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.

Event: P.P.P. Tokyo Treasure And Party ~ When The Door To Dreams Opens
Date: February 6th, 2025
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 350
Broadcast: P.P.P. Tokyo Youtube Channel

Let us go together to the grimy underground of Japanese wrestling promotions and check out P.P.P. Tokyo! That is a bit overly dramatic, as while P.P.P. Tokyo started very small it lately has been drawing 300+ for their events and stream their events on Youtube. 300 fans isn’t a lot but it isn’t “wrestling in a bar” levels either, and they do sometimes have well known wrestlers take part of their shows. This is one such show, as Nanae Takahashi wrestles in the main event against a former porn star! The show had a total of six matches but only three had Joshi wrestlers, so I’ll just be reviewing those three matches. Here are the matches we’ll be watching:

• Echika Miyabi vs. ZONES
• Kabuto Mitomi and Marika Kobashi vs. Kaji Tomato and Natsu Sumire
• Chanyota vs. Nanae Takahashi

Some of these wrestlers are new to me so this will be fun. All Joshi wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Echika Miyabi vs. ZONES

They tie-up to start, Echika pushes ZONES into the ropes and they trade positions until ZONES hits a series of elbows. Echika fires back with a boot, she knocks ZONES into the corner and hits her with elbows. Echika stomps down ZONES in the corner before picking her up, snapmare by Echika and she kicks ZONES in the back. Another kick by Echika and she covers ZONES for a two count. ZONES slowly returns to her feet but Echika kicks her down against the ropes, slap by Echika and she jumps down onto ZONES’s back. ZONES fires up and elbows Echika in the chest, but Echika absorbs the blows. Shoulderblock attempts by ZONES and she can’t get Echika down, she goes off the ropes but Echika levels her with a back elbow for two.

Scoop slam by Echika, Irish whip but ZONES hits a jumping shoulderblock to finally knock over Echika. Lariat by ZONES in the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving elbow drop for two. ZONES gets Echika on her shoulders but Echika gets away, ZONES goes off the ropes but Echika delivers a kick combination followed by a big boot. Echika picks up ZONES but ZONES chops her and the two trade blows. Echika grabs ZONES but ZONES hits a vertical suplex, she picks up Echika and hits an Oklahoma Slam for two. ZONES goes off the ropes and delivers a hard lariat, but Echika barely kicks out. ZONES goes off the ropes again but Echika catches her with a kick, running boot by ZONES but Echika kicks her in the chest. Side kick by Echika, she waits for ZONES to get up and nails a Pump Kick. Echika picks up ZONES and goes for a chokeslam but ZONES gets away and applies the Wild Clutch for the three count! ZONES is your winner!

I don’t know if I could call this match “good” as Echika still has a really simple moveset and some of the exchanges were a bit clunky, but I can say that ZONES sold her ass off in this match to make Echika look as good as possible. Very strike oriented with a few suplexes thrown in, it definitely had a “rookie match” feel. Which isn’t meant to be an insult, all wrestlers have to start somewhere and gain experience, but Echika did little to impress here and ZONES’ selling could only do so much to save it. Not a terrible match but maybe would have worked better as a tag match where Echika could hit her spots and get out.

Kabuto Mitomi and Marika Kobashi vs. Kaji Tomato and Natsu Sumire

Before the match everyone dances but once they are done they get right into the action as Kabuto smacks Kaji. The action immediately spills out to the floor as the men and women pair up, they battle up into the crowd while the referee patiently waits in the ring for them to return. Kaji and Marika eventually get into the ring as the legal wrestlers, snapmare by Kaji and he hits a dropkick for a two count. Natsu comes in the ring, double Irish whip from the corner but Marika kicks Kaji back. Kaji tries again but Marika gets kicked again, but Natsu encourages him to try a third time. Same result as Kaji gets mad at Natsu, but they make up and go for a double vertical suplex on Marika. Marika blocks it so Natsu hits Kaji for I guess not trying harder, they try again but Marika reverses it into a double DDT.

Marika then dropkicks both of them and tags Kabuto, scoop slam by Kabuto to both opponents and he gives Natsu a dragon screw. Natsu picks up Kaji and delivers a delayed vertical suplex, cover by Kabuto but it gets two. Kabuto picks up Kaji but Kaji elbows him and the two trade blows. Natsu and Marika both come but are immediately thrown back out, Kaji and Kabuto get back into it as they trade strikes until both are down on the mat. Both crawl to their corners and tag out, Natsu goes off the ropes but Marika catches her with an elbow followed by a sliding kick for two. Marika picks up Natsu but Kaji grabs her from the apron, Natsu gets her whip but she hits Kaji with it by mistake. Stunner by Marika but Kaji trips her from the floor.

Natsu runs over but hits a baseball slide on Kaji on accident, Kabuto then trips Natsu from the floor and Marika delivers a dropkick. Natsu is thrown into the corner and double teamed, cover by Marika but it gets two. DDT by Marika, but her cover gets another two count. Marika picks up Natsu and applies a guillotine choke, but Kaji breaks it up. Marika goes off the ropes but Kaji hits her with an elbow, double vertical suplex to Marika and Natsu covers her for two. Natsu elbows Marika in the back and goes off the ropes, but Kabuto kicks her and hits an enziguri. Marika goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Kaji breaks up the cover. Kaji gets both opponents seated in the corner, Natsu runs over and delivers the gyrating bronco buster. Kaji goes up top and hits a diving body press, Natsu sits on Marika’s face and she gets the three count cover!  Kaji Tomato and Natsu Sumire are your winners.

