Wrestler Profile Updates:

• Alice Aono (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Anne Kanaya (added to Stardom Roster)
• Asuka Goda (added to Pro Wrestling WAVE Roster)
• Debbie Keitel (added to Gaijin Invaders)
• Arisa Shinose (added to Hot Shushu Roster)
• Deborah K (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Ema Maishima (added to Stardom Roster)
• Enju Holstein (added to JUST TAP OUT Roster)
• Isuzu (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Kikyo Furusawa (added to Stardom Roster)
• Kyuri (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Mayu Iwatani (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Meiko Satomura (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Mina Shirakawa (moved to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Miyuna (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Moe Hiiro (added to Hot Shushu Roster)
• Nanae Takahashi (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Ren Konatsu (added to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Riko (added to Ice Ribbon Roster)
• Runa Okubo (moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Sakura Hirota (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Saran (added to Pro Wrestling WAVE Roster)
• Shinno (added to Marigold Roster)
• Tam Nakano (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Thekla (moved to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Tiger Queen (added to VENY’s Profile)
• Yufa (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Yuuka Yamazaki (added to Marigold Roster)

The post Joshi City Website Update for June 29th, 2025 appeared first on Joshi City.

At the beginning of February, I decided to do an evaluation of twelve streaming services with joshi wrestling for the month to see which streaming service provides the best value. The goal of the evaluation is to look at recent events added to the streaming services as back catalogs were not considered, as I want to find which service has the best value on a month to month basis. The raw data is listed after the ranking, showing which events were uploaded and when they were uploaded. Most fans will likely disagree with my subjective opinions, such as event and wrestler quality, but the upload stats don’t lie as some streaming services offer a lot more content than others. Here is the criteria I used for the evaluation:

Criteria: 

• Overall Quality of Events
• Number of Events and Total Matches Added in February (2025 events only)
• Timeliness of Event Uploads (when the event took place vs. when it was uploaded)
• Value vs. Cost

Ground Rules:

• Only events available for the flat streaming fee will be counted, not events that cost extra on top of the regular monthly price.
• Only wrestling events will be evaluated, not interviews, talk shows, etc. as I don’t speak Japanese so I can’t fairly evaluate the quality of them.
• Events will not be evaluated and considered as “uploaded” until the entire event is available.
• Individual match uploads will only be evaluated if the entire event is uploaded in February.
• Events heavily clipped/in digest form will not be evaluated.
• If an event from a promotion is fully uploaded but has some matches that do not have any Joshi wrestlers, only matches with at least one Joshi wrestler will be evaluated.

In the month of February, 53 wrestling events with joshi matches were added to the tracked streaming services. Without further ado, here are my rankings for the best (and worst) joshi streaming services!

1. Wrestle Universe

Promotions: Tokyo Joshi Pro, Sendai Girls’, and Marigold
Website: wrestle-universe.com
Cost: 1,298 Yen a month

Even though Wrestle Universe is the most expensive service, to say it provides the bang for your buck would be an understatement. Over the course of February, Wrestle Universe uploaded 17 events from Joshi promotions and one event with several additional joshi matches. 18 new/current events in 28 days is simply an insane output and above the level we’ve seen from any wrestling streaming service in the past. Of the 18 events, many were shown live and only two were uploaded on a significant delay – 16 shows were added to the service within five days of the show taking place with the majority within three days. On top of that, since Wrestle Universe uploads events from three Joshi promotions, there is a good variety of styles and a lot of wrestlers to fall in love with. This value doesn’t even take into account they also stream NOAH and DDT. At about 60 cents a Joshi show, an absolute great bargain and a must have for fans of women’s wrestling.

