Joshi Informer Newsletter April 11th, 2025: Jungle Kyona Returns, Meiko Satomura's Final Stardom Match, TJPW Announce Texas Shows
Welcome everyone to the April 11th edition of The Joshi Informer newsletter. It’s a week that gave us the news we didn’t think we’d see in Jungle Kyona making her return to wrestling for Marigold on April 27th, Meiko Satomura’s final Stardom match announced, a farewell to Mina Shirakawa, TJPW announcing three consecutive Texas shows over All In Weekend in July, Meiko Satomura facing Takumi Iroha in Marvelous, the Marvelous and Marigold feud continuing to intensify and Giulia’s return to NXT. As we approach WrestleMania week and the slew of shows happening in and around Las Vegas next week, it’s only going to get busier!
In this week's newsletter:
Stardom: More matches announced for All-Star Grand Queendom, STARS continue to capitulate, Konami faces Shayna Baszler at Bloodsport, Hazuki fights for singles gold in Vegas, Stardom say goodbye to Mina Shirakawa
Marigold: Jungle Kyona shocks the world as she returns to the ring for Marigold and the feud with Marvelous intensifies with a 5-on-5 elimination match at Marigold’s next Korakuen Hall show
Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling: TJPW announce three US shows in Texas over All In weekend in July
Other Joshi: Meiko Satomura vs. Takumi Iroha for the final time in Marvelous, IYO SKY and Giulia’s WrestleMania week plans confirmed, Mei Suruga retains Super Asia Women’s Championship
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STARDOM
NEWS
Stardom held the official press conference for All Star Grand Queendom 2025 on Tuesday. It proved to be a noteworthy event, but perhaps nothing was more noteworthy than Tam Nakano’s request to President Taro Okada. After Okada confirmed that no seconds from Cosmic Angels or H.A.T.E. would be allowed ringside, Nakano requested that whoever loses the Career vs. Career match would also not receive a retirement road or ceremony. The loser will retire as soon as the match concludes, according to Nakano. It remains to be seen whether or not Sayaka Kurara’s wish won from the Cinderella Tournament will have any involvement.
The press conference also featured two more match announcements for the show. Meiko Satomura will compete in the final Stardom match of her career when she teams with Mika Iwata and YUNA to face the Cosmic Angels trio of Saori Anou, Natsupoi, and Sendai Girls World Junior Champion Aya Sakura. Elsewhere, Rina will get a featured singles match against Joshi legend Yumiko Hotta, who appeared via video to make the match official.
Unfortunately, more injury news hit Stardom this week with both Anne Kanaya and Mei Seira being pulled from cards due to injury. Kanaya’s is reportedly due to an injury sustained during training, though Seira - who was pulled from the first Sakae show early on Friday morning - is currently listed as missing due to ‘poor health’. A timetable for their return has not yet been released. We wish both Anne Kanaya and Mei Seira a speedy recovery and hope to see them back in the ring as soon as possible.
The card for Unagi Sayaka’s produce show in Ryogoku Kokugikan will take place on April 26th, with Sayaka having now officially released the card. After Sayaka appeared in Stardom during the Cinderella Tournament finals on the 15th March and requested Saori Anou be on the card, what proved to be very interesting was the backstage interview she had with Stardom President Taro Okada where she requested another Stardom talent to take part, and mysteriously said that she would reveal who on April 6th. It appears that the talent she had in mind was H.A.T.E leader Natsuko Tora who she asked/told to be a part of the show during a rather entertaining video on social media that involved Unagi giving Tora a dinosaur backpack. Since then, both Tora and Saori Anou’s matches have been confirmed, with Tora teaming with Shin Hirota Sakura against the team of Seigo Tachibana and Kuroshio Tokyo Japan. Saori Anou meanwhile will team with Unagi herself and Risa Sera against a team of Daisuke Sekimoto, Shinya Aoki and a mystery opponent in a ‘healthy sandals’ match.
SPARK Joshi announced that Hazuki will compete for the vacant SPARK Joshi World Championship at LADY LUCK on April 17th against Lena Kross. Starlight Kid vacated the championship after winning the gold during WrestleMania Week last year, having one defense against Momoka Hanazono. The show is available for purchase on TrillerTV.