If haven’t seen Natsu Sumire in awhile and worried she had changed – no, no she has not. All four of these wrestlers are on the “average” side in regards to in-ring talent so they rely on personality and/or appearances to keep your attention. Natsu has both which helps but the two male wrestlers were mostly along for the ride as neither were particularly impressive or memorable. Marika is still a little awkward in the ring and in general I wouldn’t say this match was tightly structured, but Natsu was still Natsu which I think is what the crowd came to see. I wouldn’t say it was a good match but it wasn’t offensive which is a solid enough compliment for a mid-card tag match on a small show.

Chanyota vs. Nanae Takahashi

They tie-up to start, Nanae pushes Chanyota into the ropes but Chanyota switches positions with her and gives her an elbow strike before backing off. Knuckle lock and they go into a Test of Strength, kick by Nanae and she applies a wristlock. Chanyota reverses it as they go back and forth trading holds, side headlock takedown by Chanyota but Nanae struggles back up and hits a backdrop suplex. Irish whip by Nanae and the two collide with neither going down, they try a few more times until Nanae shoulderblocks Chanyota to the mat. Chanyota rolls out of the ring to re-group but Nanae goes after her, Chanyota greets Nanae on the apron but Nanae elbows her back down to the floor. Nanae hops down and takes Chanyota into the stands, she gets a chair and whacks Chanyota with it. The poor cameraman wasn’t ready for this and is struggling to get a shot, but he finally makes it to the wrestlers and Nanae beats Chanyota around the crowd.

Chanyota fights back with elbows but Nanae knocks her back down, Nanae rolls her into the ring and elbows Chanyota to the mat. Elbow drop by Nanae and she applies a sleeper hold, but Chanyota eventually gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Nanae headbutts Chanyota into the corner and hits a series of chops, but Chanyota switches positions with her and hits an elbow. A hard shoulderblock by Chanyota sends Nanae to the mat, shouldertackles by Chanyota in the corner and she hits a running one followed by an elbow drop for two. Chanyota picks up Nanae but Nanae elbows out of the hold, Irish whip by Nanae but Chanyota hits a shoulderblock for a two count cover. Chanyota picks up Nanae and they trade lariats with neither wrestler going down. Chanyota goes off the ropes but Nanae catches her with a release German suplex. Chanyota gets back up but eats a hard lariat, cover by Nanae but it gets a two count. Arm trap crossface by Nanae but Chanyota gets to the ropes for the break. Nanae picks up Chanyota but Chanyota elbows her, more elbows by Chanyota but Nanae absorbs the blows. Lariat by Chanyota and she gets Nanae up on her back before hitting an Argentine Samoan Drop for two.

Chanyota goes to the top turnbuckle but Nanae recovers and joins her, hitting a superplex for two. Nanae waits for Chanyota to get up but Chanyota ducks the lariat and hits one of her own. Another lariat by Chanyota, and she covers Nanae for two. Chanyota picks up Nanae and hits the Schwein, but Nanae gets out of the cover. Chanyota drags up Nanae but Nanae snaps off a backdrop suplex, she goes for the Sliding D but Chanyota ducks and hits one of her own for a two count. Chanyota picks up Nanae and slaps her, but Nanae slaps her back. More slaps by Chanyota and she hits a headbutt, enziguri by Chanyota but Nanae headbutts her and hits a sliding kick for two. Sliding D by Nanae, but Chanyota barely kicks out. Nanae picks up Chanyota and nails the One Second EX, cover by Nanae and she gets the three count! Nanae Takahashi is the winner.

I’m going to be honest, this was far better than I was expecting. It wasn’t a complicated story but it still worked – Chanyota is strong and could stand toe to toe with Nanae. In many of her matches, Nanae is the bigger/stronger wrestler and she uses that to be a bully, but she couldn’t bully Chanyota even though she is far more experienced. Thus, Chanyota got the better of several of the power struggles and Nanae had to go into her better technique to pick up the win. Even though she doesn’t have as many matches under her belt, Chanyota works really well with what she does and I think a wrestling fan not familiar with either wrestler wouldn’t know from this match that one wrestler had over 2,000 career matches and the other under 50. Maybe I went in with too low of expectations but I was really impressed with this and one of the better performances from Nanae I’ve seen in awhile. Really good match!  Recommended

The post P.P.P. Tokyo Treasure And Party on 2/6/25 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Marigold New Years Golden Garden 2025
Date: February 7th, 2025
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 356
Broadcast: Wrestle Universe

The last time I watched Marigold was their debut show, and a lot has changed since then. The biggest change of course is Giulia is gone, as she joined WWE a few months after Marigold was launched (which was always the plan). There are also a fistful of new rookies since last May, including the latest Super Rookie – Seri Yamaoka. We also have titles now, with one being defended in the main event. This isn’t a huge show for Marigold but is still a mid-sized one with all the major players present. Here is the full card:

• Nao Ishikawa vs. Ryoko Sakimura
• CHIAKI and Nagisa Nozaki vs. Rea Seto and Riara
• Megaton vs. MIRAI
• Utami Hayashishita vs. Yuuki Minami
• Chika Goto and Natsumi Showzuki vs. Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka
• Chanyota and Mai Sakurai vs. Miku Aono and Naho Yamada
• Marigold Superfly Championship: Victoria Yuzuki vs. Misa Matsui

My first full show review in almost a year, let’s see how long it takes me to get through it. All wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it. Onto the show!