2. Stardom World

Promotion: World Wonder Ring Stardom
Website: stardom-world.com
Cost: 920 Yen a month

If you want to get one service with the best wrestling and are strictly focused on quality over quantity, Stardom World may be for you. Stardom uploaded eight events in February which is a very impressive number for one promotion, giving an average cost of about a dollar per show. Many of the events were shown live, and all were uploaded in a timely fashion. Stardom also has PPVs but these numbers don’t consider those, as I am only evaluating the flat cost experience. On a subjective note – I think Stardom has some of the best women’s wrestlers in the world and a very complete roster top to bottom, so you can’t really go wrong with their events from a talent perspective. Even though Wrestle Universe was an easy #1 pick based off their sheer quantity and they do have many talented wrestlers spread across three promotions, Stardom is an equally easy #2 pick based on their upload schedule and the incredibly impressive wrestlers on their roster.

3. Actwres Girls Nets

Promotion: Actwres girl’Z
Website: https://actwresgirlz.net/app
Cost: 1,000 Yen a month

This ranking surprised me but I think its justified. There is a pretty big drop off from the Top 2 to “the rest” and the next few rankings will come down to wrestling promotion preference, but AgZ impressed me this month. Actwres girl’Z uploaded three events in February, with all three events uploaded three days after they took place which is pretty quick. AgZ doesn’t really do ‘house shows’ so all three events were a decent length and all three had title matches, so these weren’t dojo-style shows. While the promotion’s roster was gutted by Marigold last year, they still have talented wrestlers at the top of the card with young wrestlers that show potential. While it may not be the top-to-bottom quality of other promotions they still put on entertaining events. I wish it was a little cheaper but if they average two or three events of above-average quality per month its still a pretty good deal.

4. ChocoPro Youtube Channel

Promotion: ChocoPro
Website: youtube.com/channel/UC2HtPsU4U7TNSv2mSbPkj0w
Cost: Free

ChocoPro is the hardest promotion to “rank” compared to other promotions. First the positive – it is free! They take donations but no money is required to watch their events. They upload all of their events, nothing extra for their big shows, and events are either shown live or are uploaded within a week. In February, they uploaded six events, one of the highest outputs of any promotion evaluated. Now the negative – ChocoPro isn’t for everyone. Their events are short and most of them take place on a small mat in front of a big wall without ropes. They also tend to have wrestlers that are more style than substance, fun wrestlers but not necessarily highly skilled (aside from Mei Suruga who is great). ChocoPro is a vibe – their events are short and light-hearted, and many fans love them. But they are an acquired taste. Luckily, their shows are free, so it costs nothing to check them out and see if their style of wrestling is for you.

5. PURE-J Youtube Channel

Promotion: PURE-J
Website: PURE-J on Youtube
Cost: $9.99 a month

PURE-J and Ice Ribbon are neck and neck here, but I put PURE-J ahead since they upload all their events and don’t hold their bigger shows for PPV. PURE-J uploaded five events in February, none live but most within four days which comes to a clean $2 per show average. Since they uploaded every show they put on during the month, they range from Dojo shows to bigger events, with one event only having two matches while another had five matches and a defense of their top championship. The output is pretty good, the main issue is that $10 is on the steeper side for a promotion that is one of the lowest in joshi wrestling in terms of popularity and the strength of their roster. if this service was $5 it would be easier to recommend. Still, they have some solid vets and put on some good shows, it just isn’t the quality of the top joshi promotions, you won’t see any “five star matches” here. If you are only getting one streaming service it probably wouldn’t be this one, but if you want to watch something different and a service that averages a show a week, you could do worse.

6. Ice Ribbon Youtube Channel

Promotion: Ice Ribbon
Website: Club Ice Ribbon
Cost: $9.99 a month

Even though I think Ice Ribbon has better wrestlers than PURE-J, the reason I ranked Ice Ribbon’s service below is more based on the business side then the in-ring side. Ice Ribbon uploaded five events in February just like PURE-J did, for a $2 per show average. The issue is that Ice Ribbon only uploads their smaller events to Club Ice Ribbon as they save their bigger events for PPV. I personally have no issue with them also having PPVs, but the problem is the cost of this service as charging $10 for only house show/dojo show quality events is a little steep. Of the shows added in February there were no title matches or “big” singles matches as those were saved for the PPVs. It should be noted that the PPVs are not added to Club Ice Ribbon at a later date but rather to a different streaming service altogether, so on the Youtube subscription they won’t even be available on delay. This business model is a little iffy to me as with this service you will never see their bigger matches like you do for the other promotions on this list. That makes Club Ice Ribbon more for the hardcore Ice Ribbon fans that want to watch small events/track the progress of younger wrestlers. Like PURE-J, if this service was $5 or $6 it would be easier to justify, but paying $10 for only dojo shows is a harder sell.

