Joshi Informer Newsletter May 16th, 2025: Stardom Korakuen Hall Review, AZM Wins NJPW Gold, Magenta Claim Marigold TwinStar Championships, Tokyo Princess Cup 12 Dates Revealed
Welcome everyone to the May 16th edition of The Joshi Informer newsletter.
In this week's newsletter:
Stardom: Saya Kamitani takes on Sayaka Kurura for the World of Stardom Championship, STARS implode, AZM wins the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship!
Marigold: Magenta are your new Marigold TwinStar Champions, Yuka Yakazaki to make her Marigold debut in June, Hokkaido tour announced with United National Championship defence.
Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling: The 12th Tokyo Princess Cup dates are announced and Suzume will officially defend the International Princess Championship against Yoshiko Hasegawa on May 31st.
Other Joshi: Takumi Iroha and Sareee to take on H2D on May 20th for the AAAW Tag Team Championships, Chi Chi’s return from injury is announced, AZM and Mina Shirakawa feature at AEW Dynamite Beach Break and Nanae Takahashi is to team with Ai Houzan against Senka Akatsuki and Sora Ayame on May 20th for Marvelous.
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STARDOM
NEWS
Following the third Korakuen Hall sellout in five shows for the company, Stardom returns to the historic venue once more on Wednesday, May 21st, for their latest ‘Nighter’ show. Having been introduced at the prior Korakuen Hall show on May 11th, Stardom has announced that the two rookies – known for now under the tentative names of Mai Matsuda and An Toyoshima – will make their respective debuts on the show. Matsuda will face a returning AZM, while Toyoshima will face Hanan.
After being announced for Pro Wrestling: EVE’s ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ show on 6th June, it has been confirmed that new IWGP Women’s Champion Syuri will make her first defence of the belt in the UK; the first time the belt has ever been defended in the UK. The opponent will be Alex Windsor who, after showing an initial interest after the original announcement, made an appearance at Stardom’s Korakuen Hall show on the 11th May to challenge the champion via a pre-recorded video package! This of course comes on top of Sareee making a challenge for the belt, with it later being confirmed that she will challenge the winner of this match at Stardom’s THE CONVERSION 2025 show on the 21st June.
AZM has become the fifth New Strong Women’s Champion! Mercedes Mone’s record reign of 313 days with the belt was finally halted in the main event of New Japan’s Resurgence event on May 9th in the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. Competing in the main event despite the presence of an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between Hirooki Goto and Zack Sabre Jr., Mercedes Mone would lose her belt when AZM rolled up Mina Shirakawa with the Azumi Sushi to claim her first singles title since dropping the High-Speed Championship in 2023, in 17 minutes and 53 seconds; becoming the youngest champion in the belt’s short lineage.
Speaking of AZM, her and Mina will faced off again sooner than expected, however, as both women participated in a four-way AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator with Skye Blue – herself making her return from an injury that has kept her out of action since July 2024 – and champion ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm. AZM entered with a Queen’s Quest logo on her video, and Shirakawa entered with a new theme song — both of which were critically commented on, and Shirakawa’s theme song switched back to her Stardom theme by the end of the show. Shirakawa pinned Toni Storm to earn a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship.
RESULTS & REVIEWS
STARDOM NEW BLOOD 21
Friday, May 9th 2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo
Attendance: 268
Attendance Note: The attendance inside Shin-Kiba 1st RING was 268. Though a decrease from New Blood 20 (296), it is still the second-highest attended New Blood event since New Blood 15 on 29th September 2024. It is also a 5.63% decrease from the last time the company ran Shin-Kiba 1st RING, which was for the finals of the New Year Unit League (284 on the 23rd January).
Akira Kurogane def. Yuria Hime (7:28): A really good back-and-forth between the two Stardom rookies opened the show, epitomising the whole premise of New Blood. Yuria showed a lot of fire, but with Kurogane’s new affiliation with Mi Vida Loca, it felt like a given that she would walk away with her first-ever singles victory with her Bridging Half-Hatch Suplex. It’s been a good week for Kurogane, and it’s good to see her get her reward for some really fast development. (***1/2) Following the opening match, President Taro Okada introduced two unnamed rookies who had recently passed their respective pro-tests and would be making their debuts soon. No dates or time frame were mentioned ,however.
Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura & Sayaka Kurura) def. Saran & Asuka Goda (10:55)
Yuna Mizumori def. Soy (11:31): This was a real hidden gem this week, and one that I actively encourage anyone to seek out. A true ‘hoss’ battle, with the pair looking to outpower each other relentlessly, taking the action from the ring, to the apron, to the crowd, to the stage and back again. Eventually Mizumori - who is fast becoming one of the most endearing characters on the entire Stardom roster - began working to take out Soy’s leg before securing victory with the Single-Leg Boston Crab. Not only yet another great showing for Yuna after her match with Starlight Kid last week, and being chosen as one of the six competitors taking part at Wrestling Dontaku, but it’s a great performance from Soy who is still only a year into her wrestling career! (***3/4)
Himiko, Yuma Makoto & Mizuki Kato def. EXV (Waka Tsukiyama, HANAKO & Rian) (12:08)
Maika Ozaki & Yuna Manase def. God’s Eye (Lady C & Ranna Yagami (12:42)
God’s Eye (Hina, Tomoka Inaba & Nanami Hatano) def. H.A.T.E (Rina, Azusa Inaba & Fukigen Death) (15:17): After watching her team lose in the main event of the show, Rina took to the microphone and made a promise that – even though many people are leaving or quitting Stardom – it will be she that not only leads the company into the future, but also leads women’s professional wrestling.
STARDOM in Korakuen Hall
Friday, May 9th 2025
Shin-Kiba 1st RING, Tokyo
Attendance: 268
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside Korakuen Hall was 1,503, with this being touted by the company as a legitimate sell-out. This continues a trend of 13 of the last 14 Korakuen Hall shows to exceeding 1,000 people including the last 9 shows in a row. Not only is the announced attendance of 1,503 a 37.14% increase on the previous house of 1,096 on April 24th, but it also makes it the third of the last five Stardom Korakuen Hall shows to sell-out entirely; an even more impressive feat when you consider – prior to Supreme Fight 2025 on February the 2nd – the company hadn’t sold out Korakuen Hall since January 2020.
Mi Vida Loca (Suzu Suzuki, Rina Yamashita, Itsuki Aoki & Akira Kurogane) def. EXV (HANAKO, Waka Tsukiyama & Rian) & Yuria Hime (10:24): After two new then-unnamed rookies were introduced to the crowd at New Blood 21, Stardom President Taro Okada bought the pair to the ring once more in Korakuen Hall. The pair – known for now under the tentative names of Mai Matsuda and An Toyoshima – will make their respective debuts on 21st May Korakuen Hall show. Matsuda will face a returning AZM, while Toyoshima will face Hanan.
Cosmic Angels (Saori Anou, Natsupoi & Yuna Mizumori) def. H.A.T.E (Natsuko Tora, Azusa Inaba & Fukigen Death) (8:17)
STARS (Hanan, Saya Iida, Hazuki, Koguma & Momo Kohgo) def. God’s Eye (Saki Kashima, Tomoka Inaba, Ranna Yagami, Hina & Kiyoka Kotatsu (11:26): After the ten-woman tag team match, Hazuki and Koguma officially left STARS, citing philosophical differences between Hazuki and Hanan and Fukuoka Double Crazy’s desire to do more work outside of Stardom as the main reasons. It has been made clear that this does not mean that Hazuki and Koguma are leaving Stardom. This does however leave STARS as the trio of Hanan, Saya Iida and Momo Kohgo following this and the departure of Mayu Iwatani.