Josh Barnett has now confirmed the full card for Bloodsport XIII for Las Vegas, with Maika vs. Karmen Petrovic already announced. However, now added is another really exciting match in Konami getting her wish to go one-on-one against WWE’s seasoned former-kick boxer and MMA artist Shayna Baszler. Bloodsport XIII will run on April 17th at 7pm PT, with tickets available here.
HANAKO will also be busy during her time in Las Vegas, with her being announced for the New Texas Pro show ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ on April 18th. Her opponent was revealed on social media this week to be WWE ID Prospect Kylie Rae. The show will emanate from The Swan Dive at 10pm, with tickets available here.
RESULTS & REVIEWS
STARDOM DREAM in ANJO
Sunday, April 6th 2025
Tosho Arena, Anjo
Attendance: 1,008
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside Tosho Arena Anjo in Aichi was 1,008. This is the third time Stardom have run the venue, with this being substantially the highest house they have drawn to the venue. This is a 267.88% increase on the previous time Stardom ran the venue (274 on 8th January 2024) and a 41.77% increase on the company’s previous best at the venue (711 for Tam’s previous homecoming show as a part of the Triangle Derby in January 2023).
God's Eye (Hina, Lady C & Syuri) def. Suzu Suzuki, Akira Kurogane & Yuria Hime (10:13)
Fukigen Death def. Anne Kanaya and Mei Seira (6:10)
STARS (Hanan, Hazuki, Koguma & Momo Kohgo) def. HATE (Azusa Inaba, Natsuko Tora, Rina & Ruaka) (9:44)
Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida def. Tomoka Inaba & Ranna Yagami (9:40)
Mina Shirakawa Farewell Gauntlet: Mina Shirakawa vs. EXV (Maika, Rian, Waka Tsukiyama & HANAKO) (11:55): The first of two farewell gauntlets for Mina Shirakawa allowed her to have a few moments with the EXV faction that she has grown so close with over the last year. Shirakawa’s lone pinfall win in the match was over Rian. Maika and Mina shared some fun moments in the first fall, including a chop that Maika said was for Xena, who has been out with an injury. Overall, it’s easy to have a blast watching these farewell gauntlets, especially when much of the roster takes their turn in an impromptu version right after.
Mina Shirakawa Farewell Gauntlet: Mina Shirakawa vs. Saya Iida, AZM, Hanan, Akira Kurogane, Anne Kanaya, Aya Sakura, HANAKO, Hina, Lady C, Maika, Mei Seira, Miyu Amasaki, Momo Kohgo, Ranna Yagami, Saori Anou, Sayaka Kurara, Syuri, Tomoka Inaba, Unagi Sayaka, Waka Tsukiyama, Yuna Mizumori & Yuria Hime (8:00): This is what it’s all about. Seeing so much of the roster pour out there to have their moment with Shirakawa before she leaves the promotion — it’s quite special. Saya Iida, AZM, and Hanan all got their solo chance to do it before Hanan welcomed everyone who had been watching in the back to the ring for them all to have their moments with Mina — even Unagi Sayaka, giving us a final Pink Kabuki moment as they hugged in the corner. It’s not only lovely to see because of Mina getting to fight one final time and have one final stand but to see how much she meant to the roster as she takes her exit. Only Joshi wrestling can so well capture these moments, and this was another one of those times. Everyone trying to pin Shirakawa before she kicked out at the final second was awesome. A perfect bunch of farewell matches for Shirakawa, highlighted by one final 3-minute draw with the most important wrestler in her Stardom tenure.
Tam Nakano vs. Mina Shirakawa ended in a Time-Limit Draw (3:00): The only way it could truly end. Mina Shirakawa made sure to get herself one final match with Tam Nakano, and for three minutes, they did everything they could to leave it all out there with no regrets. The most important person in Shirakawa’s Stardom career was either Nakano or Saya Kamitani, so it was perfect to see it end with one of them in the squared circle. While Shirakawa may have never defeated Nakano in singles action, there’s no doubt that what they did as Cosmic Angels will be remembered for a very long time. A storybook finish for Shirakawa’s career in Stardom as she moves to America for the biggest challenge of her pro wrestling career. Bravo to her. She will be missed. It’s the back-to-back-to-back matches like this that make Joshi wrestling the absolute pinnacle of pro wrestling. You just can’t do it better.