If you are interested in only seeing the bigger Ice Ribbon events and not seeing their weekly shows (and don’t care if there is a delay), the other Ice Ribbon monthly service is called Ice Ribbon Live PLUS. It is similar to Diana and SEAdLINNNG’s services, where their PPVs are generally added on a one month delay. It is 1,000 yen a month, so to watch all their events you’d be looking at paying about $18 a month total.

7. Everydiana

Promotion: Diana
Website: https://live.www-diana.com/movie
Cost: 990 Yen a month

Everydiana is a “new” type of wrestling service that other promotions use as well. Diana uses a PPV model and later uploads the events one month later to their monthly subscription service, which is fine for catching up but certainly not ideal for those that like to view their joshi wrestling in real time. There are two aspects that kept Diana ranked above SEAdLINNNG (and Ice Ribbon Live PLUS if I had it on the list) – they upload all their shows, and they added more events. Diana uploaded four events in February, all of which were shows that took place in January. They were complete shows however, with one event in particular having six matches with two title matches. Four events for about $8 is a solid value and they put on good shows (they bring in wrestlers from other promotions to fill out the larger events), but the month delay is a tough pill to swallow when other promotions are Live or Near-Live.

8. Evolution Fan Site

Promotion: Pro-Wrestling Evolution
Website: https://evolutionofficialfc.com
Cost: 500 yen

This was a late addition to the list but I am glad it got on here as I want to cover as many promotions as possible. Evolution only puts on one or two shows a month so the streaming service won’t have the number of uploads as others, but they do stream their events live which is a big plus and it only costs about $3.50 a month. If they had more shows they’d be higher on this list as its hard to give a recommendation for a smaller promotion with a low number of shows, but I’ll give them credit for pricing their service appropriately. If they start putting on more events down the road this could be one to keep an eye on, as it is, its really just an add-on service if you were really curious to see what Evolution has to offer.

9. P.P.P. Tokyo Youtube Channel

Promotion: P.P.P. TOKYO
Website: https://www.youtube.com/@PPPTOKYO
Cost: $6.99 a month

Another late addition to this list was P.P.P. TOKYO’s steaming service. P.P.P. TOKYO has both male and female wrestlers so if you are looking for a service just for joshi this one isn’t for you. P.P.P. TOKYO added one event in the month of February, which is the only show they had as they only run once a month (at the most). The good news is the event was streamed live, which is appreciated, but between their roster being on the lower end and the infrequency of their events I wouldn’t recommend it for $7 a month. If down the road they start putting on more shows, that may change, but for now its a skip unless you just have to watch their shows.

10. SEAdLINNNG Movie+

Promotion: SEAdLINNNG
Website: https://seadlinnng.com/movie
Cost: 999 Yen a month

SEAdLINNNG Movie+ in a lot of ways is the worst of all worlds. They don’t have many shows (just one in February), they add events a month after they took place, and its more expensive than several other services on this list. While the show quality is on the higher end, until they start running more events there isn’t a way to recommend paying $8 a month to watch one month-old show. If you are a big fan of SEAdLINNNG, you may as well just buy the PPVs as this monthly service as it is now doesn’t provide much value.

11. NicoPro

Promotions: OZ Academy, Triplesix, and other smaller promotions
Website: https://ch.nicovideo.jp/nicopro
Cost: 550 yen

NicoPro used to be a fantastic wrestling streaming service. In 2022, I ranked them as the third best service! They used to upload many wrestling events per month at the ~$5 price which was a great value, as even though they weren’t the top promotions there was a lot of variety and talented wrestlers. Unfortunately, they have changed their business model to mostly be PPV-based now. For the 550 yen fee in February, only one event was uploaded with any joshi matches, and it was literally one match. The other events with joshi wrestling uploaded required an additional charge. With the monthly membership, fans get a discount on the PPVs but they still range as costing an additional $10 to $20 per show which goes against what this evaluation is looking for. If you are interested in a flat monthly fee to watch joshi wrestling, NicoPro is no longer that place, as painful as it is to say.