Singles Match: Syuri def. Aya Sakura (12:19): It’s been quite the couple of weeks for Aya Sakura. Going head-to-head with Meiko Satomura at All-Star Grand Queendom before being announced in singles matches with Syuri here and then Sareee as a part of Natsupoi and Saori Anou’s 10th Anniversary show. It’s clear Stardom see a lot of value in Sakura, and it’s not difficult to see why from her performance in this match. Her tenacity and fire coupled with her brave attempts to take the fight to one of the toughest opponents on the circuit is only going to continue to captivate audiences, and that’s exactly what happened here. The more Aya fought and tried to stay in the match, the more the crowd were behind her, until eventually she couldn’t hold on any longer and was forced to submit to the Suzaku. A gutsy performance that goes someway to telegraphing to us that 2025 and 2026 are going to be huge years for Sakura, and matches like this are only going to help her with her breathlessly quick development. With spots open for the 5Star Grand Prix in the wake of Mayu, Thekla, Tam and Maika not being in this year’s tournament for various reasons, Aya feels like a shoo-in; and that could be the launching pad she needs for even bigger and better things. (***1/2) After Syuri’s singles match victory over Aya Sakura, Sareee entered the ring and demanded a match for the IWGP Women’s Championship. Before Syuri could respond, Alex Windsor appeared via pre-recorded video and challenged Syuri for the belt when she goes over to the UK at Pro-Wrestling EVE’s 6th June show. President Okada declared that Windsor vs. Syuri would happen on the 6th June, with Sareee facing the winner at THE CONVERSION on June 21st.
Starlight Kid, Miyu Amasaki & Haruka Umesaki def. H.A.T.E (Konami, Rina & Ruaka) (10:58): After pinning Konami with the Moonsault, it looked as though Starlight Kid was ready to put up the Artist of Stardom Championships in a future match against H.A.T.E. However, the Mi Vida Loca trio of Suzu Suzuki, Itsuki Aoki and Rina Yamashita then stormed the ring and declared their own intentions to go for the belts. As a result, a number one contendership match between H.A.T.E and Mi Vida Loca will happen at Stardom’s next Korakuen Hall show on May 21st.
CMLL-Japan Women’s Championship Match: Lluvia (c) def. Mei Seira (9:40): Added seemingly at the last moment to the card, I erroneously stated in the previous newsletter that this match was actually for Mei Seira’s High Speed Championship, which of course it wasn’t. With only 9 minutes, there was only so much these two women could do, and I feel there is undoubtedly a better match between them in there. Mei’s breathtaking speed and athelticism make her the perfect person to feature in a match with Lucha influence, but something was just a bit lacking here. Maybe with Lluvia picking up the victory here with a La Majistral Cradle, we get this run back for the High-Speed Championship in the future and, as I mentioned, you can tell that there is a blockbuster match waiting to happen between the two. As solid as this was though, this didn’t quite hit the heights we hoped for. (***3/4)
World of Stardom Championship Match: Saya Kamitani (c) def. Sayaka Kurura (22:00): I would argue that not one person heading into Korakuen Hall would have given Sayaka Kurura a prayer of winning this match. However, through a molten-hot Korakuen Hall crowd, the brilliant work of Saya Kamitani, Kurura’s relentlessly endearing babyface performance and some of the closest nearfalls you will ever see, this match still succeeded in being incredibly captivating. Kamitani was at her imperious best, making Kurura work for every inch in this match, leaning on her heel persona that she’s honest to near perfection. Because of this, when Kurura did fight from underneath, the crowd got behind her and even allowed themselves to believe that Kamitani may have taken her opponent too lightly. The noise that greeted both the Tokimeki Spear and the Tokimeki Sliced Bread was incredible, and was followed by - as I mentioned previously - some of the closest nearfalls you are likely to find. The fact that Kamitani needed two back-to-back Star Crushers to get the job done also elevates Kurura, who manages to come out of this match as a bonified underdog star and someone who, with the right amount of pushing in the next few months, has the capability to be the person to stand across from Saya as the Yin to her Yang! Yes, Kurura was always going to lose this match - but it’s how she lost that is going to benefit her exponentially moving forward. (****1/2)