Nao Ishikawa vs. Ryoko Sakimura

Ryoko and Nao tie-up, wristlock by Nao but Ryoko reverses it and the two trade holds. Dueling wristlocks goes on for a bit, side headlock by Nao but Ryoko Irish whips out of it. Shoulderblock by Nao and she hits an elbow drop for two. Camel clutch by Nao, she lets go after a moment and stomps on Ryoko’s back. Irish whip by Nao but Ryoko hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Ryoko but Nao absorbs the blow and stomps on Ryoko. Nao picks up Ryoko and goes off the ropes, hitting a shoulderblock. Crab hold by Nao but Ryoko crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Nao picks up Ryoko and throws her into the ropes, but Ryoko hits a dropkick. Nao doesn’t go down so Ryoko hits a few more dropkicks. Ryoko finally sends Nao to the mat, cover by Ryoko and she gets a two count. Ryoko goes to pick up Nao but Nao pushes her off, elbows by Nao and the two trade blows. Nao elbows Ryoko hard to the mat, Nao picks up Ryoko but Ryoko sneaks in an inside cradle for two. A schoolboy by Ryoko also gets two, she puts Nao in a submission hold but Nao gets to the ropes. Ryoko charges Nao but Nao catches her with a scoop slam for two. Nao picks up Ryoko and she hits a delayed bodyslam for the three count! Nao Ishikawa is the winner.

These matches are important for a wrestler’s development but can have limited entertainment value. Ryoko is only two months in so I’m not going to judge her yet, although if she threw those same dropkicks in GAEA Japan her face would have been bloody soon thereafter. Nao has average-level skill and that showed here as she didn’t really assert herself as the dominate veteran before winning with a bodyslam. Good enough to be an opener, curious to see how Ryoko develops over the next six months.

CHIAKI and Nagisa Nozaki vs. Rea Seto and Riara

Rea and CHIAKI start the match, CHIAKI works a headlock and slams Rea into the corner. Running boot by CHIAKI, she covers Rea with one foot but it gets a two count. CHIAKI picks up Rea but Rea elbows her away, chop by CHIAKI and she boots Rea to the mat for two. CHIAKI tags Nagisa, Nagisa kicks Rea against the ropes and then again from the apron. Back in the ring, vertical suplex by Nagisa but Rea avoids her charge and delivers a dropkick followed by a facebuster. Rea applies the Cattle Mutilation but CHIAKI quickly breaks it up, Rea picks up Nagisa but Nagisa boots her. Nagisa swats away Rea’s dropkick attempt but Rea avoids the sliding kick and delivers a dropkick. Neckbreaker drop by Rea and she tags in Riara. Dropkick by Riara and she hits a second one, a third dropkick by Riara and she covers Nagisa for two. Riara goes to the second turnbuckle but Nagisa avoids her dive and boots Riara in the head. Riara comes back with elbows but Nagisa dropkicks her into the corner, big boot by Nagisa and CHIAKI hits one of her own from the apron.

CHIAKI comes in the ring but Rea runs in with a double neckbreaker drop, dropkick by Riara to Nagisa and she covers her for two. Ankle hold by Riara but Nagisa gets to the ropes for the break. Rea goes to the top turnbuckle and rides Nagisa face-first into the mat, diving footstomp by Riara but CHIAKI breaks up the cover. CHIAKI gets rid of Rea and hits a Codebreaker onto Riara, sleeper by Nagisa to Riara but Rea eventually breaks it up. Kick to the ribs by Nagisa to Riara, she goes off the ropes and hits a Somato for two. Kick to the face by Nagisa, but Rea breaks up the cover. Nagisa and CHIAKI grab Rea and both kick her in the side of the head, Nagisa goes back to Riara and kicks her in the chest. Nagisa drags Riara up and nails the Noa Lancer High (running knee strike), and she picks up the three count! CHIAKI and Nagisa Nozaki are the winners.

This was honestly better then I was expecting, always good to go into matches with an open mind. Nagisa played the veteran here but not at all selfishly (we’ll see that later in the show in Nanae’s match), while she was in the dominate position she gave the younger wrestlers a lot of offense and bumped around for them. Everything was hit crisply, with both Rea and Riara looking solid in defeat. Fast paced solid action from these four, for a house show style event a good effort by all involved.