12. Marvelous Youtube Channel

Promotion: Marvelous
Website: https://www.youtube.com/@Marvelous
Cost: $6.99 a month

This one was easy. Marvelous uploaded zero events and has not uploaded any events in nine months. If you want to just give money to Marvelous to offer them support, then go ahead and sign up, but if you are looking for current wrestling shows this is not the service for you. Marvelous has always been hot and cold with uploading events between their old NicoNico Channel and Youtube so maybe one day they will begin again, but until then I’d recommend steering clear.

Conclusion:

This is just a one month snapshot of what the various streaming services have to offer, and while it is ‘fair’ in the sense that all services were tracked the same month, that doesn’t mean the results would be the same in six months. Still, from looking back at past months most of these services follow the same patterns so I am confident this is a good representation. Of course, wrestling itself is very subjective and every promotion has their own fans, you will never find a consensus on what promotion is best in-ring nor should there be one, wrestling is all about variety. For general fans of women’s wrestling I couldn’t recommend Wrestle Universe and Stardom World more, they offer tremendous value to stay subscribed on a month to month basis. Others on this list are probably more for bigger fans of the promotion but you never know what you may love until you give them a try. I hope this list helps you find something new to try, its an exciting time with so much wrestling readily available to stream online and I hope it gets even better in the future!

February 2025 Upload Data:

Service: Wrestle Universe
Promotions: Tokyo Joshi Pro, Sendai Girls’, and Marigold
Website: wrestle-universe.com
Cost: 1,298 Yen a month

Service: Ice Ribbon on Youtube
Promotion: Ice Ribbon
Website: Club Ice Ribbon
Cost: $9.99 a month

Service: PURE-J on Youtube
Promotion: PURE-J
Website: PURE-J on Youtube
Cost: $9.99 a month

Service: Actwres girl’Z Online
Promotion: Actwres girl’Z
Website: https://actwresgirlz.net/app
Cost: 1,000 Yen a month

The post Evaluation of Joshi Streaming Services for February 2025 Results appeared first on Joshi City.

It has been almost three years since my last evaluation of Joshi streaming services, so its time to re-visit things and see if they have gotten better or worse. This time I will be evaluating eleven Joshi streaming services for the month of February, both paid and free options. Nothing illegal here or VPN necessary, all are available to fans around the world by Paypal and/or credit card (or no charge at all). I will only be evaluating one of Ice Ribbon’s streaming services, Ice Ribbon Club, as that is the service that uploads very recent shows and with the most frequency. Plus only a psychopath would get two different monthly streaming services for the same promotion. The following services will be evaluated (listed by cost):

Service: Wrestle Universe
Promotions: Tokyo Joshi Pro, Sendai Girls’, and Marigold
Website: wrestle-universe.com
Cost: 1,298 Yen a month

Service: Ice Ribbon on Youtube
Promotion: Ice Ribbon
Website: Club Ice Ribbon
Cost: $9.99 a month

Service: PURE-J on Youtube
Promotion: PURE-J
Website: PURE-J on Youtube
Cost: $9.99 a month

Service: Actwres girl’Z Online
Promotion: Actwres girl’Z
Website: https://actwresgirlz.net/app
Cost: 1,000 Yen a month

Service: SEAdLINNNG Movie+
Promotion: SEAdLINNNG
Website: https://seadlinnng.com/movie
Cost: 999 yen

Service: Everydiana
Promotion: Diana
Website: https://live.www-diana.com/movie
Cost: 990 yen

Service: Stardom World
Promotion: World Wonder Ring Stardom
Website: stardom-world.com
Cost: 920 Yen a month

