Stardom - Nagoya Supreme Fight (1/29/2022)

1. Future of Stardom Championship: Hanan (c) vs. Lady C

Nice opening match, with both wrestlers working fast paced and showing high energy. All of their best moves were used and there were some nice counters; a solid amount of drama for a match of this length. ***1/4

2. Queen's Quest (AZM & Utami Hayashishita) vs. Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid)

Fun fast paced match with some heated exchanges and cool counters. Unlike with House of Torture, the interference here was smoothly integrated into the action and never felt too overwhelming. ***1/2

3. SWA World Championship (decision): Mina Shirakawa vs. Thekla

A solid match with nothing too complicated, just a good back and forth. The character work was fun and there were some nice strikes. ***1/4

4. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: STARS (Hazuki & Koguma) (c) vs. Donna del Mondo (Himeka & Maika)

This was just non-stop action, with great teamwork on display from both teams. FWC, oversized and overpowered, used their speed and technique effectively. I really liked Hazuki's performance in this match, she was flying around the ring booting faces in. ***3/4

5. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani (c) vs. Unagi Sayaka

A great first defense for Kamitani, who showed that she could lead a championship match. They mostly stuck to what they know and there wasn't much in the way of innovation or cleverness. Still, they both performed well and showed emotion, and there were timely counters and near-falls. ****

6. World of Stardom Championship: - #1 Contendership: Mayu Iwatani vs. Giulia

Despite the sudden match change up, Mayu and Giulia more than made the most of the occasion. This was a championship caliber death battle, superhuman stamina and an acceleration of high-impact offense. Both took their opponent's best moves head on and neither gave the other an inch. The Keiji Mutoh-esque tension-building " pause" before the final moonsault at the end was topnotch. ****1/2

7. World of Stardom Championship: Syuri (c) vs. MIRAI

Syuri properly fulfilled her role as the top champion by bringing out the best in an unknown newcomer and convincing the audience in her first defense. MIRAI, without a proven track record, was put in a position of high pressure, and I think she gave a great performance. MIRAI's simple and practical wrestling has the same sense of purity that the young lions of New Japan have. She showed lots of emotion and zeal as she tried to overwhelm the champion, who managed to turn things around in one shot. ****1/4

SAKI & Hikari Shimizu vs. Nagisa Nozaki & Takumi Iroha (WAVE, 1/16/2022)

WAVE (1/16/2022)

WAVE Tag Team Championship: SAKI & Hikari Shimizu (c) vs. Nagisa Nozaki & Takumi Iroha

Iroha was easily the star of this match, by leaps and bounds - to no surprise. Her timing and offense were amazing. The well-timed momentum shifts and near-falls at the end produced some great drama. ***3/4

Donna del Mondo (Giulia & Syuri) vs. STARS (Hazuki & Koguma) (Stardom, 1/9/2022)

Stardom - Stardom New Year Stars 2022 in Korakuen Hall (1/9/2022)

Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Donna del Mondo (Giulia & Syuri) vs. STARS (Hazuki & Koguma)

An action-packed tag team main event that didn't feel like its 16-minutes. Although the finish wasn't strong, much of the match was very compelling and had a nice catchy rhythm to it. Giulia's performance in particular was outstanding, from her offense to her wild bumps. Koguma, who debuted a great new costume alongside Hazuki, was also fun to watch as usual. ****

AZM vs. Momo Watanabe (Stardom, 1/8/2022)

Stardom - Stardom New Year Stars 2022 in Korakuen Hall (1/8/2022)

AZM vs. Momo Watanabe

Solid match that didn't reach its full potential. Momo may still be figuring out her new character and AZM isn't consistent in showing her emotions which made her performance underneath not so compelling. There were some cool counters from both, with Momo using her power and control over the smaller opponent, and AZM her speed and technique. ***1/4

Chris Brookes vs. Suzu Suzuki (GakePro, 1/4/2022)

GakePro - Gake No Fuchi Joshi Pro Wrestling - Clockwork Gake No Fuchi 2022 ~ Gake No Fuchi vs. Prominence ~ (1/4/2022)

Hardcore: Chris Brookes vs. Suzu Suzuki

As someone who is not particularly a fan of death or hardcore matches, I was thoroughly entertained by this match. The manner in which they went spot to spot felt smooth unlike a lot of weapons matches I've seen in Japan, and there were some wicked bumps. Brookes seemed to not be holding anything back and that produced a great underdog story with Suzu rallying from underneath. ****

Tokyo Joshi Pro - Tokyo Joshi Pro '22 (1/4/2022)

6. International Princess Championship: Hikari Noa (c) vs. Maki Itoh

This was a great match that showed the potential of the green belt. Itoh's expressiveness was great and she dictated the flow of the match. Hikari still needs to work on showing more personality, but her wrestling was good. There were some great exchanges that led to hot near-falls and the finish was well set up. ****

7. Princess of Princess Championship: Miyu Yamashita (c) vs. Mizuki

I didn't think this match was as cohesive as their more recent singles matches, particularly due to some weird decisions and pacing issues in the middle, but the match steadily improved as it progressed, and the exchanges and drama at the end were amazing. Also, for what felt like the first time in a while, Miyu really nailed the Crash Rabbit Heat. ****

BEST OF THE SUPER JOSHI 2021 - Top 30 Best Bouts

These are my top 30 favorite joshi puroresu bouts of 2021.