However, their opponents show toughness and a grim determination, and the self-confident opportunist Jippensha has to be wary to avoid the deadly HEAD KICK of the MMA warrior Yoshifumi, doing Matrix-esque dodges on more than one occasion with a little panic and fear on her face.

Maruya is more willing to take chances though, and ends up babyface in peril as a result for the first half, building up to a HOT tag for Jippensha at the 10-minute mark. But the match is worked with the Calgary Wolverines vs. Baptiste and Marcel formula in mind: Hot tag halfway through, then switch the babyface in peril and do the other half of the match. Surely enough, Jippensha gets cut off on the comeback and worked over hard by Torment and Sorrow, who know they might not get too many chances like this against an elite team.

Eventually, Jippensha somehow dips, ducks, dives, and dodges past both members of Torment and Sorrow and its HOT TAG Maruya, who runs wild on her opponents and fires the crowd up! Split-Legged Moonsault on Hashimoto, but Yoshifumi makes the save, and Jippensha then revives from the dead to clothesline her out. Maruya hits a sequence of strikes followed by a springboard dropkick to desperately keep down Hashimoto, then tags in Jippensha for the big coup-de-grace of the 5-Star Finish (Back Suplex/Top Rope Flip Neckbreaker), but Hashimoto elbows Jippensha away and shoves Maruya off the top rope and onto the floor!

Hashimoto then turns around and goes for the End Game (Spinning Backhand Blow to the Jaw), but Jippensha has the wherewithal to catch the arm! Whirlwind Backslide! 1......2.....Yoshifumi tries to save but is too far away......3!

5-Star Defense takes a win that is as close as close gets, while Torment and Sorrow are left frustrated in the ring to lament what could've been as the announcers sign off.

<div style="text-align:center;">Result: 5-Star Defense def. Torment and Sorrow (Jippensha pins Hashimoto) at 19:39

Rating: 70

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OVERALL SHOW RATING: 67

ATTENDANCE: 208</div>

White Dolphin · June 11, 2020

OOC SHOW NOTES:

-Expected better from Lethal Strike. Thea Davis seems to struggle in this game sometimes due to a lack of top rows. Well, Zofia is still cool I guess.

-Just noticed having seen MAYA and Mio's renders side-by-side: Were they a tag team of some description in the ThunderVerse?

-Kaede/Paige draw probably surprised everyone, but theres a story behind it. Plus Kaede is reasonably high overness at game start so if I were to put Paige over I'd be better served doing it at a PPV. Plus I need to keep the Stone Soliders somewhat strong if I can cause they're probably in the battle royale (as is Paige, and as are 15 other goddamn people that need to be protected aaaaaaa.)

-Sorry to the Otsune Tsumura fan that's commented, but she's not doing well for ratings so she's gotta take falls because SOMEONE on this roster has to at some point.

-I'm trying not to rush Higa's bit, and I think I'm doing a good job with it. Gemmei is probably giving Higa the benefit of the doubt because they've been partners for what, close to a decade? The stealing the Pocky from a plant bit hit me after seeing the standard Twitter reaction New Day gif, and I think it's a good touch. More on Higa later.

-Oonishi/Sato should've been a lot better than it was, and I'm not sure why it wasn't.

-I think I did a great job writing the tag match. You might be noticing I'm adapting IRL moments and traditions to fit into the Cornellverse, like the Dusty Rhodes "make it good" moment happening to Sam Strong when Rip Chord's goons messed him up. in this case I'm visualizing the Calgary Wolverines vs Baptiste and Marcel as being on the same level as stuff like RnR/Midnights in terms of the good it did for tag team wrestling and the setups it laid out for future generations. I wish Ryland would just make CVerse 97 canon already to expand on this, but what can ya do.

-AS ALWAYS, ANY PREDICTIONS, FEEDBACK, THOUGHTS OR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS MUCH APPRECIATED.

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PREDICTIONS:

El_Ray: 22/29

KyTeran: 20/29

medla: 17/22

Herrbear: 9/14

Wicked Intentions: 3/7

Mokoa: 3/7

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-Gonna do a quick turnaround and put the Tour Night 3 prediction key up tomorrow.

Mokoa · June 11, 2020

Some thoughts on the last show.

It was fine for what is essentially a house show.

Sugiyama vs Paige Croft ending in a draw was unexpected but good to build some intrigue for a potential PPV bout that can put one of them in title conversation
Maybe Thea Davis struggles working with inexperienced/subpar workers and it contributed to the opener underperforming. Hopefully she and Jankovic can build some chemistry and give a better effort when matched with a more estabilished team.
I guess I underestimated the Kanto Express. But, thinking about it now, it's logical that they are the ones going over.
It's sad that team Tsuyuki lost, but at least Otsune Tsumura can say she's a most important part of the show as the only non-jobber who can afford losses.
Team Locker Room Cancer winning made all the sense in the world. As for Higa, seeing her new gimmick, she should start coming out to dolph ziggler's old theme "I am perfection". Would be fun.
Gemmei Oonishi is a very interesting talent as she can get over really easily if given something to sink her teeth into. In my trial 5ssw save, she got tons of momentum just by challenging for the triangle title.
The main event was what would be expected.High octane action with team main eventers getting the win. It's good to keep the world champion strong.

In short, the Paige Croft/Kaede Sugiyama non finish really made me interested seeing where they go from there. Maybe a tag match involving both or some kind of angle.

Also, the Birds of Prey explodes would be a Joshimania storyline.