02Line (AZM & Miyu Amasaki) def. PsyQueen (Saya Kamitani & Konami) (10:28): Well, this match was a fun one! Not just because we got some moments between Saya Kamitani and AZM to close out the match, but H.A.T.E. played to a more comedic side for parts of this match, which was an enjoyable change of pace. The shock, however, was seeing AZM pin the World of Stardom Champion with her signature AzumiSushi to win the match. Kamitani’s loss to the Wonder of Stardom Championship challenger could be something notable in the months to come. Overall, a fine, enjoyable tag after lots of emotional stuff prior. (***)
Cosmic Angels (Saori Anou, Tam Nakano & Unagi Sayaka) def. Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura, Sayaka Kurara & Yuna Mizumori) (20:42): Talk about emotions! Seeing Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka side-by-side one final time (and Mina, but that’s later) was surely something. It’s a match like this where you begin to see that this very well may be it for Nakano’s career. The match served its purpose — it put the Cosmic Angels on a pedestal in Nakano’s potentially final Cosmic Angels show. It was fitting and something that has been done a few times now in Anjo. The match was pretty hard-hitting, as the newer Kouzen crew of Yuna Mizumori, Aya Sakura, and Sayaka Kurara didn’t want to show they were anything less than their seniors. While they brought every bit of fight that they could to this match, Nakano stayed strong and won by hitting Mizumori with a Violet Screwdriver. (***½) In the post-match, all the emotions hit as the original Cosmic Angels Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka, and Mina Shirakawa did their signature entrance dance one final time. That was worth the price of admission and watching this show alone. A moment that will live on as each of the three go their separate ways once and for all.
STARDOM in OSAKA 2025 Apr.
Thursday, April 10th 2025
EDION Arena Osaka #2, Osaka
Attendance: 507
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside EDION Arena Osaka #2 was 507. This is the 53rd time that Stardom have run the venue, with the 507 drawn being a 9.98% increase on the last time that they ran it (461 in February 2025).
STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Hanan, Saya Iida & Momo Kohgo) def. FWC (Hazuki & Koguma), Akira Kurogane & Yuria Hime (10:08)
God’s Eye (Ranna Yagami & Tomoka Inaba) def. Cosmic Angels (Yuna Mizumori & Sayaka Kurura) (8:46)
NEO-GENESIS (Mei Seira & Miyu Amasaki) & Tabata def. H.A.T.E (Konami, Azusa Inaba & Fukigen Death) (8:10)
H.A.T.E (Natsuko Tora & Rina) def. God’s Eye (Syuri & Lady C) (9:45)
Suzu Suzuki def. HANAKO (9:25)
Cosmic Angels (Natsupoi, Saori Anou & Aya Sakura) def. EXV (Maika, Waka Tsukiyama & Rian) (13:35)
H.A.T.E (Saya Kamitani & Ruaka) def. Tam Nakano & Starlight Kid (15:28)
LOOKING AHEAD…
Stardom heads to Sakae for two shows this weekend before wrapping up in Hamamatsu on Friday. The big match on Day 1 of Sake will see Mayu Iwatani and Syuri have another preview tag. Iwatani will be joined by Hanan and Momo Kohgo, while Syuri has Tomoka Inaba and Ranna Yagami alongside her. There will also be an exciting three-way match between Saya Kamitani, Saya Iida, and Maika. Fans can check out the full card here.
On Saturday, meltear potentially teams for the final time to face off with Saya Kamitani and Konami in the main event. Here’s a look at the full card.
Then, on Sunday, there’s a chance that the main event will feature the final match with Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano facing one another. Iwatani will team with her Eye Contact partner Hanan, and Nakano will team with Kurara. The semi-main event will be a Future of Stardom Championship preview as Hina teams with Syuri to face Ranna Yagami and Lady C. The card can be found here.
