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 October 2021
Recommended Joshi Matches October 2021
- Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue, Takako Inoue & Shinobu Kandori vs Ami Miura, Rina Shingaki, Ayame Sasamura & Haruka Umesaki
- Leon vs AKARI
- Suzu Suzuki, Saori Anou & Mochi Miyagi vs Maya Yukihi, Risa Sera & Miku Aono
- Itsuki Aoki, Riko Kawahata, Rina Yamashita & Yumiko Hotta vs Las Fresa de Egoistas (ASUKA, Makoto & Riko Kaiju) & Yuna Manase
- Hazuki & Koguma vs Natsupoi & Himeka
- Utami Hayashishita vs Takumi Iroha
5. Riko Kawahata & Yumiko Hotta vs Arisa Nakajima & Hanako Nakamori
SEAdLINNNG’s tag tournament kicked off with the aptly named Violence Princess taking on Joshi legend Yumiko Hotta and her protege Riko Kawahata. Riko Kawahata was at the center of this match as her fire and intensity in the face of two veterans dishing out a beating was something to behold. Hotta brings a sense of chaos to every interaction that’s thrilling and her brief spells in the match were enjoyable. We’ll talk more about Nakamori and Nakajima later but they function well as a team due to their shared desire to beat people up, stemming from their time in JWP no doubt!
4. Hanako Nakamori vs Rina Yamashita
The former Daily Sports tag team champions met in match celebrating Nakamori’s anniversary of her debut. This was just under 10 minutes and featured nothing but nonstop hard-hitting action for the duration. Nakamori’s kicks were so good in this match and Yamashita was firing back with everything she had.
Link To Watch: PURE-J Filmuy Page
3. Mayu Iwatani vs Tam Nakano
While this match didn’t hit the heights that some had predicted, it was still a great match between two of Stardom’s best big-match performers. Right from the start the hatred between the two was on display as they were hitting moves and strikes that didn’t seem flashy, but definitely seemed to hurt. While they got in their own way at times with some of their ideas the majority of this match was the aggressive confrontation between the competitors that fans have been waiting for since Nakano broke away from STARS last year.
Link to watch: Stardom World
2. Hanako Nakamori vs Arisa Nakajima
Hanako escaping from Arisas's dragon suplex by just headbutting her in the face ruled pic.twitter.com/kDwMNYRnCF
— Roy ⛧ (@narukiroy) October 15, 2021
While this was not on the level of their instant classic from the Pure Climax 2018 it was a worthy addition to their amazing rivalry. Nakamori and Nakajima both come from JWP so they have a very old school mentality which is “win at any cost”. No matter how violent they have to be to get the win they will reach that level with glee. No matter what you like in your wrestling you got it here as there were nasty kicks, stiff forearms, crazt bumps, and eye-popping headbutts that have to be seen to be believed. An all out war is the simplest way to describe this Nakamori vs Nakajima match
1. Miyu Yamashita vs Maki Itoh
What is there to say about this match that hasn’t already been said. Yamashita and Itoh’s chemistry is well documented by their previous singles matches but this one felt different. Going into this match we had seen Itoh grow and develop counters for some of Yamashita’s most lethal moves, it felt like Itoh actually had a chance of beating the infallible ace of TJPW. The emotion, storytelling, and wrestling in this one were off the charts for anyone who has been invested in the long-running story between these two competitors. A rewatch of this match will never live up to the experience of watching it unfold as you root for Itoh with everything you’ve got. What a rewatch will do is showcase how clever these two are together, they layered counters on top of counters with their previous singles matches teaching them a little more about the others moveset. Itoh vs Yamashita is professional wrestling done right and an absolute treat to watch every single time.
Link to watch: Wrestleuniverse
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 the last edition for more of our recommended Joshi matches.