Service: Marvelous on Youtube
Promotion: Marvelous
Website: https://www.youtube.com/@Marvelous
Cost: $6.99 a month

Service: PPPTOKYO on Youtube
Promotion: PPPTOKYO
Website: https://www.youtube.com/@PPPTOKYO
Cost: $6.99 a month

Service: NicoPro
Promotions: OZ Academy, Triplesix, and other smaller promotions
Website: https://ch.nicovideo.jp/nicopro
Cost: 550 yen

Service: ChocoPro on Youtube
Promotion: ChocoPro
Website: youtube.com/channel/UC2HtPsU4U7TNSv2mSbPkj0w
Cost: Free

Individual events that cost extra will not be evaluated – only events available for free or for a set monthly subscription charge. The idea is I want to evaluate what is available for a flat monthly price, as for promotions that have PPVs most fans will pick and choose anyway based on a number of factors. Plus that would get expensive if I was buying every PPV. At the end of February (well, early March as some shows may be uploaded at the end of the month), I’ll take a look back at everything that was uploaded and rank the promotion’s services from best to worst. Streaming options will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Overall Quality of Events
• Number of Events and Total Matches Added in February (2025 events only)
• Timeliness of Event Uploads (when the event took place vs. when it was uploaded)
• Value Compared to Cost

There is clearly some objectivity in the first and last criteria, so in my final evaluation I will be sure to expand on how I reached my conclusion so that if a fan of a promotion disagrees, at least they will know the method to my madness. The promotion with the “best” wrestlers may not necessarily be ranked at the top as it just depends on their event upload schedule as that is factored in as well. To be fair to all promotions, some general rules:

• The period for evaluation will be based on the JST time zone. Any events fully added to a streaming service between February 1st and February 28th will be evaluated.
• Only wrestling events will be evaluated, not interviews, talk shows, etc. as I don’t speak Japanese so I can’t fairly evaluate the quality of them.
• Events will not be evaluated and considered as “uploaded” until the entire event is available.
• Individual match uploads will only be evaluated if the entire event is uploaded in February.
• Events heavily clipped/in digest form will not be evaluated.
• If an event from a primarily Joshi promotion is fully uploaded but has some matches that do not have any Joshi wrestlers, only matches with at least one Joshi wrestler will be evaluated. If JTO events are uploaded on NicoPro they will be evaluated as they have a significant Joshi roster.

I may not notice the exact day a show is added to a service but I’ll cross reference the promotion’s social media and as long as the information is there I will be sure to calculate the time it took to upload as closely as possible.

By the end of the evaluation, I can’t promise I will be able to watch every event but I will try (and will definitely watch all the “bigger” events). The other criteria I will be able to track regardless so I should have some solid numbers by the end of the month. Hopefully February will be a busy month of Joshi watching!

The post An Evaluation of Joshi Streaming Services for February 2025 appeared first on Joshi City.

 

Wrestler Profile Updates:

• Akira Kurogane (added to Stardom Roster)
• Ami Yumoto (moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Anri (added to AgZ Roster)
• Arisa Shinose (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Asuka Fujitaki (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Banako (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Hikari Minami (moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Hinata (moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Honori Hana (moved to SEAdLINNNG Roster)
• Ivy Steele (added to Gaijin Invaders)
• Kaho Hiromi (added to ChocoPro Roster)
• Konami (moved to Stardom Roster)
• Koyuki (added to Hot Shushu Roster)
• KYANREN/Rensan (updated profile)
• Matoi Hamabe (added to Stardom Roster)
• Manami Katsu (moved to Ice Ribbon Roster)
• Mayuka Koike (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Megaton/Bulldozer Todoroki (updated profile, moved to Marigold Roster)
• Mifu Ashida (moved to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Miho Ishizuka (added to AgZ Roster)
• Nagisa Tachibana (added to Marigold Roster)
• Nanae Furukawa (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Nao Kakuta (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Ryoko Sakimura (added to Marigold Roster)
• Saran (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Seri Yamaoka (added to Marigold Roster)
• Sora Ayame (added to Marvelous Roster)
• Spike Nishimura (added to Gaijin Invaders)
• Tank (added to Gaijin Invaders)
• Xena (updated and moved to the Stardom Roster page)
• Yoshiko Hasegawa (moved to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Yukina Uehara (added to AgZ Roster)
• Yuria Hime (added to Stardom Roster)
• Yuu Hanaya (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Yuuki Mashiro (moved to Joshi Freelancers)

The post Joshi City Website Update for January 26th, 2025 appeared first on Joshi City.