Finally, Stardom heads to Las Vegas for the first of two shows over WrestleMania Week, starting with American Dream 2025 in Sin City on Thursday. There is no official card as of this writing, but be sure to keep tabs on Stardom’s social media to see what they put together for the show.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Friday (April 11th): STARDOM in SAKAE 2025 ~Day 1~ - Aichi Chunichi Hall, Sakae (STARDOM WORLD LIVE)
Saturday (April 12th): STARDOM in SAKAE 2025 ~Day 2~ - Aichi Chunichi Hall, Sakae (STARDOM WORLD LIVE)
Sunday (April 13th): STARDOM in HAMAMATSU 2025 - Act City Hamamatsu, Shizuoka (STARDOM WORLD TBD)
Thursday (April 17th): STARDOM American Dream 2025 in Sin City - The Veil Pavilion, Las Vegas (TrillerTV PPV)
MARIGOLD
NEWS
Jungle Kyona is officially returning to the ring, and she will do so in Marigold. The former leader of Jungle Assault Nation (J.A.N.) and Tokyo Cyber Squad member shocked many when she appeared following the Nanae Takahashi vs. MIRAI match this past weekend in Kyoto. It was there that she challenged Takahashi to a match in Nagoya on April 27th, citing that she wanted to decide on her return to the ring after the match. Kyona went on an indefinite hiatus due to her knee back in 2023, following a previous hiatus as she tried to heal from the surgeries she underwent during her exit from Stardom in 2020. She revealed that during her two years away, she was told that nothing could further be done regarding her knee, which is why she would like to finally give it a go with the same passion that Takahashi wrestles with. Marigold has since announced that the match is official for Nagoya as the two will compete in a five-minute exhibition at the show — marking Kyona’s first match in over two years.
Marigold and Marvelous will continue to fight. At the latest Marvelous show from Shinjuku FACE, Marvelous tied the series between the two factions when Riko Kawahata and Ai Houzan defeated Victoria Yuzuki and Hummingbird in tag team action. It was after the match that the two groups decided that the next step in the rivalry would take them to Marigold’s Korakuen Hall show on April 25th. It will be a 5 vs. 5 Elimination Match between the two promotions. Tokyo Sports has reported that the teams will be Marigold’s Miku Aono, Natsumi Showzuki, Kizuna Tanaka, Chika Goto, and Rea Seto vs Marvelous’ Takumi Iroha, Riko Kawahata, Ai Houzan, Maria, and Sora Ayame.
RESULTS & REVIEWS
Marigold Spring Victory Series 2025 - Night 8
Saturday, April 5th
KBS Hall, Kyoto
Attendance: 305
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside KBS Hall in Kyoto was 305. This was the fourth time that Marigold have run the venue, with the 305 being a 7.02% increase on the 285 they drew the last time they ran there (12th January 2025). This also marks the second-highest house Marigold have drawn to KBS Hall, and the highest since the first time they ran it back in June of 2024 (357).
Hummingbird def. Nagisa Tachibana and Riara (6:12)
Natsumi Showzuki & Rea Seto def. Kizuna Tanaka & Ryoko Sakimura (9:41)
Seri Yamaoka def. Yuuki Minami (6:41)
CHIAKI & Misa Matsui def. Chika Goto & Miku Aono (13:00)
Nanae Takahashi vs. MIRAI ended in a Time-Limit Draw (15:00): Unsurprisingly, this match was awesome. While the 15-minute time limit was no surprise either, it really didn’t matter. With Nanae Takahashi’s clock ticking on her career, these matches receive all the more appreciation from me as she leaves everything she has out there in the ring. MIRAI was more than willing to take on such a challenge. Considering she is building herself up for her first Marigold World Championship match at Shine Forever, this is exactly the level you want to see from “The Soul Fighter.” These two slowly worked their way to the eventual throwing bombs, and once they got there, there was no looking back. These two crushed each other with Lariats, Throws, and anything else in their arsenal before the time eventually ran out. Go out of your way to check this out, especially with both of these competitors ramping up for an important month and a half ahead. (***¾) After this match, Jungle Kyona entered the ring to explain her feelings on a potential return and why she wants to face Takahashi to try and see if she can handle it. Kyona was very clearly emotional, and understandably so, after all she’s gone through the last few years. She will get her match in Nagoya on April 27th, and it’s surely going to be one of the most emotional matches of the year as she tries to show what she’s got in five minutes. Everyone should be rooting for her, no matter the outcome.
