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 Sendai Girls 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! Scott Edwards gives his latest edition, which focuses on April 2022.
Important Note: Due to some matches not airing as of the time of writing some presumably great Joshi matches can’t be ranked. Also due to the recent PPV Model adopted by a number of promotions, we are unable to see every event.
Recommended Joshi Matches of the Month: April 2022
Honorable Mentions
- Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid vs. Giulia & Thekla (Stardom)
- Maria & Makoto vs. Yurika Oka & Ai Houzan (Marvelous)
5. Kohaku vs. Suzu Suzuki (Pro Wrestling WAVE)
The debut of Kohaku in Pro Wrestling WAVE went as good as a debut could go despite coming up short in the match. After all, she was facing former ICExInfinity Champion and 19-year-old prodigy Suzu Suzuki, who brought it to Kohaku every chance she got. If you want a look inside the Joshi indie scene to see the young talent coming through and how talented they are, this is the match for you. Physicality was there (as you’d expect with Suzuki) but there was also a mixture of incredible athleticism that really made the match next level. If and when Kohaku puts it all together, she will be making this list in her sleep.
4. Syuri vs. Himeka (Stardom)
The long-awaited World of Stardom Championship match for Himeka was a great one. A shock (not really) that Syuri was able to make this list with the current run she has on. A staple of sorts, the God’s Eye leader continues to churn out great wrestling match after great wrestling match against any opponent thrown in front of her. “The Jumbo Princess” happened to be the opponent this time around and they lived up to the hype, delivering a battle worthy of the World of Stardom Championship. Himeka hit all she could in the match with her devastating Running Powerbomb being the exclamation point of sorts for her but, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get her the win. Syuri walked out with the championship still around her waist but not without a fantastic fight from Himeka.
3. Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)
Potentially the final match ever between these two and this time with the Beyond The Sea Championship on the line, Tsukasa Fujimoto and Arisa Nakajima did not let Joshi fans down with their second match in as many days. The utter violence that the Best Friends bring upon one another is what the ultimate amount of respect looks like in Joshi. The drama of Fujimoto potentially stealing the Beyond The Sea Championship ahead of her extended hiatus cast a major shadow over this match and made it better. In the end, it was Nakajima who managed to get her win back and successfully defend her championship but it was the fans who won as they got to see these two warriors provide another top-tier bout.
2. AZM vs. Mei Suruga (Stardom)
High-Speed wrestling can be the best of the best in all of pro wrestling if done right. Add in the fact that maybe no one in the world right now is better at the style than AZM and you’re in for something great. That can be said here once again as the High-Speed Champion defended her championship against Gatoh Move‘s Mei Suruga, who won the Cinderella Rumble at Stardom World Climax to loosely earn the opportunity. Appreciating the art of high-speed often goes deeper than a lot of moves in a short amount of time. What they’re able to accomplish and the drama they can create with the trading of attempted pinfalls is what makes each match more captivating as the minutes pass by. Suruga had one of the best performances of her career, displaying what she was capable of outside her quirky and often times “goblin-like” behavior.
AZM was able to not only survive the impressive onslaught of Suruga but bring it right back as the closing stretch had a number of heart-stopping pinfalls that could have ended the match at any time. Only one match earned more props than them in April but this is a must-see encounter.
1. Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto (SEAdLINNNG)
“The Best Friends” of Joshi faced each other two more times prior to Tsukasa Fujimoto’s extended leave from pro wrestling. As you read above, their second match in as many days for the Beyond The Sea Championship was a great match but this first one from SEAdLINNNG’s Golden Moment was one of the best matches of the year. What these two managed to do in their match was tell a story of friendship turned into a competition where neither of them wanted to lose.
Arisa Nakajima would smash Fujimoto with everything in her arsenal but the Ice Ribbon legend battled back and showed her heart that has made her so special for so long. While the championship was not on the line in this match, the stakes felt just as high because of the emotion they shared in the ring. Fujimoto would stun her with a quick pin, picking up a victory that would earn her the title shot the next day.
While the Ice Ribbon battle was grittier, this match had the beauty of grit and jaw-dropping maneuvers that legitimately makes a true match of the year contender. Go out of your way to see this as there’s no promise as to when we will see these two share a ring together again. A war between “The Best Friends” that reminds you how amazing both of these wrestlers are to this day.
More from LWOS Pro Wrestling
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.