 

Promotion Changes:

• Gatoh Move has changed their name to ChocoPro, which has been updated on the Joshi Promotions page.
• Evolution has been added to the Joshi Promotions page.
• Hot Shushu has been added to the Joshi Promotions page.

Wrestler Profile Updates:

• Aja Kong (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Alice Aono (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Allen (Moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Arisa Nakajima (Moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Banako (Added to Hot Shushu Roster)
• Big Haruka (Added to JUST TAP OUT Roster)
• Bulldozer Todoroki (Moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Chairo (Added to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Erii Kanae (Added to ChocoPro Roster)
• Erisa Nagai (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Giulia (Moved to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Hinata Senya (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Hiroyo Matsumoto (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Hiyori Yawata (Added to ChocoPro Roster)
• Hummingbird fka CatMASK calico (Added to Marigold Roster)
• Isuzu (Added to JUST TAP OUT Roster)
• Jenne (Added to PURE-J Roster)
• Jumbo Inoue (Added to JUST TAP OUT Roster)
• KAORU (Added to Retired Wrestlers)
• Kakeru Sekiguchi (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Kaoru Ito (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Kira An (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Kirari Wakana (Added to Ice Ribbon Roster)
• Kizuna Tanaka (Moved to Marigold Roster)
• Koara Fujimoto (Moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Mase Hiiro (Added to Hot Shushu Roster)
• Miku Kanae fka Kanamic (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Miria Koga (Added to SEAdLINNNG Roster)
• Miyuna (Added to Evolution Roster)
• Nagisa Nozaki (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Naho Yamada (Moved to Marigold Roster)
• NENE (Added to Diana Roster)
• Riko Kawahata (Moved to Marvelous Roster)
• Senka Akatsuki (Added to Marvelous Roster)
• Syan Syan (Added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Toiro Hina (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Tomoko Watanabe (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Tsubasa Kuragaki (Moved to Joshi Freelancers)

The post Joshi City Website Update for November 3rd, 2024 appeared first on Joshi City.

Hana Kimura Memorial Book 2024
Released Spring 2024

Background: Giulia joined Stardom in 2019, and quickly began a feud with Stardom wrestler Hana Kimura. Tragically, Hana passed away in May of 2020. Since her passing, every year her mother Kyoko Kimura puts on a memorial show. For the 2024 event, Giulia was scheduled to have a match in memory of her former friend and in-ring adversary.

— Translation begins below —

Giulia: The first exchange I had with Hana: “Ah, it’s me!”

The Fighting Spirit of Girlhood.
Fighting with Hana.

Fumi Saito: I would like to talk about your relationship with Hana Kimura, or rather, about your encounter with Hana.

Giulia: October 14, 2019, Korakuen Hall. The day I announced I was joining Stardom. It was the day I stood in the Stardom ring for the first time. That day, Hana fought for the red belt. It was a title match in the main event. Just before I stepped into the ring, we were in the waiting room together for a short time. At that time, our eyes met, and I remember one thing that Hana said to me.

Saito: What was the one thing?

Giulia: “Ah, it’s me!” she said. She looked at me and said “it’s me!”

Saito: What did she mean by that? It sounds as if there are two of her.

Giulia: We were kind of eye to eye and she looked at me and said “Ah, it’s me!”, and then she stopped for a second or two. Then she just went away with that cheerful excitement.

Saito: That was a shocking encounter.