Utami Hayashishita, Chanyota, Mai Sakurai & Victoria Yuzuki def. Darkness Revolution (Bozilla, Megaton & Nagisa Nozaki & Gigaton) (16:07): The champions team (plus Chanyota) raised the bar for the typical Darkness Revolution tag to make this match an enjoyable main event. Each competitor was on their game here to bring the best they could to the match, and the most interesting work of it all was Bozilla against the likes of Utami and Chanyota. Speaking of which, Chanyota being consistently involved in these shows is a nice addition, as she’s beginning to feel like a true member of the roster. The match also featured a solid showing from Nagisa Nozaki, who has been putting in the shifts to make up for her comedic partners. The work from start to finish was strong, and the comedy duo of Megaton and Gigaton worked well enough. Hayashishita earned the victory after planting Megaton with an Air Raid Crash. (***)
Marigold Spring Victory Series 2025 - Night 9
Sunday, April 6th
Kobe Sambo Hall, Hyogo
Attendance: 253
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside Kobe Sambo Hall was 253. This is the first time Marigold have run the venue, with only Dragongate – who are based in Kobe – running it otherwise in 2025.
Megaton def. Nagisa Tachibana (5:30)
Chika Goto def. Riara (5:42)
Hummingbird & Minami Yuki def. Natsumi Showzuki & Ryoko Sakimura (7:00)
Darkness Revolution (CHIAKI & Misa Matsui) def. Kizuna Tanaka & Rea Seto (9:55)
Utami Hayashishita & Victoria Yuzuki vs. MIRAI & Seri Yamaoka Ended in a Time-Limit Draw (15:00): The first of what will hopefully be many prelude tag team matches involving Utami Hayashishita and MIRAI. The moment the usually happy-go-lucky MIRAI makes her serious way to the ring with her hair in a ponytail, you knew that she was ready to throw hands, and her and the Marigold World Champion managed to ramp up anticipation for their Korakuen tag team match and the inevitable championship match at Shine Forever through some brilliant sequences and an intense closing sequence. The fact that it was MIRAI who was on top at the end, hitting the Miramare Shock only for the time-limit to elapse is the perfect first step as Marigold heat up what is arguably the hottest match they have ready for Yoyogi in May. (****)
Mai Sakurai, Miku Aono & Chanyota def. Darkness Revolution (Bozilla, Nagisa Nozaki & Gigaton) (14:40)
LOOKING AHEAD…
Marigold has a big-time duo of shows this week, starting with their Shin-Kiba 1st RING show on Saturday. The Superfly Championship will be on the line as Victoria Yuzuki makes her third defense against Rea Seto. The show will also feature the final Marigold match of Bozilla as she teams with her Darkness Revolution stablemates Nagisa Nozaki, Misa Matsui, and CHIAKI to face Miku Aono, Erina Yamanaka, Natsumi Showzuki & Hummingbird. The full card can be seen here.
Monday is the day for Nanae Takahashi’s produce show “All’s Well That Ends with Passion!!.” The show will see a main event trios match of Takahashi teaming up with Yuu and MIRAI to face Chihiro Hashimoto, Ryo Mizunami, and Rina Yamashita. The show will also include the final Nanamomo match as Takahashi teams with Momoe Nakanishi to take on Seri Yamaoka and Victoria Yuzuki. Check out the full card.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (April 12th): Marigold Spring Victory Series 2025 ~ Night 10 - Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
Monday (April 14th): Nanae Takahashi Produce “All's Well That Ends with Passion‼︎” - Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
TOKYO JOSHI PRO-WRESTLING
NEWS
TJPW has announced that they will return to America later this year to hold three shows over the AEW All In Weekend in Texas. The first will be TJPW LIVE in Houston on Thursday, July 10th, while the second will be a day later on Friday, July 11th. TJPW will then head to Dallas on Sunday, July 13th, for its third show in four days. Stay tuned to TJPW’s social media accounts to learn when tickets go on sale.
