Maybe it’s just me, but January always feels like a fresh start for my wrestling viewing. My backlog from the previous year goes out of the window, under the assumption that if I haven’t watched it yet, I never will, and it’s a chance to jump back into promotions that I might have fallen away with it. When you throw in Ittenyon and all the excitement around that, it’s usually a good month, something this list makes clear.
I think this match can be summed up by Rina Yamashita, dressed as a nurse, having to stop halfway through to bury her head in her hands because she was laughing so hard. It was understandable. Seconds before, she had just been trying to use a bike pump on ASUKA’s arse (no, I don’t know why), and that’s not a situation that life necessarily prepares you for, even if you are a pro-wrestler. In the world of YMZ, though, it makes at least a bit more sense, as they saw in 2023 with their own unique brand of chaotic nonsense, and honestly, it was just brilliant fun. You had a lot of talented wrestlers in that ring, and they walked the line between showing that off and indulging in the silly, and I can think of a hell of a lot of worse ways to kick off the new year.
Cohaku vs Yuu, NAMI 1 ~ Nami Hajime ~ GO WAVE (1/1/23), WAVE
Two wrestlers who had great 2022s started off 2023 by battling against each other in a match where the story told itself. In the opening seconds, Cohaku tried to get the jump on Yuu, flying in with a series of dropkicks followed by a crossbody that saw her bounce off the imposing EVE International Champion. It probably wasn’t something that needed to be made clear, you only need to look at them to figure it out, but with that one moment, they’d laid down the path they were following in this match.
But what made this brilliant was that while the obvious story of small, speedy Cohaku trying to overcome hoss Yuu was there, they also didn’t shy away from having Cohaku try to hit her. Like most people who come through that Marvelous system, she can throw a punch when needed, and she bet on herself to be able to hurt Yuu. While it didn’t pay off, it brought an intensity to the action that wouldn’t have been there if she’d stuck to darting around the ring. It was reminiscent of Mio Momono’s matches with Big Hash, which is some decent company to find yourself in.
It’s also worth saying that Yuu has been on a roll recently. I have found her a tad frustrating in the past, as she didn’t always play to her power, but she’s growing into the hoss killer she should always be. An opponent like Cohaku is perfect for her to show that off on, as this was an example of two wrestlers accentuating each other’s strengths and giving us a brilliant match off the back of it.
Mei Suruga & Miya Yotsuba vs COLORS (SAKI & Yuko Sakurai), ChocoPro #283 (2/1/23), ChocoProLIVE!
The January 2nd ChocoPro show felt special. For the first time in far too long, Ichigaya Chocolate Square was packed, with the fans bunched up around the windows and perched on walls to see over those in front. While that wee company adapted better than most to the conditions of the last few years, it was still a sight to warm the heart, as it looked like the Ichigaya so many people fell in love with back before the pandemic took it away.
It was only fitting then that the main event of that show would be utter chaos. This inter-promotional battle between ChocoPro and COLORS may have looked nondescript on paper, but it didn’t take long to descend into madness as Mei and SAKI grabbed the opportunity to try and draw their less experienced tag partners to the dark side. Suruga, meanwhile, was getting very into the year of the rabbit, pulling out bunny poses at every opportunity, even if it was to her detriment. ChocoPro isn’t known for quiet, restrained matches, but this was wild even for them, as that packed room seemed to draw the chaos out of everyone involved.
By the end, the action had gotten away from them a bit (Miya was beginning to tire in the longest match of her career so far), but watching them try to keep up was all part of the excitement. Plus, they roughly managed to steer it home, even if there was some confusion as to whether the time limit had expired or Miya tapped. That didn’t matter, though. What mattered was that this felt like the return of something that had been missing for the last few years, and while ChocoPro has done a fantastic job of plugging the gap, it was still great to have it back.
