Joshi Informer Newsletter February 7, 2025: Stardom Supreme Fight in Korakuen Review, Stardom in Vegas, Sareee-ISM Chapter VII Announcements
Welcome to the Joshi Informer!
Welcome one and all to what we hope to be the first of many weekly newsletters we will be bringing you, wrapping up the news, reviews, and previews from the world of Joshi wrestling.
In this week's newsletter:
Stardom: Stardom Supreme Fight in Korakuen Hall review, Stardom announces two dates for WrestleMania week in Las Vegas
Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling: A look ahead to the finals of the Max Heart 5 Tag Team Tournament happening in Korakuen Hall on February 8th.
Sareee-ISM: Chapter VII card announced, show sells out, comments from Sareee and Syuri regarding IWGP Women’s Title
👇 🎧There’s a world of Joshi podcasts out there: If you take your joshi news and reviews on the move, why not check out our range of podcasts by clicking on the links below and become even more familiarised with some of the world’s best wrestling!
STARDOM
NEWS
Stardom has announced that their Las Vegas show over WrestleMania week - ‘American Dream 2025 in Sin City’ - will happen on Thursday 17th April at midday. No talent or venue has been announced as of yet, but ticket information is due to be released in the next two weeks. On top of this, Stardom then announced a second show - American Dream 2025 in the Neon City - over WrestleMania week, confirming that they will be running Meet Las Vegas on April 18th at midday. Tickets for this show are on sale now.
Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid have been announced for Barb Sasaki’s 25th Anniversary show “CRAZY FEST” which will be taking place on March 10th at Korakuen Hall. No opponent has been announced for either as of yet, though Stardom’s Suzu Suzuki is also scheduled to appear in a No DQ match against Rina Yamashita.
Mina Shirakawa has been pulled from upcoming Stardom shows due to an injury sustained at the 2/2 Korakuen show. Shirakawa was subject to a post-match beatdown at the hands of H.A.T.E following their 8-woman tag team match defeat and it was reported by Stardom’s official Twitter accounts that she will be missing from the next set of dates. No further information or timetable for Mina’s return has been announced.
RESULTS & REVIEWS
Stardom Supreme Fight 2025 in Korakuen Hall
Sunday, 2nd February 2025
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Attendance: 1,614
Attendance Note: The announced attendance of 1,614 for Korakuen Hall was a legitimate sell-out, with standing-room-only available. This number is the largest Korakuen Hall number in Stardom’s history and is only the second time in the 160 times they have run the venue that they have drawn over 1,600 (the previous best being 1,602 at the 9th Anniversary Show on the 19th January 2020.) It is also a 30.9% increase on their previous Korakuen Hall show (1233 on 1/13/2025) and is the ninth of the last ten in the venue to surpass the 1000 mark.
Akira Kurogane vs. Yuria Hime Ended in a Time-Limit Draw (5:00): Always difficult to make a proper judgement based on a five-minute match, however, both rookies looked solid, especially during the opening chain wrestling exchanges. Kurogane in particular showcased a lot of emotion throughout the match. No rating for this short exhibition match, but there are a lot of positives for both rookies coming out of this match.
