Change came to joshi in a massive way in 2024.
STARDOM booted out one of its founders Rossy Ogawa, and he promptly started a new promotion that shook up the joshi landscape. Over in Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, a place famous for leaning on the old guard, new faces emerged as champions. Act Yasukawa led the charge for yet another Actwres girl’Z rebirth.
And Sareee, meanwhile, was busy just plain kicking ass.
She’s going to come up multiple times in this look back at the year in joshi. To no one’s surprise. After all, she was a gold collector, a booker, an absolute star.
2024 gave us the silly and the unforgettable, terrific action in the ring to go along with all the promotion-level drama. The RESURA squad reflected on it all, looking at everything from match results that hit us in the feels to who expect to have huge success next year.
Contributors:
- Ryan Dilbert @ryandilbert
- Dave Coumans
- Fernando Ibarra
- Jeff Brown @jeffbrown1982
- Justin Stein @BioHizzle
1. What will you remember most about joshi wrestling in 2024?
Ryan: The birth of Marigold. The emergence of the Rossy-led promotion changed the joshi scene right away. STARDOM lost key talent. An exodus of stars left Actwres girl’Z gutted.
And suddenly, there was a new, prominent home for wrestlers to work.
Marigold didn’t waste time in competing against the bigger companies, either. They leaned on the star power of Sareee, spotlighted new faces like Bozilla, and gave Miku Aono a storyline that showed absolutely allowed her to shine.
Fernando: The next generation of stars in TJPW. This year marked the crowning moment of Miu Watanabe as the Princess of Princess champion, Yuki Arai as the International Princess champion and Daisy Monkey as the Princess Tag Team champion, all of them are more than ready to take the promotion to new heights.
The image of the four girls holding their titles at the end of Grand Princess ‘24 will be an iconic one.
Dave: Rossy Ogawa leaving the promotion he created and going on to create Marigold, which instantly became a huge hit. Those first shows of Marigold’s short existence were so good! From Giulia’s battles with Sareee to Utami Hayashishita’s excellent match with Iyo Sky to athletes like Bozilla, Kouki Amarei and Miku Aono stepping up as the next big stars to watch.
Jeff: 2024 was a year of transition.
STARDOM had a roster and booking shakeup that is still being sorted out. After being on top for years and critically praised, some of the storylines have given fans pause; however, the roster is still insanely deep with a lot of young talent. For example, Neo-Genesis is going to be their not-too-distant future, and they have a cool factor that will help define the new era.
TJPW had spent the last year going through this process, and they had a lot of strong cards ready to play at Grand Princess 24 to put an exclamation point on its next generation. Marigold is obviously new and has not fully found its voice. Their roster primarily consists of AWG and STARDOM departees who have something to prove.
There is also Sareee, who is in the middle of a special run. ChocoPro crowned Mei Suruga as their champion and retired the Gatoh Move branding. Suruga’s own students are starting to fill up the cards, signaling change. AWG’s year was one of turmoil, but this summer showed that they still have a chance to turn things around. Their roster has never been in doubt; it’s more about creating stability. Sendai Girls has been clicking and is now more accessible to fans internationally. While they had momentum during the Marvelous feud in 2021, they were never consistently available to follow.
Justin: 2024 has been quite an interesting year in my opinion. Early on, we had Rossy get ousted from STARDOM which is not something anyone would have expected considering how revered he is in the joshi wrestling landscape. Then shortly after that news started to spread like wildfire that he’d be opening his own promotion which ended up being Marigold.
I remember there being a lot of people hypothesizing about who was going to leave STARDOM to join him there, and once the names were announced it definitely shook things up quite a bit. It has been exciting as a joshi wrestling fan to see a brand new company emerge because it’s rare to be able to be a fan of a wrestling company from its inception, especially one that has made as big of an impact as it has so far.
In my opinion, STARDOM has been very up and down this entire year. There are times where their storylines keep you guessing and you really want to see what happens next, and then there are other times where things just seem to be in a holding pattern until the next big show.
It was also a monumental year for TJPW because they finally put their belts on all young talents, which is something many fans had been calling for, for a long time. Obviously it didn’t last forever with Daisy Monkey dropping their tag titles to two veterans, but it at least showed that the company might finally be ready to push their younger stars up the card.
This has also been a year where Sendai Girls has proven themselves as one of the top wrestling companies in all of Japan now that they are on WrestleUniverse and we can actually watch their shows. The biggest takeaway overall is that there are more places than ever for joshi wrestlers to work in Japan, and that’s a great thing for the industry!