Ibuki Hoshi vs Nao Ishikawa, Ice Ribbon #1251 (3/1/23), Ice Ribbon
Despite putting in a brilliant performance en route to picking up the win, Ibuki Hoshi somehow managed to piss off Hikaru Shida during their tag title defence at Ribbonmania. Not even bothering to wait until they got backstage, Shida got straight to berating the younger Hoshi, laying down the ultimatum that if she lost a singles match before their next defence in March, Shida would forfeit her title. In turn, Ibuki defiantly demanded that Ice Ribbon give her as many matches as possible.
So while Shida throwing her toys out of the pram was a bit weird, something good at least came out of her nonsense. Suddenly, Ice Ribbon has a reason to shove random Ibuki Hoshi matches on every show and, more importantly, have them mean something. Sure, I don’t really expect her to fall short of Shida’s challenge, particularly not to Nao (as good as she is), but there is still a smidge of tension there, and that was enough to keep me hooked.
And this match was a perfect example of why it works. These two are already an intriguing pairing, but with something on the line, it had a touch more energy to it. It also helps that Nao’s sneaky bruiser status makes her a good fit for Ibuki, as she could take those vicious chops (although she definitely doesn’t enjoy them) and dish out a few meaty blows of her own. There wasn’t anything complex or fancy about it, but it all worked, and when you put it together, it made for a great wee match.
Miyu Yamashita vs Yuka Sakazaki, Tokyo Joshi Pro ’23 (4/1/23), TJPW
TJPW’s gradual elevation was always going to have to hit this point. For the last few years, the whole roster has been steadily trending upwards, getting stronger and stronger, and sometimes, when that happens, things have to be stripped back. Miyu Yamashita and Yuka Sakazaki have hit a point in their careers where they’re not going to beat each other with a fancy hold or by hoping for the other to slip on a banana peel. They’re too good and know each other too well for that. Instead, this match saw them revert to a brutal simplicity. The winner was going to be the one who could both take and dish out the most damage possible.
What followed was a thrill ride, Miyu and Yuka laying into each other with everything they had. Whether it was Yamashita tumbling backwards to the floor in the opening minutes, the shoot headbutt or a Crash Rabbit Heat to the back of Sakazaki’s skull, the whole thing was an escalation, each violent twist and turn building on the last. Yamashita has long been viewed as TJPW’s killing machine, and there is good reason for that, but the last few years have seen Yuka not only match her in that regard but possibly overtake her, showing a cruel viciousness that even Miyu’s death stare can’t match. As they hammered on each other, Yuka was the one coming out on top, her wild blows breaking down the previously unflappable Ace.
It left me not entirely sure where these two go next, but very excited to see what they’ve planned. Yuka has beaten Miyu on this stage before, but never like this. It wasn’t dominant (they’ll have both woken up the next day in agony), but it was definitive, Sakazaki battering down Yamashita’s defences and making sure everyone knew who the winner was. One suspects that Miyu will be in no mood to let Yuka rest on that achievement, but judging by this match, any attempts to shift her will have to feature something special.
In theory, Max The Impaler vs Pom Harajuku should have a relatively short shelf life, as it hits on similar ideas every time. We’ve already seen Pom run scared, find the courage to fight back, and then get destroyed anyway, and yet, I’m not even close to being bored of it. If anything, I want more.
And I think it’s to their credit that they keep finding ways to keep it both exciting and funny. Here, we had Rika and Miu gladly offering up Pom as a sacrifice, Tatsumi even trying to kick her towards Max at one point. We also had the first meeting between Pom and Heidi Howitzer, which gave us the brilliant moment where Harajuku, while running away from Max, suddenly spotted Heidi on the apron and had to veer off in another direction, distraught to see that there was another one. It meant that while it hit similar beats, there was always a new twist, something different to make you laugh.
