This is RESURA ROUNDUP, our monthly installment of match recommendations. Every month, our writers will bring you a fresh batch of bangers, slugfests, epics, and more from the world of joshi.

We’ll often shine a light on the big bouts, but there will also be plenty of focus on the under-the-radar hits. Expect a diverse selection that hits a wide range of joshi promotions. 

Let’s get into it.

Mii & Misa Matsui vs. Kouki & Miku Aono, Actwres girl’Z-Step 38 (April 4)

Seconds into the match, Kouki follows a cartwheel with an all-out donkey kick to the chest plate. And just like that, I’m the human embodiment of the “you son of a bitch, I’m in” GIF.

This is almost all action, fought at an impressive, energetic pace. You get a healthy supply of gorgeous dropkicks, Mii assaulting someone with a teddy bear, and some of Matsui’s trademark foot-on-the-pedal offense.

As good as everyone is here, Miku is the star. She is smooth and tense and charismatic, per usual. Her charging up after taking a big power move like some angry anime character is awesome. Absolute queen.

Of course, watching this match feels a lot different now. Three quarters of its participants (along with CHIAKI, Chika Gota, and Natsumi Sumikawa) left AWG suddenly to join Rossy Ogawa’s MARIGOLD promotion. Actwres girl’Z fans may have to watch all this tasty tag team action through flowing tears. 

Recommended by: Ryan 

Sareee vs. Yurika Oka, Sendai Girls (April 14)

We love a compact, violent show-stealer.

There’s a ruggedness to this match from the opening bell as Sareee and Oka scramble for position. The action feels raw and real, with a genuine sense of struggle.

Sareee exudes swagger here. Her presence is commanding.  She’s a focused hunter, intent, ruthless. At one point, she nails Oka with a forearm that gets the whole crowd to go “Whoa!”

In a bout just over 10 minutes, Sareee and Oka managed to outshine the Sendai Girls World Championship match between Mika Iwata and VENY that headlined this card.

Recommended by: Ryan 

Arisa Nakajima, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Sareee & Hanako Nakamori, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Miyuki Takase, SEAdLINNNG-NEW LEAF (April 21) 

The wrestling world did not feel whole without both Nakajima and Fujimoto. Then we lucky bastards got them back in one match. 

And Best Friends, alongside the top joshi wrestler today in my book, did not disappoint. This balanced fun and brutality in a deft way. We get hair yanking, pinpoint dropkicks, and creative teamwork. It’s a fluid, thrilling showcase of some big-time stars.  

Through all of this, Nakamori is intent on not being outshined. She’s a complete wrecking ball and one of the most entertaining parts of the action. 

Easily one of the best joshi tag matches of the year. 

Recommended by: Ryan 

Mayu Iwatani vs Sareee, STARDOM-All Star Grand Queendom (April 27)

It’s hard for a match to live up to four years of hype. That was the challenge ahead of Mayu Iwatani and Sareee after their planned 2020 match was canceled at the last minute due to illness.

Well they not only lived up to it but exceeded it. An absolute masterclass showdown between two of the best wrestlers in the world. You feel every hard hit as the duo hold nothing back, whether it be in wince-inducing strikes, brutal suplexes, or ferocious headbutts. Somehow they keep this pace and intensity up for the whole match without sacrificing building to a crescendo. They made the IWGP Women’s Championship feel like the most important title in the world that was worth walking through the fire to win.

Twenty minutes of the best wrestling you’ll see in 2024 and a must watch.  

Recommended by: Trent

Saori Anou vs. Hanan, STARDOM All Star Grand Queendom 2024 (April 27)

In one match, Hanan walked out as a main event talent. That’s what a match like this does.

Stepping into the biggest match of your life can be a challenge. Many can sink, rather than swim in such a scenario. But as we had seen in her Cinderella Tournament run — Hanan was ready for the opportunity. The 19-year-old shined as bright as ever in her efforts to try and become the Wonder of Stardom champion. Her offense was crisp, her determination was clear, and every moment was building to what felt to be her crowning moment.

It was a lot of Hanan — especially since it was following the aforementioned bout between Mayu Iwatani and Sareee. But she rose to the occasion, as did Saori Anou with the best match of her White Belt reign.

The closing minutes still play on repeat in my head. Hanan hitting that Backdrop Driver, the crowd on the edge of their seat thinking a new champ was being crowned before Anou kicked out. Instead of being down on herself, Hanan tried to follow through with two more Backdrop Drivers, but before she knew it she had her shoulders down for three following Anou’s signature Pottering to steal the win.

When both competitors are winners from a title match, you know the match hit all the levels it needed to.

Recommended by: Scott

Mayumi Ozaki vs. Mio Momono, Oz Academy-Battle Big Bonus (April 28)

This match hit me in a visceral way.

Mio going into frenzy mode seconds into it sure helped. The blood. The chaos. The two factions warring in and out of the ring. All of it crackled like one of Nikola Tesla’s magnifying transmitters.

Beyond the use of so many of pro wrestling’s bag of tricks, though, this match works so well because of its raw, primal energy. It felt at times like a fight in a parking lot where you wonder if you’re about to see someone go to urgent care.

It sure as hell helps that Momono is one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Her flopping around like a muppet caught in a tiger’s mouth made Ozaki look terrific and generated all kinds of emotions.

Ozaki vs. Momono made me angry and tense and worried and exhilarated. One right after each other. At a heightened level. And that’s the real mark of a great match, the range and intensity of the feelings it gets churning in your chest.

Recommended by: Ryan 

Haruka Umesaki vs. Mei Seira, Diana Korakuen Hall (April 29)

Mei Seira is one of the best in the world and I’m going to keep telling everyone about it.

I’ve long been on the Seira train, so getting to see her in her first World Championship opportunity was a real treat. Going to Diana to take on Haruka Umesaki, I wondered what level this match would truly reach. Well, it’s one of the best joshi indie matches of the year!

Seira is incredible as the underdog, bumping around like a master but having the exciting offense to make you believe it can be over at any moment. It led to this being the best singles match I’ve seen from Umesaki in her career. She wasn’t playing in the underdog role this time, and it played to her strengths.

I don’t watch Diana all the time, but a match like this will make me put them on my list. Seira is nearly untouchable when it comes to her consistency, and it proved here in a whole other promotion.

Recommended by: Scott