2. What’s an under-the-radar match that you loved?
Fernando: Asahi & Yufa vs Ayano Irie & Kira An from AWG Beastz Rebellion Produce on January 31st. If this match sounds like the typical tag match on every other joshi show, it’s because it should have been, but this bout turned out to be Asahi’s last match before her tragic passing just one day later. The 21 year old got the victory for her team after submitting Ayano Irie, an often protected wrestler and a member of the show’s producing faction, so not only Asahi winning was a huge upset, but it also seemed to be the beginning of something big for the young girl. Here’s to you Asahi and everyone remembering you as you deserve.
Dave: Rina vs. Hina for the Future of Stardom Championship at the 5STAR Grand Prix Final. Stardom’s best sibling rivalry produced the best match of the night at, in my personal opinion, the worst joshi show of the year. The undercard was pretty forgettable and the two main events were way too long.
Rina vs. Hina entertained for all 15 minutes of their match. Both athletes have grown so much over the past few years and put on an excellent battle. As a huge fan of Rina, I really wanted her to break Hanan’s defense record. But I was expecting Hina to win, as it felt like her time. So every false finish had me on the edge of my seat and Rina eventually retaining made me very happy.
Ryan: AKINO vs. Mio Momono from OZ Academy’s Wizard of OZ show in January.
This was such a vicious, deftly executed match. A classic David-versus-Goliath tale told by a dominating AKINO and one of the best babyfaces in the game today in Momono.
This should be getting so much more buzz in the Match of the Year conversation.
Justin: Haru Kazashiro vs Uta Takami from TJPW’s show at KFC Hall on 10/27 is my pick for this.
Maybe I’m a little biased because I was in the crowd for the match, but these two rookies really impressed me on that day! Both Haru and Uta are under the age of 18, with less than two years of in-ring experience under their respective belts. This match was a first- round matchup in their young stars tournament that ended up being won by Haru when it was all said and done. The way that the two girls were able to trade holds with very strong chain wrestling, and work at a high speed was truly a sight to behold. Uta’s screams could be heard all throughout the venue as she wrenched on every hold she administered, and Haru continued to add to her ever growing arsenal of moves with this match. All in all, I believe that this match absolutely knocked it out of the park compared to what people may have expected going into it, and for that, I believe it deserves to be in this spot.
3. What was the “dumb fun” moment of the year?
Ryan: I’m a sucker for Andreza the Giant Panda antics, and Mizuki hitting the big fella over the head with a mallet will stick in my head forever. A cartoon moment come to life.
Dave: Anything Unagi did with the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight championship. My favorite moment was her trusted plushy dinosaur Stefan pinning Kurushiyo Tokyo Japan backstage and Unagi pinning her stuffed toy in the ring. Also a sleeping Maya Yukihi getting pinned by her own whip was pretty hilarious.
Fernando: Honestly, any Asako Mia/The Great Asako match. There’s nothing much to say, as you would need to see it yourself
Jeff: Chi Chi vs. Chigusa Nagayo and their Barbie contest at Marvelous.
Justin: Maybe it’s a little bit of a cheat but, my pick would be Maki Itoh vs Minoru Suzuki from TJPW Grand Princess ‘24. The way that both Itoh and Suzuki played their parts during the match left me laughing throughout the early stages of the match, but as it continued on, I was pulling for Itoh more and more to overcome the odds against the Murder Grandpa.
4. What rivalry most caught your attention this year?
Dave: Giulia vs. Sareee. Even though it was pretty short and only gave us two one on one matches. But the epicness of those battles is what stands out to me. Giulia putting over Sareee as the new Ace of Marigold, before she left for WWE was great as well.
Jeff: Miku Aono vs MIRAI. While it was a bit unexpected, it makes perfect sense as both left companies and were determined to make their mark. These two were an early bright spot and could easily be career rivals. Each time they had a draw, it left fans wanting to see the next chapter of lariats and hard strikes.
Ryan: I co-sign Jeff’s answer.
Fernando: Saori Anou vs Mika Iwata. You take the graceful and visually stunning Saori Anou and the vicious striker that is Mika Iwata, have them wrestle for their prestigious titles three times (plus a non-title match) and you get the most consistent series of matches of the year.
Justin: Hazuki vs Starlight Kid. To be honest, there’s a lot still left of this feud with the way that STARDOM books because they tend to tell stories for a few weeks, and then put things on the back burner for a while after that.
When Starlight Kid was kicked out of Oedo Tai right before they became H.A.T.E., there was a story that was told over a few month span of time where Starlight Kid was getting a chance to see how good her chemistry would be with each of the other factions. Most of the factions seemed interested in having Starlight Kid join their ranks as she was not only popular, but also a pretty good winner inside of the squared circle. When she had the chance to tag with STARS, there were quite a few people who felt like she was just going to return to her former faction, but one thing was ultimately standing in the way of that happening.