It also helps that they’re both brilliant at what they do. Max vs Pom might have sold me my ticket, but I also want to see Max face off with Miu and Rika, watching how the Non-Binary Nightmare fares against people who aren’t quite as terrified of them. Then there’s the joy of Pom coming face-to-face with Heidi and Trish, wrestlers who aren’t as instantly shit-your-pants scary as Max but are equally capable of throwing her about the place. They’ve not only nailed their act together but found a way to open it to others, leaving me wanting to see more of everything. It also means that TJPW can keep putting this pairing together for as long as they want, and I’ll keep watching.
Mio Momono & Rin Kadokura vs Tomoko Watanabe & Maria, Marvelous in Yokohama (8/1/23), Marvelous
Most wrestling matches don’t stand the test of time. What was fun and exciting when caught up in the moment is easily forgotten a week later, and if someone asked you who was involved in 90% of undercard matches, never mind what happened, you’d probably struggle to remember. There is also nothing wrong with that. Not every piece of art needs to exist forever, and there is a lot to be found in things intended to be appreciated and discarded. However, now and then, you get a match, which, over time, only gets more interesting. Marvelous’s first main event of the year was one of those.
The reason for that is simple. In the aftermath, Rin Kadokura and Chigusa Nagayo announced that it would be Rin’s last appearance in Marvelous for the foreseeable future, as she’s leaving Japan to go and live in Canada with her new husband. If/when she returns to the country, she will be welcomed back with open arms, but for now, she is no longer a Marvelous wrestler. What has made the match fascinating, however, is that no one else involved had an inkling of what was coming. The only people who knew ahead of time were Rin and Chigusa, who chose to keep that news to themselves.
And when you know that, it changes how you view everything about this tag. Because, with the benefit of hindsight, this feels like a last match, right down to Rin putting over Maria on her way out, going down to three Michinoku Drivers. However, the only person involved who knew that was the case was Rin, so no one else was wrestling it as such. As far as they were concerned, it was just another Marvelous main event, the kind they’ve all done countless times before. When Maria and Rin entered that final act, where Kadokura worked her arse off to put Maria over and help her shine, Maria had no idea that this was the last chance for her to wrestle Kadokura for a long old time.
Which I think has to go down as a pretty remarkable achievement for Rin. Not only did she go out with a damn good showing, but she managed to make it fit an occasion that no one else knew they were celebrating. It’s one of the many reasons she’ll be missed, and while it’s hard to begrudge her for going off to enjoy life with her husband, I hope she’s back sooner rather than later.
Suzu Suzuki vs Toshiyuki Sakuda, Kurenai No Rinka (9/1/23), Prominence
I can’t speak for their financial situation or the number of people who have come through the door, but Prominence’s first year of existence was a huge success from an in-ring point of view. Even taking out their work in other companies, which has seen them as a pushed act wherever they’ve gone, their shows have been consistently entertaining, finding a nice blend of comedy and deathmatch action. They’ve also become a fantastic platform for Suzu Suzuki to show off her talents, as they were smart enough to set her up with a ten-match trial series, giving her the space from which to impress.
Her battle with Sakuda was match seven in that trial series, and while it might not have been the most physically gruelling (although there was plenty of that), it was the most visually gruesome. Whether it was Sakuda shoving a giant pin through Suzu’s cheek, causing her to wrestle with it in place for a distressingly long term, or Suzu returning the favour by stapling his lips together, there was a lot here that made me squirm. However, what stands out about these matches isn’t just the violence, although that does rule, but how brilliant Suzu’s all-around game truly is. Yes, she can go out and trade weapon shots with the best of them, but the invention and pacing are what shine. While I have a lot of time for the wild oneupmanship of a lot of deathmatch wrestling, Suzu’s matches always seem to earn their big spots, helping the escalation feel like a natural part of the action rather than something forced.
It’s also got her incredibly over with Prominence’s fanbase. Cagematch says there were 157 people in ShinKiba for this match, and it felt like every single one of them was in Suzu’s corner, shouting her on. Risa Sera is their figurehead and ace, but Suzu is its jewel, and you can already picture the day when she steps up and takes that position from Risa. Her work outside the promotion will no doubt help with that, but matches like this have earned her the love of the people who come to every Prominence show, and when she does establish herself at the top, it will be well-earned.