H.A.T.E (Thekla, Momo Watanabe, Rina & Azusa Inaba) def. Empress neXus Venus (Maika, Mina Shirakawa, HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama) w/ Poison Spider Death Drop (12:20): H.A.T.E attacked prior to the bell before isolating Tsukiyama. A lot of the match played on Maika trying to appeal to her and Thekla’s Donna Del Mondo past and failing. HANAKO looked strong and was used primarily as a disruptor to H.A.T.E’s periods of dominance. Ultimately, the use of the numbers game and weapons meant that H.A.T.E were able to overpower EXV leaving Maika on her own in the ring with Thekla and Watanabe. A ref bump meant that Watanabe was able to hit Maika with the baseball bat and for Thekla to then hit the Poison Spider Death Drop for the win. Post-match, H.A.T.E attacked Mina Shirakawa, with Rina hitting the Pink Devil onto a chair before Thekla hit her with the same chair. Shirakawa needed to be carried from the ring by HANAKO. (***)
God’s Eye (Hina & Lady C) def. Mei Seira & Rian w/ Modified Jackhammer (10:06): An entertaining showcase primarily for both Rian and Hina, who both looked very good in this match. The Korakuen crowd was very much behind both Rian and Mei Seira throughout the match and reacted to all of Rian’s offence. Hina eventually secured the victory after hitting Rian with a Modified Jackhammer. (***)
Koguma def. Ranna Yagami w/ Diving Body Press (11:16): A match with the highest of stakes - if Koguma wins, Ranna must perform the ‘bear dance’, while if Ranna wins, Koguma is not allowed to force any member of God’s Eye to perform the bear dance ever again. Even though it’s a comedic stipulation, the match itself was still very good and showcased just how much of a ring general Koguma truly is while showcasing Ranna Yagami’s development in the just over 12 months since her debut. Yagami worked the arm and got a nearfall with the Paradiddle, but Koguma choked her out with a Spinning Rear-Naked Choke before hitting the Diving Body Splash for the victory. As a result, Yagami performed the bear dance, which left Syuri in an emotionally drained heap on the floor. The crowd loved this match, which only added to how good it actually was. (***1/2)
H.A.T.E (Natsuko Tora, Fukigen Death & Ruaka) def. Cosmic Angels (Yuna Mizumori, Aya Sakura & Sayaka Kurura) w/ O’Connor Roll (7:41): Perhaps the match with the least storyline going in or coming out of it on this card, but that’s not a knock on the performers. Sakura and Kurura in particular worked very well together as they continued a seeming march towards a NEW BLOOD Tag Team Championships shot. Mizumori looked strong in the closing stretch but was ultimately rolled up by Fukigen Death. (**1/2)
God’s Eye (Syuri, Saki Kashima, Kiyoka Kotatsu & Tomoka Inaba) def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Hanan, Hazuki & Momo Kohgo) w/ White Tiger (11:51): STARS paid tribute to the injured Saya Iida by performing her trademark chops in the corner on Kotatsu. The main crux of the match however was centred around Hazuki and Syuri who both managed to up the aggression levels substantially. Their exchanges proved to be the highlight of this match, alongside the great underdog babyface performance from Momo Kohgo, who fought valiantly in the closing stretch with Syuri. It wasn’t enough though, and Syuri was able to submit Kohgo with the Byakko (White Tiger). Post-match, Konami returned for the first time since her injury on December 29th to lead a H.A.T.E attack on God’s Eye, reigniting her feud with Syuri. Kiyoka Kotatsu attempted to make the save, but after a brief head-to-head between Syuri and Konami, the latter retreated to the back. (***)
Artist of Stardom Championships Match: NEO-GENESIS (Starlight Kid, AZM & Miyu Amasaki) def. Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Natsupoi & Saori Anou) (c) w/ Azumi Sushi (18:12): This was sensational. It’s been a long time since a unit in Stardom has felt as inherently special as Tokyo Cyber Squad felt, yet NEO-GENESIS seems to be getting closer with each passing show. Great work from Starlight Kid and Natsupoi who reminded everyone of their excellent match at Dream Queendom 2024 at the end of last year, however it was - amongst a litany of other things - the blistering closing stretch between Saori Anou and AZM that escalated this match. They revisited some of the spots from their previous encounters, trading suplexes and roll-ups with incredible precision and speed. AZM tried repeatedly to connect with the Canadian Destroyer, finally hitting the Double Underhook variation before pinning Anou with the Azumi Sushi. NEO-GENESIS become the 34th Artist of Stardom Champions; it is Starlight Kid’s second reign with the belts, Miyu Amasaki’s first and AZM’s fourth - the first since 2020. One of, if not the best Artist of Stardom Championship matches in history. (****1/2)