That “so-called” roadblock was Hazuki. Hazuki had not forgiven Starlight Kid for turning her back on STARS in the first place after they fought hard in a match to bring her back from Oedo Tai right after she had joined. Hazuki herself knew what it was like to be on the dark side of things since she was a member of Oedo Tai before her early retirement a few years back, and she wanted to keep those thoughts behind her.
So when Mayu Iwatani mentioned that she’d be open to Starlight Kid coming back, Hazuki was quick to make her voice heard by basically saying that if Starlight Kid came back, she’d leave STARS. With that setting a bit of a barrier, Starlight Kid ended up making her own faction with four other young talents known as Neo Genesis, and from there we figured everyone had moved on, but that wasn’t the case.
After facing off in quite a few tag team related matches, there was finally a singles match booked for Starlight Kid and Hazuki on STARDOM Nagoya Golden Fight 2024, where many fans treated the match like a number one contendership for the Wonder of Stardom championship. Both women fought hard, with a lot of hard hitting action, but when the dust settled it was Starlight Kid who came out the victor.
You’d think at that point, the beef would be squashed, but that wasn’t the case as Hazuki attacked her after the match, and ripped off her mask, just adding more fuel to their fire. With tag league happening right after, it has allowed things to cool off a bit, but if Starlight Kid ends up winning the white belt within the next few months, I can definitely see this feud heating back up between these two during the next year.
5. Who is the current face of joshi?
Fernando: There’s two ways to see this: one is to name a woman who is thriving on the the scene in Japan, having the best matches and being the go-to name for fans of joshi. That would be Tam Nakano, as she is the top champion of the top promotion in the country and, even with her doubters, one of the most talked about girls in joshi wrestling. The second one should be a woman who represents Japan in other parts of the world, and that would be Io Shirai/Iyo Sky, with Giulia being a close second.
Dave: For me, it’s Sareee. The woman is literally everywhere. Since leaving WWE and returning to Japan, the “Sun God” has made waves in the Japanese wrestling scene the likes of which we have not seen in a long time.
She puts on excellent matches and is always a top title contender and even a belt collector. From taking Mayu Iwatani to the limit at Stardom’s All Star Dream Queendom, to winning the Seadlinnng Championship from Arisa Nakajima, to becoming the Ace and champion of Marigold and having two superb battles with Giulia, to her even donning another gimmick and winning the Sukeban Championship. She even books her own shows that sold-out arenas.
Sareee has done it all this year and is definitely the woman to watch in joshi wrestling right now.
Justin: For me I’d have to go with two names. First and foremost when it comes to wrestling everywhere in Japan and always making sure that her name is on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Sareee has to be seen as a face of joshi wrestling.
The impact that she has made since going back to Japan after her stint in WWE didn’t go the way she had hoped, has been nothing but amazing. She’s consistently put on great matches in every promotion that she has appeared on, and she also books some of the best match cards when she puts together her Sareee-ISM shows which in turn creates hype around the joshi scene.
Sareee has truly been an MVP for Japan, but when it comes to international appeal, I’d have to go with Iyo Sky in WWE. Not only did she get to have an absolute classic at WrestleMania this year against Bayley, but she has continued to put on great match after great match all throughout the year. Obviously, if you ask any of us fans, we’d love to see her do even more in WWE, but the fact that she has had as good of a year as she has had gets more eyes on joshi wrestling, because some fans will want to see where she came from, and look up her older matches. Iyo’s hard work in WWE, has truly showed the international audience that Japan is where you can find the best women’s wrestling on the planet.
Ryan: Sareee. She had an absolute beast of a year. Elevated several promotions. Energized the scene as a whole. Forced herself into the (overall) Wrestler of the Year conversation.
6. Which promotion do you enjoy watching the most?
Fernando: Definitely TJPW, as it’s the main promotion I follow. Its colorful characters and solid matches make the perfect combination for my taste. Plus, the shift in the main faces in the promotion makes me hopeful for the future.
Justin: This is a tough question, because I feel like it changes almost on a weekly basis. Sometimes I love the real sport-like atmosphere of something like Stardom, Marigold, or Sendai Girls, and other times I want a more light hearted entertainment based federation like TJPW or AWG. If I had to pick one though, I’d have to go with TJPW.