Keep up the great work, mate. I nominated your diary in the DOTM thread as you asked. I really enjoy it that much.

Blake Trask · June 11, 2020

'Team Jobber' tickled me. So did pocky thievery.

White Dolphin · June 11, 2020

(OOC:Thanks for the feedback Blake and Mokoa! I'm not totally sure Sugiyama will be rematching Croft anytime soon, but Croft will be up to something. As for the Birds of Prey, well........ things will happen there eventually.)

<div style="text-align:center;">---

<img alt="GYUe7nb.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GYUe7nb.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Shogun TV Presents:

5SSW Big Crush Tour Night 3

Monday/Week 1/February/2020</div>

5SSW will be coming at you with another event in the Nekketsu High School Gymnasium, in our home base city of Osaka! The 3rd night of the Big Crush Tour awaits, and things are heating up!

In our opener, we will see some talent with real promise, as Zofia Jankovic allies up with the new tag team known as the Razor Petals (Lady Lotus and Rika Tsujimura) against the groundbreaking luchadora Mystery Pink and the Kanto Express (MAYA and Machiko Matsuda)

Paige Croft will be looking to bounce back after a draw last event, as she'll take on the tough veteran Mio Takasu in singles action.

Next up we'll have an appearance from the tag team champs, as The Uprising (Talia Quinzel and Selina Svelte) team up with Monster Ishimura against the veteran trio of Otsune Tsumura, Eve Grunge, and Aud Valkyrie.

Yukiko Matsumara is aiming for a singles title, and will be taking on Ochiyo Iijima in a bid to get a win to help her get closer to that goal.

Next up we see former All-Asian champion Yu Hashimoto take on the tough young fighter Kaori Takenouchi.

Our co-main event sees an intriguing ten-woman tag match taking place with some big-time talent, as Megumi Nakajima teams with Team SUB (Chiyeko Kita and Etsuko Arihyoshi) and the TermiNation (Unstoppable Tai and Toku Kijmuta) to take on HEART Saitoh, the Hell Raisers (Romi Yamato and Sae Akutagawa), and the Stone Soliders (Kaede Sugiyama and Kinuye Mushashibo). A lot of these individuals will be involved in the Big Crush battle royal, so everyone involved will be working hard to set themselves up for their big chance.

Finally, our main event sees 4 more participants in the Big Crush square off in tag action, with the young team of Miwako Katsukawa and Eri Sato facing a stern test against the Birds of Prey (Fuyuko Higa and Gemmei Oonishi)

<div style="text-align:center;">---

PREDICTION KEY

(OOC: Forecast is again cloudy with a medium chance of time limit draws.)

Zofia Jankovic / Lady Lotus / Rika Tsujimura vs. Mystery Pink / MAYA / Machiko Matsuda

Paige Croft vs. Mio Takasu

Talia Quinzel / Selina Svelte / Monster Ishimura vs. Aud Valkyrie / Eve Grunge / Otsune Tsumura

Yukiko Matsumara vs. Ochiyo Iijima

Yu Hashimoto vs. Kaori Takenouchi

Megumi Nakajima / Team SUB / TermiNation vs. HEART Saitoh / Hell Raisers / Stone Soliders

Miwako Katsukawa / Eri Sato vs. Fuyuko Higa / Gemmei Oonishi

(Card will be up on Saturday!)</div>

Mokoa · June 11, 2020

predictions

Zofia Jankovic / Lady Lotus / Rika Tsujimura vs. Mystery Pink / MAYA / Machiko Matsuda

Just a wild guess.

Paige Croft vs. Mio Takasu

Paige needs the momentum.

Talia Quinzel / Selina Svelte / Monster Ishimura vs. Aud Valkyrie / Eve Grunge / Otsune Tsumura

Otsune is here to do the job.

Yukiko Matsumara vs. Ochiyo Iijima

If Yuki is really going for a title shot, she needs this win.

Yu Hashimoto vs. Kaori Takenouchi

Seems like a safe bet.

Megumi Nakajima / Team SUB / TermiNation vs. HEART Saitoh / Hell Raisers / Stone Soliders

This one is really hard to predict. I'm gonna assume the people on team HEART Saitoh are in line for a little push before the PPV.

Miwako Katsukawa / Eri Sato vs. Fuyuko Higa / Gemmei Oonishi

Since Gemmei beat Sato before, I suppose this will be Sato's turn to get some momentum. Miwako also must stay strong. Probably a mistake on the part of the Birds of Prey will give the win to the opponents.

medla · June 12, 2020

Zofia Jankovic / Lady Lotus / Rika Tsujimura vs. Mystery Pink / MAYA / Machiko Matsuda

Paige Croft vs. Mio Takasu

Talia Quinzel / Selina Svelte / Monster Ishimura vs. Aud Valkyrie / Eve Grunge / Otsune Tsumura

Yukiko Matsumara vs. Ochiyo Iijima

Yu Hashimoto vs. Kaori Takenouchi

Megumi Nakajima / Team SUB / TermiNation vs. HEART Saitoh / Hell Raisers / Stone Soliders

Miwako Katsukawa / Eri Sato vs. Fuyuko Higa / Gemmei Oonishi

White Dolphin · June 13, 2020

5 Star Supreme Wrestling

Big Crush Tour Night 3

Monday/Week 1/February/2020

Nekketsu High School Gymnasium

Osaka, Japan

---

We get the usual intro from the announce desk before it's thrown over to the VP Kaiya Kuwahara for a generic hype job of the coming card and the upcoming finale of the Big Crush Tour. One of the main things of note was an off-hand revelation that the TermiNation will keep their tag title rematch in play for the Big Crush if they avoid getting into backstage fights and stay undefeated. Kuwahara then thanks the fans for attending and promises a good show.