Shoko Nakajima added some more gold to her waist this past weekend. Nakajima won the MLW Women's World Featherweight Championship by defeating Delmi Exo at MLW Battle Riot VII in Long Beach, California, on Saturday night. She’s the first Joshi competitor to win the championship.
Rika Tatsumi will challenge Dani Luna for the DPW World Women’s Championship at DEADLOCK Pro’s Spirit Rising show on April 24th at Shinjuku FACE. She will be the first TJPW competitor to challenge for the championship.
RESULTS & REVIEWS
TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN HIROSHIMA
Saturday, April 5th 2025
Hiroshima Industrial Hall East Exhibition Hall 2, Hiroshima
Attendance: 178
Kaya Toribami def. Uta Takami (6:58)
Pom Harajuku, Raku & Yuki Aino def. Chika Nanase, Mahiro Kiryu & Moka Miyamoto (8:43)
Rika Tatsumi def. Mifu Ashida (7:49)
Miu Watanabe, Haru Kazashiro & Toga def. Ivy Steele, Kira Summer & Yuki Kamifuku (11:30)
Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume) def. Haruna Neko & Hyper Misao (8:26)
Miyu Yamashita def. Yoshiko Hasegawa (11:53)
Mizuki & Wakana Uehara def. Maki Itoh & Shino Suzuki (12:56)
TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN FUKUOKA
Sunday, April 6th 2025
ACROS Fukuoka, Fukuoka
Attendance: 335
Moka Miyamoto def. Mifu Ashida (6:32)
Haruna Neko & Mahiro Kiryu def. Chika Nanase & Yoshiko Hasegawa (8:16)
Raku def. Kaya Toribami and Shino Suzuki (7:00)
Rika Tatsumi & Toga def. Ivy Steele & Kira Summer (9:37)
Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume) def. Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami (11:53)
Aja Kong & Mizuki def. Hyper Misao & Pom Harajuku (11:46)
Maki Itoh, Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku def. Haru Kazashiro, Miyu Yamashita & Yuki Aino (13:27)
LOOKING AHEAD…
TJPW will head to Shinjuku FACE on Friday for the first of two shows before heading to Las Vegas. The main event will serve as a preview tag for the big matches in Vegas, as Mizuki teams with Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao to take on Miyu Yamashita, Wakana Uehara, and Yuki Kamifuku. You can check out the full card here.
There will also be a WRESTLE UNIVERSE members-only event on Sunday at Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall, which will air live on the streaming platform. No card has been announced for the show.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (April 12th): TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHINJUKU - Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
Sunday (April 13th): TJPW WRESTLE UNIVERSE Members-Only Event "Pre- TJPW Pro-Wrestling. 9" - Tokyo Kitazawa Town Hall, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
SENDAI GIRLS
NEWS
Ahead of her retirement from pro wrestling, Meiko Satomura will team with Chigusa Nagayo one more time to take on their star rookies YUNA and Senka Akatsuki as part of Tenryu Project’s LIVE FOR TODAY show on April 25th at Shinjuku FACE.
As mentioned above, Satomura will also have her final Stardom match at All Star Grand Queendom 2025 when she teams with Mika Iwata and YUNA to face Natsupoi, Saori Anou, and Aya Sakura. Satomura is a former World of Stardom Champion, holding the title back in 2015.
LOOKING AHEAD…
Sendai Girls returns to action this weekend with a five-match card. The main event will see the two young stars of Sendai Girls — Manami and Yurika Oka — team up to take on their teacher Meiko Satomura, who teams with Ryo Mizunami. The card also features a singles match between DASH Chisako and Marvelous’ Riko Kawahata. Here’s a look at the full card.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (April 12th): Sendai Girls - Azalea Taisho Hall, Osaka (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
OTHER JOSHI
Fortune Dream: The major tag team main event of Fortune Dream 10 will take place on Wednesday as Team 200kg’s Chihiro Hashimoto and Yuu face off with the superteam of Meiko Satomura and Sareee in one of the most highly anticipated tag team matches of the year. Kenta Kobashi’s annual produce show will be at Korakuen Hall. For those interested, the show typically airs on Samurai TV a week later.
