It's a fresh new year, and that means yet another opportunity for me to try and get all you peeps into the world of joshi! In this here OT, I'm gonna lay out basically everything you need to know to start, as well as celebrate the year we had while looking forward to the year ahead. This is gonna be a long one, so let's just get started!
The Top Companies and Players
Stardom: The most popular joshi promotion in the west, Stardom is in prime position to blow up in popularity due to their use of a nice mix of foreign talent and homegrown stars. They run shows very often and have two major singles tournaments on their calendar. In late April, there is the Cinderella Tournament. It is a one-night, single-elimination affair where the winner gets any match of their choosing. Toni Storm won the 2017 edition. Then, in August and September, there is the Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix. This is Stardom's G1 Climax, albeit not as heavy. Two blocks with round-robin rules leading to a final between the two block winners. Nine events over the course of three weeks. This past year, the final match was Yoko Bito vs. Toni Storm. This tournament was also won by Storm, who has been solidified as a top star in the company. In November and December respectively, there are tag and rookie tournaments.
All of Stardom's events are available through their Stardom World subscription service ($7/month) and are usually uploaded within a week of airing. One advantage of this method is that all of their promos are subtitled.
Stardom's Top Stars
Io Shirai: The best women's wrestler in the world, Io Shirai can do it all and for that reason has been the ace of Stardom for years now. She's done it all in the company, having held every title they have while having MOTY contenders along the way. A purported heart issue prevented her from following fellow star Kairi Hojo to WWE, but she since returned to Stardom and hasn't missed a step, picking up the Wonder of Stardom championship (colloquially known as the "white belt") and continuing to perform at a world-class level.
Recommended 2017 Match: Io Shirai vs. Yoko Bito from November 19th
Mayu Iwatani: The third in Stardom's "Threedom" with Shirai and Hojo, Mayu Iwatani was given a big chance to shine as the top star with the departure of Hojo and near departure of Shirai. She more than delivered in the spot, and was riding high as the promotion's top champion until losing the title via injury in a match with Toni Storm in October. She returned in December, and figures to be back in the title picture very soon. An inevitable upcoming feud with recently turned Io Shirai will no doubt be a highlight of this new year.
Recommended 2017 Match: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kairi Hojo from May 14th
Toni Storm: Probably the most world-traveled women's wrestler of 2017, Toni Storm has been everywhere this year. The current holder of top titles in both PROGESS and Stardom, along with a semifinalist in WWE's Mae Young Classic, Toni Storm is a red-hot star. In 2017, Stardom went all-in with her by having her not only win both of their major singles tournaments, but by having her end the year as World of Stardom champion (colloquially known as the "red belt"). She won it off of a technicality due to Mayu Iwatani getting hurt in their match, so who knows if she was planned to win, but they have supported her as champion and she enters 2018 on a very strong note, firmly established as one of the top stars in the promotion.
Recommended 2017 Match: Toni Storm vs. Kay Lee Ray on September 18th
Ice Ribbon: Admittedly, I can't speak a ton on Ice Ribbon, as I only watch them from time to time. Lately I've increased that though, and I can say they are an interesting promotion. They have a much greater variety of comedy mixed in. For foreigners, the fall off is kind of hard after Stardom as most other promotions aren't really forward-facing to western audiences like Stardom is. But when it comes down to it, Ice Ribbon can put out great matches and has top-level talent.
Being distributed through NicoNico, the viewing can sometimes be a hassle, but you can track individual matches down online pretty easy.
Ice Ribbon's Top Stars
Risa Sera: The top star of the promotion, Risa Sera is legit despite only being in the business since 2012. She's been a multi-time ICE Cross Infinity Champion (the promotion's top championship), with her most recent reign being a full year long and ending this morning. She's been at the top for a while, and even after losing the title, that doesn't figure to change.
Recommended 2017 Match: Risa Sera vs. Mika Ozaki from November 23rd
Tsukasa Fujimoto: If Risa Sera is the now of Ice Ribbon, Tsukasa Fujimoto is the legend. She's done it all here, having held the promotion's top title five times, the tag titles six times, and the trios titles three times (as well as currently reigning there). In her nine year career, she has consistently performed at a high-level. To give you an idea of how well-regarded she is, she was hand-picked by Manami Toyota as the final woman to pin Toyota, in her retirement match. At 34, who knows how long she has left, but we should certainly enjoy her while she's here.