Rating: 58

---

vs.

Zofia Jankovic / Lady Lotus / Rika Tsujimura vs. Mystery Pink / MAYA / Machiko Matsuda

This match turns out to be surprisingly good, as everyone involved works really hard and raises their game. Lady Lotus is gunning for MAYA in a clear bid to get a Triangle title shot, while Mystery Pink and Zofia Jankovic seem to be feeling each other out a lot and preparing for some type of rivalry.

The end result is a surprisingly watchable match, but one that leaves the crowd wanting more after the short 10 minute time limit expires to end it in a draw.

Result: Team Lotus drew with Team MAYA at 10:00 after the time limit expired.

Rating: 58

---

vs.

Paige Croft vs. Mio Takasu

Paige Croft seems a bit unhinged and frustrated going into this match due to prior events. Mio, not known for being calm and collected herself, responds in kind, and we get a fiarly wild, high-intensity encounter, with the smaller Paige working every ounce of her technique against the bigger opponent.

Croft controls for most of the match, but Takasu gets a brief rally going late. Takasu nails several strikes and then goes for the Headshot (Yakuza Kick), but Croft ducks it and chop-blocks Takasu at the knees, takes her base out with a couple basement dropkicks, and then finishes the kneeling Takasu off with a running Ace Crusher to secure the win in a decent match.

Result: Paige Croft def. Mio Takasu via pinfall in 10:42

Rating: 55

---

We then get a cut to backstage where Fuyuko Higa has requested time to air some grievances, with her thoroughly confused partner Gemmei Oonishi standing by. Higa basically spends most of her allotted camera time complaining about people ruining her perfection, dropping cryptic references to big future changes coming in 5-Star, and slamming Katsukawa and Sato for being green young girls who don't deserve to share the ring with her. Oonishi tries to chime in several times to figure out what the hell's going on with Higa, but gets interrupted each time, with Higa ultimately ordering her to go warm up and try not to get in her way when the match starts. This was weird to say the least.

Rating: 48

---

vs.

Talia Quinzel / Selina Svelte / Monster Ishimura vs. Aud Valkyrie / Eve Grunge / Otsune Tsumura

This match isn't bad, but serves mostly to showcase the Uprising and expose the limitations of the veterans Grunge and Valkyire, who have the wrestling know-how but can't keep up with the modern 5-Star pace. Svelte and Ishimura are isolated for small pcokets of the match, but Talia finally breaks the equillibrium with her power, getting the tag and blasting through all 3 opponents. Talia then presses Eve Grunge overhead for the always impressive Spinal Trauma backbreaker, and that gets 3 after 9 and a half fairly uneven minutes.

Result: Team Uprising def. Team Jobbers via pinfall (Quinzel pins Grunge) at 9:33

Rating: 52

---

Yukiko Matsumara cuts a generic promo about her desire for a title shot of some sort at the final show of the Big Crush tour.

Rating: 38

---

vs.

Yukiko Matsumara vs. Ochiyo Iijima

Two veteran wrestlers that have been struggling a bit as of late go at it here, but a decent match results, and Matsumara has her group of passionate fans in attendance. Ultimately, those fans go home happy after Iijima gets caught with the Matsumara Press (Twisting Moonsault Press) for a 3 count to end an ok match.

Result: Yukiko Matsumara def. Ochiyo Iijima via pinfall at 10:09

Rating: 51

---

vs.

Yu Hashimoto vs. Kaori Takenouchi

Hashimoto comes out swinging with bad intentions against the stocky young brawler, expecting to just run her over and be done with it, but Takenouchi does not roll over and take it, and in fact starts giving it back a little.

Hashimoto, for whatever reason, was on great form and carried the match to something good, knowing perfectly when to sell and timing comebacks well. The two don't gel together particularly well, but there is something pleasantly surprising about this match with no expectations behind it.

Takenouchi takes her lumps and tries hard, but ultimately Hashimoto ends up playing with her food towards the end of the match, picking up Takenouchi at 2 several times before landing the End Game (Spinning Backhand Blow to the jaw) to take the win. It wasn't clear sailing, but Hashimoto got the job done.......

Result: Yu Hashimoto def. Kaori Takenouchi via pinfall at 10:55

Rating: 58

---

Next up we get some generic in-set promos from Megumi Nakajima, Chiyeko Kita, and Sae Akutagawa hyping up their plans for the Big Crush. Unstoppable Tai also gets some camera time, but says nothing and just tears an Uprising t-shirt in half while looking tough and scary.

Rating: 41

---

vs.

Megumi Nakajima / Team SUB / TermiNation vs. HEART Saitoh / Hell Raisers / Stone Soliders

With an undercard that's overachieved to this point, it's rather surprising that a co-main event with a lot of over competitors and good talent in the ring........ can't quite match up to some of what's already been seen. Things don't click right in the match from the start, and things get worse in the middle when HEART Saitoh and Toku Kijmuta blow some spots badly in a rough sequence.

The match breaks down and loses flow, but picks up steam towards the end with a string of high-impact moves as a theme becomes apparent: Nakajima and Saitoh resume their prior issue and focus on each other, the Hell Raisers try to deprive the TermiNation of a tag title shot and so they cancel each other out, which leave the Stone Soliders alone with Team SUB, who have been riding high in this tour so far. And surely enough, Kinuye Mushashibo goes for broke on a Stone-Sault late, misses the move, and Chiyeko Kita blasts her with a Superkick to get the win.

