By: Jeff Brown

Photos by: Masahiro Kubota

January 23rd at Shinjuku Face was another chapter in one of the most popular and acclaimed series of shows, Sareee-ISM. The main event saw Sareee go one-on-one with the soon-to-be-retiring Meiko Satomura, who she debuted against in 2011. They have had some battles, and each has carved strong legacies in joshi and beyond.

As usual, the rest of the show was a great mix of talent from all over the scene and promised to be a good night of wrestling. Here are some impressions from the latest chapter.

Miku Kanae vs. Victoria Yuzuki

Miku had good fire and has grown a lot in the nearly two years since she debuted in AWG. Going freelance was a big step for her, and now that she is out in the entire scene, she is getting to go with a variety of opponents.

Victoria is really promising and is a talent Marigold has a lot invested in. She recently won the Superfly title, and her time as a top star seems pretty near on the horizon. Miku had numerous pin attempts before Victoria caught her in a straight-jacketed German suplex to get the pin. After the match, an angry Miku was striking her. Very nice way to kick off the show.

Honori Hana & Jaguar Yokota vs. Misa Kagura & Yumiko Hotta

Jaguar and Hotta are certified legends, and Misa and Honori gain a lot by tagging with them.

The veterans starting things off and then Honori and Misa face off; once Hotta tagged back in. She was a wall to Honori (a role she has played for years to up-and-coming wrestlers). There were headbutts from Hotta to Honori, and things got pretty stiff between the two. Jaguar doing a cannonball off the apron in 2025 is an impressive feat and a testament to how timeless she is. Back in the ring, Jaguar hits a brainbuster to get the three count on Misa.

Another nice match that served its purpose well and strengthened the show.

Takumi Iroha vs. Chi Chi

Chi Chi has grown so much and is really becoming a good wrestler in the ring, which, paired with her huge personality, is going to take her far. Iroha is still going strong and one of the best in the business.

Iroha came right out and asserted her dominance with very hard kicks. However, Chi Chi began frustrating her by enduring and making comebacks while Iroha shrugged off some but not all of her offense. Chi Chi was the clear underdog but was a threat; after some more wicked kicks, Iroha puts her down with the Running Three to win.

Kaoru Ito & Yurika Oka vs. Bozilla & Mio Momono

Bob Bob Momo Banana was on opposite sides of the ring in this tag match and teamed with much bigger partners in Kaoru and Bozilla. A very nice mix of power moves and comedy spots throughout, Bozilla used Mio as a weapon and tossed her to the floor. Nobody has the fight that Mio brings to each match, and Yurika is such a versatile talent. Bozilla got beaten up by Kaoru, who absolutely brought it in this match; an impressive spot was the much smaller Mio hitting a German on Kaoru. After taking a beating, Bozilla turned things around and powerbombed Yurika to get the victory.

Mio and Bozilla make for a fun tag team, and this was a fantastic match from all four.

Meiko Satomura vs. Sareee

A video package recapping their history set the tone and served as a way to see the growth of Sareee into one of the best in the world. Meiko is a living legend and is a top-level performer even as she is winding down her career this year.

Sareee making her entrance feels special, the type of star who feels like she came down from the mountain to grace the mortal world with her presence. Meiko herself has that, especially when walking out to “Rock Your Life Way”; it creates the atmosphere of a legend making an appearance. The match had a feeling-out sequence that quickly turned into a kick war.

Out on the floor, Sareee hits a suplex and then a double foot stomp off the counter to Meiko on the ground. She is extremely confident and even mouthed off a little, but once back in the ring, Meiko starts to remind her of just who she is and fires off wicked strikes. From there, it was back and forth until Meiko finally hit the Scorpio Rising to get the win. A must-watch match and the highest of recommendations. 

It was roughly 16 minutes and went at a hard pace almost from the opening bell. The entire show was lean and moved really quickly. Overall, this was another very strong show with each match being very different and creating a well-rounded card.

Sareee is able to bring in talent from Marvelous, JTO, Sendai Girls, Marigold, and T Hearts to make each chapter feel like a super show. She has a great understanding of how to pace an event and book talent in ways that create magic. Sareee-ISM has become destination viewing, and it’s a rare case of being creatively, critically, and financially successful happenings.

2025 has just started, and Sareee is already creating some of the best wrestling in the world and placing herself at the top of year-end lists.