Recommended Match of 2017: Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Manami Toyota from November 3rd
There are tons of others I could recommend, whether it be promotions like Sendai Girls (who are excellent, but excluded here because of their relatively sparse schedule), Oz Academy, or WAVE. Point being, this could be longer, as there is a ton of great stuff going on in joshi, but on to the next section!
Top 4 Joshi to Watch in 2018
Hana Kimura: Might be the next big thing in Stardom solely because of her charisma, Hana Kimura is destined to be a superstar. As a part of top stable Oedo Tai, she has begun to break out even more. Her in-ring is only getting better, and she has every intangible imaginable. Look out for Hana in 2018.
Recommended 2017 Match: Hana Kimura vs. Mika Shirahime on November 17th
HZK: A rising star in Stardom at only 20 years old seeing a big push as part of Io Shirai's Queen's Quest stable. Currently one-third of the Artist of Stardom trios champions. With tons of talent and charisma, expect a big 2018 for HZK.
Recommended 2017 Match: HZK and Io Shirai vs. Bambi and ERINA on September 4th
Jungle Kyona: Right along HZK, Jungle Kyona saw the first somewhat sustained push of her career in 2017, and that looks to continue into 2018. Unlike most in Stardom, she wrestles like a powerhouse. She stands out in this way and has a unique charisma about her.
Recommended 2017 Match: Jungle Kyona vs. Kairi Hojo from February 23rd
Starlight Kid: IMO the best of Stardom's current rookie class, Starlight Kid is a stand-out performer. In 2017, she proved she belongs in a higher tier in the promotion, expect her to continue that well into 2018. Now, we'll see if the promotion plans to capitalize on her talent and charisma yet, or if they are content to wait it out.
Recommended 2017 Match (unfortunately only highlights here): Io Shirai and HZK vs. AZM and Starlight Kid
Manami Toyota: A Legend Retires (and another smaller retirement)
I'd be completely remiss to not mention the retirement of one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, and IMO the greatest joshi of all-time, last year in Manami Toyota. In her legendary career, she accomplished way more than I could possibly mention here. She has more 5-star matches from Dave Meltzer than any other wrestler in history, she's held literally every title that has ever meant anything in joshi, she's competed everywhere, and she's done it at a higher level than anyone else ever has. Thank you, Manami.
I'd also like to take this chance to highlight the retirement of Yoko Bito, who has been a highlight of Stardom the past few years. She has a nice portfolio of great matches all her own. She'll be missed.
Other 2017 Joshi Match Recommendations
Arisa Nakajima vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Yoshiko
Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu
And that is that. Thanks for reading it all if you got this far. Welcome to the new year.
Also this thing called Wrestle.... Kingdom (?) is happening I guess. Here's the OT for that.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/nj...yo-dome-ot-new-j-era-cho-pro-wrestling.12956/
Avengers23 made a great primer on Sendai Girls, which as I said is excellent. Check it out.
And foggy made a great list of the best Joshi under 23.
The Top Companies and Players
Stardom: The most popular joshi promotion in the west, Stardom is in prime position to blow up in popularity due to their use of a nice mix of foreign talent and homegrown stars. They run shows very often and have two major singles tournaments on their calendar. In late April, there is the Cinderella Tournament. It is a one-night, single-elimination affair where the winner gets any match of their choosing. Toni Storm won the 2017 edition. Then, in August and September, there is the Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix. This is Stardom's G1 Climax, albeit not as heavy. Two blocks with round-robin rules leading to a final between the two block winners. Nine events over the course of three weeks. This past year, the final match was Yoko Bito vs. Toni Storm. This tournament was also won by Storm, who has been solidified as a top star in the company. In November and December respectively, there are tag and rookie tournaments.
All of Stardom's events are available through their Stardom World subscription service ($7/month) and are usually uploaded within a week of airing. One advantage of this method is that all of their promos are subtitled.
