Category: Reviews

Tomoko Watanabe & Mio Momono vs Takumi Iroha & Ai Houzan, Marvelous (28/7/24) Review

One last group photo. Credit: Here

I’m not sure people appreciate how big a loss to Marvelous Tomoko Watanabe is. Okay, they’re not about to fall apart, but in a company with a small roster of primarily younger wrestlers, Watanabe’s role is vital. She’s the adult in the room, but an adult who is always willing to make herself the butt of the joke and put someone over. In the last few years, she’s done everything from being bundled up by Mystic Young Fox to being dubbed Totoro by Momoka Hanazono to being the final challenge Mio Momono had to overcome before winning the AAAW Title for the first time. Who else can do all that? The only person who comes close is Chikayo Nagashima, a wrestler who takes herself more seriously (which isn’t intended as a criticism) and isn’t a full-time roster member.

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Nao Kakuta vs Mizuki, Nao Kakuta Graduation Commemorative (25/7/24), TJPW Review

Tokyo Joshi’s treasure. Credit: TJPW

It is sometimes easy to forget during these emotional wrestling goodbyes that the person leaving isn’t dying or even retiring in the traditional sense. Nao Kakuta is 37. She is young enough to live a whole other life – two if she fancies it. By the time actual retirement comes around, wrestling will be something she used to do. A part of her time on this planet that people she talks to in pubs don’t believe happened. Yet, even knowing all of that, the emotion is so real. Solid, dependable Nao, who makes every TJPW undercard match at least 20% better, is vanishing from the world through which we interact with her. Sure, she might pop up now and then, but the (hopefully healthy) parasocial relationship we’ve established with her is dead, and that’s always going to be a sad thing.

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TJPW Summer Sun Princess ’24 (20/7/24) Review

Miu’s mean face. Credit: TJPW

While the Princess Cup is just around the corner, Miu Watanabe had one more challenge to overcome before she got there. Her Daydream partner, Rika Tatsumi, wanted a shot at the title. Not only was it another one of the names that made TJPW what it is, but in their three previous meetings, Miu had never picked up the win. Could she finally overcome her good friend? Or was the White Dragon about to throttle her way to a second run with the belt? Let’s find out!

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Giulia vs Sareee, Summer Destiny (13/7/24), Marigold Review

I do like her fluffy coat. Credit: Marigold

There was a time when I wanted to stand up for Giulia. I loved those initial brawls with Hana Kimura, while the hair match with Tam was big dumb wrestling done well. I think there is a version of her that I love. One that understands her own weaknesses and works around them. Unfortunately, as Marigold’s first trip to Sumo Hall proved, it’s not this one. This Giulia has more in common with Will Ospreay, a wrestler who forces everyone to have their match despite the fact we’ve all seen it a million times before. To make it even worse, it wasn’t that good in the first place.

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Yura Suzuki vs YUNA, Sendai Girls (15/7/24) Review

YUNA does have a touch of crazy in the eyes. Credit: Here

With Rea Marumori being Rossyed, Sendai Girls are down to one rookie (to be fair, her departure does seem like it was a mutual decision that served the best interests of all involved). However, in sadness comes opportunity, as outsider Yura Suzuki appears to be stepping up and confirming her position as YUNA’s generational rival. Unfortunately for YUNA, that’s not been going so great. In their sixth singles match (and the second time in a row they’ve opened a Korakuen together), YUNA once again tasted defeated, putting her record to a somewhat unimpressive 0-6. Oh well, there is always next time.

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Ice Ribbon After the Rain (23/6/24) Review

Credit: Ice Ribbon

If you’d asked me at the start of the year to list the things that could help Ice Ribbon get close to filling Korakuen Hall in 2024, I would have got a few hundred deep before even considering the idea of pairing up with Stardom. It’s not that I would have doubted such a strategy’s ability to work, but with Rossy Ogawa involved, the idea seemed implausible. In recent years, Stardom and Ice Ribbon have not got along, and that’s putting it mildly. I would have been more comfortable betting on myself to win the ICExInfinity title than this relationship coming to pass. Yet, here we are. Following on from Best Friends beating Eye Contact at Flashing Champions, Mayu Iwatani stepped into a proper company to take on Tsukasa Fujimoto. By now, I’m sure you all know how it ended, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty to discuss.

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Gatoh Move Road to Korakuen – MAKE@IKUSA (19/6/24) Review

Mei meets a fellow menace. Credit: Screenshot

The build to Korakuen Hall continued as Gatoh Move once again stopped by Shinkiba for a show with all the potential in the world. We now know our main event for Gatoh’s biggest event in years, as Mei Suruga will take on Emi Sakura, but with the boss having returned to America, she’s deputised one of her oldest friends to step in and put her trainee through her paces. Kaori Yoneyama vs Mei Suruga? Yes, please.

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Team 200kg (Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu) vs Best Friends (Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto), Sendai Girls (9/6/24) Review

Four of the best. Credit: Here

Watching this match, I couldn’t shut up the nagging question in the back of my mind: ‘Why don’t I love it?’ Two of the best joshi tag teams of recent years got fifteen minutes to clash heads in Shinjuku, and I wanted it to be incredible. Instead, it was good, maybe even great. While those descriptors typically aren’t an issue, they’re not what I pictured. Is it fair to expect the extraordinary? No, but I can’t pretend I didn’t.

Continue reading “Team 200kg (Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu) vs Best Friends (Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto), Sendai Girls (9/6/24) Review” →
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TJPW Prism ’24 (9/6/24) Review

Powerful Miu. Credit: TJPW

Tokyo Joshi returned to Korakuen Hall with a show that, on paper, is one of their weaker big efforts this year. There were some intriguing combos scattered through the undercard, but with the title matches involving foreign talent I either know nothing about or have little investment in, it’s hard to get too excited about it. Still, you never know when the next Max the Impaler might turn up, and there is every chance someone will blow me away.

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