Result: Team Nakajima def. Team Saitoh via pinfall (Kita pins Mushashibo) at 16:22

Rating: 56

---

vs.

Miwako Katsukawa + Eri Sato vs. The Birds of Prey (Fuyuko Higa/Gemmei Oonishi)

After an underachieving co-main, we get an overachieving main event, the first one without Nakajima, Maruya, or Jippensha involved in quite some time, and it's a match far better than it has any right to be.

The match is tremendously improved by a sequence where Higa refuses to sell for Sato early, until Sato stiffs her so hard that Higa has no choice. Higa shouts a lot of very naughty words at the youngster in response, but it comes off well because Higa the person and Higa the wrestling persona are starting to become pretty similar at this point. From that spot onwards however, Higa becomes cooperative and doesn't just eat her opponents up, and the match picks up steam.

Control shifts back and forth early, and a funny running gag develops when Oonishi takes a move from the opponents and gets shouted at by Higa, only for Higa to tag in and take the exact same move with the exact same setup.

The crowd are initially only mildly enthused by all this, but when the time passes 10 minutes and then 15 minutes they start to wake up to the possibility of an upset. Yuma Maruya and Shiori Jippensha also come out and sit ringside to watch the action, adding to the perceived importance of this bout. Katsukawa gets a huge moment when she lands the Katsukawa Bomb (Sunset Flip Powerbomb) on Oonishi for 2 before Higa saves, and then not long after lands it on Higa for 2 before Oonishi saves.

However, the match is ultimately decided by the inexperience of the Katsukawa and Sato tandem, as they mistime a double missile dropkick and collide with each other badly in mid-air, as Oonishi manages to evade both girls just in time. Oonishi tags in Higa, who throws Katsukawa over the top rope while screaming "BIG CRUSH VICTORYYYYYY!", before taking the legal woman Sato up for the Higa Green Driver (Emerald Flowsion Kai) to get the win JUST before the time limit expires to cap off a hell of a match.

Result: The Birds of Prey def. Katsukawa/Sato via pinfall (Higa pins Sato) at 19:55

Rating: 69 (nice)

---

OVERALL SHOW RATING: 66

ATTENDANCE: 212

White Dolphin · June 14, 2020

OOC SHOW NOTES:

Just a heads-up: There will not be a prediction key for the 4th show, but there WILL be one for the Big Crush end tour event. Reason being that the 4th show is a parade of semi-squash matches because I forgot to give some Big Crush entrants wins going into the final card. In hindsight I really should've made it a 15 woman battle royale instead of 20 so I could job out people like the Stone Soliders easier, but I also booked this slightly differently than in test sims where I didn't have the Gamma War Unit. Next tour should be smoother at least.

-The booking paradox: The crowd pings your show for lower-card guys being overexposed, but pings a match involving uppercard and lowercard guys for not being long enough with all the uppercard talent involved. I suppose it kinda makes sense when you think about it but still sorta annoying.

-I feel like I have a hard time writing Croft sometimes because I can't visualize how an Alexa Bliss sized wrestler (which Croft is implied to be) works with taller girls, hence my made-up finisher of Croft's Ace Crusher to a kneeling opponent.

-Very squashariffic undercard, but Hashimoto vs Takenouchi was a pleasant surprise at least. And the ratings weren't bad.

-Ten woman tag should've been a lot better than it was. Some people seemed to underperform even without the dirt sheet note implying inconsistency. I don't think it was the match length, but who knows.

-Main event of course was great, I think I did a good job of writing it. However, I feel like Higa's slowly taking over the shows. Maybe its the fact this was the first main event without my core 3 involved in some fashion. Regardless I'm guessing people are entertained by the act, cause Higa's one of those ultra-available work everywhere characters that show up as a first day hire in dynasties.

-In addition to the co-main the promos really should've been better. Also I need more jobbers aaaaaaaaaaah.

-In case you're wondering where Erin was, she was in the pre-show working an eight-woman tag that I'll mention in a later post.

Character post to come tonight or tomorrow, card on Monday probably. As always any comments/questions/views are much appreciated!

White Dolphin · June 14, 2020

(OOC: Card coming tomorrow, will be somewhat squash-a-riffic, but I'll try to do a good job with the Big Crush finale and the March tour!)

---

Erin sat in the locker room beaming.

She had just gotten finished with a pre-show match where they had stuck her in an 8 woman tag, with freaking 5 Star Defense on the other side! And sure, the interaction between Erin and Yuma Maruya was just a few moves, and Erin didn't really get a lot of offense in while on the jobbing team. But Erin could say she'd been in the ring with the best in the world without embarrassing herself. That was something.

The match would be uploaded on 5-Star's YouTube channel later, and Erin knew she had to figure out a way to download video of that. It would go right on her USB flashdrive, right along with the pictures she had posing with a few of the top stars on women's wrestling, the House of Stone class photo, and the match she had against the rookie Tagawa to start her 5SSW career.

Someday........ Erin was going to be doing things like this for young rookies when she was a star. Erin hoped she would be humble enough to remember how important moments like this were for a greenhorn like her.

Doing what she loved like this, this was the life. Dad could never get why this meant so much to her.....

---

Ted noticed something that Erin had been missing in the post-match afterglow.