Stardom's Top Stars
Io Shirai: The best women's wrestler in the world, Io Shirai can do it all and for that reason has been the ace of Stardom for years now. She's done it all in the company, having held every title they have while having MOTY contenders along the way. A purported heart issue prevented her from following fellow star Kairi Hojo to WWE, but she since returned to Stardom and hasn't missed a step, picking up the Wonder of Stardom championship (colloquially known as the "white belt") and continuing to perform at a world-class level.
Recommended 2017 Match: Io Shirai vs. Yoko Bito from November 19th
Mayu Iwatani: The third in Stardom's "Threedom" with Shirai and Hojo, Mayu Iwatani was given a big chance to shine as the top star with the departure of Hojo and near departure of Shirai. She more than delivered in the spot, and was riding high as the promotion's top champion until losing the title via injury in a match with Toni Storm in October. She returned in December, and figures to be back in the title picture very soon. An inevitable upcoming feud with recently turned Io Shirai will no doubt be a highlight of this new year.
Recommended 2017 Match: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kairi Hojo from May 14th
Toni Storm: Probably the most world-traveled women's wrestler of 2017, Toni Storm has been everywhere this year. The current holder of top titles in both PROGESS and Stardom, along with a semifinalist in WWE's Mae Young Classic, Toni Storm is a red-hot star. In 2017, Stardom went all-in with her by having her not only win both of their major singles tournaments, but by having her end the year as World of Stardom champion (colloquially known as the "red belt"). She won it off of a technicality due to Mayu Iwatani getting hurt in their match, so who knows if she was planned to win, but they have supported her as champion and she enters 2018 on a very strong note, firmly established as one of the top stars in the promotion.
Recommended 2017 Match: Toni Storm vs. Kay Lee Ray on September 18th
Ice Ribbon: Admittedly, I can't speak a ton on Ice Ribbon, as I only watch them from time to time. Lately I've increased that though, and I can say they are an interesting promotion. They have a much greater variety of comedy mixed in. For foreigners, the fall off is kind of hard after Stardom as most other promotions aren't really forward-facing to western audiences like Stardom is. But when it comes down to it, Ice Ribbon can put out great matches and has top-level talent.
Being distributed through NicoNico, the viewing can sometimes be a hassle, but you can track individual matches down online pretty easy.
Ice Ribbon's Top Stars
Risa Sera: The top star of the promotion, Risa Sera is legit despite only being in the business since 2012. She's been a multi-time ICE Cross Infinity Champion (the promotion's top championship), with her most recent reign being a full year long and ending this morning. She's been at the top for a while, and even after losing the title, that doesn't figure to change.
Recommended 2017 Match: Risa Sera vs. Mika Ozaki from November 23rd
Tsukasa Fujimoto: If Risa Sera is the now of Ice Ribbon, Tsukasa Fujimoto is the legend. She's done it all here, having held the promotion's top title five times, the tag titles six times, and the trios titles three times (as well as currently reigning there). In her nine year career, she has consistently performed at a high-level. To give you an idea of how well-regarded she is, she was hand-picked by Manami Toyota as the final woman to pin Toyota, in her retirement match. At 34, who knows how long she has left, but we should certainly enjoy her while she's here.
Recommended Match of 2017: Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Manami Toyota from November 3rd
There are tons of others I could recommend, whether it be promotions like Sendai Girls (who are excellent, but excluded here because of their relatively sparse schedule), Oz Academy, or WAVE. Point being, this could be longer, as there is a ton of great stuff going on in joshi, but on to the next section!
Top 4 Joshi to Watch in 2018
Hana Kimura: Might be the next big thing in Stardom solely because of her charisma, Hana Kimura is destined to be a superstar. As a part of top stable Oedo Tai, she has begun to break out even more. Her in-ring is only getting better, and she has every intangible imaginable. Look out for Hana in 2018.
Recommended 2017 Match: Hana Kimura vs. Mika Shirahime on November 17th
HZK: A rising star in Stardom at only 20 years old seeing a big push as part of Io Shirai's Queen's Quest stable. Currently one-third of the Artist of Stardom trios champions. With tons of talent and charisma, expect a big 2018 for HZK.