Most joshi companies will run a ton of tag matches on their shows to preview upcoming singles matches, but very few companies can make those tag matches as fun as TJPW does. While some of their bigger matches don’t always live up to the hype that I have for them, their output overall is quite consistent, and there’s a guarantee that I’ll be smiling while I watch most of the matches on any given card.
Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
Ryan: Sendai Girls. As much as I am still very much a TJPW stan, nothing hit me more consistently in 2024 than Sendai Girls. Chihiro Hashimoto and Yuu had another strong year, anchoring the tag division. Mio Momono made a lot of appearances and shined every time. YUNA and Yurika Oka both shot up my favorites lists with compelling performance after compelling performance.
Senjo just kept delivering, from the openers to the main events and everything in between.
Dave: Marigold. I really want to say Stardom, as I have been a fan for years. I really enjoyed visiting All Star Grand Queendom live for the first time this year, even though the show wasn’t as good as the previous two editions. From there, the booking was just so awful, that I find myself enjoying other promotions much more.
Marigold kinda feels like Stardom a few years ago, when it was most enjoyable. Their midcard is bursting with talent. And while they lack a few top draws (basically only Sareee and Utami now), I am 100% sure that Rossy can make new stars just like he did in the past.
I also really love AWG, for their colorful young athletes who are just so much fun to watch. And since half of Marigold’s midcard is made up of former AWG athletes, they deserve a mention at least.
7. Who was the best booker this year?
Fernando: Sareee. Crazy to think that a person who isn’t really a booker can put together some of the best shows of the year, being this the case with her Sareee-ism self-produced outings, showcasing rookies, established names and every other dream match you didn’t know you wanted.
Dave: Rossy Ogawa. As proven by two things. Number one: The success of Marigold and some of the excellent matches and shows they have put on. And number two: the absolute nosedive Stardom’s booking has made since he left, with titles being hot potatoed around and nonsensical storylines with enormous plot holes.
Jeff: Nao Kakuta brought together TJPW and STARDOM for one show with CROSS. It was also a wonderful tribute to the early AWG (AgZ) days that she, Poi, Anou, and Honma all started their careers in.
The atmosphere was fun while being a nostalgic trip down memory lane as Kakuta got ready to say goodbye to joshi. The four friends going full bore during the main event was a really nice bonus.
Ryan: It felt like Sareee was booking for me with every Sareee-ISM event. An AZM and Takumi Iroha tag team. Mayu and Sareee joining forces. Bringing in Mio Momono. A Best Friends match before Arisa Nakajima’s retirement. I ate it all up.
She’s great at putting together matches that feel special, mixing and match talent to create must-see events.
Justin: Sareee is quite popular so far isn’t she? Honestly for me she’d be right up there, but my booker of the year is going to be Meiko Satomura for Sendai Girls. Sendai Girls this year has had one hell of a year, putting on great show after great show all throughout the year!
Their regular roster is somewhat small, but the freelancers they consistently bring in really helps round out an incredible roster that could stand toe to toe with any of the bigger companies in Japan. Every show is going to give you a few matches that really hit for you, and that’s something that some federations simply can’t say.
I’m excited to see what they cook up going into next year as I believe Sendai Girls will grow their popularity to a level similar to Marigold and TJPW before long. The only thing that might hold them back is not being in Tokyo enough for shows, since that seems to be the true hotbed for professional wrestling in Japan.
8. What was a match result that filled you with joy?
Ryan: Daisy Monkey winning the tag titles. I found myself connected to Suzume and Arisu Endo’s journey long ago. Not only are they two of the most exciting talents in TJPW, they are endearing and hugely likable wrestlers who are easy to root for.
To cap off their pursuit of the TJPW Tag Team Championships and their run through the Max Heart with a thrilling win in the finals over the mighty duo of Rika Tatsumi and Miu Watanabe was just perfect. An emotional, resounding finish to a tale of two underdogs on the rise.
Fernando: Natsupoi winning the Wonder of Stardom. Even when I haven’t followed Stardom as much as other years, Natsupoi finally capturing a title as prestigious as the White Belt felt like a big moment for her and everyone who has follow an almost 10-year-long career, plus winning it from her partner Saori Anou was the cherry on top.
Dave: Act Yasukawa winning the AWG Championship on August 14. After everything this woman went through these past years, nine years since she was (allegedly) supposed to win the World of Stardom title, this just felt right and was an absolute joy to see such a deserving woman raise her company’s top belt.
Justin: While I’d like to pick something that someone else hasn’t already picked, I have to echo Ryan’s pick with choosing Daisy Monkey’s victory over Ryo Mizunami and Yuki Aino for the Princess Tag Team Championships. Ever since I started watching TJPW regularly in 2020, I quickly gravitated towards Suzume, as her smile could light up any room, and her determination in the ring was stronger than just about anyone else in the ring. Even as someone who is quite small, she always gave it her all, and it made you want to really cheer for her anytime she went into a match as the underdog.