Marvelous: Shinjuku FACE was the home of the huge Marvelous show on Thursday as Takumi Iroha and Meiko Satomura went head-to-head one final time in the battle of Chigusa Nagayo’s heirs. Here are the full results from the show. 1. Sora Ayame & Unagi Sayaka def. Chikayo Nagashima & Senka Akatsuki (13:18) 2. Itsuki Aoki vs. Maria ended in a Time-Limit Draw (15:00) 3. CHANGO def. Leo Isaka (11:46) 4. Ai Houzan & Riko Kawahata def. Hummingbird & Victoria Yuzuki (16:36): Marigold and Marvelous agreed to continue the war between promotions at the next Marigold Korakuen on April 25th with a 5 vs. 5 Elimination Match. 5. Takumi Iroha def. Meiko Satomura (16:24)
Takumi Iroha is another name that is going to be busy in Las Vegas, as she has now been announced to be taking on DPW Women’s World Champion Dani Luna at DPW’s Title Fight in Vegas show on April 18th. This is a non-title match, but one that will be contested under proving ground rules - If Iroha wins or survives the time limit, she earns a title match contract!
ChocoPro: ChocoPro aired their Warring Era show this past Friday on YouTube. The show took place at TOKYOSQUARE in Itabashi, with 162 fans in attendance. Here are the results. 1. Hagane Shinnou, Kaho Hiromi, Kaori Yoneyama & Sayaka Obihiro def. Chon Shiryu, Hiyori Yawata, Nonoka Seto & Shin Suzuki (8:20) 2. Miya Yotsuba def. Soy (9:03) 3. Chris Brookes, Emi Sakura & Munetatsu Nakamura def. Brahman Kei, Brahman Shu & Fighting Ganesha (13:48) 4. Asia Dream Tag Team Championship: Bellflowers (Makoto & Sayaka) def. Antonio Honda & Tokiko Kirihara (c) to become the new champions (13:48) 5. Super Asia Championship: Mei Suruga (c) def. Chie Koishikawa (10:40)
JOSHI OUT & ABOUT
WWE: After weeks of build, the 4/7 episode of Monday Night RAW finally saw the triple threat between IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair for the Women’s World Championship made official for WrestleMania 41. Though nothing has been confirmed in terms of day breakdown, it is heavily rumoured that the match will take place on night 2 with Fightful pointing out that the official WrestleMania shirt for the match states as much.
NXT: On the 4/8 episode of NXT, Giulia made her return after injury to help Stephanie Vaquer from a beatdown from Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace. Giulia turned on her friend however, stating that she ‘wanted championships more than she wanted friends’ prompting the proposed triple threat between Vaquer, Grace and Parker for the NXT Women’s Championship at Stand and Deliver to be expanded to a four-way including Giulia.
CONTRIBUTOR’S MATCH OF THE WEEK
Scott: Joshi does pro wrestling better than anyone, especially in moments like this. Mina Shirakawa had her final match in Japan on Sunday as part of STARDOM DREAM in ANJO, and it started as a simple gauntlet against her EXV faction. From there, it became so much more, and it was so fitting of what Shirakawa’s run in Stardom ultimately came to be. As Saya Iida, AZM, Hanan, and so many others who were looking on poured into the ring to get their best shot at Shirakawa, it gives you as the viewer all the more of an appreciation for what she meant to so many people on the roster. It had the fun and emotional moments you’d want, with nothing topping Shirakawa’s kickout as more than half the roster tried to pin her. And then, when that bell rang, she made sure to get one final three-minute exhibition in with Tam Nakano to truly put a seal on her time in Stardom. Nothing comes close to Joshi when it’s time for a farewell or retirement, and this match (or matches) was the perfect case of that. It was all so special.
