Pro Wrestling EVE’s ‘Global Women Strike’ Review

Credit: Pro Wrestling EVE

On Thursday, Sept. 27, Pro Wrestling EVE aired its “Global Women Strike” show, which featured Toni Storm vs. Meiko Satomura in the main event. Once again, EVE delivered the goods with another tremendous show from start to finish.

Any show that promises Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm as its headliner figures to be an extraordinary viewing experience. Fans were treated to the very best of women’s wrestling at Pro Wrestling EVE’s “Global Women Strike” show at the ResGal on Thursday, Sept. 27.

Storm vs. Satomura made the most waves, but every other match on the card is well-worth your time, whether it was Holidead’s EVE debut against Rhia O’Reilly or Millie McKenzie’s opener against Chihiro Hashimoto.

The show streamed live at Pro Wrestling EVE’s streaming service, and you can access it at the link provided. Major props to EVE, Pivotshare, and everyone involved in uploading the full show to the site so quickly. Note that a subscription costs $9.99 a month and includes a free seven-day trial.

Also note that EVE will run its “Strong Women Style” shows this weekend on the 29th and 30th of September, with championship matches and SHE-1 qualifiers scheduled.

Millie McKenzie vs. Chihiro Hashimoto

It’s not often you get to see two of wrestling’s brightest stars share the same ring, and we couldn’t have asked for a better stylistic matchup than this bout between Chihiro Hashimoto and Millie McKenzie.

From the get-go, these two were locked in what seemed like a life-and-death struggle for supremacy, with neither being able to get the upper hand. Hashimoto sought to keep McKenzie grounded with her strength, while McKenzie used her guile and joint manipulation to soften Hashimoto’s wrists for future suplexes. Whenever one of these two wrestlers went for a big move, the other had a way of nimbly working their way out of it, quietly building suspense for an eventual breakthrough from either competitor.

It’s astonishing how good these two are already, and it’s getting to the point where we’ll have to stop praising them for being so young, simply because it’ll be “overdone” praise by that point. We’ve come to expect excellence from McKenzie and Hashimoto already, and that’s one of the highest compliments you can pay to a wrestler. There’s pressure on these two to keep producing great matches, but with performances like this, it’s clear that they are capable of meeting lofty expectations every time they head into the squared circle.

I seriously think McKenzie has one of the best spears in all of wrestling, and it’s something her opponents have to be wary of during her matches. For example, Hashimoto opened herself up to a spear by going for a senton off the top rope too early in the match, clearly underestimating McKenzie’s toughness. McKenzie had more than enough energy to roll out of the way, and she quickly gained an early advantage by following up with a spear. That wasn’t the first time Hashimoto overlooked McKenzie, who surprised her opponent briefly in a “test of strength” spot.

That spear allowed McKenzie to gain the grappling advantage, as she was the one just absolutely dominating Hashimoto on the ground with a deep headlock. Likewise, she underestimated how much Hashimoto has in the tank, as Hashimoto struck back with a powerslam/running senton combo.

The story-telling got even better. Hashimoto hit McKenzie with two devastating clotheslines, only to get countered on the third by McKenzie, who hit the first German of the match. Jordynne Grace, who was simply sublime on commentary, criticized McKenzie for failing to go for the pin. Instead, McKenzie went for a second German on Hashimoto, who, as Dann Read pointed out, was essentially dead weight at that point. It backfired on her, because Hashimoto ended up countering McKenzie for a German of her own. Then, once again, any advantage one wrestler had on the other was negated shortly afterwards.

It’s telling that at the beginning of the match, every single chant was in support of McKenzie, but by the time Hashimoto hit her first suplex of the night, the crowd started to move 50/50 towards Tokyo Sports’s 2016 Rookie of the Year.

Hashimoto is able to hit that senton on her second attempt, and this is where Grace’s commentary is worth noting again. She knows Hashimoto will hit the move, and she thinks that this could be it. However, McKenzie is able to kick out at the last possible millisecond, which Grace points out. Unfortunately for McKenzie, Hashimoto stays on her with a bridging German suplex, and that’s the nail in the coffin for the “First 21st Century Bad-Ass”.

Final Thoughts: This is a gem of a match, and I enjoyed the stories they told here focusing on the strength of both competitors. McKenzie got the first suplex, but Hashimoto picked up the win. I find it interesting that McKenzie is headed for a Sendai show soon, because that’s Hashimoto’s territory. I’d love to see these two keep fighting, because this was an excellent way to start the night.