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.
Important Note (Due to some matches not airing as of the time of writing some presumably great joshi matches can’t be ranked)
10. Chihiro Hashimoto, Yuu & Manami vs Yurika Oka, DASH Chisako & Meiko Satomura
Sendai Girls returned to remind us that they are the bona fide queens of the tag team main event matches. While this wasn’t quite at the same level of some of their main events from earlier this year it was still a really good showcase of the Sendai Girls talents
9. Konami vs Tam Nakano
Timing a match can be a huge part of what makes it great and this match is a perfect example. It was just 10 minutes of action and well-done strikes that remained exciting without ever going overboard. Konami was at her best delivering some really good looking kicks while Nakano had a good day and most of her stuff hit the target.
8. Syuri vs Natsuko Tora
A hard-hitting back and forth affair that allowed both women’s strengths to flourish. Tora’s forearm strikes are so good and Syuri more than matched her intensity with her kicks. The finish with Syuri kicking Tora in the head twice was a nice cherry on top of an entertaining match.
7. Maya Yukihi vs Suzu Suzuki
This match felt important and that’s one of the hardest things to do in wrestling. It was tough to root against 17-year-old Suzuki who was attempting to dethrone the seemingly unstoppable Yukihi. Everything they did had that little bit more vigour than usual and they did a great job of building drama down the stretch. A great match and a very important one for Ice Ribbon
Ice Ribbon events can be viewed on their Nico channel
6. ASUKA vs Yuna Mizumori
A really good back and forth match that never let up. ASUKA is having a WOTY level output everywhere she goes and she was on fine form here. Mizumori is a personal favourite in Gatoh Move but she was even better than usual, pulling out a number of moves she doesn’t normally use.
5. Risa Sera vs Rina Yamashita
I've seen a lot of great matches the last couple of days but Rina Yamashita vs Risa Sera is definitely the one I'll be the thinking about the most in the next months.https://t.co/Tt65WpxEUr pic.twitter.com/yuubzCRBo0
— Matt (@mattsdl) August 9, 2020
Maybe its the newness of a Joshi deathmatch but this was an enjoyable match. It was very violent even from the get-go with the to trading some clubbing forearms before introducing weapons and using them in any way possible to hurt the other. Finally, the light tubes came out and took it to another level!
Ice Ribbon events can be viewed on their Nico channel
4. Giulia vs Mayu Iwatani
The two mixed Mayu’s formula of getting dumped on her head with Giulia’s formula of throwing hands, and boots, lots of boots to the face. Giulia is at her best when she can throw strikes and Mayu sells really well which took the match up a level.
3. Takumi Iroha vs Mio Momono
Much like their incredible match from last year, this saw Momono fending off Iroha any way she could. Despite missing time due to injury Momono’s growth was on display in this match as she took the fight to Takumi in a way she never could have last year.
2. Aja Kong & Leon vs AKINO & Kaho Kobayashi
Kong was the highlight of this match, she’s such an intelligent wrestler, and matches like this show why. When she was in the ring she was using her strikes to make an impact and spent the rest of the time being pretty funny on the outside. Leon and AKINO were pretty good whenever called upon and Kobayashi made sure to sell really well for Kong. Overall just a really fun match.
1. Tsukasa Fujimoto & Arisa Nakajima vs Yoshiko & Hiroyo Matsumoto
Much like the last match between these two teams, this was a hard-hitting and high-intensity affair between two top tier tag teams, and two of the best in Joshi. While we would give the edge to their previous meeting this one managed to stay this good despite going to a draw and having more time to fill.
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. Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the LWOS Boards to engage in conversation with fellow fans!
