SPARK Joshi Puroresu traveled to Texas for the first time and showed out.
Fans inside the Baytown Community Center (or streaming from home on Triller TV) watched Yuka Sakazaki make her debut for the American-based joshi promotion, Miyu Yamashita try to kick people’s heads in, and Hazuki defend the SPARK Joshi World Championship. An intriguing mix of talent and fresh matchups made for a fun show.
Koguma was supposed to join her FWC teammate at this event east of Houston, but was a late scratch from the card due to injury. SPARK Joshi brought in former World of STARDOM champ Bea Priestley to replace her.
I was in attendance, sitting in front of some ardent, vocal Maya World supporters. Read on for my impressions and ratings of all the action.
Charity King & Kalientita vs. Ki Vibez & Ridley Thorne
The show opened with former NWA women’s tag champ Charity King joining forces with San Antonio-based Kalientita against a pair of ornery heels.
Both teams punctuated their offense with lots of trash talk. They played to the crowd quite a bit. The match featured a classic structure of the heels double teaming one of the faces (Kali) for much of the bout before Charity came charging in with the hot tag.
King was one of the standouts of the night with all kinds of presence and athleticism on display. She and Kalientita pulled out the win to start the show with a feel-good moment.
This was a solid match that hit all the notes you’d expect. It didn’t break any new ground or hit a high gear, but did the job to kick things off.
Rating: 5.75/10
Bea Priestley vs. Jazmin Allure
Priestley stepped in for Koguma and showed off how much she’s refined her game over the past few years.
The crowd was surprisingly tepid when she walked out. The Koguma fans couldn’t hide their disappointment, I guess.
Once the bell began, Priestley leaned on her size and strength difference and took control on the mat. When Allure fought back, she fired off some absolutely thunderous chops. After a short brawl outside the ring, the story focused on Priestley working over Jazmin’s leg. Allure gave the Top Gaijin hell, but Priestley overpowered her in the end.
This was a hard-hitting bout with a good amount of drama. It’s a good example of why Allure is a rising star on the indie scene.
Rating: 6.25/10
SAKI & Kaia McKenna vs. Yuka Sakazaki & Raychell Rose
This tag clash leaned on comedy more than anything else on the card. They went for a playful tone here that some fans will appreciate it more than others.
Yuka was clearly having fun, darting around the ring with a big grin on her face.
Rose and SAKI had an entertaining strike exchange. The chemistry between the two squads overall, though, felt off. That’s not too surprising considering how unfamiliar everyone was with each other.
Sakazaki finished off McKenna with her Miracle Merry Go-Round.
As a big fan of Yuka and longtime admirer of Rose, this was a highly anticipated match for me, but it was a bit of a letdown. At least we got to see The Magical Girl do her thing for once. This was only her seventh match of the year.
Rating: 5.25/10
Miyu Yamashita vs. Vert Vixen vs. Airica Demia
Vert Vixen knocked off Ram Kaicho in Las Vegas to win the Pacific title, and this marked her first defense.
The action was fast and fluid, and everyone made clever use of the three-way dynamic. We saw creative spots and intense offense throughout. Vixen powerbombed Yamashita on the apron, Miyu kicked everybody everywhere, and Demia played the opportunist, slipping in to try and steal the win.
Yamashita nailed Vixen with a Skull Kick, but tripped on Demia who scrambled in and got the three-count. The 20-year-old Demia walked out as the new champ with Vixen stewing outside the ring.
This dynamic slugfest was the match of the night.
Rating: 7.75/10
Hazuki vs. Maya World (Spark Joshi World Championship)
Hazuki outlasted Lena Kross in Las Vegas in April to win that championship. Her first defense came here against That Girl.
An aggressive Maya made sure people remembered her. She fired off some hard hits that echoed through the building. Maya took it to Hazuki, snarling and focused. She nailed a senton while the champ sat slumped in a fan’s chair.
Hazuki responded with her usual fast-paced offense, a dive outside, and all kinds of heart and energy. As you’d expect.
Champion and challenger played off each other well. Maya’s power versus Hazuki’s speed. The two wrestlers trading crossfaces was a nice subplot, too.
Wild Heart hit Atomic Bomb’s Away to win and retain in a quality match.
I’m very invested to see what happens moving forward with Hazuki’s title reign. She claimed the title in a banger and impressed in defense no. 1. We are getting to see her take on intriguing opponents and there’s a whole host of potential challengers she could shine against. Hazuki vs. Hyan, anyone?
Rating: 7.5/10
Ignite Texas delivered. We didn’t get any certified bangers, but the card entertained top to bottom, the last two matches in particular.
SPARK Joshi remains a promotion to keep an eye on in part because of how it pits together wrestlers from such a variety of promotions. Here’s hoping they make their way back to Texas again.
RESURA 