Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Joshi Pro '21 (1/4/2021)

1. Suzume vs. Arisu Endo

Arisu looked better than I expected in her debut match. She doesn’t seem very athletic judging from the quality of her strikes and dropkick, but she didn’t struggle to keep up with Suzume’s pace and I think she has potential. Suzume looked like a professional in the way she carried the match.

6.  Maki Itoh vs. Miyu Yamashita

I was feeling a bit of deja vu during this match because some sequences were almost spot-for-spot repeats from their Nagoya match, except this time it was taking place in Korakuen Hall. There was surprising physicality and violence. The headbutt from Miyu was gruesome and signified that this was a more serious fight than we’ve seen in the past between these two. I think this was one of their best singles matches yet.

***1/4

8. Tokyo Princess of Princess Championship: Yuka Sakazaki (c) vs. Rika Tatsumi

A great match with an easy to understand story. Tatsumi was sometimes sloppy in receiving moves, sometimes timing her bumps too late or too early, but overall her performance was excellent. She showed a lot of emotion and urgency, which added to the drama of the finishing sequence. Yuka was of course great too, with her generalship on the ground always being one of my favorite things to watch in her matches.

****

BEST OF THE SUPER JOSHI 2020 - Top 25 Best Bouts

 These are my top 25 favorite joshi puroresu bouts of 2020.

(Please note that text may be borrowed or paraphrased from previous reviews)

Stardom - Osaka Dream Cinderella 2020 (12/20/2020)

1. Future of Stardom Championship: Maika (c) vs. Saya Iida vs. Saya Kamitani

A hot opening match characterized by excessive movement and hard hitting. Iida's small body is packed with explosive power, just like the Dynamite Kid. I was impressed with how convincingly she was able to crush her larger opponents.

***1/2

3. Oedo Tai (Bea Priestley & Saki Kashima) vs. Donna del Mondo (Himeka & Natsupoi)

This was quite a good match for an early mid card match, but considering the talent, the quality was perhaps not so surprising. Everyone played to their strengths very well.

***1/4

4. High Speed Championship: AZM (c) vs. Mei Hoshizuki

The sense of speed here was amazing, it felt like they were wrestling on super turbo. Mei applied relentless pressure, but AZM's potent ground game gave her an edge. There were light-speed pinning exchanges and some dangerous near falls towards the end.

****

5. Artist of Stardom Championship - Elimination: Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka) (c) vs. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Starlight Kid & Gokigen DEATH)

This was an enjoyable trios match that had very unexpected developments. What seemed to be the culmination of the Mayu-Tam feud, turned out to be just another dramatic chapter. I’ve been impressed with Starlight Kid lately, she seems to have gotten stronger judging from the height she’s been getting on her standing moonsault recently and I love the bullish attitude she’s been showing in this feud.

***3/4

6. Wonder of Championship / SWA World Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Syuri (c)

A meticulously paced, intense and violent brawl. High-level strikes and dangerous techniques over the course of 30-minutes. They built this epic match brilliantly, from the early back work coming into play at the end to the deep character work. Giulia truly pushed Syuri, who usually has a narrower style of wrestling, out of her comfort zone and brought the best fight out of the rugged veteran. It was even more dramatic that such a performance would come just a week after Giulia was awarded the Tokyo Sports Women's Grand Prize.

****3/4

7. World of Championship: Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Momo Watanabe

What this lacked in emotional depth, it made up for in dynamic, explosive exchanges and some well-placed counters. It was amazing to see two young Stardom pure-borns main event a large-scale event like this.

****

Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki vs. Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama (ChocoPro, 12/5/2020)

ChocoPro - #71 (12/5/2020)

Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki vs. Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama

This was a tremendous match of dazzling offense and defense. It was mostly based on speedy movements, but there was an attention to detail, such as the targeting of Emi's bad back. Mei found ways to interject her charming personality as usual, and Akki's physical abilities allowed him to perform some remarkable moves.

****1/4

[BEST BOUT SELECTION] Miyu Yamashita's Best Matches

What are Miyu Yamashita's best matches?

These are my personal favorites.

I tried my best to provide a short context for each match before explaining what I enjoyed about them.

(Please note that some text may be borrowed or paraphrased from previous reviews)

Stardom - Sendai Cinderella (11/15/2020)

1. Future of Stardom Championship: Maika (c) vs. Saya Iida

This was a hot match to start the show. NEVER Openweight style match filled with heart and fighting spirit. Iida’s physical performance has been good for a while, but she’s also become good at facial expressions too.

***1/2

3. Oedo Tai (Natsuko Tora, Rina & Saki Kashima) vs. Cosmic Angels (Mina Shirakawa, Tam Nakano & Unagi Sayaka)

A solid trios match that showcased the younger and newer wrestlers. Unagi got her baptism in the form of a prolonged beating by Oedo Tai where she took heavy offense and bumps. Rina gave a convincing performance. It’s nice to see her active outside of the kid’s division.

***1/4

5. Momo Watanabe vs. Himeka

This was a good back and forth, both individual performances were good. There some cool sequences and Himeka's big knee strikes sounded brutal. There are people who are concerned about Momo's position in the promotion, but the fact that she is getting high-profile matches on big cards, whether she's winning or losing, means the promotion values her as someone who can reliably deliver in the ring.

***1/2

6. SWA World Championship: Bea Priestley (c) vs. Syuri

This was a rock-solid match. Neither was trying to innovate and stuck to their usual pattern, which led to a good match but one that didn’t deliver on the excitement created by their earlier outings. There was something missing to create that tangible escalation. I’d like to see a rematch in Kanto, where their interactions seemed to have more buzz.

 ***1/2

7. Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Konami

Giulia’s previous two defenses were flashy and dangerous. This one was more grounded, but it still had the same spirit. It was basically an expanded version of the match these two had in the white belt tournament, with Konami taking most of the match with unrelenting pressure. It definitely felt like a long match, but Giulia’s charisma and gravitas carried it through.

****

8. World Of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Utami Hayashishita

A great match that hardly felt like its near 30-minute duration. Utami showed a new level of viciousness with her attacks to the head and neck, but it was Mayu who really elevated the match with her bumping and her tenacity as she tried to withstand Utami's onslaught. The composition was so well done that a basic neckbreaker felt significant during the final stages.

****1/4

NEO Biishiki-gun (Mei Saint-Michel & Saki-sama) vs. Sena Shiori & Suzume (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 11/20/2020)

 Tokyo Joshi Pro - Style of My Love (11/20/2020)

NEO Biishiki-gun (Mei Saint-Michel & Saki-sama) vs. Sena Shiori & Suzume

Mei Suruga debuted as the new member of NEO Bii-gun. This was a fun return match for Bii-gun, who brings such an exciting dimension to the TJPW ring. It’s a shame they aren’t more of a fixture in the promotion. Mei was amazing. Her movements, her transitions, the small twists on her signature moves, the introduction of new moves. Her performance was very compelling. Suzume looked good as well, and Sena showed a little growth. The ending was lacking, but I’m looking forward to future developments.

***1/4