5SSW locker room morale took a bit of a hit with news of back-to-back small shows two days in a row, designed to create some much-needed victory footage for certain people going into the battle royale. To top it off there were rumours floating around about half pay for these shows. Most people did adopt the mentality of toughing it out though, thinking positive that the company was still on the come up thanks to the TV deal, and they'd get a raise down the line if they kept putting on successful shows....... right?

So everyone went out and worked hard. Even Lady Lotus, the perpetual rainy day in the sunshine of 5SSW's locker room, had her working boots on.

The show ended, and everyone thought it came off well, except for Fuyuko Higa, who was stewing over being stiffed and forced to sell for Eri Sato, someone who was not "on her level", although she mumbled that part to avoid getting kicked again.

The majority of the gaijin were already displeased with how Higa treated Eve Grunge, and seeing Higa in a bitchy mood backstage further reinforced their need to "get her good", even if only once. Ted heard mutterings and sensed something bad was going to happen in the near future to either Higa or Higa's personal possessions.

Ultimately, Ted decided to keep a safe distance and stay away from the fallout. They weren't including Erin in the planning (yet), so it should be treated like small-town politics: Best to stay out of it, and let people that know the situation work the problem out amongst themselves.

Besides, Higa was firmly in "She had it coming" territory due to her backstage demeanour, as long as the rib didn't go too far........

---

TEW.com

5SSW News And Notes

by "JoshiJosh6" Joshua Prosser

-Viewership of the 3rd Big Crush Tour show was said to be slightly down (closer to 17000 viewers than 18000), but Shogun TV continues to be happy with the way things are going.

-5SSW are planning on splicing together matches from back-to-back cards for the final televised show of the Big Crush tour, due to rumoured booking miscommunication that left some battle royale participants short on victories going in.

-Fuyuko Higa was said to be furious over getting stiffed by Eri Sato but it's supposedly blown over. Higa still has a lot of locker room heat on her dating back years, due to her "self-centeredness"

-Management was very pleased with the tag main event between the Birds of Prey and Katsukawa/Sato, with Katsukawa/Sato expected to be a semi-regular team going forward.

-A non-televised dark match took place involving 5-Star Defense, Maki Yoshifumi, and Pinky Perez against Hana Ajibana, Thea Davis, and the Canadian Cats, and was said to be decent.

-Local referee Isao Takemura (formerly of Warrior Engine), has been hired on a full-time basis by 5-Star after filling in for Odaka during pre-show matches for the past several cards.

-Rumoured title matches going into the final tour show are: Maki Yoshifumi vs. Rika Tsujimura for the All-Asian belt, and MAYA vs. Lady Lotus and Yukiko Matsumara for the Triangle title.

-Double Pink and Lethal Strike are expected to work tag matches and not be involved in the Big Crush.

-Rumours abound that the planned tournament for April will be some type of international trios bracket, with finals being the main event at the Hall Of Fame show.

-Plans for a big summer angle are said to be mostly complete, with internal debate now going on over which wrestlers to use in the roles and how many outsiders to involve. Exactly what the big angle is has been a tightly guarded secret.

OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD:

-Jay Chord possibly leaving TCW in future to work in Japan?........

-Eagle Kawasawa bails on WLW after blowout with Haru Kurofuji, is heading to BHOTWG.........

-Alicia Strong Shoots Hard On CWA, Calling Them A "Second-Rate Company".........

Mokoa · June 15, 2020

So, when is Unstoppable Tai going to relieve herself on Higa's bag? <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Ted is smart, staying away from the hive. Nothing is good when you can see the heat.

Erin starstruck after working with Maruya was pretty cute. too bad the young lion system will keep her down for a good while.

I know how you feel about the crowd moaning on the matches' length. I have a game with 5SSW as well and it's pretty annoying all right. Especially since some workers lack stamina to have really long bouts.

Looking forward to Big Crush. It should be interesting.

White Dolphin · June 16, 2020

5 Star Supreme Wrestling

Big Crush Tour Semi-Final

Saturday/Week 1/February/2020

---

After the announcer intro, Kaiya Kuwahara welcomes us to this highlight compilation of matches from the final shows before the Big Crush tour finale in Osaka, reminding us on the battle royale main event, and talking up the other title opportunities that several women can earn with qualifiying victories. Kuwahara was her usual charming self and this was done well.

Rating: 67

---

vs.

The Stone Soldiers (Kaede Sugiyama/Kinuye Mushashibo) vs. Power and Passion (Rina Kusahara/KICHI)

We see highlights of a poorly executed squash to open things up, as the Stone Soliders run roughshod over the rookie tag team Power and Passion. Rina Kasahara gets brief sloppy-looking offense in but ultimately the Stone Soliders are in control, punching their ticket to the Big Crush battle royale with a Stone Fall(Springboard Hart Attack) on KICHI for the pinfall that KICHI doesn't take properly. These two rookies had glimmers of something but are a loooooooong way from the finished article.

Result: The Stone Soliders def. Power and Passion via pinfall (Sugiyama pins KICHI) at 4:37

Rating: 32

---

vs.

Miwako Katsukawa / Eri Sato vs. Rei Chikanatsu / Kuniko Matsura

The former 5SSW veterans returning for a one-off aim to take the younger team to school early, but end up being treated like delinquent students as Katsukawa and Sato control the match and really take it to their opponents with flashy moves, while experimenting with new double teams.

The biggest moment of the match comes at the end, and sees Katsukawa debut a handspring leap into a twisting elbow strike to the cornered Matsura, that Matsura sells like an MMA highlight reel strike. The crowd gives a very positive response to that move, and Katsukawa revs up for the finish..... Katsukawa Bomb (Sunset Flip Powerbomb)! The three count is academic.

