These are my top 30 favorite joshi puroresu bouts of 2021.
30. Utami Hayashishita vs. Saya Kamitani (Stardom, 3.3 Nippon Budokan)
There were many doubters when Kamitani challenged for the red belt, but she pulled through with a tremendous high-flying performance. Utami showed her killer instinct, targeting the back and landing heavy offense throughout.
29. Maika & Himeka vs. Giulia & Syuri (Stardom, 4.4 Yokohama Budokan)
A grueling intra-unit tag main event with the stable mates showing excellent chemistry and teamwork. Giulia, named "Reiwa’s Dangerous Queen" by Akira Hokuto, debuted a Northern Lights Bomb for the title-winning victory.
28. Utami Hayashishita vs. Maika (Stardom, 11.27 Yoyogi)
A no-nonsense, power fight. Early judo grip fighting steadily developed into a fierce back and forth affair, with lariat exchanges, submission battles and hard-nosed displays of fighting spirit. Maika had a compelling stoicism, showing tremendous strength despite suffering heavy damage.
27. Himeka vs. Momo Watanabe (Stardom, 9.11 Shinjuku)
This was a tense match where it really felt like they were putting forth a strong effort. A heavyweight style match with thicker sluggers going at it and working over their respective damaged backs, with some really great counterwork.
26. Mayu Iwatani vs. Tam Nakano (Stardom, 10.9 Osaka-jo Hall)
A gradual climb into a thrilling race to the finish. There were scrambles for control and lots of heavy strike battles. Nakano unleashed some truly wicked punishment, and Mayu answered with big hits of her own. Both showed the zombie-like endurance they're known for. A full and well-done draw battle.
25. Giulia vs. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom, 8.1 Yokohama Budokan)
An improvement over their GP match from last year. This felt like the first time they produced a match that blended the best of their styles into a cohesive whole. Giulia deliberately worked the neck and displayed dominance on the ground, while Mayu relied on her zombie-like durability and explosive striking.
24. Saki-sama & Mei Saint-Michel vs. Mirai Maiumi & Suzume (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 5.4 Korakuen Hall)
Mirai and Suzume didn't feel out of place in the semi-main event despite their lack of experience and looked amazing. Mei was also always interesting when she was in the ring. There were many great moments here, big and small.
23. Natsupoi vs. Starlight Kid (Stardom, 8.29 Shiodome)
This was a perfect culmination of the budding chemistry Natsupoi and Starlight Kid had shown in their previous matches. They both have a variety of ways to end a match, which made the closing stretch feel especially dramatic.
22. Tam Nakano vs. Unagi Sayaka (Stardom, 11.3 Kawasaki)
Unagi built her gameplan around her dangerous new technique and the unpredictable situations she could hit it from. Nakano’s comeback story was convincing as always. This was an emotional match that was surprisingly brutal, with a tribute to Misawa-Kawada that suited the physicality of the action.
21. Saya Kamitani vs. Syuri (Stardom, 7.31 Yokohama Budokan)
An amazing match, especially when you consider that this was the first time they've met in a singles match. There was a special chemical reaction between these two and they felt like a natural pairing. Kamitani upped the ante in the striking department and firmly stood against a monster in Syuri.
20. Akane Fujita & Risa Sera vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maika Ozaki & Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon, 7.24 Korakuen Hall)
Even during these strange times of Ice Ribbon, where there seemed to be a deathmatch or hardcore match every other show, you could still count on the tag belts to put on great spotfests like this one. A demolition derby filled with innovative multi-man sequences and bodies bouncing around the ring.
19. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Risa Sera & Akane Fujita vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Yukihi Maya & Maika Ozaki (Ice Ribbon, 6.20 Saitama)
A loaded 30-minute prelude for Fujimoto-Hiroyo in the Ice Ribbon dojo. It had a catchy ebb and flow to it, and the big moves were well distributed over its long duration. The key encounters had plenty of depth to them.
18. Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani (Stardom, 12.29 Ryogoku Kokugikan)
It started slow, but once it got going, it was off to the races. Very well paced with the big and dramatic moments nicely arranged. Tam once again brought the emotion; and Kamitani seemed to do something amazing every time she took the initiative, which made the match one you couldn't take your eyes off of.
17. Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Tsukushi (Ice Ribbon, 11.13 Ota Ward)
This was almost the perfect "Fujimoto-Tsukushi" match. Everything that makes them great wrestlers was on display and they used all of their best moves. There was intense brawling, great technique and speed, and many great counters.
16. Rika Tatsumi vs. Miu Watanabe (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 2.11 Korakuen Hall)
The Daydream intra-unit showdown. Miu delivered big time in her first ever singles title challenge with her youthful fighting spirit, and Tatsumi employed her usual leg-destroying strategy. The match was wonderfully paced and executed.
