Mayu Iwatani will undoubtedly get her flowers this year. 

For her thriller against Sareee, the great IWGP title match against Momo Watanabe, and that absolute tag classic alongside Sareee against VENY and Chihiro Hashimoto. If any joshi match is going to get some real traction in mainstream best-of-2024 lists, it’s going to be one of those. 

And Iwatani’s homebase, STARDOM, despite all the drama and departures it endured, is the best positioned joshi company to get all kinds of attention come award season and during the Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year countdown.

The heart of joshi wrestling, though, is often the action unfolding in its smaller promotions, the stuff sitting outside the greater spotlight. 

That’s what we’re going to focus on here. The hidden gems. The deep cuts. 

In an unranked list, we’ll head to Actwrest girl’Z, Gatoh Move, and even OZ Academy to celebrate some of the more unheralded bangers from all corners of the joshi world. 

1. Ibuki Hoshi vs. Yura Suzuki (1/6 Ice Ribbon)

Before Ibuki Hoshi vacated the IcexInfinity Championship and spent most of the year away from wrestling, she kicked off 2024 with an excellent and efficient offering.

Suzuki from Sendai Girls came into Ice Ribbon Dojo and Hoshi was viciously protective of her territory. The 20-year-old wrestler beat on Suzuki for a lot of the match, emphatic, unforgiving. She chopped Yura so hard that her hand went numb and she had to shake it mid-match to try and get feeling back into it.

The match is tight and intense from start to finish with everything from a chinlock to a knee to the gut feeling mean and purposeful. It all leads to a dramatic ending just before the clock hits the 10-minute mark. 

2. Aja Kong vs. Wakana Uehara (1/4 TJPW)

January 4 is often so overloaded with good wrestling, from both the puro and joshi side of the Japanese scene, that top-notch stuff gets less buzz than it deserves. Kong vs. Uehara was an excellent underdog story that had to compete with Miyu Yamashita vs. Masha Slamovich as well as early match-of-the-year contender Mayu Iwatani vs. Syuri. 

The big, bruising Kong skillfully smashed on the up-and-comer Wakana. Uehara was brilliant as the babyface in distress.  Kong’s dismissive kicks to the head and Uehara’s big, expressive faces are among the highlights of this underrated banger. 

In under seven minutes, the veteran and the rising star team up to craft a tight, immersive drama.   

3. CatMASK Calico vs. Mari/Kanamic/Natsuki-Gauntlet Match (1/19 Actwres girl’Z)

CatMASK Calico’s underdog performance here deserves to be talked about so much more. 

Anyone can hop into this match with no knowledge of any of the wrestlers or AWG and get completely sucked in. She stars in a stirring story of resilience. 

The masked wrestler’s quickness allows her to evade Natsuki only briefly before suffering some mighty kicks. She gets her bell rung and then has to enter battle number two weakened and weary for battle two. 

Tension builds in the middle part of the three-prong gauntlet. We get some good back-and-forth action from Calico and Kanamic with the cat’s body language speaking volumes.

The last leg, with the hard-hitting Mari storming in, is the best section. Mari’s dominance is only accentuated by Calico’s depleted state.  

It’s David versus three Goliaths. A shining moment for Calico before the conversation surrounding AWG turned to all the talent that left for Marigold and how the promotion responded afterward.

4. Arisa Nakajima & Misa Kagura vs. Sumika Yanagawa & Tomoka Inaba (5/26 JTO)

If you enjoy the sub-genre of ass-kickers straight up kicking ass, I’d recommend seeking out the main event of May’s JTO Girls event.

The crux of this bout is Inaba’s martial arts style opposing Nakajima’s heavy-handed striking. They knock each other’s heads back. They crack jaws. They thrive in their violence with their bravado shining the whole time.

Kagura and Yanagawa add to the fun too, especially with the frantic last few moments.

And wildly enough, this is so overlooked that it’s not even recommended on CageMatch.net. Don’t mind the lack of buzz, though. This is plenty fun. 

If you are feeling wistful as you come to the realization that the great Nakajima’s in-ring career is truly over now, consider adding this to your playlist. 

5. Sareee vs. Victoria Yuzuki (6/11 MARIGOLD)

Sareee made a legit case for Wrestler of the Year in 2024. Of any country. Of any gender.