ASUKA vs Mika Iwata, Big Show In Sendai (15/1/23), Sendai Girls
ASUKA holding the Sendai Girls World Title feels right. In fact, ASUKA holding any title does. There are few, if any, wrestlers who can match her for presence and attitude, so seeing her with a belt around her waist makes perfect sense. Everyone knows Sendai’s habits when it comes to booking, but it would be nice if they could hold off on those for a while and give her a nice, long reign because she’s ready for it.
It would also mean that we got more matches like this one, which would be no bad thing. In ASUKA’s first defence, she went up against perennial nearly-woman Mika Iwata, and while that perhaps did hurt the tension that would come from a potential title change, it made for a hell of a battle. The rest of this show was somewhat lacking in stakes, feeling more like a series of high-profile exhibitions, but the second Iwata’s boot connected with the side of ASUKA’s head, it was clear that wouldn’t be the case in the main event. They beat the shit out of each other, and it was glorious.
ASUKA also provided further proof as to why she is perfect for this role. Not only was her in-ring work brilliant, but the arrogance that dripped off her throughout was fantastic. She treated Iwata like an irrelevance, something to be brushed past, which only wound her up more. Then, ASUKA backed it up, winning the match definitively. It was a statement, the kind that tells the world it will take something special to take that belt away from her.
And I still harbour small hopes that Iwata could be the person to do it. She should have already held that title, and this would be the perfect time to tell the story of her having to fight her way back to the top to take it off ASUKA, but this is Sendai, so I’m not about to put any money on it. It’s also a problem for the future, and while you can quibble with Iwata falling short once again, it doesn’t change the fact this was a brilliant match.
Maria vs YuuRI, Marvelous (17/1/23), Marvelous
From disappointment comes opportunity. Rin Kadokura’s Marvelous exit leaves a massive gap in the roster, as there are now several rungs between those at the top (Mio and Takumi) and those next in the hierarchy. It’s a spot that needs filling, and it seems pretty likely that Maria will be the one to step up and do so. Sure, she has been travelling up the card for a while now, slowly gaining ground on her seniors, but recent months have seen that accelerate (one has to suspect Chigusa knew this was coming when she decided to put her over in December), and with Rin now out the door, she’ll be required to fill that spot sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, Maria is really fucking good and has aced every challenge they’ve thrown at her so far. This match with YuuRI was the most recent one, as she was cast in the unlikely role of the veteran figure tasked with putting a youngster through her paces. Sure, YuuRI is several years older than her, but when it comes to wrestling, she’s the baby, and Maria treated her as such. It was a chance for her to turn the attitude up to eleven and dish out all the punishment she’s been subjected to so often, be it no-selling dropkicks or pulling out chunks of her hair. Maria has always had that swagger, but this was a chance to inject some spite into it, as she was having the time of her life torturing the rookie.
Of course, YuuRI was also great, as she’s one of wrestling’s natural babyfaces, but this was all about Maria. It was an opportunity for her to add another string to her bow and show that she is ready to make the step up. While we’re all going to miss Rin an awful lot, for Maria, it’s a chance to prove herself, and if this is anything to go by, she’ll be brilliant.
In the first clash between teams that could have been considered contenders to win the 3rd Max Heart tournament, Reiwa AA Cannon came up against the murderous Rika Tatsumi and her muscly pal. Since coming together as a pairing, Akai and Arai have felt somewhat unbeatable, largely because of Saki’s influence. As I mentioned in my review of this show for Marshmallow Bomb, Saki in TJPW is a different proposition. She’s the cool older sister who has been around the world. That doesn’t necessarily mean she knows the answer to everything, but it sometimes feels like it.