Giulia: I had been wondering what kind of wrestler Hana Kimura was. She looks really good, she is half Japanese, and I had seen her on SNS and in magazines, so I was like, ‘Oh it’s Hana Kimura!’. It was the first time I heard her voice, and it left a big impression.

Saito: When was the next time you met?

Giulia: It was not at a match, but a press conference. At the press conference to announce that Stardom had joined Bushiroad, I said “I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you, but I’ve decided to join the group”, and Hana interrupted. She said something like “You’re making things difficult for everyone. I’m the only half member”. Then we got into a fight. ‘Ah, this person is really strong minded’, I thought. But I already knew that. Hana is younger than me, but in my late teens and early 20’s, I was also very bossy. I could see she had a rough temperament, and she was coming in with guns blazing, so I knew I could not step back from her. I had to take a stand against Hana.

Saito: I can understand Hana’s temperament, or rather her personality.

Giulia: I had a fighting spirit since I was a small child. But, at the time I was moving from Ice Ribbon to Stardom, I was feeling beaten up and really down, and I felt like I could not show myself. But Hana’s gung-ho attitude revived my fighting spirit, and it brought it back to life. I thought to myself, ‘Ah, this person, she’s really going to come at me. I need to be aggressive too’. Then there was the brawl at Shin-Kiba, with cameras following us to the waiting room.

Saito: You could hear the banging of the building’s shutters outside of the fans’ sight.

Giulia: When I was in elementary school, I had fights. This was the first time since then. I was like a kid again pretending to go horseback-riding, seeing someone I could get messed up with and wrestle. At that time, I thought ‘This is what being a pro-wrestler is all about’. Until then, I had never felt that way. Even when I was playing against seniors who pissed me off or whom I hated, I didn’t know how to turn on the switch, and I felt frustrated like that for a long time.

Saito: It was great you were able to clash with Hana in the ring at Stardom.

Giulia: I don’t think anyone wanted to get involved with me at that time. I felt that everyone wanted to avoid getting involved with me as much as possible.

Saito: Was there an atmosphere like that?

Giulia: There was. Among the wrestlers. I was beaten up so much, and I don’t have a good image. I had only been with Ice Ribbon for less than two years, and before that I was just an ordinary person. So, the slander on the internet was a big shock to me back then.

Saito: Why did you decide to become a professional wrestler in the first place?

Giulia: I don’t know if I can explain it well, but when I was still a fan, I used to go women’s wrestling and there were people who looked like they could beat her easily. Like, this isn’t a fight. Every time I saw a match like that, I thought to myself, ‘I’ll do it, too’. But when I tried it, I realized I didn’t have any talent, and I didn’t make any progress for over a year.

Saito: Once you made your debut, did you notice any contradictions within yourself?

Giulia: I did. I debuted at 24 and that’s when I saw the reality. After a year I gave up, and I thought about retiring. I thought that if I didn’t quit quickly, my body would just get worn out, I wouldn’t be able to earn money, and my life would be a mess.

Saito: Then the opportunity to move to Stardom presented itself?

Giulia: The choice was to retire or to start over as a trainee at Stardom. It was a gamble for me. Stardom was a great company and I had always admired them. Hana Kimura, Mayu Iwatani, Iyo, Kairi, all the stars were there. When Iyo said “I’m going to WWE” at Ryogoku, I was at the venue watching it. I thought that if I was serious about wrestling, this was the environment for me. It was a time when I was really worried about wrestling.

Saito: Have you always been aware of Hana Kimura?

Giulia: I mean, a girl that flashy, you can’t help but notice her, even if you’ve never met her. A really cool woman in Stardom. I’ve known about her since W-1, and she’s often appeared in the media since she joined Stardom.

Saito: Hana was active for four years, but only one year with Stardom.

Giulia: Oh, only four years? A legend was created in four years.

Drawn to Hana.
Encounter with VENY

[Editor’s Note: Giulia was scheduled to have a match against VENY on the Hana Kimura Memorial Show on 5/23/24, but it was cancelled due to Giulia being injured]

Saito: Do you know VENY, who you’ll be fighting this time?