Megaton vs. MIRAI

MIRAI charges Megaton as the match starts and kicks her in the stomach, she goes for an Irish whip but Megaton doesn’t budge. Megaton sits on the mat and challenges MIRAI to join her, MIRAI does and applies a cross armbreaker but Megaton gets to the ropes and rolls out of the ring. MIRAI eventually goes after her but Megaton punches her as she does so, Megaton gets a chain and she jokes MIRAI with it. Megaton licks MIRAI’s hair for reasons unknown, she eventually rolls MIRAI back in but MIRAI gets her feet up as she goes for a body press. Megaton charges MIRAI but MIRAI jumps over her, she avoids her next charge as well and MIRAI gets out of the ring. She slides back in as Megaton chases her, Megaton gets tired of the game and sits down in the middle of the ring.

MIRAI returns and kicks her in the back, but MIRAI quickly bails again as Megaton chases her. They do this routine for a bit until MIRAI gets back in the ring, Megaton is too tired to get back in the ring so she gets the little ring steps out to help her. MIRAI dropkicks her in the head as she gets to the apron, MIRAI slides Megaton back into the ring and chops her in the chest. Megaton elbows her back as they trade shots, a battle that MIRAI wins. Megaton yells at MIRAI to stun her, she goes for a few quick pins but MIRAI kicks out. Megaton picks up MIRAI and chops her, body avalanche against the ropes and Megaton drops on MIRAI with a body splash for two. Megaton picks up MIRAI but MIRAI punches her in the face, she puts Megaton in a modified double armbar and Megaton has to submit! MIRAI is the winner!

Before we discuss this goofy match, I first just want to acknowledge the work that MIRAI has done on her fitness. She looks great, and its the type of dedication you like to see from a wrestler that down the road may have a leading role in the promotion. As for the match, Megaton mostly does comedy and for better or worse (depending on how you feel about it), MIRAI had to wrestle at her level. Some of the bits were silly or just time wasting, although I will admit I did laugh when I saw Megaton was getting out the little steps to get into the ring after MIRAI ran her around. There was very little substance here and not how I’d ideally get to watch a MIRAI match, I can’t say it was “bad” but it didn’t do a lot for me either.

Utami Hayashishita vs. Yuuki Minami

They tie-up to start, side headlock by Utami but Minami reverses it. Irish whip by Utami but Minami hits a dropkick, however Utami stays on her feet. Minami tries again with no luck, she goes off the ropes again but Utami dropkicks her in the midsection. Scoop slam by Utami and she applies a crab hold, but Minami gets to the ropes for the break. Minami returns to her feet and fights back, but Utami knocks her down with a hard elbow. Irish whip by Utami and she swats aside Minami’s dropkick attempt, she goes off the ropes but this time Minami catches her and knocks Utami down.

Minami throws Utami to the mat and hits another dropkick, Minami applies a guillotine with a hammerlock but Utami slams her into the corner to break the hold. Dropkick to the arm by Minami and she re-applies the hold, but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Minami picks up Utami and goes for the hold again, but Utami is too close to the ropes. Minami goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Minami but it gets a two count. Utami levels Minami with a lariat, another lariat by Utami and she hits a sliding lariat for two. Utami picks up Minami and hits the Air Raid Crash, but Minami reverses the cover into her own cradle for two. Minami charges Utami but Utami hits an Argentine Backbreaker Drop. Utami drags Minami up and hits a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita is the winner.

Maybe now I understand why Minami didn’t get more a push out of the gate, as while she did have training in both Ice Ribbon and Marigold she still looks really green and needs more seasoning before anyone could take her as a threat. Minami spamming the same submission finisher was a sign she doesn’t have the deepest moveset and there wasn’t a lot for Utami to work with here so the match stayed really basic. Minami is still young, in no way am I writing her off but a year into her career she still has a ways to go.

Chika Goto and Natsumi Showzuki vs. Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka

Seri and Showzuki start the match, they jockey for position on the mat with Seri getting the eventual advantage with a kneelock. Showzuki can’t reach the ropes so Chika breaks it up and hits an atomic drop, running knee by Showzuki to Seri and she covers her for two. Showzuki tags Chika, Chika grabs Seri and hits a scoop slam. Another scoop slam by Chika and she hits another one followed by a hip attack. Running hip attack by Chika and she tags Showzuki, dropkick by Showzuki and she hits Seri with a second one. Showzuki drops a double knee on Seri’s back, she picks her up but Seri tries to fight back. It doesn’t work, Irish whip by Showzuki but Seri hits a gutwrench suplex and tags Nanae. Nanae and Showzuki trade elbows until Nanae hits a hard shoulderblock. Chops by Nanae in the corner but Chika runs in to break it up, Nanae throws Chika in the corner with Showzuki and gives her some chops as well. Showzuki sneaks around to Nanae’s back to get her to stop chopping Chika, but Nanae lariats her in the corner.

