Ice Ribbon ~15th Anniversary~ 09.08.2021 Yokohama Budokan Preview
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On August 9th Ice Ribbon celebrates its Fifteenth Anniversary with a big show at Yokohama Budokan – their first in the new Yokohama venue. The promotion, which was founded in 2006 by Emi Sakura, has a storied past and despite this author’s hopes for a Sakura return this show has a strong line-up top to bottom, headlined by an ICExInfinity title match between the champion Tsukasa Fujimoto and veteran freelancer Hiroyo Matsumoto. If Tsukka and Matsumoto, who debuted in 2008 and 2006 respectively, represent the history of Ice Ribbon – and they’re also the tag team champions who defend the titles in the semi-main event – the future is represented by eighteen year-old Suzu Suzuki challenging for the FantastICE title three matches from the top. There is also a return for Asahi, another teenage prodigy, and a first Yokohama match for the twelve-year old Saran, demonstrating that Ice Ribbon has built a strong future on top of its celebrated past.
Match 1: Six Woman Tag Team Match
Cherry & Mochi Miyagi & Yuuki Mashiro vs. Itsuki Aoki & Nao Ishikawa & Saran
The opening match features some great talent such as Cherry, Miyagi, and Aoki, but really this match is all about the rookies. Eternal rivals Mashiro and Ishikawa face each other again after their time limit draw at Korakuen Hall last month. So far Mashiro holds the edge in their contests, having beaten Ishikawa in a shock victory at Ribbonmania 2020. This is a chance for Ishikawa to gain a measure of revenge upon the Gacha King at the Budokan. Meanwhile, new rookie Saran teams with Itsuki Aoki who she idolised, and has promised to make a name for herself at the Budokan (before debuting as Saran she went by the name Trainee Budou, so there is a good Budou-Budokan pun in there).
Match 2: P’s Party Offer Match & Asashi Return Match
Asahi & Ancham & Yappy & Shizuku Tsukada vs. Rina Shingaki & Momo Kohgo & Banny Oikawa & Honori Hana
This match is made up of P’s Party regulars and features the exciting return to the ring of Asahi, who was last seen in September 2020. She took some time away from the ring to focus on her health, joining the staff of Ice Ribbon in April to work backstage before deciding to return to the ring at the Anniversary show. In the press conference she stated that her aim is to enjoy wrestling, not focus on who wins and loses. She joins an all-star P’s Party cast, with Shizuku Tsukata stepping in to replace Madeline who unfortunately hasn’t recovered from COVID-19 in time for the show. P’s Party have recently begun a tournament to determine who will have the right to go on excursion to Mexico and in the first round Banny Oikawa defeated Yappy, so look for Yappy to exact some payback in this match. P’s Party really is one of the best things going on in wrestling right now, and this match demonstrates the strength of Ice Ribbon’s connections to the wider joshi scene, featuring wrestlers from Shinshu Girls, Actwres Girl’z, 2AW, Pro-Wrestling WAVE, and SEAdLINNNG.
Match 3: Tag Team Match
NATSUMI & Aja Kong vs. Hamuko Hoshi & Ibuki Hoshi
NATSUMI made her Ice Ribbon debut at the June Korakuen Hall show, losing valiantly in a match against Tsukushi Haruka. Aja Kong was her second in that match, which led to Ibuki Hoshi laying down a challenge against the two because she was jealous of NATSUMI’s relationship with Kong. This slightly upset her mum, Hamuko Hoshi, who thought that Ibuki was saying that she preferred Kong to her. The Hoshi team will have to put aside their differences to take on their ZERO1 opponents, and Ibuki was actually on the losing side of a tag team match against NATSUMI at P’s Party on July 28th. Hamuko is the new IW19 champion, having beaten Tsukushi for the title on a recent Shinkiba 1st Ring show, so I wouldn’t bet against the Hoshi’s picking up the win against their rookie foe, but with Aja Kong in the mix anything could happen.
Match 4: Triangle Ribbon Title Match
Ram Kaichow vs. Satsuki Totoro vs. Thekla (c)
The 40th Triangle Ribbon Champion Thekla makes her second defence of the title against 666’s Ram Kaichow and Osaka’s own Satsuki Totoro. Thekla’s first defence was against the Hoshi family in May. Ram was the 36th and 38th Triangle Ribbon Champion, having held the title for a combined 222 days in 2020. She is a perennial threat in these matches, and Ice Ribbon seems to be very happy putting the title on her. Totoro, on the other hand, has never won a title and is trying to find her first victory here. The Osaka native, who is now a qualified real estate agent, has been a solid part of Ice Ribbon’s midcard since 2017, and in this author’s opinion it would be a great result for Totoro to pick up her first title here. The smart money is probably on Thekla to retain though, but regardless this match should be very good.
Match 5: Next ICExInfinity Challenger Match
Akane Fujita vs. Maika Ozaki
RebelxEnemy’s Maika Ozaki takes on Akane Fujita in a match to determine the next challenger for the ICExInfinity belt. Fujita holds a 3-1 lead in singles matches over Ozaki, although Ozaki did claim her victory in the 2019 ICExInfinity title tournament first round. Both Akane and Maika have had previous ICExInfinity title challenges but neither have held the top title, and neither have quite broken out of the upper midcard of Ice Ribbon. This match should be great, but I can’t quite see either triumphing in a title challenge to either Tsukasa Fujimoto or Hiroyo Matsumoto. In their pre-match press conference Maika expressed a desire to face Hiroyo for the first time, whereas Akane wants to face Tsukka for the title. I think that this match could go either way, but I might give Akane a slight edge in this contest.