LOOKING AHEAD…
Stardom begin their double header this weekend by running Nagano ARC on Saturday 17th May. The main event will see a preview 6-woman tag team match ahead of the Wonder of Stardom Championship match at Korakuen Hall, with the NEO-GENESIS team of Starlight Kid, Miyu Amasaki and Mei Seira teaming against the EXV trio of HANAKO, Rian and Waka Tsukiyama. Elsewhere, Hazuki and Koguma’s life as unaffiliated wrestlers begins when they team up with Suzu Suzuki against H.A.T.E’s Konami, Rina and Fukigen Death. (FULL CARD)
Sunday 18th May sees the company move to Toyama, with the remaining STARS trio of Hanan, Saya Iida and Momo Kohgo facing off with H.A.T.E - led by World of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani. Also announced, NEO-GENESIS will take on HANAKO and Fukuoka Double Crazy in the final match before Korakuen Hall’s Wonder of Stardom Championship match, and Mi Vida Loca’s Suzu Suzuki and Akira Kurogane are joined by Yuria Hime as they take on Konami, Rina and Ruaka of H.A.T.E. (FULL CARD)
Following the third Korakuen Hall sellout in five shows for the company, Stardom return to the historic venue once more on Wednesday 21st May for their latest ‘Nighter’ show. Having been introduced at the prior Korakuen Hall show on May 11th, Stardom have announced that the two rookies – known for now under the tentative names of Mai Matsuda and An Toyoshima – will make their respective debuts on the show. Matsuda will face a returning AZM, while Toyoshima will face Hanan. Already announced for the show was HANAKO cashing in her battle royal win at Dream Queendom to challenge for Starlight Kid’s Wonder of Stardom Championship in the main event. Meanwhile, the next challengers will be crowned for the Artist of Stardom Championships when Mi Vida Loca take on H.A.T.E. Elsewhere, Hazuki and Koguma continue their life post-STARS by teaming with Yuria Hime and Akira Kurogane against God’s Eye, while in-demand IWGP Women’s Champion Syuri will team with Hina and Lady C against a Cosmic Angels trio of Aya Sakura, Sayaka Kurura and Yuna Mizumori. (FULL CARD)
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (May 17th): STARDOM in NAGANO 2025 May - Nagano Arcs, Nagano (STARDOM WORLD VOD)
Sunday (May 18th): "STARDOM in TOYAMA 2025 - Toyama Industrial Exhibition Center Techno Hall East Building, Toyama (STARDOM WORLD VOD)
Wednesday (May 21st): STARDOM NIGHTER 2025 in KORAKUEN May - Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (STARDOM WORLD LIVE)
MARIGOLD
NEWS
Magenta has managed to steal the TwinStar Championships, giving Marvelous a massive leg up in their war against Marvelous. At Saturday’s Osaka show, Magenta shocked everyone when Maria and Riko Kawahata defeated Seri Yamaoka and Nanae Takahashi to end their championship reign. Maria and Kawahata donned their new heel gimmicks, and it played to the finish of the match when Magenta pulled the referee out of the ring as the win looked to be the Passion Family’s. Kawahata handed Yamaoka her second-ever pinfall loss after hitting a Moonsault to win the championships. This ended Takahashi and Yamaoka’s title reign at 111 days, where they managed to have three successful defenses before the loss.
Marigold trainee Yuka Yamazaki is set to make her official debut in Osaka on June 14th. The new rookie joined Marigold in March, marking an impressive turnaround as she is under a month away from her debut. She will be Marigold’s third rookie to debut this year, joining “super rookies” Seri Yamaoka and Shinno Omukai, who are set to debut at SHINE FOREVER 2025.