Then in 2021, Arisu Endo made her debut against Suzume, and the two had a great match to start off Endo’s career. From there, the two eventually joined together to form Daisy Monkey, and they’ve been one of the most exciting young tag teams in joshi since. Every time they’d get a chance against a team with more experience, they’d get so close to winning, but ultimately they’d fall. Time after time you’d think that they were finally going to get over the hump and then they’d fail until finally, they were able to capture victory in the Max Heart tournament with Suzume hitting Rika Tatsumi with the “Ring The Bell” RKO and pinning her for the three-count.
It was truly a monumental moment for me in my fandom and it made me truly believe they could win the titles. When it came time for their title shot, Ryo Mizunami was still on quite a hot streak, and Yuki Aino was truly at her best, so it was going to be quite an uphill battle for Daisy Monkey to climb. After a great back-and-forth, hard-fought effort, finally Daisy Monkey were successful in their journey to the tag team championships. As they hugged each other after the match in the ring, I remember yelling out loud in the middle of the night in my room, and even having a tear or two roll down my face seeing my favorite tag team finally get to the top of the proverbial mountain.
It’s a beautiful thing when pro wrestling truly hits you in the feels, and seeing Daisy Monkey win that match did just that!
9. Who was the fashion queen of 2024?
Fernando: Yufa. I’m a sucker for the Harajuku style, and no one sports it better than the Harajuku ambassador in AWG. Whether you knew her by her outlandish ring gears full of color or after she went all Yami Kawaii, her image is really a highlight in a promotion where everyone stands out. Plus, the cosplays, THE COSPLAYS!
Justin: Starlight Kid. There’s very few wrestlers who has more new gear every year, than Starlight Kid. Her wrestling attires have many different colors, and she has multiple masks that fit with each of those color schemes as well.
There’s no doubt that Starlight Kid’s look helps sell merchandise and tickets on top of her in-ring skill, so she’s quite the safe pick for something like “Fashion Queen” of joshi wrestling.
Jeff: Arisu Endo. Wild, ever changing hair colors and a wardrobe right out of a ‘90s fashion magazine.
Dave: Giulia. Because everyone love, love, love Giulia. Enough said!
10. Who is poised to have a huge 2025?
Fernando: AZM needs to be considered as a main player in Stardom in 2025. Just a little push is everything she needs, a Cinderella Tournament dress or a 5Star GP trophy would fit her perfectly and, of course, a main title around her waist to cap it all off.
Dave: Unagi Sayaka. She’s been collecting belts past year, while also booking her own shows and being very successful.
For 2025, she has already announced to be booking a show at Ryogoku Kokukigan Sumo Hall and her goal is to hold one at the Tokyo Dome. She also recently surprised everyone by returning to Stardom and immediately targeting the World of Stardom champion.
There was always huge potential and with her having total freedom on where to go and what to do next, I can only see her star rise even more. I expect to see her have a promotion’s top belt around her waist this time next year.
Ryan: Victoria Yuzuki. So damn talented. So damn good in just her first year.
She grew leaps and bounds as a rookie and is now primed to do big things. Moving away from the loaded STARDOM roster to the upstart promotion Marigold will give her more time in the spotlight sooner.
Justin: I’ll give two answers. When it comes to a veteran wrestler who I think will have a big 2025, that would be none other than Hazuki. Sure, it’s maybe a little bias because she is my favorite wrestler, but I believe that finally she’ll have the opportunity to win the white belt, and she’ll work hard to make every single defense of that belt feel like it’s the last match she’ll ever have.
There are few workers on the joshi scene who bring the intensity like Hazuki, and even with STARDOM’s up and down booking, I think she could really help the company by being a stable talent that’s towards the top of the card.
When it comes to a somewhat inexperienced talent who I think will have a big year, that would be none other than Naho Yamada. Naho was someone who always stood out to me when she was in AWG. Her bright smile, great singing voice and high energy was something that seemed to get a good reaction out of the crowd on a regular basis. Her move-set was a bit simple, but that was understandable since AWG didn’t want their talent to consider themselves pro wrestlers anyway.
Now that she’s arrived in Marigold, I think the crowd is already taking to her quite well, and with more reps in the ring, as well as having a lot of other newer talents in the company, she’ll have the ability to grow faster. There’s even a possible chance that by the end of the year she could end up being the flyweight champion.
RESURA 