Result: Katsukawa / Sato def. Chikanatsu / Matsura via pinfall (Katsukawa pins Matsura) in 7:40

Rating: 52

---

Post-match we go backstage, where Katsukawa delivers a fired-up promo. Katsukawa says that she's used the disappointment of losing the All-Asian title to Maki Yoshifumi to motivate herself, and she'll try to push her limits and see what she can accomplish in the best wrestling org in Japan. Katsukawa warns the Big Crush entrants that she'll be ready for a deep run in, so watch out.

Rating: 53

---

ELIMINATION RULES

vs.

Eve Grunge / Aud Valkyrie / Romi Yamato / Sae Akutagawa vs. Otsune Tsumura / Kaori Takenouchi / Erin Marcelin / Kate Avatar

This ends up being a fairly one-sided encounter, with the Hell Raisers being very motivated to knock heads after being deprived of a tag team title shot. We see highlights mostly of the eliminations, with Kate Avatar going out to a Northern Lights Superplex from Sae Akutagawa, Erin Marcelin going out to a Back Suplex followed by a German Suplex from Eve Grunge, and Romi Yamato defeating Kaori Takenouchi with the Yamatotal (Cross-Arm Bridging German Suplex).

Otsune Tsumura tries to bring the fight to her opponents on the comeback, but Sae shuts down the threat after a missed wheel kick and then brings Romi in. The Hell Raisers set up Yamato for a finish, and land their new big move called Kaenhousha (Total Elimination) on Tsumura for the 3 count.

Result: Team Hell Raisers def. Team Jobbers in 10:20 (Survivors: Grunge/Valkyrie/Yamato/Akutagawa)

Rating: 51

---

Afterwards we go back to the backstage area, where Sae Akutagawa cuts a promo on her disappointment at not getting the tag title shot, and says that the TermiNation will be seeing them again shortly. Sae then says her and Yamato will enter the Big Crush battle royale and make their presence felt in response. We then cut to Unstoppable Tai's reaction to this, which consists of laughter and knocking a cameraman down to the ground while trying to act really tough and scary. This segment happened.

Rating: 42

---

vs.

Paige Croft vs. HEART Saitoh

Both women have their ticket punched to the Big Crush battle royale, but look to put the cherry on top in the form of a big victory in the semi-final show. Highlights show a good back-and-forth technical struggle, with Saitoh hitting a couple impressive top rope moves, and almost getting the win with a Flying Tiger Knee (Top Rope Busaiku Knee Strike), that the short Paige manages to duck.

Paige takes control and applies the Memphis Deathlock (Kneeling Inverted Sharpshooter), but Saitoh refuses to quit as usual, and manages to make the ropes. Paige and Saitoh fight near the ropes and both tumble outside, with Paige making it in easily, but Saitoh being hurt struggles and...... makes it back in at 19!

Paige is audibly heard saying "THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A WIN IN AMERICA!" several times at referee Odaka as she works Saitoh over, eventually heading to the corner for a Tornado DDT of some description. However, Saitoh gets her second wind, stuns Croft with punches and forearms, and then hits a big Belly to Belly Superplex off the top, crawling over for the cover.......and it gets 3!

Result: HEART Saitoh def. Paige Croft via pinfall at 14:34

Rating: 58

---

vs.

Yukiko Matsumara / Lady Lotus / Rika Tsujimura vs. Ochiyo Iijima / Hana Ajibana / Mio Takasu

The Matsumara and Razor Petals trio have been making noise about wanting a title shot of some description, and their chance to show off comes here against a trio of veterans in bad form. The match is mostly a showcase of one-way offense, although Takasu does get a chance to run wild with some suplexes and strikes.

Ultimately though, Ochiyo Iijima is isolated and taken out with a vicious Razor Slice (Kenka Knee Strike) from Rika Tsujimura for 3.

Result: Team Matsumara def. Team Jobbers SD Remix via pinfall (Tsujimura pins Iijima) at 9:50

Rating: 53

---

Post-match the announcers reveal the title matches of Tsujimura vs. Yoshifumi for the All-Asian title, and Matsumara and Lady Lotus vs. MAYA for the Triangle title before we go to a promo.

Yuma Maruya talks about the upcoming biggest challenge of her title reign in the Big Crush battle royale, and is hopeful she'll survive and retain. In the meantime, she'll work with the young Kanto Express tonight to defend the standard of 5-Star once more from danger.

Fuyuko Higa is heard from as well, and says tonight the first domino falls in the controlling reign of the "idol" Yuma Maruya, in the form of Higa's team winning the main event tonight. Higa says maybe the next domino will fall when Higa takes the title at the Big Crush battle royale, maybe Higa will get the title later, but one thing's for sure: Something big is coming, and 5-star as we know it will be burned to cinders, and reborn in the image of perfection. Higa points to herself on that last word, because of course she does.

Rating: 65

---

vs.

Megumi Nakajima vs. Yu Hashimoto

Like Saitoh/Croft, both women are entering the Big Crush but need a win to establish themselves here. The highlights show a very good match, with both women working hard. Yu gets a big 2 count midway through, catching a Nakajima hurricanrana and muscling her into position for an Electric Chair Driver.

Hashimoto keeps trying to land the End Game (Spinning Backhand Blow to the jaw), Nakajima keeps ducking. Nakajima can't haul up Hashimoto for the Nakajima Straight Jacket (Straightjacket Suplex).

