The world of joshi is so vast and populated by so many fantastic wrestlers that missing out on greatness is inevitable.

Look to the lower part of the card, to the smaller promotions, to the women standing outside of the spotlight, and you will not regret it. You will discover hidden gem matches. You will acquire new favs.

Perhaps that might include the slugger with great fashion sense, Tsukina Umino from Ice Ribbon. Maybe that will be Emi Sakura trainee Sayaka. Or the powerful and criminally underrated Soy.

Read on for a look at these wrestlers and others, giving the underappreciated their due flowers.   

Tsukina Umino-Ice Ribbon

A good number of Ice Ribbon wrestlers could make it to this list. Currently, this is a promotion that doesn’t get a lot of attention. Its roster turnover over the last few years has really zapped the life out of the company.

Those dedicated (or stubborn?) fans, though, who have stuck around are watching some very talented wrestlers grind on every show. Umino is one of them.

She stands out in part because of her look. Her ring gear has a touch of streetwear to it. Throw in some Jeff Hardy-esque fishnet sleeves and you have a distinct style on display. 

Umino bears an intimidating, intense glare, too. 

Her in-ring style is hard-nosed. She packs plenty of oomph into her front kicks and chops. Umino is at her best when she leans into villainy, bringing in weapons and giving zero mercy. Let’s see more of that in the spotlight once she recovers from her collarbone injury, please and thank you.

Recommended matches:

Tsukina Umino & Arisa Shinose vs. Ibuki Hoshi & Kaho Matsushita, Ganbare Pro – GanJo Winning Shot (Jan. 16, 2024)

Tsukina Umino & Misa Kagura vs. Ancham & Yuuki Mashiro, Ice Ribbon – Ice Ribbon #1330 (Feb. 17, 2024)

Misa Kagura-JTO 

Misa Kagura is everywhere, and the joshi scene is better for it. You can find the spirited rising star wrestling at SEAdLINNNG, JTO, Ice Ribbon, and STARDOM New Blood events. Promotions are smartly taking notice of her, and fans should be, too.

Kagura brings a vivacious energy. She bounces around the ring. Her smile glows. But boy can she go from silly and fun to dead serious in a second.

When she starts bringing the heat, it’s impressive. Kagura hits hard as hell. She excels in a slugfest or a high-speed match. 

Kagura’s not yet one of the bigger names on the scene, but that’s bound to change. 

The JTO tag champ has grown massively as a performer in the past two years. Her presence is grander. Her matches continue to get tighter. Here’s hoping she gets booked for more marquee bouts where she can show that off. 

Recommended matches: 

Misa Kagura vs. Miyuki Takase, Marvelous – Marvelous (Feb. 2, 2024)

Misa Kagura vs. Sareee, SEAdLINNNG – Shinjuku Lighting Up (June 12, 2024)

Wakana Uehara-TJPW

The battle for the spotlight is fierce in TJPW right now. A new era is here with a wealth of young talent vying to be the next Ace. So it’s easier to overlook Wakana when folks like Arisu Endo and Yuki Arai are kicking ass. 

Uehara, though, deserves your undivided attention.

The charismatic star bursts with personality. She’s spritely and likeable. She fits right into the TJPW joyful vibe.

And once the bell rings, she’s fun to watch. Wakana springs around the ring, mixing acrobatics with grounded wrestling. 

The way she emotes is her most powerful asset, however. When she’s in a tough battle, her facial expressions convey emotions super well. Her selling is excellent. It’s to start rooting for her, to feel her pain, to start willing her on through the screen.

As a bonus, she’s very active on social media and posts in English. That’s going to help grow her connection with Western audiences.   

Recommended matches: 

Wakana Uehara vs. Aja Kong, TJPW – Tokyo Joshi Pro ‘24 (Jan. 4, 2024)

Wakana Uehara vs. Arisu Endo, TJPW – Max Heart Tournament (Feb. 8, 2025)

Sayaka-ChocoPro

Not to be confused with Sayaka Obhiiro (also of ChocoPro) or Sayaka Kurara from STARDOM, Sayaka is a beacon of pep,

Sayaka has a blast in the ring (or on the mat in Ichigaya Chocolate Square), and it is infectious. She’s high energy and is no stranger to shenanigans. While she leans more to the fun/comedy side, she’s a serious competitor, too. Sayaka will drive her knees into your back with a big grin on her face. 

She expresses big emotions in her matches, be it disappointment or triumph, in emphatic and theatrical fashion. 

It’s a bonus that her matches are so accessible. The majority of her work is with ChocoPro which posts its stuff free on YouTube on the regular. Go check her out and perhaps replace some of your daily caffeine with her vigor.

Recommended matches:

Sayaka & Chie Koishikawa vs. Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi, ChocoPro – ChocoPro #300 (March 11, 2023)

Sayaka vs. Mei Suruga, ChocoPro – ChocoPro #400 (Oct. 5, 2024)

Manami-Sendai Girls

One of Sendai Girls’ rising stars is an absolute delight.

Charisma. Winsome. Athletic. Fiery. At just 20 years old, Manami is a standout on the roster and poised to be a major player for the promotion. 

Her ground game is strong with tight, urgent mat wrestling. She works fast with pops of quick offense. And all her matches crackle with fighting spirit. 

Manami has shown herself to be a solid performer in tag matches and given us glimpses of her potential as a singles star. Her signature “X” hand gesture is fun, too.

Type Manami’s name into the search bar on Sendai Girls’ YouTube channel, and you will be rewarded.

Recommended matches:

Manami & Mika Iwata vs. Natsupoi & Saori Anou, STARDOM – STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen (July 4, 2024)

Manami & Ryo Mizunami vs. Miyuki Takase & Mika Iwata, Sendai Girls – Sendai PIT (Jan. 12, 2025)

Kyoka Iwai-Actwres girl’Z

Scrappy with swagger to spare. One of the coolest entrance gears in the game. Multiple counts of sadistic use of an umbrella.

Kyoka Iwai’s work is not to be missed.

She is among the most intriguing members of AWG’s heel faction, the Actwres Killer’Z. Her heart first drew me to her, but she’s since leaned into a villainous persona that teems with cool. Iwai is convincingly vicious and playfully cruel. 

She’s highly entertaining, and one of the reasons AWG feels must-watch right now. 

Recommended matches:

Kyoka Iwai vs. Marino Saihara, Actwres girl’Z – ACT Wrestling Step 17 (April 21, 2023) 

Kyoka Iwai & Mari vs. Miku Aono & Sakura Mizushima, Actwres girl’Z – ACT Wrestling in Osaka (June 4, 2023)

Soy- Pro Wrestling Evolution

Soy is a bulldozer. She bowls over opponents and lands big-time power moves with an emphatic edge. Her style is very much my jam.

It’s great to see Soy already get some bookings outside of her home promotion Pro-Wrestling Evolution. The powerhouse has wrestled for STARDOM, Sendai Girls, and Pro Wrestling WAVE in her young career. 

She has good strikes and one of the best shoulder blocks in the business. Her unique ring gear helps her stand out. She could very well be a beast on the joshi scene in the near future.

Soy has only been wrestling just over a year, and her greenness shows at times, but she’s given us reasons to jump on the bandwagon now. Her stock will rise. And the ride watching her grow will be a hell of a fun one. 

Recommended matches:

Soy vs. Momoka Hanazono, Evolution – Evolution Vol. 26 (Nov. 3, 2024)

Soy & Nonoka Seto vs. Mei Suruga & Miya Yotsuba, ChocoPro – ChocoPro #403 (Oct. 26, 2024)