Match 6: Singles Match
Tsukushi Haruka vs. Nanae Takahashi
Tsukushi Haruka takes on SEAdLINNNG’s Nanae Takahashi in a singles match for the second time. Their first meeting was in 2013, when Takahashi defeated Haruka in a seventeen minute match. More recently, Tsukushi and Chikayo Nagashima defeated the Citrus Wind team of Nanae and Arisa Nakajima in the SEAdLINNNG high speed tournament, with Tsukushi scoring a direct pinfall over Nanae. In the press conference Tsukushi explained that when she was a child she watched All Japan Women’s matches featuring Nanae Takahashi, which inspired her to become a joshi wrestler. According to Tsukushi, if she had never met Takahashi she would probably never have gotten to this point in her life. Tsukushi even brough fan photos of her with Nanae to the press conference. I imagine that Nanae will be the winner in this match (hopefully more cries of the old guard will be headed off since Tsukushi has been wrestling for eleven years), but Tsukushi will give her a very strong run for her money.
Match 7: FantastICE Title Match
Suzu Suzuki vs. Rina Yamashita (c)
The second FantastICE Champion Rina Yamashita defends the title for the first time against the eighteen year old prodigy Suzu Suzuki in a Summer Hell Board and Bring Your Own Weapons Deathmatch. Their first meeting was in 2019, when Yamashita beat Suzuki in eight minutes. Since then Suzu has come on leaps and bounds, including winning the ICExInfinity title in August 2020 and holding it until January 2021. After losing the Infinity title she followed her childhood dream of being a deathmatch wrestler and began a seven match trial series against some of the biggest names in men’s hardcore and deathmatch wrestling. Perhaps unsurprisingly she lost all of them, but she put on some great matches against the likes of Yuko Miyamoto, Jun Kasai, Masashi Takeda, and Abdullah Kobayashi. She has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in an Ice Ribbon wrestling ring and the future looks bright with Suzuki leading the way.
That isn’t to take anything away from the champion going into this match. Rina Yamashita has been one of the pioneers of women’s hardcore wrestling since her debut in 2013, regularly appearing for Pro Wrestling Freedoms, where she held the tag team titles with Minoru Fujita earlier this year. She was Risa Sera’s opponent in the first match to determine the inaugural FantastICE champion and she was the one who finally defeated Sera at the June Korakuen Hall show to become the second champion. The ‘Deathamtch Amazoness’ holds the edge in experience both of wrestling and of deathmatches. But Suzuki took a direct pinfall from Yamashita at the last Korakuen Hall show, and she would be a worthy third champion as well. This match could go either way, but it’s sure to involve a lot of violence and wrestlers putting their bodies on the line to show what joshi deathmatch wrestlers can do.
Match 8: International Ribbon Tag Team Title Match
Azure Revolution (Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera) vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto & Hiroyo Matsumoto (c)
The 52nd International Ribbon Tag Team Champions Tsukasa Fujimoto and Hiroyo Matsumoto take on Azure Revolution for their first title defence. Fujimoto and Matsumoto won the tag team titles in a three-way match back in July, defeating Risa Sera and Akane Fujita and Maya Yukihi and Maika Ozaki. Following that match Azure Revolution reunited to challenge Fujimoto and Matsumoto. All the women in this match are storied tag team champions – Fujimoto an eight time International Ribbon champion, Matsumoto a three time champion, and Azure Revolution three time champions as well. Whilst Fujimoto and Matsumoto are a relatively new team, Azure Revolution are reuniting for the first time in a year and nine months. To add more spice to the matchup, Fujimoto and Matsumoto will be facing each other in the main event for the ICExInfinity title. Both sides have struggled with their preparations for this match as Matsumoto and Maya Yukihi were both forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19 restrictions. I think that Azure Revolution has the edge in this match, especially given the main event, but you can never rule out the Stamina Monster and the Lady Destroyer.
Match 9: ICExInfinity Title Match
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto (c)
Tsukasa Fujimoto, the 32nd ICExInfinity Champion, defends her title for the seventh time against the Lady Destroyer Hiroyo Matsumoto. They have, rather surprisingly, only faced each other three times in singles matches during their career with a 1-1-1 record. Their last match was a time-limit draw in 2017, although Tsukka has the only title match victory between the two of them – winning the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Title from Matsumoto in 2012. This is a totally different matchup however, with both wrestlers now seasoned veterans who have won multiple titles throughout their careers. Fujimoto has faced a varied line-up of challengers since she won the title from Suzu Suzuki in January, defeating Rina Yamashita, Maya Yukihi, Tsukushi Haruka, Mochi Miyagi, Totoro Satsuki, and Tae Honma. She has also achieved her long-held ambition to hold an Ice Ribbon show in her hometown of Rifu-cho, which was hit by the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Despite being 38 years old she hasn’t lost a step at all, and continues to represent the public face of Ice Ribbon with dignity and enthusiasm.
Her opponent, Matsumoto, has had a long career as one of the premier free agents in all of joshi wrestling. Her career accolades include titles in Ice Ribbon, OZ Academy, Stardom, Sendai Girls, SEAdLINNNG, Shimmer, and DDT. Out of all of Fujimoto’s opponents, Matsumoto probably has the best chance of beating her for the title. However, I think it’s difficult to see beyond Tsukka standing victorious at the end of Ice Ribbon’s first ever Yokohama Budokan show. Whoever wins, they will already know the identity of their next challenger from the Akane Fujita vs. Maika Ozaki match earlier in the night.