While it’s her matches against Mayu Iwatani, Giulia, Mio Momono, and Chihiro Hashimoto that build the foundation of that case, to me it’s how she made smaller bouts like this one feel so special that truly makes Sareee in a class of her own. 

Sareee vs. Yuzuki was a part of Marigold’s earlier shows, a supplementary bout to an unheralded event. Yet, by way of The Sun Goddess’ ferocity and execution, she makes it feel bigger, easier to invest in, appointment television.

The story is simple: The veteran trying to show dominance against a younger talent. It plays out superbly with all kinds of delicious violence, the two wrestlers filling up the 13-minute runtime with uncut intensity. 

6. Mei Seira vs. AZM (8/11 STARDOM)

When you think back to this night of the 5 STAR Grand Prix in Shibuya, you might think first of the Mayu Iwatani vs. Saya Iida main event. And when you reflect on Mei Seira’s 2024, chances are you’ll focus on her High Speed Championship defense against Hazuki in February. This high-octane bout could easily get overlooked. 

It’s an all-action match that is fast, fluid, and barely takes any time to breathe. 

Seira and AZM are evenly matched, going blow for blow the entire time. Forearm for forearm. Flash pin for flash pin. Counterpunch for counterpunch.

Even though it’s heavy on the high-speed style, it often feels like a real struggle. These are warriors expending every drop of energy in search of tournament points. And the audience wins regardless of who nabs the victory.

7. Mayumi Ozaki vs. Maya Yukihi (8/18 OZ Academy)

Ozaki gets a lot of flack because of her plodding, interference-heavy style. She’s the subject of complaints about the old guard holding past their time.

I get all that. But damn if she doesn’t kill it as an unfeeling thug.

She was a big part of why OZ Academy was so compelling this year. Ozaki-gun collapsed as the months went by, Maya Yukihi and others turning on their ruthless leader. This is where the promotion churned up their best drama.

Ozaki and Yukihi’s clash here in Korakuen Hall leaned on that turmoil, threw in whipshots, bloodshed, and large doses of chaos. It was a winning recipe. 

8. Ryo Mizunami & Saya Iida vs. Chanyota & ZONES (9/10 PPP Tokyo) 

Sometimes the formula for great wrestling is just stick some wrestlers with momentum together and let them beat the hell out of each other. PPP Tokyo went that route here, resulting in a barnburner. 

The bout benefits from its stars, all of whom were on a roll this year. Mizunami had one of her stronger years, excelling across the joshi landscape. Iida put her name in the Most Improved Wrestler category. Both Chanyota and ZONES proved to be two of the most exciting names on the indie scene. 

When they met up here, the end result was a hoss fight with ample adrenaline. It’s all action and no filler. Strikes, chutzpah, and an unabashed lack of mercy abound. 

9. Mei Suruga vs. Sayaka (10/5 Gatoh Move) 

Suruga’s second defense of the Super Asia Championship sings. It’s a high-energy match boasting the campy fun typical of bouts inside Ichigaya Chocolate Square. You get some goofy moments from Mei and each wrestler using their surroundings creatively. 

There’s an intensity here, though, that elevates it. Sayaka attempts to knock Suruga’s lights out. The champ, meanwhile, tortures her opponent’s arm with a focused, merciless attack. 

The match has the joy and celebratory feel you’d expect from a ChocoPro anniversary show, but has a strong, grounded core to draw in fans who may not usually enjoy the Chocolate Square style. 

10. Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Sadie Gibbs (11/17 Sendai Girls) 

We got quite the exciting clash of styles here with the English grappler Gibbs invading Sendai Girls to take on the lauded Hashimoto. Hashimoto is the charging bull, flinging around the foreigner. The faster Gibbs injects cartwheels and moonsaults into the slugfest.

Early on, the two foes focus on mat work, and all of it is purposeful, focused, tight. The action picks up later when Big Hash just starts throwing bombs, forcing Gibbs into survival mode. 

Gibbs impressed enough here that Sendai has to certainly think about bringing her in more often. On the other hand, Hashimoto gave us another reminder that she’s in the elite tier even if Sareee and Iwatani and others get more buzz at times.

Sareee vs. Yuzuki, Kong vs. Wakana, and Hashimoto vs. Gibbs are available to watch on Wrestle Universe.

You can find Mei Seira vs. AZM on STARDOM World. YouTube has you covered for Mei Surguga vs. Sayaka and the PPP Tokyo tag. 

The others will require a little more digging, but are all well worth the effort.