Chika charges in but Nanae tosses her down and slams Showzuki on top of Chika. Nanae still as dominate as ever. Back to Showzuki, Nanae picks her up but Showzuki lands on her feet on the backdrop suplex attempt and kicks Nanae in the back. She challenges Nanae to kick her back and she does, Showzuki goes for a PK but Nanae catches her leg and kicks her in the chest. Showzuki gets Nanae’s back and applies an Octopus Hold, Nanae gets to the ropes. Showzuki tags Chika, she hits a running knee on Nanae in the corner with Chika following with one as well. Chika charges Nanae but Nanae kicks her back and hits a lariat. Nanae gets on the second turnbuckle but Showzuki grabs her from the apron, giving Chika time to recover. Chika grabs Nanae and hits her a quick Giant Swing, Showzuki goes up top and hits a diving kneedrop onto Nanae. Chika follows with a sliding lariat, but Seri breaks up the cover. Chika picks up Nanae but Nanae slaps her and rolls her to the mat before applying a crossface. Chika gets a toe on the ropes to force a break, Nanae picks up Chika and throws her into the corner. Lariat by Nanae and she tags Seri, Seri drives Chika into the corners but Chika wiggles away. Seri goes off the ropes but Chika hits a big boot, she goes for a crab hold but Seri lifts her way out of it. Chika grabs Seri around the waist and swings her around, facebuster by Chika but Nanae breaks up the cover.

Nanae stays in but Showzuki runs in too to even the odds. Chika chokeslams Seri, cover by Chika but Nanae breaks it up. Nanae lariats both Showzuki and Chika, Seri recovers and they hit a double sidewalk slam on Chika for two. Seri picks up Chika but Chika elbows out of the waistlock, she scoops up Seri but Seri wiggles away. Showzuki kicks Seri in the back, Chika slams Seri and covers her for two. Chika picks up Seri but Nanae grabs her and hits a backdrop suplex. Seri picks up Chika so Nanae can hit a lariat, jackknife cover by Seri but it gets broken up. Hard lariat by Nanae to Showzuki, Seri picks up Chika and hits a hammerlock suplex for two. Seri picks up Chika and nails a German suplex, cover by Seri and she gets the three count! Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka are the winners!

I may not always like Nanae’s methods but her type of style is going to be missed when all the mid-90s stars are retired. The way she dominated both opponents in portions of this match would seem off if that just wasn’t the Nanae Experience, and she did give most of it back so it wasn’t a one-sided affair. Seri didn’t get as much of a chance to shine but everything she did looked well executed, I can understand what Rossy sees her in as she seems to have the complete package even this early in her career. Chika and Showzuki both were solid, hitting everything smoothly even if neither really stood out. A good match, engaging from start to finish even if it wasn’t trying to set the world on fire.  Mildly Recommended

Chanyota and Mai Sakurai vs. Miku Aono and Naho Yamada

Chanyota and Miku start the match, they trade shoulderblock attempts until Miku finally knocks Chanyota to the mat. Irish whip by Chanyota and she hits another one, covering Miku for two. Both wrestlers tag out, Naho and Mai lock-up, Mai pushes Naho into the ropes and gives a clean break. They trade waistlocks, headlock by Mai but Naho gets out of it and reverses it. Mai gets the headlock re-applied but Naho gets out of it and they return to their feet. Naho goes for a dropkick but Mai swats her aside, Mai goes off the ropes but Miku kicks her from the apron. Dropkick by Naho and both she and Miku dropkick Mai. Double Irish whip to Mai but Mai hits a dropkick on both opponents and tags Chanyota. Chanyota and Mai both attack Naho in the corner, scoop slam by Chanyota and with Mai they elbow drop Naho. Cover by Chanyota, but Naho kicks out. Chanyota picks up Naho and tags Mai, Mai throws Naho into the corner and rams her head into the turnbuckle. Running boot by Mai and she hits a scoop slam, Mai picks up Naho but Naho fights back with elbows.

Irish whip by Mai but Naho delivers a dropkick and rolls to her corner to tag Miku. Chanyota runs in to help her partner but Miku fights off both of them, dropkick by Miku to Mai and she hits a PK. Miku picks up Mai but Chanyota lariats Miku, suplex by Mai to Miku and she applies a cross armbreaker. Miku gets to the ropes for the break, Mai goes off the ropes and boots Miku in the head. Mai picks up Miku but Miku hits a vertical suplex, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Mai recovers and tries to cut her off. Mai joins Miku and hits a superplex, shining kick by Mai and she covers Miku for two. STO by Mai, she picks up Miku but Miku drops her with a lariat. Both wrestlers slowly get up, big boot by Mai but Miku hits a lariat. Mai fires back with a jumping knee, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Mai manages to tag Chanyota, shoulderblocks by Chanyota in the corner and she covers Miku for two. Irish whip by Miku but Chanyota hits a jumping shoulderblock, Chanyota goes off the ropes but Miku catches her with a powerslam.

Miku tags Naho, dropkicks by Naho and she hits a neckbreaker. Naho picks up Chanyota but Chanyota kicks her in the knee and drops her o the mat. Lariat by Chanyota and Mai hits a big boot, another lariat and big boot to Naho and they hit a double vertical suplex. Cover by Chanyota, but Naho gets a shoulder up. Chanyota picks up Naho but Naho gets away, high kick by Miku and Naho hits a Stunner. Lariat by Miku and Naho covers Chanyota for two. Naho applies a headscissors with a bridge, but Mai breaks it up. Miku and Naho go to Mai but Chanyota drops them both with a double lariat. Mai kicks Naho out of the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her with a plancha. She rolls Naho back into the ring where Chanyota is waiting, Chanyota gets Naho on her shoulders while Mai goes to the top turnbuckle and they hit a Samoan Drop/Missile Dropkick combination. Chanyota picks up Naho and goes off the ropes but Naho cradles her for a two count. Naho charges Chanyota but Chanyota drops her with a lariat, Chanyota drags up Naho and nails the Jackhammer for the three count! Mai Sakurai and Chanyota are the winners!