RESULTS & REVIEWS
Marigold Rising Spirit 2025 ~ Night 9
Saturday, May 10th 2025
176BOX, Osaka
Attendance: Not Reported
Komomo Minami & Yuuki Minami def. Nagisa Tachibana & Ryoko Sakimura (9:30)
Flying Penguin def. Megaton (8:39)
Darkness Revolution (CHIAKI, Nagisa Nozaki & Gigaton) def. Chika Goto, Hummingbird & Natsumi Showzuki (10:00)
Miku Aono def. Misa Matsui (8:30): A preview for the DREAM STAR GP? That’s certainly what this match felt like, as Miku Aono and Misa Matsui crushed it. This match didn’t have any stakes other than one person winning and one person losing. You did have Matsui attacking before the bell, but Aono fought through to get the upperhand and eventually got the victory. Her focus on Matsui’s leg with her lights-out kicks, working and working until “Psycho Speed” couldn’t take much more. Aono hit the Styles Clash for the W in a match worth your time. (***½)
Mai Sakurai, MIRAI & Rea Seto def. Kizuna Tanaka, Victoria Yuzuki & Utami Hayashishita (12:36): Not sure how many MIRAI-Utami Hayashishita previews we’ve seen at this stage, but they’ve all been awesome exchanges, and this was no different. This match also showcased the continued improvement from Kizuna Tanaka and Rea Seto — who deserve all the respect as key parts of the future in Marigold and Joshi overall. MIRAI’s dominance and confidence couldn’t be higher, however, as she earned another big victory by pinning Tanaka with the Miramare Shock. (***½)
TwinStar Championship: Magenta (Maria & Riko Kawahata) def. Nanae Takahashi & Seri Yamaoka (c) to become the new champions (19:12): The Passion Family duo is going to be sorely missed. In just over 100 days, Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka placed themselves into the conversation of the best tag team in the world. It’s all the more impressive when you consider one of these wrestlers has about five months of experience to her name. So, in their final defense against a newly established heel tag team, they had another great performance. Yamaoka sells everything like it’s the most brutal move you’ve ever seen, while her offense is as explosive as any rookie we’ve seen in quite some time. Then the veteran presence of Takahashi remains incredible, making it difficult to believe she’d be retiring two weeks from this match. Magenta is in a period of figuring things out, but they started to really grasp it by the end to make this a complete defense. Yamaoka looked like she was going to pick up the win before the referee was pulled out of the ring, giving Magenta all they needed to take advantage and eventually get the victory when Kawahata hit a Moonsault on Yamaoka to win the championships. As good of a house show you’re going to get overall, and a high-quality main event that is worth your time, as the Marigold vs. Marvelous just gets better and better. (***¾)
Marigold Rising Spirit 2025 ~ Night 10
Sunday, May 11th 2025
Juroka Plaza, Gifu
Attendance: 285
Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside the Juroku Plaza in Gifu was 285. Not only is this Marigold’s first show in the venue, it is also their first-ever show in Gifu. Excluding Nanae Takahashi’s Produce show and Korakuen Hall events, 285 marks the highest attendance the company have drawn since the 305 drawn to KBS Hall in Kyoto on the 5th April.
Ryoko Sakimura def. Cookie and Nagisa Tachibana (6:14)
Gigaton & Misa Matsui def. Hummingbird & Natsumi Showzuki (11:09)
Mai Sakurai & Miku Aono def. Chika Goto & Yuuki Minami (13:17)
Nanae Takahashi, Seri Yamaoka & Rea Seto def. Komomo Minami, Mari Manji & MIRAI (13:34): The final time Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka got to team, and the emotions were real after the match. But this is also to say that you won’t go wrong checking out this match, as all six wrestlers, including Yanagase Pro Wrestling’s Mari Manji, all brought it with the knowledge that Takahashi is finishing up in due time. Komomo Minami deserves a similar shoutout, as she’s starting to turn the corner in terms of confidence and performance, with this entire showing being her best yet. Another trios match from Marigold that is worth your time. (***¼)