Middle Rope Exploder from Nakajima gets 2. MMA full-guard Powerbomb from Hshimoto gets 2. The crowd revs up a bit, not knowing which way this one will go.

Eventually the finish comes when Hashimoto goes for the Electric Chair Driver again, only for Nakajima to shift weight and victory roll Hashimoto for a close 3 count. The crowd is appreciative of what they got, but there is a sense that the match could've used a better buildup and 5 more minutes.......

Result: Megumi Nakajima def. Yu Hashimoto via pinfall at 14:39

Rating: 61

---

Post-match we get a generic backstage promo from Nakajima wanting to re-establish herself as a top woman in the company again by winning the Big Crush battle royale and getting Maruya back for the earlier loss. Hashimoto also checks in and says she'll be getting one back on Nakajima at the Big Crush. Lot of intrigue and feuds at play here in this big main event match.....

Rating: 48

---

vs.

5-Star Defense / Kanto Express vs. Birds of Prey / Team SUB

This get shown in full, unlike the previous clip jobs. It gets wild from the outset, as there's a real sense from some of the wiser Japanese fans that this one could go either way. Fuyuko Higa is in her glory here, casually styling on both members of the Kanto Express before Shiori Jippensha tags in and out chain-wrestles her badly. Higa surprisingly applauds Jippensha before tagging out to Etsuko Arihyoshi.

Team SUB make a good accounting for themselves here, and they've been on fire through the first 3 shows of the Big Crush tour, and seem to have the werewithal to stay competitive against even the world champ Maruya.

Gemmei Oonishi looks visibly uncomfortable being part of this heel group (and being a part of her partner's increasingly weird antics), but Oonishi is persuaded to get fired up for the fight by after Maruya mat wrestles her to the ground and calls on her to try harder after a clean break. Oonishi does and gets to run wild for a bit, before being cut off by Jippensha tagging in.

5-Star Defense have to keep a lid on this match, as the Kanto Express seem to get overwhelmed when left in too long, although they do get a close 2 on Higa with the Last Stop (Magic Killer) before Team SUB makes the save.

Higa does not need a save to kick out of the Split-Legged Moonsault from Maruya however, which stuns Maruya and the crowd. 5-Star Defense desperately try to keep control, but smart tagging in and out by the other contigent wears them down a little, and eventually, the devil's scenario happens for the face team. Matsuda misses a corner splash, gets isolated, the faces get knocked off the apron as the match breaks down, and Matsuda tastes the Team SUB Superkick/Tiger Suplex combo that's never been kicked out of.

As Higa predicted, the first domino fell tonight, as Arihyoshi got the 3 count to take the win. But are there more dominoes to come?

Result: Team Higa def. Team Maruya via pinfall (Arihyoshi pins Matsuda) at 20:29

Rating: 70

---

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: 68

White Dolphin · June 16, 2020

OOC SHOW NOTES:

-So this show was very different from what I had done before in test sims, and not that dissimilar to what the 3rd show was actually. I think the biggest change was combining a Hell Raisers squash with the Eve/Aud team up squash over the Canadian Cats I had planned. I had also used 5 local competitors on the show instead of 4, and I don't think I had Katsukawa/Sato teaming up. The previous saves are lost so I can't check them for reference. Sometimes booking is like trying to fit 40 food items in a standalone freezer: You think you've screwed up and can't fit everything in, then you adjust a couple items and suddenly the space to fit the bag of hashbrowns just materializes. idk

-Part of me was thinking it was a bad idea to have Hashimoto or Croft job (neither of which happened in prior saves, I'm pretty sure I had a Hashimoto time limit draw with Saitoh before), but then its Japan and the booking is different there, even if the game doesn't _TOTALLY_ reflect that. I think there was a line from Dave Meltzer in a past Observer talking about how Japan's fanbase deciding to reject anything that wasn't a clean finish in the late 80s/ early 90s changed the whole meaning of jobbing, because if everyone does jobs, then it hurts no one to do those jobs. Of course, the North American counter-argument is that you need screwy finishes to extend feuds and wins and losses are definitive and if Daniel Bryan loses to Randy Orton once he's buried forever, but whatever. Besides, neither woman is going to be in singles world title matches anytime soon.

-Power and Passion were pretty damn awful in their squash loss. I'm not particularly fond of either gal, I like Young Lightning a lot more, as well as Tagawa and Isako, but geeeeeez.

-Miwako Katsukawa got the in-game hot new move debut bit, so thats GREAT. She really needs more renders though.

-Really feel for Eve and Aud, because I like them both but if we get TEW 2024 they'll probably retire having never been in a fed, which is a total waste. I get the feeling they've laid down for a lot of future stars over the years. And yeah neither has great top-rows, but crappier workers were hired over them (Roz Larren in 2013 NOTBPW was a wtf moment even though shes not terrible either, and I feel like EWA had some bad workers.)

-Still haven't been able to get a Menace angle to work. I feel like smaller feds should not do anything other than promos now, because Overness and probably Fighting/Selling angles just DIE unless someone hyper-over does them. I get that 100 rated menace angles should be special and hard to achieve, stuff along the lines of Braun flipping Roman's ambulance, but geeeeeez.

-Higa keeps dominating my diary. Send help!

-Main event was tres bien and made my show better than it deserved to be. Things are looking good going into future tours.

-As always, any feedback/comments/predictions are greatly appreciated! Character post tomorrow, maybe another post after that, then prediction key for Big Crush. I'll shoot to have the big card up on Friday!