World of Stardom Championship Match: Saya Kamitani (c) def. Suzu Suzuki w/ Star Crusher (18:23): This match feels special, and though a lot of it has to do with the crowd’s unyielding involvement throughout, it’s mostly because both women put on a truly scintillating performance. Kamitani has improved her strikes exponentially since the beginning of her run as Wonder of Stardom Champion at the end of 2021, and the exchanges she has with Suzuki only serve to emphasise that. Kamitani has embraced the character change and has become an absolute star as a result, whether it’s the goading of her opponents, her incredible athleticism or the sickening smile that plays across her lips as Suzu rains down forearms and headbutts into her. Even in defeat, Suzuki is still made to look like something of a beast, able to hold off the entirety of H.A.T.E and deliver some truly hellish moves to Kamitani, from the Piledriver on the apron to the Avalanche German Suplex; Suzu looks like a killer. The closing stretch involves a bruising exchange of Poisonranas before Kamitani is able to outlast her challenger to plant her with the Star Crusher for the victory; an excellent match and a frantic finish. If this match is an indication of what a Saya Kamitani-fronted Stardom is going to look like, then this year is going to be incredibly exciting. Post-match, Tam Nakano comes out to say she wants revenge for her December 29th title loss to Kamitani. Instead, Saya challenges her and Sayaka Kurura to a tag team match with the stipulation being that, should Saya and her as-of-yet-unnamed opponent win, Kurura must join her. Initially, Tam baulked at the idea, but Kurura persuaded her to accept; asking her to trust her. The match has now been set for Path of Thunder on February 24th in Utsunomiya. (****3/4)
Stardom NEW BLOOD 18
Wednesday, 5th February 2025
Tokyo Square in Itabashi, Tokyo
Attendance: 201
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside Tokyo Square in Itabashi was 201. The venue is a specialist wrestling venue that only opened at the start of February, with NEW BLOOD 18 being just the fourth show to run from there. Tokyo Square supposedly has a capacity of around 250 people, and the NEW BLOOD 18 attendance is the highest in the venue’s incredibly short history. That being said, the 201 drawn here is still the lowest ever for a NEW BLOOD show, with it being a 6.5% decrease on the previous lowest (the 215 drawn to Tokyo New Pier Hall on December 26th for NEW BLOOD 17).
Waka Tsukiyama & HANAKO def. Akira Kurogane & Yuria Hime (8:36)
Kaori Yoneyama def. Rian (7:32): Rian asked to team with Kaori Yoneyama to challenge for the NEW BLOOD Tag Team Titles, which Yoneyama accepted.
God’s Eye (Tomoka Inaba, Kiyoka Kotatsu & Hina) def. Kohaku, Honoka & Saran (10:31): Hina stated after the win that she wants to challenge the winner of Miyu Amasaki vs. HANAKO for the Future of Stardom Championship, with that match taking place on February 12th in Osaka.
DEVILxPRINCESSS (Rina & Azusa Inaba) def. Mizuki Kato & Yuma Makoto (16:35): For the past year, Rina has established NEW BLOOD as her brand — reigning as both the Future of Stardom Champion and NEW BLOOD Tag Team Champion. And despite losing both titles over the last few months, she once again showed that this is her show with another showcase performance alongside DEVILxPRINCESS partner Azusa Inaba. Facing Diana’s Mizuki Kato and Yuma Makoto, Rina led this match to a strong 16 minutes of back-and-forth action as all four had their chance to stand out. If there’s anything worth checking out from this show, it’s the continuation of Rina becoming one of the very best in all of Stardom. (***½)
Nanami, Ranna Yagami & Himiko def. Cosmic Angels (Yuna Mizumori, Sayaka Kurara & Aya Sakura) (19:07): More often than not, the Cosmic Angels trio of Mizumori, Kurara, and Sakura are the highlight of any show they’re on. They’ve developed chemistry and a great connection with the fans. That followed through in this match against Nanami, Yagami, and Himiko. Sakura, specifically, is a star in the making. Her performance in the closing stretch against Nanami was the best part of this bout. While she came up short in the end, there seems to be a story growing her with another shortcoming. (***¼) Following the match, both Nanami and Himiko challenged Rice or Bread for the NEW BLOOD Tag Team Championships, with the champions seemingly accepting ready for NEW BLOOD 19 which is scheduled to take place on March 1st.