Kizuna Tanaka, Victoria Yuzuki & Utami Hayashishita def. Darkness Revolution (CHIAKI, Megaton & Nagisa Nozaki) (16:00): The Utami Hayashishita-Selene Flora trio remains one of the best bets in wrestling to perform to their fullest each match, and this was much of the same with Darkness Revolution opposing them. A shining weekend for Tanaka, especially, as she got to be on the winning end when Hayashishita pinned Megaton with an Air Raid Crash. Before the match ended, Tanaka had shown the promise that had been apparent since her debut, but even more so following her return from injury. She’s gaining confidence, and that’s what you want to see as she continues to team with the confident Victoria Yuzuki and the Marigold World Champion. (***½)
LOOKING AHEAD…
The final weekend ahead of SHINE FOREVER has arrived, and that also means Mayu Iwatani is back in action for her first pair of matches since her Marigold debut earlier this month. She will take part in the double-header in Sapporo on Saturday, teaming with MIRAI to face Utami Hayashishita and Victoria Yuzuki in a Double Championship Preview match and then teaming with Hayashishita to get her first taste of Darkness Revolution, facing CHIAKI and Nagisa Nozaki. The first Sapporo show will also feature the only singles match between Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka. In the main event of the evening show, Mai Sakurai will defend the United National Championship against Chika Goto in her first career challenge. (FULL CARD)
Then, in the final show ahead of SHINE FOREVER on Sunday, they continue their Hokkaido tour. The show is headlined by Nanae Takahashi’s second-to-last match in Marigold as she teams with Chika Goto and MIRAI to face Mai Sakurai, Natsumi Showzuki, and her final opponent, Miku Aono. Utami Hayashishita and Selene Flora will also team to face Darkness Revolution. (FULL CARD)
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (May 17th): Marigold Rising Spirit 2025 ~ Night 11 Noon - Gateau Kingdom Sapporo, Hokkaido (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
Saturday (May 17th): Marigold Rising Spirit 2025 ~ Night 11 Night - Gateau Kingdom Sapporo, Hokkaido (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
Sunday (May 18th): Marigold Rising Spirit 2025 ~ Night 12 - Hakodate City General Wholesale Center, Hokkaido (WRESTLE UNIVERSE VOD)
TOKYO JOSHI PRO-WRESTLING
NEWS
The 12th Tokyo Princess Cup will officially kick off on July 27th at Shinjuku FACE with first-round matches. The semifinals of the tournament are set for August 17th, taking place at Edion Osaka Arena No. 2. And as tradition, the finals of the Tokyo Princess Cup will officially take place at Korakuen Hall once again on August 23rd.
Suzume will officially defend the International Princess Championship against Yoshiko Hasegawa on May 31st at the Nerima Coconeri Hall in Tokyo. The match will be Suzume’s fifth defense of the championship as Hasegawa aims to win gold before her retirement in July.
RESULTS
TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN FUJISAWA
Sunday, May 11th 2025
Shonandai Cultural Center, Fujisawa
Attendance: 384
Mifu Ashida & Miu Watanabe def. Haru Kazashiro & Kira Summer (8:14)
Rika Tatsumi def. Arisu Endo and Ivy Steele (8:21)
Pom Harajuku, Raku & Yuki Aino def. Chika Nanase, Haruna Neko & Suzume (10:27)
Moka Miyamoto & Yuki Arai def. HIMAWARI & Uta Takami (10:16)
Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa def. Mizuki & Shino Suzuki (11:46)
Aja Kong def. Mahiro Kiryu (7:30)
Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku def. Maki Itoh & Toga (13:02)
LOOKING AHEAD…
TJPW heads to Shinagawa this weekend as the 2025 Spring Tour rolls on. The main event will feature a preview tag match for the upcoming International Princess Championship match between Suzume and Yoshiko Hasegawa. Suzume will lead the team of herself, her Daisy Monkey partner Arisu Endo, and Haru Kazashiro against Hasegawa, HIMAWARI, and Shino Suzuki. (FULL CARD)
UPCOMING SHOWS THIS WEEK
Saturday (May 17th): TJPW SPRING TOUR 2025 IN SHINAGAWA vol.1 -Club eX Shinagawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo (WRESTLE UNIVERSE LIVE)
SENDAI GIRLS
RESULTS
Sendai Girls
Sunday, May 11th 2025
Shinkiba 1st RING, Tokyo
Yura Suzuki def. YUNA (7:26)
Shin Sakura Hirota def. Hiroyo Matsumoto (7:56)
Manami & Yurika Oka def. Ryo Mizunami & ZONES (11:19)
Team 200kg (Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu) def. Lena Kross & Sadie Gibbs (10:53)
DASH Chisako & Takumi Iroha def. Red Energy (Mika Iwata & Miyuki Takase) (12:33): After the match, the duo of Unagi Sayaka and Yurika Oka challenged Red Energy to a Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship match. The match will take place on June 8th at Shinjuku FACE.