Another solid tag team match. The greatest compliment I can give a sub-15 minute non-stakes midcard tag match is it held my attention and was well executed, which this match was. I came away with the match fairly impressed with all four of them, although Naho lagged a bit behind the other three in regards to execution. Interestingly, the match seemed for a vehicle to put over Chanyota since she isn’t even a Marigold wrestler, but the fact she is challenging for a singles title soon explains that process and in that regard they were successful. Good stuff all-around.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Victoria Yuzuki vs. Misa Matsui
Marigold Superfly Championship

Yuzuki and Misa both charge each other to start and go into a fast exchange, armdrag by Yuzuki and she delivers a dropkick. Misa bridges out of the cover and hits a dropkick of her own, she picks up Yuzuki and throws her into the corner. Misa throws down Yuzuki by the hair, she does it again and a third time. Misa picks up Yuzuki and elbows her but Yuzuki elbows her back, scoop slam by Misa but Yuzuki hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors followed by a dropkick. Yuzuki goes off the ropes but Misa dropkicks her, Yuzuki kips up however and delivers her own dropkick for a two count. Crossface by Yuzuki, but Misa gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Stomps by Yuzuki but Misa regains the advantage and puts Yuzuki in the Stretch Muffler. Yuzuki gets to the ropes to force the break, Misa picks her up and hits an elbow in the corner. Misa goes for a suplex but Yuzuki blocks it, Misa goes off the ropes but Yuzuki delivers a side slam followed by a double wrist-clutch suplex for a two count.

Yuzuki goes off the ropes but Misa drop toeholds her onto the second rope, Misa charges in but Yuzuki avoids her charge as Misa ends up on the apron. Yuzuki dropkicks Misa to the floor, she goes out after Misa and stomps on her but Misa fights back and the two trade blows while outside the ring. Yuzuki goes for a suplex but Misa blocks it, Misa puts Yuzuki’s feet on the apron and nails a hanging DDT to the floor. Misa goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives down onto Yuzuki with a plancha. Misa slides Yuzuki back in, she goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding kick for a two count. Misa picks up Yuzuki and delivers the MKD, but Yuzuki kicks out of the cover and returns to her feet with an elbow to Misa. Misa elbows her back as they exchange shots, Yuzuki goes off the ropes but Misa boots her in the head. Headbutt by Yuzuki and she hits a backdrop suplex, Misa ends up against the ropes and Yuzuki nails her with the Murder Dropkick. Cover by Yuzuki, but it gets two.

Crossface by Yuzuki before she switches it to a stretch hold, but Misa gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Yuzuki dropkicks Misa in the corner, she goes to the top turnbuckle before hitting a missile dropkick. Yuzuki picks up Misa but Misa reverses a suplex attempt into a cradle. Footstomp by Misa, she kicks Yuzuki against the ropes and delivers a low crossbody. Scoop slam by Misa, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving footstomp for two. Misa goes for a few flash pins with no luck, running knee by Misa and she hits a cross-leg suplex hold for two. Misa goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Yuzuki fires back with a superkick. Cross-arm German Suplex by Yuzuki, but it only gets two. Yuzuki hits a backbreaker in front of the corner, she follows with a trio of moonsaults out of the corner before covering Misa for the three count! Yuzuki retains her championship!

I hate to be that guy so a disclaimer: I have no issue with no selling/fighting spirit spots. I think they are great! But they work better if its even, or there is a delayed sell, or the fighting spirit wrestler gets their comeuppance moments later. That being said, I really didn’t like the Yuzuki no-sell/fighting spirit spot at the end because it had none of those elements. She eats a lot of Misa offense and then just pops up from a missile dropkick, hits a series of moves and wins the match. It came across as more of a really lazy transition then a normal fighting spirit spot and made Misa look like a chump to have Yuzuki brush aside her offense like it was nothing. She did the same thing after Misa hit the MKD. Took me out of the match a bit. Everything besides that element was great though, Misa was really impressive (arguably more impressive than Yuzuki) with her execution and felt like the stronger wrestler. Loved the variety of offensive moves from both as it kept the match interesting, and with their pacing there was never a dull moment. Overall I enjoyed it, really fun match but just with one really obvious flaw.  Mildly Recommended

The post Marigold New Years Golden Garden on 2/7/25 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: ChocoPro #425
Date: February 1st, 2025
Location: Ichigaya Chocolate Hiroba in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: ChocoPro Youtube Channel

We kick off reviewing 2025 events by watching ChocoPro! Since they uploaded the first event of the month. ChocoPro is run by Emi Sakura and was formally known as Gatoh Move. They run most of their events at Ichigaya Chocolate Hiroba which is basically a room with a mat in it. That is true for this show, and even though the full show had three matches, I’ll only be reviewing the matches with at least one Joshi wrestler which knocks it down to two. So this won’t be the longest review I’ve ever done but the opener in particular should be fun. Here are the matches we’ll be reviewing:

• Chie Koishikawa vs. Mei Suruga vs. Miya Yotsuba
• Gauntlet Match: Baliyan Akki vs. Chie Koishikawa, Emi Sakura W, Kaho Hiromi, Mei Suruga, Miya Yotsuba, Nonoka Seto, Sayaka Obihiro, and Tokiko Kirihara

All the Joshi wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. This will be a quick review, let’s get to it.

