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. After a month’s break due to COVID-19 decimating Joshi schedules we are back thanks to a slew of dojo shows and ChocoPro.
Important Note (Due to some matches not airing as of the time of writing some presumably great matches can’t be ranked)
Suzu Suzuki vs Nao Ishikawa
A short match but a fun one from the recently revamped Suzuki and the freshly debuted Ishikawa. Both showed good intensity and Suzuki just losing it and bending Ishikawa in half for the finish was killer
ASUKA vs Mei Suruga
Two gremlins clashed in a character-heavy match that had some comedy but mostly good wrestling. Mei trying to overcome the much taller ASUKA was the main crux of the match but once she wore ASUKA down she had better luck hitting her signature offense that ASUKA had previously blocked with her strength.
Tsukushi & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Hamuko Hoshi & Mochi Miyagi
A well-paced tag team match that had a lot of fun action. Tsukushi got a lot of spotlight and towards the end, this felt like a singles match but everyone played their part well. The dropkickers, well they dropkicked and kicked their opponents while the Butchers used their power advantage to try and get the win. Another fun match from Ice Ribbon.
Tsukushi & Suzu Suzuki vs Yappy & Satsuki Totoro
A good match between the team of little spitfires in Tsukushi and Suzuki taking on the powerhouse team of Yappy and Totoro. The work was good but the low framerate of the upload certainly took away from the match in parts
Saki Akai vs Saori Anou
A good match between two very charismatic women. They worked hard and there were some nice strikes as well as a lot of fun character work where each woman reveled in toying with their opponent before we got down to business. This is one that would’ve been fantastic with a crowd to fire up when both women would trade shots or big moves but was pretty good regardless.
Link To Watch (Wrestle Universe)
Hiragi Kurumi vs Akane Fujita
A hoss matchup between the always impressive Kurumi and Fujita. There were some nice meaty forearms as well as some sick sounding chops were thrown and at one point Kurumi attempted to behead Fujita with a lariat. Fun hoss match and any regular readers know those are right up our alley.
Link To Watch (Ice Ribbon Nico)
Mei Suruga vs Ryo Mizunami
A very unique match in the empty Ichigaya Chocolate Square. Mizunami’s chops sounded so much harder in the empty arena and poor Mei was definitely feeling them for long after the match. Mei was Mei and excelled at using the setting to her advantage for some fun spots and generally used her agility to try and get a hold of the momentum in a good back and forth match.
Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Broom
Tsukasa didn’t go easy on broom in this one. She was absolutely ruthless and hit some devastating maneuvers including an enziguiri that knocked broom clear out of the ring followed by a double foot stomp TO THE FACE. Broom tried it’s hardest to fight back but Fujimoto was just too good on the day. A short match but it packed in a lot in it’s short run time.
Takumi Iroha vs Mikoto Shindo
It isn’t Joshi Match Of The Month without some Takumi Iroha now is it? Nothing new from these two as Iroha dominated proceedings with her usual swagger and physicality. Shindo fought back and as usual, showed really good intensity and skill in her comeback. Iroha put Shindo away in the end but once again the formula for these Takumi vs Marvelous Juniors matches proves to be successful.
Link To Watch (Marvelous Freshlive Channel)
Yuna Mizumori vs Mei Suruga
A 30 miniute ironwoman match that never dragged as the agile and speedy Mei Suruga met the brawn of Yuna Mizumori. More than anything else this match was inventive and saw both performers use the entirety of Ichigaya Chocolate Square which allowed for some really fun spots. Mei being an absolute gremlin when in the lead was great character stuff and the drama towards the end led to a big finish. This match is about as good as we’re going to get from empty arena 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 last month’s edition for more fantastic Joshi matches
