Io Shirai vs Mayu Iwatani (Stardom - 12/22/2016)

My favourite Stardom match, has an emotional resonance to it that you don't generally get in the more spot-heavy modern Joshi. Here's the review I wrote closer to the time:

One of my favourite matches of the year. I preferred this to the May match because everything here is so intense, there's not quite hatred between the two but there's a lot of anger. The match opens with Io offering Mayu a handshake, which Mayu considers insincere after Io's refusing a handshake in their tag match previous to this and just being a total dick to her for months. So Mayu gives her a good hard smack in the face and attempts a rapid fire suplex but Io powers out and wins a strike exchange. Mayu then attempts a hurricanrana only for Io to land in a handstand position and flip onto her feet like it's easy and just has this super-cocky smirk on her face mocking Mayu like "Can't touch this, fool." Sets the scene for the match excellently.

The psychology of the match is Io is way above Mayu's level in every way. In the previous trios match they were in there's this spot where Mayu throws like 4 different strikes at her and not a single one connects as Io just does these Matrix like dodges, gives a smirk and smacks Mayu down. Mayu's a quiet and shy character but there's this bottled up rage inside her building from every time these past months Io has patronised, demeaned and just straight out humiliated her. Is that rage going to be enough to defeat Io?

Mayu attacks Io with more ferocity than ever including some sick suplexes, but Io still has an answer to most of her new found violent edge. Io gets increasingly angry too as the match goes on, that this mere mortal dare challenge her like this. Io's anger is self-righteous and disdainful whereas Mayu's is a justified reaction to being bullied. But the answer to the question is no. Io's just too good. Mayu's biggest attempt to win the match a dragon suplex off the top rope just ends with Io backflipping onto her feet and delivering rolling dead-lift German suplexes and her fantastic moonsault. Mayu kicks out AT 1! What an awesome fighting-spirit spot, not no-selling but where you still feel the wrestler is badly hurt but is running on pure adrenaline/emotion, and like most fighting-spirit bursts it's just a last act of defiance against the inevitable. Mayu attempts a tombstone but Io reverses it into one of her own. Hits her with a moonsault and stands on her belly in disdain and screams something before hitting a second moonsault to put an end to Mayu's little fairy tale. 1 2 3.

There are a few minor flaws in the ring-work but they're not that much of an issue to me and the story-telling is 5 stars worthy. ****3/4 and the best Stardom match I've seen to date.