I know how you feel about the crowd moaning on the matches' length. I have a game with 5SSW as well and it's pretty annoying all right. Especially since some workers lack stamina to have really long bouts.

Recent discoveries by our crack team of 1000 monkeys with keyboards that form our GDS Discord suggest that time does not matter a great deal for matches, but I use it as a crutch to lean on when explaining match ratings. Granted, I think its a case-by-case basis depending on product, so we'll see what happens when ratings start climbing into the 80s and how far they come down when you run the same match but 10 minutes.

---

PREDICTION STANDINGS THAT I TOTALLY DIDN'T FORGET TO UPDATE LAST TIME SHUT UP:

El_Ray: 22/29

medla: 22/29

KyTeran: 20/29

Herrbear: 9/14

Mokoa: 7/14

Wicked Intentions: 3/7

medla · June 16, 2020

Nice i try to play 5ssw and fot lost around 20k by month

so i try i try to play IT again

Neoteros · June 16, 2020

Nice i try to play 5ssw and fot lost around 20k by month so i try i try to play IT again

That seems like a common issue when running a touring schedule...

Mokoa · June 16, 2020

Nice i try to play 5ssw and fot lost around 20k by month so i try i try to play IT again

I unmarked catering and my losses decreased to just 2k the next month. Also, getting a TV deal and putting good rated shows probably helped a little with the ticket sellings and stuff. But the catering thing is a little tip I'd give if you really need to save some money while your company still is not profitable.

Mokoa · June 16, 2020

The tension between Oonishi and Higa is intriguing.

It was an interesting show. I loved Unstoppable Tai laughing and then laying a poor cameraman to recover her "tough aura".

Unstoppable Tai: "How dare you record me in a good mood, peasant?"

Yuma Maruya's persona is similar to Mayu Iwatani in real life. The face of the company and she knows it. Higa seems to dislike it. Oonishi seems to like Maruya and it puts her in a tough spot as she's Higa's partner and "buddy".

Big Crush is shaping up to be a blast.

Also, I love the renders you are using for Maruya, Saitoh, Katsukawa and Karube. if it's all right, could you pass me the link for them?

White Dolphin · June 16, 2020

"Nice i try to play 5ssw and fot lost around 20k by month so i try i try to play IT again"

"That seems like a common issue when running a touring schedule..."

"I unmarked catering and my losses decreased to just 2k the next month. Also, getting a TV deal and putting good rated shows probably helped a little with the ticket sellings and stuff. But the catering thing is a little tip I'd give if you really need to save some money while your company still is not profitable."

I'm bleeding money rapidly due to production costs and rising to Small size (which means I need to keep up with WLW now), but I've got a buffer thanks to plot. I cannot fathom what this game is like for 5-Star in default vanilla data with that very minimal bankroll. You'd probably have to cut a lot of Tier 2 talent on big handshake deals like Maki Yoshifumi, and probably fire Kit Hatoyama for a cheaper road agent, and probably one of the colour commentators as well. Oh, and all the gaijin.

It was an interesting show. I loved Unstoppable Tai laughing and then laying a poor cameraman to recover her "tough aura".

Unstoppable Tai: "How dare you record me in a good mood, peasant?"

Yuma Maruya's persona is similar to Mayu Iwatani in real life. The face of the company and she knows it. Higa seems to dislike it. Oonishi seems to like Maruya and it puts her in a tough spot as she's Higa's partner and "buddy".

Big Crush is shaping up to be a blast.

Also, I love the renders you are using for Maruya, Saitoh, Katsukawa and Karube. if it's all right, could you pass me the link for them?

The renders can just be swiped if you go right click view image then copy the link or right click again to save it on your computer. I don't remember who exactly made them, I swiped them off google searches.

I will confess to not knowing who Mayu Iwatani is. I like joshi but I'm not a super big obsessed follower of it, and what I've seen is more old stuff like that star in the pink bodysuit against Combat Toyoda and Aja Kong (which included that infamous Botchamania clip of the neck-first powerbomb commentated in hilarious fashion by the Insane Clown Posse.)

Even with 5-Star having no faces and heels, I see Yuma's character as a super never-say-die babyface idol, beloved by the male fans for looking like a goddess, someone who defends the company and everything it stands for. I don't think she'd outright say that shes the best and no one can touch her and she knows it, because I think she'd stay humble and be wary of the threat posed by her rivals (cause having her best friend Karube turn on her and fight her for a decade would do that.). She's the classic idol anime stereotype of a bubbly person who always thanks the fans for their support after the big success.

Not sure if that's who Mayu is, but yeah that's how I see Maruya.

Oonishi of course is a bit more interesting, because if we're being real her and Higa never fit together as a team (at least in my eyes). So I would assume its always an odd couple thing, with Higa being serious and Oonishi being a showy fashionista Spice Girl or whatever. But a decade of Higa never fully realizing her potential and not quite being Miss Perfection is making her go a bit cray-cray. Still, Oonishi is willing to stay with Higa, even if Higa's against someone she respects, because Higa's been her friend for so long and she can't throw that friendship away just because Higa dresses in leather, dies her hair, has a walking stick with a mini skull on it, and says crazy things. Takes a lot more than that to break such a friendship.

And now Higa's rolling with Team SUB for this match, who I see as being somewhat sadistic and taking pleasure in their opponent's pain, and she's probably like what am I doing here? Then Maruya reminded her: Regardless of the side, you try hard, give the fans a show, and do your best to win. And so Oonishi is rolling with it. For now.

The Oonishi/Higa dynamic will get more air-time, belee dat.

Story post later tonight!

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