However, the advantage of having someone who will happily throttle you in your sleep on your team is that she’ll also happily throttle your opponents. If Saki is that cooler older sister, Rika is the young punk with a screw or two unloose. Akai can hint at the cool shit she gets up to at college all she wants, but it won’t stop Tatsumi from grabbing her around the throat and trying to murder her. Then, when you attempt to fight back, she’s got her hench backup, Miu, who is happy to throw you across the ring or spin you around until you puke. Put them together, and Daydream are a terrifying proposition, more than happy to trample all over opponents on their way to victory.
On top of all that, this match simply ruled. Not only do these teams have great chemistry, but they both have a strong grasp of tag-team psychology, as this was a brilliantly structured piece of wrestling. Moments like Miu blocking Akai’s Quetzalcoatl with pure power, holding her in place to set up Rika to come flying in with that Diamond Ass, were perfectly timed, and all built the path that led to Watanabe dropping Arai for the win. It is well worth going out of your way to see.
The last time I cared about a Kazuchika Okada match was January 5th 2020, and I honestly can’t remember when I most recently watched one. As my taste in wrestling shifted, Okada came to represent something I no longer care for, and none of the snippets I’ve seen since have convinced me otherwise. Well, until this match. Because when Kaito Kiyomiya wandered into the ring and botted Okada in the face, he woke something up in New Japan’s Ace, which I was genuinely excited to see. Japanese wrestling has always crackled when companies collide, so Kiyomiya and Okada wailing on each other felt like the start of something potentially brilliant.
And I have no idea if it will go on to be so (at the time of writing, they are booked to wrestle on Mutoh’s retirement show), but this match collapsing in their determination to beat each other up was that fresh touch we so rarely see from the larger Japanese wrestling companies. It felt unhinged and dangerous, with a sense that tensions could boil over, and they would stop pulling those punches. Christ, I even saw at least one random person on Twitter claim it actually was a shoot, which is hilarious considering it contained both a German and a dropkick, the two moves everyone reaches for in a street fight.
I’m not about to run out and start watching every NOAH and New Japan show off the back of this, but at the end of the day, the more fantastic, varied wrestling, the better. In five minutes of chaos, NJPW and NOAH created more hype and attention for these two wrestling than they would have with any twenty-minute ‘classic’, a lesson it would be very nice to see them both learn something from.
MMA has done a solid job of answering questions about who would win in a fight between members of various disciplines, but, to the best of my knowledge, it hasn’t yet approached the matter of who would come out on top in a battle between a deathmatch wrestler and a boxer. Thankfully, Baka Gaijin + Friends Volume 2 was here to answer that age-old debate.
And I loved how this match went down, Drew Parker growing increasingly frustrated at being punched in the head and resorting to driving some skewers into Toba’s in response. Before that, though, we saw him try to match Toba punch-for-punch, dragging out a couple of stools so they could do it Lulu Pencil-style. It was an awful idea, but I appreciated the sentiment, and it all played into the madness of this weird interdisciplinary battle.
Throw in a finish that would make Hirota proud, and this is a perfect example of why I hope these Baka Gaijin shows continue for as long as possible. Brookes and Parker have an eye for great nonsense, and giving them a regular platform to get those ideas out into the world can only be a good thing.
Mio Momono vs Tomoko Watanabe, Marvelous (25/1/23), Marvelous
In recent times, Tomoko Watanabe’s role in Marvelous has shifted to that of an amiable veteran. Whether she’s chasing members of Mystic Young Fox around, being nicknamed Totoro by Momoka Hanazono or generally being the punchline for Chig’s jokes, she’s been an entertaining and often hilarious presence. However, the ability to laugh at yourself isn’t the same as losing your edge, and one shouldn’t forget that Tomoko is a former AJW champion who has done it all. As Mio Momono figured out in this match, she is still more than capable of dropping you on your head.
