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. In this article, we aim to give readers a list of recommended Joshi matches that took place in the last month, there will be some honorable mentions and then a top 5 featuring our absolute favorites! This edition focuses on August 2021
Recommended Joshi Matches August 2021
- Natsupoi vs Momo Watanabe
- Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Hiroyo Matsumoto
- Natsupoi vs Starlight Kid
- Maki Itoh vs Mizuki
- Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera vs Tsukasa Fujimoto & Hiroyo Matsumoto
- AZM vs Syuri
5. Giulia vs Mayu Iwatani
Some matches just look painful and that’s the kind of match we got here. Iwatani took some ridiculous bumps on her neck to the apron and the floor, and then the two women took it upon themselves to trade ridiculous headbutts. Mayu Iwatani went zombie mode in the second half and soaked up Giulia’s offense in an awe-inspiring manner before putting her Giulia away.
4. Leon vs Yumi Ohka
On her anniversary show, Yumi Ohka challenged Leon for the PURE-J Openweight Championship. These two veterans delivered a match that harkened back to a more retro style of Joshi with lots of stiff strikes, big bomb-throwing, and no-selling aplenty.
3. Himeka vs Mayu Iwatani
One thing that has become apparent is that Mayu Iwatani and Himeka have great chemistry together. In this year’s Cinderella Tournament these two women met in a match that was interrupted by Oedo Tai, that match did give us a glimpse at what Iwatani and Himeka were capable of and the signs were very promising. This time around there was no Oedo Tai to interfere and we got the great match that most people expected. Despite being the smaller competitor Iwatani spent the early portion picking Himeka apart with no mercy whatsoever before Himeka used her power to gain a foothold in the match. They played into this power vs speed dynamic down the stretch with Iwatani using counters to stay on top and wear down Himeka for the win.
2. Emi Sakura vs Mei Suruga
In Emi Sakura’s last Gatoh Move appearance before departing for America on a one-way ticket, she took on one of her greatest creations in Mei Suruga. These two have had a number of battles since Suruga’s debut and Sakura’s veteran poise bounces off of Suruga’s off-the-wall energy and athleticism making them perfect sparring partners. The match we got here summed up everything that has made Gatoh Move and ChocoPro so special, it delivers an interesting spectacle unlike anything else in pro wrestling and is proof that pushing the boundaries of pro wrestling can pay dividends if done well. This was the perfect send-off for Sakura.
1. Rina Yamashita vs Suzu Suzuki
Joshi deathmatches are a spectacle every time they go down and Ice Ribbon has become the go-to company to see the best Joshi deathmatches. There was very liberal use of light tubes throughout the match including a nasty fall for Suzuki into a bundle of tubes off of a lariat. When they weren’t using weapons these two were still going at it hard with their strikes and didn’t let the piles of broken glass stop them from taking normal moves. Despite being cut on the main airing this match was an utter treat to watch that was violent from start to finish.
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 of our recommended Joshi matches.
