The Joshi wrestling scene (Japanese Women’s Wrestling) is a deep scene full of insanely talented performers and every month there are dozens of fantastic matches from promotions from Stardom to Pure-J and everywhere in between. This month was somewhat dominated by Marvelous’ Takumi Iroha and featured a tussle at the top between two of the best matches of the year.
Important Note (Due to some matches not airing as of the time of writing some presumably great matches can’t be ranked)
10. Aoki Itsuki & Yuu vs MISSION 4K (AKINO & Sonoko Kato)
MISSION 4K matches are one of the biggest appeals of Oz Academy. While the promotion can often feel aimless outside of it’s chaotic main event scene we can always guarantee on AKANO and Kato to deliver dry, stiff matches that entertain but don’t overstay their welcome
Link To Watch (Puroresu Dream)
9. DASH Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Syuri & Mei Suruga
This Sendai Girls show featured two tag team matches on top and both were really fun matches. Personal preference will dictate which you like more but in this case, DASH and Hiroyo’s latest great match falls just below the clash between Chihiro and Sareee. DASH and Matsumoto have perfected the high paced tag match this year and this was just another example of their talents and why they’re one of the top tag teams in Joshi.
Link To Watch (Sendai Girls YouTube)
8. Chihiro Hashimoto & Manami vs Mikoto Shindo & Sareee
This one was used to build to the upcoming Sareee vs Chihiro Hashimoto title match and it did a great job with Manami and Shindo carrying the action well until it was time to let the stars get in and trade hard shots.
Link To Watch (Sendai Girls YouTube)
7. Hibiki & Takumi Iroha vs Miyuki Takase & Ryo Mizunami
Like the last match, this one was used to build to an upcoming title match between two Joshi competitors. Iroha was on form here as she really gave Takase a beating and the portion of this match that saw her and Mizunami go head to head was fantastic. The storytelling took this over the top with Mizunami beating Hibiki with Takumi’s finisher while Takumi had to watch and this only served to piss off Iroha more. The animosity reached a peak ahead of Iroha and Mizunami facing off for the WAVE title which made this even better.
Link To Watch (Puroresu Dream)
6. Takumi Iroha vs Hibiki
Hibiki’s debut match for Marvelous saw her take on the ace Takumi Iroha. Iroha’s matches with the rookies have been some of the highlights of Marvelous this year. This match stood out from the other matches as Hibiki was more headstrong than the other rookies which meant this match had a slightly different dynamic but as usual Iroha eventually wore down the rookie’s resolve and got the win. These Joshi matches have all been great with great storytelling and Iroha really laying in stiff strikes which the rookie’s sell like death.
Link To Watch (Marvelous Freshlive Channel Subscription Required)
5. Momo Watanabe vs AZM
AZM started out fast and furious because she knew that was the only way she stood a chance against Momo. Once Momo survived that opening flurry she mercilessly went about kicking the life out of AZM. AZM did manage to survive that onslaught and fired up for a closing stretch where she threw everything she has at Momo but in the end, Watanabe was able to catch AZM with the sleeper. A really well-told story that established AZM as a legitimate threat to anyone on the roster
Link To Watch (Stardom YouTube Channel)
4. Lulu Pencil vs Mei Suruga
Another really good match from Lulu Pencil. Her matches are just different from anyone else in Gatoh Move with this one ticking all the boxes from character work to comedy and a desire to root for Pencil against Suruga.
Link To Watch (Gatoh Move YouTube)
3. Takumi Iroha, Hibiki & Chihiro Hashimoto vs Maria, Nanae Takahashi & Rina Yamashita
A great, great match with all six impressing. With four big hitters this one had enough stiff strikes to make your chest hurt. As well as hard hits this was worked at a great pace with the portion at the end that was essentially a Yamashita/Iroha singles match really impressing.
Link To Watch (Marvelous Freshlive Channel)
2. Sareee vs Tsukasa Fujimoto
Both out to prove that they are the best of the best. They used every move in their arsenals with Sareee seemingly intent on dropping Fujimoto on her head as much as possible. From the intense strikes and no selling of stiff kicks all the way to Sareee refusing to die until finally, Fujimoto pulled out the Ocean Cyclone Suplex this was an epic match that more than lived up to its hype.
Link To Watch (Puroresu Dream)
1. Mayu Iwatani vs Momo Watanabe
Momo is the ruthless heel while Mayu is the best babyface there is and that played into this match so well. Once Mayu fired back up this one kicked into top gear as these two threw their entire arsenal at each other in a desperate bid for victory only for Momo to take advantage of Mayu going up top to hit two Peach Sunrise’s to finally put Mayu away. A very simple story was told here between two of the strongest characters in an action-packed nine-minute match.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. And check out last month’s edition for more fantastic Joshi matches