LOOKING AHEAD…
Stardom will be running four shows over the next week, stopping in Kobe, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, and Osaka with all four of these shows airing live on Stardom-World.
Aya Sakura, a Kobe native, will be facing Hanan in a singles match on February 8th in the former’s homecoming show in the Kobe Arts Center. Also on the card, God’s Eye and H.A.T.E reignite the fierce rivalry that eclipsed most of the latter half of 2024 with an 8-woman tag team match. The remainder of the card can be found here.
On the 9th in Yamaguchi, Mayu Iwatani - with this being her own homecoming show - will team with Saki Kashima against a reformed MOMOAZ (Momo Watanabe and AZM). There’s a little extra spice to this match, with Saki Kashima turning on Mayu back on January 3rd, 2020, and Momo Watanabe turning her back on AZM in December of 2021; how each team will co-exist is a very exciting prospect. The remainder of the card is available to view here.
Meanwhile in Hiroshima on February 11th Konami, who returned from injury to attack Syuri in Korakuen Hall on 2/2, will be a part of a God’s Eye vs. H.A.T.E 6-woman tag team match. You can check out the full card for the Hiroshima Industrial Hall here.
Finally, at EDION Arena Osaka #2 on February 12th, Miyu Amasaki will make her third defence of her Future of Stardom Championship against HANAKO, who laid out her own challenge during the second night of the Stardom Award show on 1/26. The remaining matches - including Yuna Mizumori and Fukigen Death in singles action - can be found here.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (February 8th): Stardom in Kobe 2025 - Kobe Art Center, Hyogo (Stardom-World LIVE)
Sunday (February 9th): Stardom in Yamaguchi 2025 ~Mayu Iwatani Triumphal Return~ - KDDI Ishin Hall, Yamaguchi (Stardom-World LIVE)
Tuesday (February 11th): Stardom in Hiroshima 2025 - Hiroshima Prefectural Sangyou Kaikan, Hiroshima (Stardom-World LIVE)
Wednesday (February 12th): Stardom in Osaka 2025 Feb. - EDION Arena Osaka #2, Osaka (Stardom-World LIVE)
MARIGOLD
NEWS
In an interview with No Guarantee Magazine, Marigold World Champion Utami Hayashishita revealed who she’d like to defend her championship against. “The Red Queen” named WWE’s IYO SKY, Sareee, MIRAI, Miku Aono, TJPW’s Miyu Yamashita, Rina Yamashita, VENY, Jungle Kyona, and X.
Hayashishita revealed that X was a rival from her previous promotion (Stardom) and didn’t want to name the competitor to avoid trouble. She also expressed her love for VENY, who she’d like to face for a second time in a singles match after going against one another for the first time at the Hana Kimura Memorial Show Terima Kasih last year. Hayashishita’s interview also talks about her decision to leave Stardom, NØRI, being an ace, and more.
LOOKING AHEAD…
After taking this past weekend off, Marigold will be back for two shows over the next week, beginning on Friday at Shinjuku FACE. The main event will see Victoria Yuzuki defend the Superfly Championship for the second time against challenger Misa Matsui. This will be Matsui’s third challenge for the title and is bringing in all the momentum after pinning Yuzuki in their preview trios match on January 26th. The show will also feature the Marigold debut of Chanyota, who teams with former tag partner Mai Sakurai to take on Miku Aono and Naho Yamada in the semi-main event. You can check out the rest of the card here to see what Utami Hayashishita, MIRAI, and others are up to.