OTHER JOSHI
Marvelous: Marvelous made the AAAW Tag Team Championship match official. Sareee and Takumi Iroha, who won the one-night tournament at Korakuen Hall, will officially challenge H2D for the championships this upcoming Tuesday at Shinkiba 1st RING. The show will also feature the second-to-last match of Nanae Takahashi’s career, as she teams with Ai Houzan to take on Senka Akatsuki and Sora Ayame.
Evolution: Chi Chi’s return match has been announced. She will face T-HEART’s Miku Kanae in a singles match on June 1st at Suwama’s 20th Anniversary show. It’ll be her first match since March 30th.
OZ Academy: OZ Academy was back at Shinjuku FACE for Shadow Strike on Sunday. The attendance was reported to be 315 fans. Here are the results from the show. 1. Kakeru def. ZONES (8:55) 2. Kaori Yoneyama def. Ram Kaichow (5:19) 3. Jaguar Yokota & Mayumi Ozaki def. Kohaku & Tsubasa Kuragaki (15:19) 4. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Rina Yamashita def. Sakura Hirota & Sonoko Kato (13:39) 5. AKINO, Saori Anou & Unagi Sayaka def. Itsuki Aoki, Momoka Hanazono & Ryo Mizunami (18:45)
JOSHI OUT & ABOUT
WWE: IYO SKY teamed with Rhea Ripley in the main event of the 5/12 episode of Monday Night RAW in a winning effort against Giulia - making her in-ring debut on the show - and Roxanne Perez. Post-match, there was a nod towards building another program between Rhea and IYO, while Giulia stormed away from Roxanne backstage stating that there was no “we”.
AEW: Both AZM and Mina Shirakawa took part in an AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator 4-Way at AEW Dynamite Beach Break on 5/14. Mina Shirakawa took the victory, pinning champion Toni Storm, to set up a title match at Double or Nothing in Phoenix, Arizona on 5/25. AZM was then attacked on her way to the back by Mercedes Mone, with Mone claiming that AZM stole her NJPW Strong Women’s Championship back at Resurgence on 5/9. Mone was eventually headed off by Jamie Hayter.
JOSHI CALENDAR FOR 05/16 TO 05/22
CHAMPIONS CORNER
An easy reference guide to the champions in each Joshi company. This will be updated weekly. Statistics are correct as of the morning of May 16th, 2025.
20th World of Stardom Champion: Saya Kamitani, 1st reign, 138 days, 3 successful title defences.
24th Wonder of Stardom Champion: Starlight Kid, 1st reign, 138 days, 3 successful title defences.
4th IWGP Women’s World Champion: Syuri, 1st reign, 19 days, 0 successful title defences.
27th High-Speed Champion: Mei Seira, 1st reign, 292 days, 5 successful title defences.
12th Future of Stardom Champion: Hina, 1st reign, 81 days, 2 successful title defences.
35th Goddesses of Stardom Champions: Winggori (Saya Iida, 1st reign & Hanan, 1st reign), 1st reign, 138 days, 3 successful title defences.
34th Artist of Stardom Champions: NEO-GENESIS (AZM, 4th reign, Starlight Kid, 2nd reign, & Miyu Amasaki, 1st reign), 1st reign, 105 days, 1 successful title defence.
4th NEW BLOOD Tag Team Champions: Rice or Bread (Waka Tsukiyama, 1st reign & HANAKO, 1st reign), 1st reign, 141 days, 2 successful title defences.
2nd Marigold World Champion: Utami Hayashishita, 1st reign, 133 days, 2 successful title defences.
2nd Marigold United National Champion: Mai Sakurai, 1st reign, 133 days, 4 successful title defences.
2nd Marigold Superfly Champion: Victoria Yuzuki, 1st reign, 133 days, 3 successful title defences.
5th Marigold Twinstar Champions: Magenta (Maria, 1st reign & Riko Kawahata, 1st reign), 1st reign, 6 days, 0 successful title defences.
