April into May is my busiest time of the year, so please excuse this list being a touch less fleshed out than usual. I had to leave a bunch of matches I would have liked to write about on the cutting room floor, and the to-watch list is pretty hefty coming into May (I still haven’t even seen the Satomura retirement show). Still, hopefully, there’s something here you haven’t seen or at least an interesting opinion on something you have. Enjoy!
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for April 2025”Mizuki vs Miyu Yamashita, TJPW Live in Las Vegas (18/4/25)
I was going to do a full review of this show, but having done my initial watch with friends, and therefore not exactly spent time taking notes, that would require watching it all again, and I can’t put up with that much of the fucking atrocious commentary and ring announcing. That shit is always excruciating in America (and Britain, to be fair), but it’s even worse when it’s about something you like.
Continue reading “Mizuki vs Miyu Yamashita, TJPW Live in Las Vegas (18/4/25)”Aja Kong vs Senka Akatsuki, Marvelous (17/4/25)
There was a lot of stuff going down over WrestleMania weekend, and while it would be easy for me to be comically dismissive of it, there was actually a decent amount that caught me eye. Thanks to TJPW putting together a Korakuen-level card and a host of my favourites making the journey to Las Vegas, there were nuggets of gold to be found amongst the usual troupe of interchangeable white men (I swear the same guy came out about twenty times during the Clusterfuck). And yet, out of all the wrestling that was happening, the match that stood out to me was a standard rookie vs legend showdown, the type you can see on nearly any card in Japan most weekends. Why? Senka Akatsuki, that’s why.
Continue reading “Aja Kong vs Senka Akatsuki, Marvelous (17/4/25)”Takumi Iroha vs Sora Ayame, Marvelous (6/4/24)

Takumi Iroha frustrates me. She has all the tools required to be an incredible Ace, but all too often, it feels like she’s holding back. It’s most evident in her tendency to slap her thigh rather than really punish people with those kicks, but it also shows elsewhere. She’s too cool (and protected) to convincingly play the underdog, but she also never seems to dominate people quite like I’d hope. I suspect it’s why my favourite matches of hers are often against other Marvelous wrestlers. Facing off with a Mio Momono or even an Ai Houzan, she feels comfortable enough to unleash. Yet, when you put her up against Mayumi Ozaki, setting her up to avenge Marvelous’s beatings, she doesn’t have the grit to make it feel definitive. Sadly for Sora Ayame, she had no such qualms when facing her.
Continue reading “Takumi Iroha vs Sora Ayame, Marvelous (6/4/24)”Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for March 2025
I thought I hadn’t watched that much wrestling this month, but the length of this list would suggest otherwise. Maybe I was only tuning into the good stuff? It also nips to a few of my less-visited locales, as we stop off in America, Mexico and Germany alongside all the usual Japanese nonsense. Does that sound like a good time? I certainly hope so.
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for March 2025”Sendai Girls The Top of Joshi Wrestling (19/3/25) Review
Not many wrestlers can claim to be unbeaten against Meiko Satomura one-on-one, but Chihiro Hashimoto has the honour. With Satomura’s retirement on the horizon, they butted heads one last time. Would Meiko end her career by finally getting one over her prized pupil? Well, this show happened several days ago, so I imagine you already know, but hey, let’s keep the non-existent tension going.
Continue reading “Sendai Girls The Top of Joshi Wrestling (19/3/25) Review”TJPW Grand Princess (16/3/25) Review
Whether it was intentional or not, the theme of this year’s Grand Princess was love. Pom vs Raku, Endo vs Suzume and Rika vs Mizuki were all matches defined by the love between the wrestlers involved. Did that lead to greatness? Or did it sizzle out on a Sunday afternoon in Ota Ward? Let’s find out.
Continue reading “TJPW Grand Princess (16/3/25) Review”Chris Brookes vs Ram Kaichow, Vol. 19 (21/1/25), Baka Gaijin + Friends
I need to deliver a slight disclaimer before we get started. My first watch of this match was on the train home from a Napalm Death gig where I’d drunk around five pints. Understandably, I was in a rare jolly mood, which may have influenced my feelings towards it. However, I have since rewatched it, and I largely stand by my original thoughts, so fuck it. If my opinions on wrestling can’t be influenced by one of the greatest bands of all time, what can they be influenced by? And surely the ideal way to watch Baka Gaijin is while slightly intoxicated? I was merely getting in the mood.
Continue reading “Chris Brookes vs Ram Kaichow, Vol. 19 (21/1/25), Baka Gaijin + Friends”Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for February 2025
It doesn’t matter if the month is long or short – I always get to the end of it feeling like there are at least twenty matches I haven’t got to yet. Despite that, I think February’s ramble has a nice selection of gems to get excited about. There’s all the usual stuff (Ice Ribbon, ChocoPro and TJPW), but also a bit more lucha, a touch of New Japan and a trip over to Evolution, who are becoming one of my favourite promotions outside of my typical fare to keep up with. Hopefully, there is something there that you’ll enjoy, and if you think I’m missing anything particularly exciting, drop it in the comments.
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for February 2025”TJPW Max Heart Tournament Final (8/2/25), TJPW Review
The Max Heart comes to an end, as TJPW managed to find the one team I might not complain about beating Kyoraku Kyomei. It should be Shoko and Misao’s time, but there is no world in which I would get grumpy about a Pompaler win. That Koda is a sneaky bugger. Anyway, you probably already know the result because it was several days ago, so let’s get on with the rambles.
Continue reading “TJPW Max Heart Tournament Final (8/2/25), TJPW Review”