Chie Koishikawa vs. Mei Suruga vs. Miya Yotsuba

They all shake hands to start and circle each other, Miya wants a Test of Strength because she is taller than both her opponents but they oblige and all three lock knuckles. Miya gets the better of it at first but Chie and Mei manage to reverse it as Miya gets double teamed. Even though she is the least experienced, she’s the biggest, so she’s the target. Miya is flung to the mat so Mei and Chie go at it, Chie drops Mei and goes for a pin but Mei bridges out of it. Chie has recovered and all three go for flash pins with no one having any luck. Chie and Mei pick up Miya but Miya slams them into each other, Miya goes off the… crowd… and hits a double shoulderblock. Miya throws Chie and Mei into the wall but they avoid her charge, Mei kicks Chie and hits a crossbody off the wall. Dropkick by Mei to Miya, she goes back to Chie and puts her in a stretch hold. Miya comes over and breaks it up, bodyscissors by Mei but Miya catches her and slams Mei onto Chie for a two count. Miya picks up Mei but Mei gets away, she grabs Miya by the hair and rams her head-first into the wall.

Double axe handle by Mei, she picks up Miya and applies a stretch hold, but Miya muscles out of it and slams her into the wall. Jumping elbow by Miya but Chie comes out of nowhere with a double chop to the chest. Chops by Chie to Miya and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Chie charges Miya but Miya catches her, Chie wiggles away and applies a schoolboy but it gets two. Stretch Muffler by Chie but Miya gets to the edge of the mat for the break (didn’t know that was an option). Chie picks up Miya but Miya gets her onto her shoulders and hits a backbreaker. Mei re-appears and bites on Miya’s arm, Miya catches Mei but Chie goes to the window and hits a chop to Mei’s back. Chie goes to the window again but Miya elbows her to the outside before diving out onto her with a double axe handle. Miya returns to the ring but Mei cradles her for a two count. Miya and Mei trade flash pins until Mei finally holds down Miya for the three count! Mei Suruga is the winner.

A fun short opener. Its interesting that Miya was the one double teamed throughout the match due to her size since she was the least experienced wrestler in the match, felt like the two vets picking on the almost-rookie even though it logically made sense. They are all used to the surroundings so they made good use of the window and wall, and there was always something going on to hold your attention. Not a bad match, it lacked substance but made up for that with a little extra style.

Baliyan Akki vs. Chie Koishikawa, Emi Sakura W, Kaho Hiromi, Mei Suruga, Miya Yotsuba, Nonoka Seto, Sayaka Obihiro, and Tokiko Kirihara
Gauntlet Match

Baliyan Akki vs. Tokiko Kirihara – Tokiko gets to go first, they tie up before Tokiko goes for Baliyan’s leg. She finally gets Baliyan to the mat and kicks him repeatedly in the leg, she applies a figure four leglock but Baliyan rolls over to reverse it. Tokiko rolls it over again but they reach the edge of the mat and the referee calls for a break. Tokiko gets Baliyan’s back and goes for a cross armbreaker, she can’t get it fully applied so she goes for a double armbar instead. Baliyan gets out of it by picking up Tokiko and hitting a backbreaker, but before he can do anything else the referee signals that the time limit has elapsed. The match is a Draw.

Baliyan Akki vs. Sayaka Obihiro – Sayaka charges Baliyan and hits a shoulderblock, drop toehold by Sayaka and she hits another shoulderblock. Sayaka picks up Baliyan and pushes him into the wall before hitting a running elbow. Snapmare by Sayaka but Baliyan avoids the double chop, kick by Baliyan and he kicks Sayaka in the leg. Baliyan picks up Sayaka but Sayaka slides away and cradles Baliyan for two. Baliyan goes for a sunset flip by Sayaka blocks it, chops by Sayaka but Baliyan chops her back, more chops by Sayaka but before they can go much further the referee signals the two minutes are up. The match is a Draw.

Baliyan Akki vs. Nonoka Seto – Nonoka dropkicks Baliyan immediately and covers him, but it gets two. Snapmare attempt by Nonoka but Baliyan pushes her off, but Nonoka avoids his charge and hits a bulldog off the wall. Schoolboy by Nonoka, but it gets two. Nonoka charges Baliyan and hits a dropkick, she jumps up on the window and jumps off with a snapmare but Baliyan reverses her cover into a cradle for the three count! Baliyan wins the match!

Baliyan Akki vs. Chie Koishikawa – Baliyan gets no break as Chie immediately comes in, wristlock by Chie but Baliyan reverses it. Chie spins Baliyan to the mat with an armdrag before hitting a jumping double chop for two. Spinning toehold by Chie and she puts Baliyan in a stretch muffler, but Baliyan gets to the edge of the mat for the break. Chie waits for Baliyan to get up and charges, but Baliyan catches her. Chie wiggles away and cradles Baliyan, but it only gets two. Dropkick by Chie and she covers Baliyan, but that gets a two as well. The referee says time is up, and the match is a Draw.