Marigold will be right back at it a few days later on Tuesday in Nagoya. The top two matches on the card will serve as tune-ups for the TwinStar Champions Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka, as well as the expected challengers Hayashishita and Yuzuki. The champions will collide with Bozilla and Megaton. Hayashishita and Yuzuki will test their tag team chemistry when they face former TwinStar Champions CHIAKI and Nagisa Nozaki. Check out the full card here.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Sunday (February 7th): New Year Golden Garden 2025 ~ Night 7 - Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
Tuesday (February 11th): New Year Golden Garden 2025 ~ Night 8 - Chunichi Hall, Nagoya (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
TOKYO JOSHI PRO-WRESTLING
NEWS
TJPW have announced the sixteen wrestlers that will be appearing at their Las Vegas live show during WrestleMania week. The full announced list is Mizuki, Miyu Yamashita, Maki Itoh, Suzume, Yuki Kamifuku, Pom Harajuku, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi, Hyper Misao, Yuki Aino, Miu Watanabe, Raku, Arisa Endo, Yuki Arai, Wakana Uehara and Shino Suzuki, as well as more international talent to be announced. In addition to this, TJPW announced that all sixteen wrestlers will also compete at the TJPW vs. DDT vs. GCW show. TJPW’s Las Vegas show is at 11am PST on Friday 18th April, with the TJPW vs. DDT vs. GCW show following on April 19th at 2pm. Both shows, as with the rest of the shows under the ‘Collective’ banner will take place at Pearl Theater at Palms Hotel.
Miu Watanabe has been announced for her very first non-TJPW US appearance. She will appear for Pandemonium Pro-Wrestling in a match against Maya World during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show, ‘The House Always Wins’, will emanate from the Fremont Country Club at 11am PST on April 17th. Tickets can be purchased here.
LOOKING AHEAD…
Korakuen Hall will play host to the finals of the 5th Max Heart Tournament this Saturday. The team of Pom Harajuku and Max The Impaler will go head-to-head with the Kyoraku Kyomei duo of Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao. Nakajima and Misao return to the final after coming up short in 2022. The winner will head to Grand Princess ‘25 on March 16th to challenge Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh for the Princess Tag Team Championship.
Suzume will make her first defence of the International Princess Championship in the semi-main event, defending the title against Jada Stone. The 21-year-old foreigner from the U.S. made the challenge after defeating Suzume back on the 19th of January. Fans can check out the full card for the show here.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (February 8th): Max Heart Tournament Final - Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
Tuesday (February 11th): Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
SENDAI GIRLS
NEWS
At Evolution’s Shinjuku FACE show on 1/29, Chi Chi successfully defended her Sendai Girls Junior Championship against Stardom’s Ranna Yagami, achieving her third successful title defense in 15 minutes and 44 seconds with a Backdrop. Following this, Momoka Hanazono came out and challenged Chi Chi to a title match though it was ultimately established that she didn’t meet the requirements. Instead, Chi Chi offered the idea of a special singles match between the pair which was accepted.
Ahead of her April 29th retirement, Meiko Satomura’s final two UK matches have been announced, with her competing in PROGRESS on Sunday 23rd February, and in Ichiban Puroresu the following night on the 24th. At PROGRESS Chapter 177: My Own Destiny, Satomura is in singles action against Rhio at the Electric Ballroom in London, while at the latter show - entitled ‘Final Sting’ - Satomura will team with Rayne Leverkusen against the team of Millie McKenzie and Nina Samuels at the PRYZM Kingston venue.
LOOKING AHEAD…
Sendai Girls are running back-to-back shows this weekend; Saturday in Osaka, and Sunday in Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo. The main event of the 2/8 Osaka show from Azalea Taisho Hall will see the Bob Bob Momo Banana team of Yurika Oka and Mio Momomo taking on DASH Chisako and Chi Chi, with a special singles match between Takumi Iroha and Mika Iwata set to be the semi-main event. The rest of the card for the show can be viewed here.
Meanwhile, Bob Bob Momo Banana will also be in the main event the following night in Shinjuku FACE when they will defend their Sendai Girls Tag Team Championships against the Red Energy team of Mika Iwata and Miyuki Takase live on WRESTLE UNIVERSE. Elsewhere, Nanae Takahashi will make her return to Sendai Girls for the first time since April 2024 when she teams with ZONES against the team of Chihiro Hashimoto and Manami. The full card can be found here.