Recommended 2017 Match: HZK and Io Shirai vs. Bambi and ERINA on September 4th
Jungle Kyona: Right along HZK, Jungle Kyona saw the first somewhat sustained push of her career in 2017, and that looks to continue into 2018. Unlike most in Stardom, she wrestles like a powerhouse. She stands out in this way and has a unique charisma about her.
Recommended 2017 Match: Jungle Kyona vs. Kairi Hojo from February 23rd
Starlight Kid: IMO the best of Stardom's current rookie class, Starlight Kid is a stand-out performer. In 2017, she proved she belongs in a higher tier in the promotion, expect her to continue that well into 2018. Now, we'll see if the promotion plans to capitalize on her talent and charisma yet, or if they are content to wait it out.
Recommended 2017 Match (unfortunately only highlights here): Io Shirai and HZK vs. AZM and Starlight Kid
Manami Toyota: A Legend Retires (and another smaller retirement)
I'd be completely remiss to not mention the retirement of one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, and IMO the greatest joshi of all-time, last year in Manami Toyota. In her legendary career, she accomplished way more than I could possibly mention here. She has more 5-star matches from Dave Meltzer than any other wrestler in history, she's held literally every title that has ever meant anything in joshi, she's competed everywhere, and she's done it at a higher level than anyone else ever has. Thank you, Manami.
I'd also like to take this chance to highlight the retirement of Yoko Bito, who has been a highlight of Stardom the past few years. She has a nice portfolio of great matches all her own. She'll be missed.
Other 2017 Joshi Match Recommendations
Arisa Nakajima vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Yoshiko
Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu
And that is that. Thanks for reading it all if you got this far. Welcome to the new year.
Also this thing called Wrestle.... Kingdom (?) is happening I guess. Here's the OT for that.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/nj...yo-dome-ot-new-j-era-cho-pro-wrestling.12956/
Avengers23 made a great primer on Sendai Girls, which as I said is excellent. Check it out.
All right. Let's talk Sendai Girls.
Founded in 2005 by Meiko Satomura and Jinsei Shinzaki (whom you may remember as Hakushi), Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling is more of a training school than a full fledged promotion, kind of like Mike Elgin's Glory Pro. The roster, such as it is, is made of Satomura and the women that she's trained, primarily Dash Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto.
Sendai Girls airs on Samurai TV, and it run shows about twice a month. Outside of Japan, the only way to watch Sendai Girls is through whatever gets uploaded to the Real Hero Archive. Given its small roster, Sendai Girls shows feature a combination of its own trainees and wrestlers from other promotions, which is why Hana Kimura, for example, has been in Sendai Girls shows recently.
Major players:
Meiko Satomura:
The queen of joshi, Satomura is the head trainer, booker, and co-founder of Sendai Girls. She's been active since 1995, and she's feuded primarily with Aja Kong over the years. You may remember her from this gif from her incredible 2016 match against Aja Kong:
As the booker and most marketable wrestler, Satomura dominated the Sendai Girls World Championship as its inaugural champion. During that long reign, Satomura had classic matches against Aja Kong and Io Shirai. She also held the World of Stardom title in 2015 as a part of a small invader angle, beating Kairi Hojo to win the title, defeating Mayu Iwatani to defend it, and ultimately losing it to Io Shirai. You can definitely argue that Satomura's Pele kick even blows AJ Styles's Pele kick out of the water.
And the Scorpio Rising looks great:
Best matches:
Honestly, you can just search for Satomura vs. Aja Kong, and any of those matches will be good. However, if you have to limit it to 3:
Satomura vs. Aja Kong, Sendai Girls April 8, 2016
Satomura vs. Syuri, Sendai Girls March 11, 2016 (Syuri's retirement match)
Satomura, Dash Chisako & Sendai Sachiko vs. Team ROH (Mike Bennett & The Young Bucks), Chikara King of Trios 2012
Satomura vs. Aja Kong, Sendai Girls July 9, 2006
Chihiro Hashimoto:
Tokyo Sports's 2016's Rookie of the Year, Hashimoto is a 3 time Sendai Girls World Champion. A former amateur wrestler, Hashimoto may be short in stature but not in power. Her waterwheel drop hold has helped her beat the likes of Aja Kong, Kris Wolf, Hiromi Mimura, and Jungle Kyona.