Rob: I always find joshi farewell gauntlets rather bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s extremely sad to see the competitor in question move on to different things, but it’s also a beautiful snapshot with the roster able to say their goodbyes in wonderfully unique and organic ways. Mina’s gauntlet was exactly that - a beautiful farewell to someone who is betting on herself to go out on an international stage - with the roster taking the time to break character and show exactly how much she meant to them. From Maika and her spending their allotted three minutes taking photos together, to Saya Iida chopping Mina for a solid minute, to Hanan bringing back the Sexy Dynamite Princess dance to AZM previewing her and Mina’s match at Windy City Riot, this was already an emotional match even before Shirakawa and Tam Nakano embarked on their final impromptu three-minute exhibition. A perfect send-off for Mina, one that transcends any sort of analysis or match-rating and simply allows us to appreciate how much Shirakawa means to the ones she leaves behind to begin the next leg of her adventure in the United States.
ON THIS DAY IN JOSHI (APRIL 11TH)
Dark Angel vs. Io Shirai - Stardom Appeal The Heat 2015 (11/04/2015)
The Wonder of Stardom Championship is the secondary singles championship in Stardom, though the company has endeavoured to place both this and the World of Stardom Championship on a similar standing, with the Wonder of Stardom Championship even headlining shows ahead of the World Championship. Nicknamed the White Belt, the colour of the belt acts as another tribute to an All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling belt, this time their All-Pacific Championship.
The first champion was former gravure-idol Yuzuki Aikawa, who held the belt for 618 days - a record to this very day - before relinquishing it upon her retirement in 2013. From there, Dark Angel - real name Sarah Stock - beat Act Yasukawa to become the new champion in Ryogoku Kokugikan, holding the belt for 189 days and defending it three times. She would eventually lose the title to Act Yasukawa in Korakuen Hall and wouldn’t be near the title again until April 2015.
By then, the fallout of the ‘ghastly match’ was still very apparent in Stardom, with Yasukawa having to vacate the Wonder of Stardom Championship as a result. Io Shirai was the new champion and had set about putting on great matches with the likes of Nikki Storm - WWE’s Nikki Cross, Queen Maya and Hudson Envy. However, when it came to her fifth title defence, it would be against former-champion Dark Angel, with this being Angel’s first Stardom singles match since November 2013.
Predictably the match is fantastic. Stock is a very good wrestler, and even though Shirai hasn’t quite reached her terrifyingly-high peak as a competitor at this point, she is still phenomenally talented, and what follows is the best Wonder of Stardom match of its short history. It’s a frantic match, with Angel overpowering Shirai with her superior size and strength, Powerbombing her on the apron and launching her around the ring. The pair have a really good chemistry, and are able to match each other’s athleticism, leading some truly excellent spots. Ultimately, Angel can’t put the match away with the Tiger Bomb, and having her first Moonsault countered, Shirai is able to hit one moments later and secure the victory.
It’s a match I encourage you to seek out. Shirai is excellent here as we almost expect now at this point, but I’m particularly impressed with Dark Angel, who melds power and strength with a deceptive athleticism and some innovative submissions. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of her in Stardom after this, with this being her final match ever for the company, as I feel she would have fit in really well with the rapidly approaching ‘Three Daughters of Stardom’ era!
JOSHI CALENDAR FOR 04/11 TO 04/17
HOW TO WATCH
AWG - Actwres girl’Z Online - $6.65 a month
ChocoPro - ChocoPro YouTube Channel - Free, donations accepted.
Diana - EveryDiana - $6.58 a month
Dream Star Fighting Marigold - WRESTLE UNIVERSE - $8.66 a month through website/$8.37 a month through the app
Ice Ribbon - YouTube Membership - $9.99 a month (bigger shows not included)
Marvelous - Zaiko - PPV Price Per Show
OZ Academy - Zaiko - PPV Price Per Show
PURE-J - YouTube Membership - $9.99 a month
SEAdLINNNG - SEAdLINNNG Movie + - $6.66 a month
Sendai Girls - WRESTLE UNIVERSE - $8.66 a month through website/$8.37 a month through the app
Stardom - Stardom World - $6.14 a month
TJPW - WRESTLE UNIVERSE - $8.66 a month through website/$8.67 a month through the app
WAVE - YouTube Membership - $7.99 a month