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (February 8th): Azalea Taisho, Osaka (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
Sunday (February 9th): Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
SAREEE-ISM
NEWS
Following another successful sell-out of the latest chapter of her self-promoted ‘Sareee-ISM’ shows, Sareee held a press conference to announce Sareee-ISM Chapter VII with an official poster release as well as the full card. The main event is again seen as a dream match among Joshi fans, as Sareee will face off with Stardom’s Syuri in a match that Sareee is calling the strongest vs. the strongest. This will only be the second time these two go head-to-head in singles action, as Syuri defeated Sareee during “The Sun God’s” rookie campaign in 2011. Both competitors expressed that they’re aiming for the IWGP Women’s Championship, a title that they both challenged for in 2024 but came up short against champion Mayu Iwatani. Syuri had a tearful explanation at the presser about why this match means so much to her, and how a win can get her to the one championship she ultimately has come up short of winning in Stardom. Sareee stated on X that she plans to use Syuri as a stepping stone after losing three major singles matches to start the year while having Iwatani and the belt in sight.
Between the press conference and the weekend, Sareee announced the remainder of the Sareee-ISM card. The semi-main event will see Stardom’s Natsupoi return to the Sareee-ISM ring to face T-Heart’s Miku Kanae — who is fresh off an impressive loss to Victoria Yuzuki at Sareee-ISM Chapter VI. The remainder of the card will feature DASH Chisako teaming with Chi Chi to take on Honori Hana and VENY, joshi legends Jaguar Yokota and Kaoru Ito facing upstarts Kohaku and Yurika Oka, and the opener will see Shaa go one-on-one with Misa Kagura. Sareee-ISM Chapter VII will be emanating once again from Tokyo’s Shinjuku FACE, airing on March 10th beginning at 7pm JST.
The official Sareee-ISM X account revealed that Chapter VII sold out in minutes — the fastest sell-out yet for Sareee’s produce events. This marks the seventh-straight sold-out show for the series at Shinjuku FACE.
In an interview with NumberWeb, Sareee also revealed that she would likely have just one match in February, deciding to decline all others to put focus on her match with Syuri at her produce event in March.
OTHER JOSHI
Fortune Dream: Kenta Kobashi has announced that as a part of his annual Fortune Dream show, Sareee and Meiko Satomura will be teaming against as-of-yet unnamed opponents. Fortune Dream 10 is due to air from Korakuen Hall on 16th April 2025.
Marvelous: Marvelous have announced that they will be running a show in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week. Though no talent has been announced for this show as of yet, the show has been confirmed to be taking place on Thursday 17th April 2025 at The Meet.
On Tuesday, Marvelous held a show at Shinkiba 1st RING. The main event saw Marvelous against COLOR’S as part of Hikari Shimizu’s retirement road. Here’s a look at the results: 1. VENY def. Sora Ayame 2. NightShade def. Senka Akatsuki: This was NightShade’s final match of her Japan excursion 3. Maria def. Chikayo Nagashima and Ai Houzan (***¼) 4. PSYCHO def. Leo Isaka 5. Marvelous (Takumi Iroha, Mio Momono & Riko Kawahata) def. COLOR’S (SAKI, Yuko Sakurai & Hikari Shimizu (***½)
SEAdLINNNG: The SEAdLINNNG dojo held its first pro-tests on January 31st, with rookie Yuki successfully passing. She will now make her debut on March 20th in Kawasaki. SEAdLINNNG will also run their ‘Winter Ends in Shinjuku’ show on February 12th, with three matches being made official so far. Honori Hana will face Stardom’s Ruaka in singles action, Miku Kanae and Itsuki Aoki will face YuuRI and Misa Kagura while Hikari Shimizu - who will be retiring next month - will team with Rina Yamashita against Ka Kedita and Na Tsudita. Also announced for the show are the new Beyond the Sea Champion VENY, Unagi Sayaka, Makoto, Nagisa Nozaki, Yumiko Hotta, and Ayame Sasamura.
Ice Ribbon: The FantastICE Championship will return on Tuesday at Ice Ribbon #1400 in Tokyo Square. Akane Fujita, who won the championship on December 31st, 2021 before the belt was discontinued after PROMINENCE made their departure from the promotion, will defend the title against Ancham. The match will take place under normal wrestling rules. A second title match is set for the show with Kyuuri defending the Triangle Ribbon Championship against Kaori Yoneyama and Arisa Shinose. Yuuki Mashiro will also go one-on-one with Makoto.