Having been forced to abandon the story they were telling with Mio after her return from injury (because of Takumi Iroha’s injury), this was Marvelous getting things back on track. Momono came into this match with a shit-eating grin and an intention to go out and have fun with her old pal Tomoko. Unfortunately for Mio, she perhaps enjoyed herself a little bit too much. When she started stomping on Watanabe’s head, upping the violence, something inside of Tomoko snapped. Seconds later, Mio was being launched across the venue and dumped unceremoniously on her head. Gone was the smiley veteran, and in her place was a killer, ready to dish out some lessons.
That switch turned this into a brilliant, surprisingly violent match, but also one that meant Mio was heading back to the beginning, a mile away from her oft-stated goal to win the AAAW Title. With Takumi close to her return from injury, that feels like an important development. The smart money is on Iroha getting that belt back sooner rather than later, and the assumption has always been that Mio would be the one to beat her for it. If that’s to be the case, sending Mio packing and forcing her to battle her way back to the top is a good way to go, and Tomoko proved the perfect person to set her on that path.
Emi Sakura vs Jamie Hayter, Dynamite (27/1/23), AEW
Finally! After over a year of plugging away, wrestling whoever AEW threw at her on YouTube, Emi Sakura got a chance to appear on TV in a match that one has to assume Jamie Hayter requested. Of course, as anyone with half a brain could have told you would happen, she fucking smashed it, as she and Hayer beat the shit out of each other.
And I already liked Jamie a lot (she’s a great wrestler), but I came out of this feeling very affectionate towards her. Not only did she get Emi that platform, but she made sure she looked brilliant on it. Sure, Sakura doesn’t need much help to impress, but Hayter gave her the bulk of the action, letting her play the wily, hard-hitting veteran who had the champ on the ropes. By the end of the match, her chest was bright red as Emi laid down heavy chop after heavy chop. Not that it was all one-way traffic, Jamie giving as good as she got and making sure Emi also came away more than a little worse for wear herself.
I can’t imagine a world where this match sucked, but even if it had, I suspect I would have loved it. As those who have been following along know, this attempt to make a name for herself in America means a lot to Emi Sakura, and it’s been incredibly frustrating to see how limited her opportunities have been. Who knows whether this is the start of her getting more or if she’ll be back to Dark next week, but at least she got this moment and can rest happy knowing that when she did, she knocked it out of the park.
I don’t necessarily think this was the best match on this show, that was probably the main event, but it was the most interesting. Wrestling’s artificiality allows you to do spectacular things. You can tell stories where underdogs upset all the odds, achieve the impossible and write their names into history. That’s something that, a handful of exceptions aside, doesn’t happen much in the real world. More often than not, the biggest, richest and most experienced crush the dreams of anyone hoping to upset the apple cart, taking home the gold for themselves. It’s sometimes frustrating and often sad, especially if you’re a fan of the increasingly broken game of football, but it’s the reality of the situation.
And normally, I don’t need that reality to cross over into my wrestling. I’m happy for this silly pseudo-sport to ditch that crushing realisation and embrace the unlikely. However, now and then, it manages to pop your bubble satisfyingly, and this was one of those occasions. Coming into the semi-final, Juria and Moka had already overachieved, beating two experienced teams. However, fans tend to be greedy, and that wasn’t enough. Much like with Miu Watanabe vs Yuka Sakazaki in last year’s Princess Cup (my favourite match of 2022), you began to dream of the upset, hoping they could do the impossible.
Then, Miyu started kicking them, and just like that, the dream faded. It was a match where one of the teams was simply better than the other, and while Moka and Juria fought hard, they never stood a chance. 121000000 were a bridge too far, a mountain too high, and a boot to the head too many. Reality came crashing in, and Karate Pals went crashing out.
And sometimes, in fact, more often than not, that’s how it has to be. Because if every underdog wins, then one day you realise you no longer have any underdogs. Juria and Moka’s time will come, the fact they got this run is proof of that, but right now, Miyu and Itoh are too much for them. We should all just be grateful that the reason they’re too much isn’t that they’re being supported by oil money from a murderous regime (unless Koda’s got some massive skeletons in his closet).
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