Best matches:
Hashimoto vs. Aja Kong, January 9, 2016 Sendai Girls
Hashimoto vs. Satomura, September 24, 2017 Sendai Girls
Hashimoto & Mayu Iwatani vs. Io Shirai & Meiko Satomura, Stardom Io Shirai 10th Anniversary Show, March 9, 2017
Hashimoto vs. Satomura, October 16, 2017 Sendai Girls
DASH Chisako
Known primarily for her work as a tag team wrestler, Chisako has won acclaim in Ice Ribbon, JWP, and Sendai Girls primarily with her sister, Sendai Sachiko. Sachiko retired in 2016, so she now teams mostly with KAORU in Sendai Girls. At 4'11", Chisako is a tiny dynamo.
Best matches:
Chisako & Sachiko vs. KAZUKI & Toshie Uematsu, Sendai Girls July 9, 2010
Chisako & Sachiko vs. Manami Toyota & Tsukushi, Ice Ribbon September 24, 2011
Chisako & Sachiko vs. Leon & Ray, JWP Climax 2013 (December 15, 2013)
Team Sendai Girls (Satomura, Chisako & Cassandra Miyagi) vs. British Strong Style, Chikara King of Trios 2017 Final
And foggy made a great list of the best Joshi under 23.
Top Joshi Talent Under 23
Hana Kimura(20 years old, Stardom, Sendai, Wrestle-1, misc.)
The featured star of a thousand thirsty gifs and twitter pics, but has developed a star caliber look, persona, and a workrate that's coming along startlingly well. Somehow her white look in Sendai is more of an indicator of violence than her Oedo Tai look.
HZK(20 years old, Stardom)
A talented rookie that took an extended break from Stardom and returned to found the Queen's Quest faction with Stardom's ace Io Shirai. Since then she's developed one of the hardest hitting, stiffest styles in Stardom and has put in great performances against Jungle Kyona and her mentor Io Shirai.
Momo Watanabe(17 years old, Stardom)
The high school talent graduates this spring and 2018 should be a breakout year for the young wrestler. Strong kicks, youthful vigor, and Io Shirai shepharding her path should result in a very promising career.
Sareee(21 years old, Seadlinnng, Wave)
In her peer group, I don't think there's a single joshi wrestler that has the killer edge that Sareee possesses. A tremendous talent that has cut her teeth in Wave and the now defunct Diana promotions. She's now in Seadlinnng, presumably under an unfavorable contract that caused quite a bit of consternation. But as long as she can sharpen her skills against talent like Tsukasa Fujimoto and Arisa Nakajima, she should be in good hands.
Mika Shirahime(21 years old, Sendai)
One of Meiko Satomura's youngest proteges in her Sendai Pro Wrestling promotion who has been overshadowed by the meteoric rise of Chihiro Hashimoto. Regardless she has the striking arsenal and emotional charisma that her Sendai stablemates don't have. With Meiko Satomura entering the twilight of her career, she's leaving the promotion in good hands with Hashimoto, Cassandra Miyagi, and Mika Shirahime.
Konami(21 years old, Stardom, Pure J, GPS)
WWE's Asuka(formerly Kana) had a young protege that she mentored prior to jumping ship to the West and as can be assumed, Konami has a very solid base of stiff strikes and smooth submissions. She doesn't have the manic intensity of her mentor but she's got an undeniably endearing goofy charisma.
Miyu Yamashita(22 years old, Tokyo Joshi Pro)
The young ace of the young joshi promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro. As has been a pattern in this list, she has a strong base in razor sharp kick offense but has shown her own in being the ring general in most of her matches against the inexperienced roster. When TJP brought in Meiko Satomura it was Yamashita that they chose as her opponent and that's as glowing an endorsement as you can have.
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