15. Tam Nakano vs. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom, 9.25 Ota Ward)
This was everything you could want from a 14-minute tournament match between the promotion's top champions, underpinned by Tam's compelling underdog performance. Tam and Utami are very different wrestlers but they both specialize in suplexes so there were plenty of great ones here.
14. Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki vs. Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi (ChocoPro, 8.8 Ichigaya)
This was as great as expected. Both teams are among the best and most consistent in the country. It was full of ChocoPro's signature fast-paced, innovative action that makes use of the unique environment, interspersed with some slow heat-building moments. An easy to watch 30 minutes.
13. Miyu Yamashita vs. Rika Tatsumi (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 5.4 Korakuen Hall)
Miyu continued the excellent form she'd shown in her recent singles with one of her finest performances to date. The build up of drama and tension was so brilliant that you could easily forget that there were no fans in attendance.
12. Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Ibuki Hoshi (Ice Ribbon, 9.18 Korakuen Hall)
The outcome of this match was never in question. It was all about how the absolute ace, Tsukasa Fujimoto, would carry out the match en route to the inevitable victory. It was an unexpectedly interesting match - in which over 400 chops were exchanged - and my favorite of Tsukasa Fujimoto's 7th ICE title reign.
11. Giulia vs. Starlight Kid (Stardom, 2.13 Korakuen Hall)
An excellent showcase of Giulia's ability to bring out a different dimension from her opponents and Starlight Kid's growth. Kid continuing to fight with her mask torn open was like watching a climactic battle at the end of tokusatsu series when the hero's helmet gets broken. A heated match with an epic climax.
10. Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki vs. Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 11.25 Korakuen Hall)
An all-star main event for the tag belts, with the elite four of Tokyo Joshi putting on their best performances. Miyu and Mizuki's pairing was especially hot, with the two going back and forth in a finishing stretch with a surprising ending.
9. Utami Hayashishita vs. Bea Priestley (Stardom, 4.4 Yokohama Budokan)
Bea Priestley was aggression incarnate in this match, keeping the pressure on Utami, who took all of her biggest moves head-on. This match packed a lot of explosive power, and the emotional farewell from Bea left a strong impression.
8. Maika vs. Syuri (Stardom, 8.1 Yokohama Budokan)
A 2014~2015 NEVER OW-style dick measuring contest where both wrestlers showed incredible stubbornness and tenacity as they went blitzkrieg on one another. Ground fighting, struggling over brainbusters and clobbering each other with headbutts during a lock-up, they never stopped going at it.
7. Momo Watanabe vs. Syuri (Stardom, 9.25 Ota Ward)
Syuri came in after struggling with Takumi Iroha and fought at a high pace from the bell, performing big moves early on that she normally uses later in the match. The fresh Momo was steady as usual and landed a number of powerful kicks. In my opinion, this was the best 5STAR GP final in tournament history.
6. Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki vs. Yuna Mizumori & SAKI (ChocoPro, 7.19 Ichigaya)
This was an incredibly long match, but they made incredibly good use of all of that time available. There were long one-on-one sessions that felt like mini singles matches within the match, and the way they played into those key encounters during the dramatic finishing stretch was very well done.
5. Utami Hayashishita vs. Syuri (Stardom, 12.19 Ryogoku Kokugikan)
The culmination of Syuri's 2021 journey. This was another epic clash between these two stamina monsters. The action didn't peak as often as their first title match, but the story and emotion were much stronger this time around.
4. Utami Hayashishita vs. Takumi Iroha (Stardom, 10.9 Osaka-jo Hall)
This was another hard-hitting classic over the red belt, which is becoming known for its high-level attritional battles. Utami showed an unforeseen level of aggression and Iroha's explosive, lightning-quick offense was great as always.
3. Syuri vs. Takumi Iroha (Stardom, 9.25 Ota Ward)
This match was an impeccable blend of MMA and traditional wrestling, with some very heavy smacks traded between the two red-clad strikers. A short 20 minutes of high-level grappling and striking from world-class professionals.
2. Giulia vs. Tam Nakano (Hair vs. Hair) (Stardom, 3.3 Nippon Budokan)
Each Giulia-Tam Nakano match is an improvement on the last while still standing well on its own and this was no exception. They upped the ante with even bigger spots and a dramatic stipulation attached. A storied rivalry, the Nippon Budokan, Akira Hokuto on commentary, with scalps and a championship up for grabs. This had all the makings of a historic encounter.
1. Best Bout // Utami Hayashishita vs. Syuri (Stardom, 6.12 Ota Ward)
The famous death battle in Ota-ku Gym. A dense 40 minutes of superhuman stamina and endurance. Syuri seemed to have a thousand holds at her disposal, not to mention many different ways to kick her opponent. They leveled each other with hard-hitting strikes and slams until the time expired, which led to a K-1 style extension round that took the clash to another level of epicness.
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