15th Princess of Princess Champion: Mizuki, 2nd reign, 132 days, 2 successful title defences.
13th International Princess Champion: Suzume, 1st reign, 132 days, 4 successful title defences.
18th Princess Tag Team Champions: Kyoraku Kyomei (Shoko Nakajima, 2nd reign & Hyper Misao, 2nd reign), 1st reign, 61 days, 2 successful title defences.
18th Sendai Girls World Champion: Chihiro Hashimoto, 6th reign, 58 days, 1 successful title defence.
10th Sendai Girls Junior Champion: Aya Sakura, 1st reign, 58 days, 0 successful title defences.
23rd Sendai Girls Tag Team Champions: Red Energy (Mika Iwata, 3rd reign & Miyuki Takase, 1st reign), 1st reign, 96 days, 1 successful title defence.
11th SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Champion: VENY, 2nd reign, 119 days, 1 successful title defences.
14th SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Tag Team Champions: Ayame Sasamura (3rd reign) & Itsuki Aoki (1st reign), 1st reign, 266 days, 3 successful title defences.
18th AAAW Champion: Takumi Iroha, 2nd reign, 281 days, 2 successful title defences.
21st AAAW Tag Team Champions: H2D (Ryo Mizunami, 1st reign & Sonoko Kato, 2nd reign), 1st reign, 96 days, 1 successful title defence.
32nd OZ Academy Openweight Champion: Saori Anou, 1st reign, 33 days, 0 successful title defences.
11th OZ Academy Pioneer Champion: Kakeru, 1st reign, 33 days, 0 successful title defences.
41st OZ Academy Tag Team Champions: Phanton Limit (Kohaku, 1st reign & Tsubasa Kuragaki, 3rd reign), 1st reign, 33 days, 0 successful title defence.
40th ICExInfinty Champion: Manami Katsu, 1st reign, 123 days, 2 successful title defences.
3rd FantastICE Champion: Akane Fujita, 1st reign, 1232 days, 2 successful title defences.
52nd Triangle Ribbon Champion: Yasu Urano, 1st reign, 27 days, 0 successful title defences.
66th International Ribbon Tag Team Champions: Cheerful Princess (Arisa Shinose, 1st reign & Misa Kagura, 2nd reign), 1st reign, 19 days, 0 successful title defence.
22nd Regina Di WAVE Champion: Saya Kamitani, 1st reign, 195 days, 4 successful title defences.
39th WAVE Tag Team Champions: SPiCEAP (Maika Ozaki, 2nd reign & Tae Honma, 2nd reign), 2nd reign, 45 days, 0 successful title defences.
21st World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana World Champion: Risa Sera, 1st reign, 68 days, 1 successful title defences.
19th World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana Queen Elizabeth Champion: Kyoko Inoue, 3rd reign, 278 days, 3 successful title defences.
2nd World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana Crystal Champion: Honoka, 1st reign, 19 days, 0 successful title defences.
23rd World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana Tag Team Champions: Nanami (3rd reign) & Rina Amikura (1st reign), 1st reign, 40 days, 1 successful title defences.
6th AWG Champion: Marino Saihara, 1st reign, 61 days, 1 successful title defence.
2nd AWG KING Of Ring Entertainment Champion: Sakura Mizushima, 1st reign, 61 days, 1 successful title defence.
6th Super Asia Champion: Mei Suruga, 1st reign, 258 days, 6 successful title defence.
17th Asia Dream Tag Team Champions: Bellflowers (Makoto, 2nd reign & Sayaka, 1st reign), 1st reign, 46 days, 1 successful title defences.
16th PURE-J Openweight Champion: SAKI, 1st reign, 10 days, 0 successful title defence.
33rd Princess of Pro-Wrestling Champion: Honoka, 1st reign, 299 days, 2 successful title defences.
2nd KSR Champion: Flying Penguin, 1st reign, 117 days, 2 successful title defences.
36th Daily Sports Tag Team Champions: Kaori Yoneyama (5th reign) & Leon (6th reign), 1st reign, 10 days, 0 successful title defences.
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