Baliyan Akki vs. Emi Sakura W – Emi Sakura W is better known as Konaka, a wrestler out of 666. Emi chops Baliyan and throws him down by the hair, Emi tosses Baliyan into the wall and knocks him to a seated position. Emi does a dance for a bit (well a long bit), he turns back to Baliyan but Baliyan gets his knees up on the crossbody attempt. Kick to the leg by Baliyan and he kicks Emi a second time, Emi gets back up but eats a third leg kick. Baliyan hits a fourth but Emi dropkicks him in the knee in return, Emi goes for La Magistral but Baliyan blocks it with his own cover. The time expires before the referee can start the count however, so the match is a Draw.

Baliyan Akki vs. Miya Yotsuba – Miya runs in with a shoulderblock and hits a few more, she pushes Baliyan against the wall and hits a jumping elbow. Jumping shoulderblock by Miya and she puts Baliyan in a Texas Cloverleaf, but Baliyan gets to the wall for the break. Miya waits for Baliyan to get up but Baliyan chops her in the chest, another chop by Baliyan but Miya fights back. Uppercut by Miya and she hits a jumping forearm to the back for a two count. Miya picks up Baliyan and hits a backbreaker, but time expires before she can make a cover. The match is a Draw.

Baliyan Akki vs. Kaho Hiromi – Literal child Kaho is next. Kaho clubs Baliyan in the chest a few times but Baliyan knocks her to the mat, Kaho comes back with a hanging guillotine but Baliyan gets out of it. Modified airplane spin by Baliyan but Kaho sneaks in a cradle for two. Schoolboy attempt by Kaho but Baliyan blocks it, Kaho applies a bodyscissors but Baliyan lays backwards to cover her for the three count! Baliyan is the winner!

Baliyan Akki vs. Mei Suruga – Mei is already in the window and ready to go, Baliyan sees her and approaches the window by Mei dives into the room with a hurricanrana. Baliyan throws Mei into the wall and hits a bodyblock, he goes to pick her up but Mei pushes him off and attempts a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Baliyan blocks it however and hits a gutbuster, cover by Baliyan but it gets two. Baliyan picks up Mei but Mei fights back and dropkicks Baliyan in the knee. Kick to the chest by Mei but Baliyan flips her into a cover for two. Baliyan goes for another cradle but Mei rolls through it, however before she can do anything the time has expired. The match is a Draw.

So short time limit gauntlet matches are always a bit of a challenge as just by their structure its hard for any pairing to get anything going. In the case of a retirement match, it makes sense as there are emotions involved, but really no emotions here as each match was a pretty normal sprint. No one looked bad, which is a plus, but no one really got a chance to shine either. Baliyan did a solid job of adapting to each opponent, but there were some moments of awkwardness throughout. For a free small event, no harm done, but not an overly exciting main event either.

The post ChocoPro #425 on February 1st, 2025 Review 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.

Wakana Uehara debuted for Tokyo Joshi Pro in early 2023 and quickly gained a large following. While her success in wrestling in her young career has been limited, she has almost 25,000 Followers on X (as of the time of this review) as people are drawn to her energic personality. This is the first photobook of Wakana’s wrestling career, which was sold in digital form. You can read reviews for more magazine and photobooks on the Joshi Photobook Reviews page.

Full Details

Title: Wakana Uehara Fighting Woman Graffiti #1
Release: April 6th, 2024
Pages: 35 (Paid + Free Combined)
Size: 1652px X 1101px (raw photo size)
Cost: ¥500
Where to Buy: Yanmaga

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of Joshi wrestlers releasing photoshoots that are strictly digital. There are advantages to this both for the wrestlers and for fans – it is cheaper for the publisher to “produce” and for fans it means the photoshoots are both cheaper and can’t go “out of stock”. The primary disadvantages are most fans prefer physical media, and some photobooks are only available for a rental period before they expire.

Yanmaga has now released digital photoshoots of several wrestlers, with shorter photo spreads that are only available for a rental period. Purchases on Yanmaga are only good for ten days, then the purchaser loses access to the photos. The good part is the service is cheap (only 500 yen which is around $3.50), and Yanmaga also puts part of the photoshoot up for free. For this digital spread, 10 pictures are free and 25 pictures require 500 yen to view for ten days. For a reduced price, its hard to argue its a bad deal, even if it would be better if the photos were available forever once purchased.

As for the photos, while Wakana’s wrestling gear is very conservative, the photoshoot is not. This won’t be a big surprise to those that follow Wakana on social media, as she does sometimes post more provocative photos. Across the 35 photos there isn’t a large variation of outfits or locations that fans may be used to from Stardom photobooks, but they are professionally done. For fans of WAKANAAA its hard not to recommend purchasing this, as even in digital form they are nice photographs and its another way to support the wrestlers. Here is a sample of pictures from the photo spread:

The post Wakana Uehara Fighting Woman Graffiti Digital Gravure #1 Review appeared first on Joshi City.