We’re going to the not-too-distant past, and a main event from Ice Ribbon’s Korakuen Hall show…
We’ve another pick from Parker J Klyn, and it’s a match that got a little bit of buzz recently. It’s the main event of Ice Ribbon’s show from January 23, 2021, New Ice Ribbon #1095 ~ Winter Story…
As always, if you want to recommend a match, drop into the KoFi or Buy Me a Coffee links on the webpage or on Twitter and send an idea!
ICExInfinity Championship: Suzu Suzuki (c) vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
Two names I’m pretty unfamiliar with, save for Fujimoto’s appearance at EVE for Jayla Dark’s retirement show in September 2019… Suzuki’s only 18, according to Cagematch, and came in having held the title since August 2020.
The early going sees the pair trade hammerlocks going down to the mat, then waistlocks as a headlock takedown and an escape led to a stand-off. A lock-up sees Fujimoto get a wristlock in, but Suzuki armdrags her way free, taking the challenger into the corner for a shoulder tackle, leading to some choking in the ropes and a dropkick to the back.
Fujimoto slams Suzuki, then kicks her in the back as the relative veteran looked to take control, taking Suzuki between the ropes, trapping her for a dropkick to the back that got a two-count. A crossface has Suzuki in trouble, but she backs into the ropes before cartwheeling away from an attempted throw. Suzuki tries an Irish whip, but she’s reversed into the corner and met with a dropkick, then returned the favour as she put Fujimoto in the ropes for a baseball slide German suplex. Following Fujimoto outside, Suzuki takes her into the railings and has a run up for a kick before a whip into the railings was reversed. Fujimoto rolls Suzu back inside and tied her up in an Octopus stretch, but it ends when Suzuki staggered into the ropes.
Fujimoto keeps the pressure on with a running dropkick into the corner, but Suzuki hits one in response before charging in with a low dropkick in the opposite corner. The pair trade forearms and chops, before Suzuki bridges under a strike… then came back with a running flip neckbreaker for a two-count. Heading up top was a bad idea for Suzuki, who’s thrown back down before Fujimoto’s cazadora began a series of pinning attempts. A kick leaves Suzuki down as Fujimoto flies with a missile dropkick, getting her a near-fall, before Suzuki slipped onto the apron and caught her up top with a gamengiri. Suzuki throws her down off the top and onto the apron with an Ace crusher, then followed up with a running dropkick from the floor.
Suzuki goes up top again for a missile dropkick, knocking down her challenger who barely kicks out, before a wheelbarrow roll through from Suzuki led to a PK and a trapped arm-and-leg submission that I can barely begin to describe. Fujimoto’s forced to drag herself towards the ropes, but Suzuki locks in a Kimura before we got the rope break. A German suplex follows, but Fujimoto flips free and kicks back, only for Suzuki to shrug it off… then get tripped to the mat as a strait-jacket choke saw Fujimoto stretch Suzuki back on herself. Fujimoto goes up top for a Blockbuster, which nearly puts away the champion, but a second charge into the corner is stopped as Suzuki instead ends up taking a series of PKs to the back. A third PK to the front barely gets a one-count… then again… before Suzuki rolled through the pin on yet another PK.
Fujimoto almost takes the win with the Infinity – think the set-up for a mounted Octopus stretch, but instead spinning it out like a SOS. A second charge into the corner’s blocked, but Suzuki ends up taking a German suplex, shrugging it off to hit an Infinity of her own. Suzuki can’t make the pin, and by the time they both get back to their feet, they’re trading elbow strikes. They move up to tit-for-tat kicks until a double handed chop from Fujimoto nearly leads to the win. From there, Fujimoto looks for Code Red, but Suzuki counters out, grabbing Fujimoto’s arm and leg behind her before cartwheeling into a Tequila Shot. It’s got to be seen to believed, so it’s a good job GIFs exist!
Interesting. pic.twitter.com/Bup9TTixgk
— Andy Warhorse (@JaimsVanDerBeek) February 10, 2021
The pin from the Tequila Shot doesn’t get the win, so Suzuki goes for another German suplex, only for Fujimoto to counter up for a Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, but a Victory Roll from Suzuki gets a near-fall as the tension rises. A half-nelson slam gets Suzuki another two-count, before a ripcord standing Spanish Fly gets a similar result… she’s throwing everything out there, but nothing’s getting that three count.
Going back to the German suplex, Fujimoto wheelbarrows through and clutches onto Suzuki’s leg to save herself… but the grip’s broken! Fujimoto escapes and lands another Infinity… then hoisted up Suzuki for the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, but Suzuki spins out into a sunset flip for a near-fall, before back-and-forth pinning attempts garnered a tonne of two-counts, before Fujimoto was finally able to sprint up the turnbuckles and land the Venus Shoot springboard enziguiri, taking down Suzuki for the three-count.
If you’re watching this on its own, with no prior knowledge of either of the women in this match, like me, you’ll probably need the first few moments of the match to settle into what’s going on before the closing stretch hits you. The action initially starts as a slow burn, with Fujimoto using her experience to find a way through to victory – despite Suzuki trying her damndest to prevent the Venus Shoot at the end. Some of the stuff on show here was totally new to me – and that’s a good thing. The Tequila Shot. The Infinity. Good luck to whoever tries to lift those in future…
Result: Tsukasa Fujimoto pinned Suzu Suzuki in 18:50 to win the ICExInfinity Championship (****½)