Giulia: Yes, I know her. She’s Asuka right? I saw her fight with Syuri in Hana’s memorial match. I also saw her match with Sareee.

Saito: This is your first match. You’ve never even come into contact with each other?

Giulia: Not at all.

Saito:  There’s a relationship between Hana Kimura and Giulia. There’s a relationship between Hana Kimura and VENY. It is because of Hana Kimura that this singles match was made possible, right?

Giulia: If that hadn’t happened, I don’t think we would have this fight. I think wrestling can sometimes be a mysterious connection. I think Hana has drawn in all kinds of things to me in this way.

Saito: Can you imagine what kind of match this will be?

Giulia: Hana and I had some fierce matches. I think Hana likes that kind of thing. So I hope that when Hana watches my match with VENY she gets excited.

Full Original Interview:

The post Translation of Giulia’s Interview in Hana Kimura Memorial Book 2024 appeared first on Joshi City.

 

• Amarei Kouki (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Bozilla (added to Gaijin Invaders)
• CHIAKI (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Chika Goto (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Giulia (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Hikari Noa (moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Juria Nagano (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Mai Sakurai (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Miku Aono (moved to Marigold Roster)
• MIRAI (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Misa Matsui (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Myla Grace (added to Gaijin Invaders)
• Nanae Takahashi (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Nao Ishikawa (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Natsumi Showzuki (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Rian (added to Stardom Roster)
• Soy (added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Utami Hayashishita (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Victoria Yuzuki (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Yuuki Minami (moved to Marigold Roster)
• Zayda Steel (added to Gaijin Invaders)

The post Joshi City Website Update for May 19th, 2024 appeared first on Joshi City.

 

• Ami Yumoto (added to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Asahi (moved to Obituaries)
• Chesca (added to PURE-J Roster)
• Chika Nanase (added to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Giulia (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Kira Summer (added to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Madeline (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Mai Sakurai (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• MIRAI (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Mizuha (added to JUST TAP OUT Roster)
• Nonoka Seto (added to Gatoh Move Roster)
• Rea Marumori (added to Sendai Girl’s Roster)
• Riko Kaiju (moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Saki Akai (moved to Retired Wrestlers)
• Saori Anou (moved to Stardom Roster)
• Sayuri (move to Retired Wrestlers)
• Uta Takami (added to Tokyo Joshi Pro Roster)
• Utami Hayashishita (moved to Joshi Freelancers)
• Yufa (added to AgZ Roster)
• Yuka Sakazaki (moved to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Yuuki Mashiro (moved to Ice Ribbon Roster)
• YUNA (added to Sendai Girls’ Roster)
• Yuzuki (moved to Joshi Freelancers)

The post Joshi City Website Update for April 4th, 2024 appeared first on Joshi City.

 

• Blanca Maho  (Added to Joshi Freelancers)
• Great Sakuya  (Added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers)
• Ranna Yagami  (Added to Stardom Roster)
• Sayaka Kurara  (Added to Stardom Roster)
• Yukari Hosokawa  (Moved to Retired Wrestlers)

The post Joshi City Website Update for January 20th, 2024 appeared first on Joshi City.

 

• Aiki (Moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Amu Yumesaki (Moved to Inactive Wrestlers)
• Asahi (Moved to Actwres girl’Z Roster)
• Chanyota (added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers, P.P.P. Tokyo)
• Echika Miyavi (added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers, P.P.P. Tokyo)
• Kiku (Moved to Other Affiliated Wrestlers, Hot Shushu)
• Mana Yamashita (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Mizuki Kato (Added to Diana Roster)
• Nanami Togi (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Sya (Added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers, Ehime Pro Wrestling)
• Tsuruhimeka (Added to Other Affiliated Wrestlers, Ehime Pro Wrestling)
• Yui Tenshoku (Added to AgZ Roster)
• Yuma Makoto (Added to Diana Roster)
• Yuzuki (Added to Stardom Roster)

The post Joshi City Website Update for November 23rd, 2023 appeared first on Joshi City.