Pro-Wrestling WAVE: Shin Sakura Hirota returned to action this past weekend from an injury that had her sidelined since October. She defeated Konaka on WAVE’s WAVE PHASE2 Reboot 5th ~ NAMI 1 show on Saturday. After the match, Hirota announced an “emergency” produce show for April 23rd at Shinjuku FACE. She confirmed that Meiko Satomura, Sonoko Kato, and Chikayo Nagashima will all take part in the show — making for an unofficial GAEA Japan reunion just days before the retirement of Satomura.
P.P.P. Tokyo: At P.P.P. Tokyo’s Treasure & Party show on Thursday, Nanae Takahashi def. Chanyota in the main event (16:49). Titled “Final Passion,” Chanyota got her wish to compete with Takahashi and show her what she can bring to the table ahead of the latter’s retirement in May. Takahashi can be an overbearing competitor for anyone, but this was an opportunity for Chanyota to show her fight in the biggest singles match of her career. They traded slaps, strikes, and power moves until Chanyota didn’t have any more to give, and Takahashi ultimately got the victory. (***¾) It’s a match worth watching with Chanyota once again stepping up and delivering against a more experienced, difficult opponent. 2025 should be a big year for her.
OZ Academy: OZ will be back this Sunday with Angels of the Abyss, live from Shinjuku FACE — featuring two major tag team title matches. The opening match will see Bob Bob Momo Banana defend the AAAW Tag Team Titles for the second time against Ryo Mizunami and Sonoko Kato. In the main event, Stardom’s FWC (Hazuki & Koguma) will put the OZ Academy Tag Titles on the line for the first time against the duo of AKINO and Kohaku.
OZ Academy also announced that Mayumi Ozaki will miss all of February due to a jaw injury, and she’s expected to make her return in March. Sendai Girls’ DASH Chisako will replace Ozaki this Sunday in a singles bout against Itsuki Aoki. The full card can be found here.
JOSHI OUT & ABOUT
WWE: IYO SKY and NXT Women’s Champion Giulia both made appearances in the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble match, with IYO entering at number one and Giulia at twenty-eight. IYO briefly broke the record for the longest period spent in a Women’s Royal Rumble match (1:06:45) before being eliminated by Nia Jax, with Liv Morgan and then Roxanne Perez going on to break that record moments later. Giulia did manage to eliminate Jordynne Grace but was then subsequently eliminated by Roxanne Perez. On RAW the following night, IYO was then cost the opportunity to qualify for the Elimination Chamber when she lost a match against Liv Morgan via disqualification after Rhea Ripley attacked Morgan - inadvertently costing SKY the match in the process. IYO confronted a desperately apologetic Ripley before making her way from the ring.
AEW: Yuka Sakazaki was unsuccessful in her TBS Championship match against Mercedes Mone on the 1/29 episode of AEW Dynamite in Huntsville Alabama.
NXT: NXT Women’s Champion Giulia will defend her championship against both Bayley and Roxanne Perez at NXT Vengeance Day on February 15th in the Entertainment and Sports Center in Washington D.C.
