By: Jeff Brown

Photos courtesy of Actwres girl’Z

Actwres girl’Z were at Ota City Industrial Plaza PiO for another edition of ACTwrestling on January 13. Talent like Erisa, ANRI, and Chii had the opportunity to show how far they have come while Natsuki and Mari stood across the ring from each other in the main event. It was nearing capacity in Kamata, and the crowd was enthusiastic, so here are some impressions and reflections on the evening’s performance. To watch this show and many others in their vast archive, go to AWG Nets. It’s 1,000 yen per month with a very quick sign-up process.

Marino Saihara vs. Chii Aoba

It began with hard kicks from Marino that were really impactful as Chii had trouble standing after a few shots. The two had a mounted punch exchange that led into Marino grabbing an armbar and then transitioning into a deep Fujiwara armbar in the center of the ring. Chii got the rope break and surprised Marino with a powerslam and then applied her Cattle Mutilation variant submission. Chii still carried momentum with a big European uppercut and her Frog Splash. Marino shutsit down with a return of the kicks and cinched in a brutal crossface chicken wing for the submission victory.

Chii has really improved and is introducing new moves with every match. Marino was tested but is the stronger fighter for now. 

Naru vs. Hina Toiro

With only six matches in her career, Hina already is quite good at getting beaten up. Naru is one of the best athletes in 2025 or any year and might get the most air of anyone while making it look effortless.

She got a lot out of Hina in a short time; it was under five minutes but served the purpose of having Hina get some reps and for Naru to shine. Naru hit a spear and followed right up with a magistral cradle to get the win.

ACT & Nene Arahata vs. Erisa Nagai & Yukina Uehara

A BE∀STZ REBELLION reunion since Nene and ACT were teaming together. It was not just in spirit either, as they brought back the entrance theme, the tattoos, and fans dusted off the big banner to hang in the arena.

The rookies jumped BE∀STZ, but Nene quickly gained control, and they realized it’s a fight. Erisa and Uehara are new, so the story here was how well they would survive.

ACT, as always, plays the room like a conductor, and Erisa got some moments to show off her signature moves. 

Erisa has a massive amount of energy and charm; she is almost audible buzzing even while standing still. Uehara is on a fast track, but not too fast; she has not beaten anyone yet but already shows glimpses of being a player higher up the card.

Nene grabbed Erisa for a delayed brainbuster and got the win.

ACT had some choice words for Uehara in the post-match. ACT is the perfect opponent for a newcomer like Uehara.

Ayano Irie & Hinata Senya vs. Anri & Nagisa Shiotsuki

ANRI and Nagisa are very similar; they both are hard strikers who took to AWG right out of the gate and handled being in big situations on day one. Nagisa was in the main event of the first ACTwrestling show in 2022, and ANRI is already going to challenge for a title. 

The other side of this match was also very interesting, as Ayano was teaming with Hinata, and after their previous match, she seemed very reluctant to tag in Hinata. While her struggles have been written about and even addressed in storylines, this turned out to be a very important match for Hinata. When she tagged in, she was smoother in her transitions, and it wasn’t even what you’d call confidence; she just looked more comfortable in the ring.

Hinata, for the first time, didn’t seem frustrated with her own performance; instead of being an actor desperately trying to remember her lines and cues, she was able to just let things flow more naturally, and it was without a doubt her best match. She is getting closer to having the Hinata who makes the ring entrance and the Hinata who performs in the ring align; once she has that confidence during a match that she has walking to the ring, the sky will be the limit for her.

ANRI hit her seated senton off the second rope (which is fittingly called 100,000 volts) to pin Hinata.

Natsuki & Rico Fukunaga vs. Haruka Ishikawa & Mari

Champ versus Champ. There was some very good groundwork between Natsuki and Ishikawa to start things off. Mari and Rico had a fantastic kick war. Rico has started landing all her kick variants with authority and is becoming a great addition to these main event tag matches.

Natsuki hit a standing head scissors and locked in her Halo Hold on Mari. Rico is another player who excels at taking a beating, and she grabbed a desperation rear naked choke on Ishikawa before hitting a Tiger Suplex. Ishikawa regains the advantage, though, and dumped Rico with a wicked backdrop to win. 

After the match, Ishikawa challenged Mari for the KING of Entertainment title. They then went into the sign-off with pinkies up and ended the night with another title match on the horizon.

A show like this on paper may not seem obviously important, but in the case of Hinata, it was a vital step in the right direction. ANRI, Uehara, Chii, and Ishikawa all had good showings and added new layers to their characters. ANRI’s impact is a lot like her finisher, a strong jolt running right through the entire card; she has been a wonderful addition to the group. Marino and Naru had good victories, and the vets did what they do best, and that was to quietly guide the whole roster to become better.

Everything is feeling like it’s clicking as they continue to build the newest era of AWG. 

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