CONTRIBUTOR’S MATCH OF THE WEEK
Scott: The best pro wrestling at its core is when there’s a heel, babyface, and a hot crowd. And more often than not, joshi wrestling is just the best pro wrestling anyway. That brings us to the main event of Stardom Supreme Fight 2025 — where Saya Kamitani defended the World of Stardom Championship for the first time against challenger Suzu Suzuki. Going into this match, I had the excitement but also many questions. What did Kamitani’s title defenses look like as a heel? Could Suzuki find her former self that brought her to a 5STAR Grand Prix win and seconds away from winning the World of Stardom Title at Dream Queendom 2023? Those were the big questions, and boy, did they answer them. This was Suzu Suzuki at the top of her game. Suzuki brought her best, from hard-hitting strikes to her unmatchable charisma carrying her. And this was Saya Kamitani returning to the dynamic form we saw throughout her Wonder of Stardom Title reign — specifically putting aside any and all fear that had traveled with her following a brutal injury in 2023. The moment of the bout wasn’t the back-and-forth Poisonranas at the end. Hell, it wasn’t even the trading of the headbutts. Instead, it was Kamitani taking a stunning German Suplex off the top rope from Suzuki, crashing down to the mat but still managing to move forward. I firmly believe that this is the best World of Stardom Championship match since at least 2023. It’s not to discredit the efforts of last year, but more so to credit what Kamitani and Suzuki delivered in front of 1,614 strong. Sensational match and set the bar for Stardom and Joshi in 2025. (****¾)
Rob: I had perhaps unfairly high expectations for this match, but also a little bit of doubt as to how Suzu would come out of it when she inevitably took the pinfall. It turns out I needn’t have worried. Not only is this a fantastic match that combines everything I love about both women, but also takes into account how to make a killer like Suzu still appear strong after losing her second Red Belt match in the space of less than five months. Her handy disposal of almost the entire H.A.T.E unit at ringside, the way she brutalised Saya in parts of this match with the likes of the Piledriver on the apron, tossing chairs at her with reckless abandon and the way she matches the champion’s athleticism in the closing stretch keeps her looking like a beast in defeat. For Saya, this match should serve to allay any fears latent doubters have about her being the correct choice to be at the apex of Stardom. She’s embraced this heel persona, made it her own, and has become the biggest star in the company in the process. Her aura is matched only by her in-ring prowess, and her willingness to get down and dirty in the strike exchanges shows that she’s willing to do whatever it takes without resorting to H.A.T.E shenanigans or cheap wins; she knows she’s one of the best in the ring and that arrogance is what make her such a great heel! It’s quite the statement V1 of Saya’s reign; now have her hold it for a year! (****3/4)
ON THIS DAY IN JOSHI (FEBRUARY 7TH)
Team Stardom (Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, Kairi Hojo, Momo Watanabe & Jungle Kyona) vs. Team World Selection (Chelsea Green, Evie, Kellie Skater, Santana Garrett & Viper) - Stardom 5th Anniversary - Night 3 ~Stardom vs. The World~ (02/07/2016)
On December 6th, 2015, a group of gaikokujin wrestlers ‘invaded’ Stardom. Two of those members - Evie (more widely known now as WWE’s Dakota Kai) and Shimmer’s Kellie Skater - alongside Hiroyo Matsumoto then claimed the vacant Artist of Stardom Championships in a three-way tag match as Team Hyper Destroyers, immediately lending more credibility to the invading force. Fast forward to early 2016 and Stardom was in the midst of its 5th Anniversary tour and had attached the tagline ‘Stardom vs. The World’ to several of the dates to emphasise the ongoing feud between the Stardom wrestlers and the gaikokujins. The first of these aforementioned dates was the February 7th show from Shin-Kiba 1st Ring, where the main event was a 10-woman elimination tag team match, pitting the ‘Stardom Army’ team of Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, Kairi Hojo, Jungle Kyona and Momo Watanabe against the ‘World’ team of Viper (WWE’s Piper Niven), Santana Garrett, Evie, Chelsea Green and Kellie Skater.
The match itself lasted nearly half an hour and saw the invading force take the victory. Momo Watanabe and Jungle Kyona were the first eliminated before Kairi and Io then levelled things up by pinning Chelsea Green and Kellie Skater respectively, leaving three members on each team. Things quickly fell apart for the Stardom Army team from there however, with Kairi and Santana Garrett eliminating each other and Evie pinning Mayu Iwatani with the TTYL to leave Io Shirai at a 2-on-1 disadvantage. Despite her infectious fighting spirit, she was ultimately overpowered and pinned by Viper leaving the ‘World’ team with two surviving members.
Ultimately this led to a series of title matches in Korakuen Hall on 2/21/2016 with Evie challenging for Mayu’s High Speed Championship, Kairi challenging for Santana Garrett’s Wonder of Stardom and Viper becoming the second person to challenge Io for the World of Stardom Championship. Come Korakuen Hall, however, all three titles were defended successfully.
JOSHI CALENDAR FOR 02/07 TO 02/13
