Welcome to Rising Destiny Digest! In this recurring column, Ryan Dilbert takes you on a journey through the joshi scene, spotlighting the wrestlers and stories that have caught his eye. Complete with a one-question mailbag and a bold prediction.

Passion Monster Everlasting

Nanae Takahashi is thriving in her twilight. It’s an absolute blessing to see her be this great this late in her career. 

Takahashi is 46. She’s wrestled over 2,300 matches. She debuted 15 years before STARDOM existed. 

Yet, If she hadn’t already announced her plans to retire this year, it would be easy to see her flourishing in the ring for years and years to come.

Takahashi is not just around for guest appearances and nostalgia-farming; she’s the backbone of Marigold. Her partnership with Seri Yamaoka is one of the best things going for that company. She’s impressively reliable, and producing more top-tier matches for Marigold than anyone else.

Take the March 30 Spring Victory Series show, for example.

Takahashi and Yamaoka defended the Marigold Twin Star Championship against Takumi Iroha and Senka Atsuki from Marvelous in a certified banger. Iroha and Takahashi looked like two apex predators fighting for territory. And Nanae’s tense exchanges with the rookie thrilled.

This has been the norm for Takahashi, even as she nears retirement.

Takahashi vs. Sareee for the Marigold World Championship at the tail end of 2024 was a masterpiece, one of the most moving things we’ve seen from Marigold thus far. Takahashi and Yamaoka vs. Utami Hayashishita and Victoria Yuzuki on Feb. 20 is arguably the best joshi tag match of 2025. Her singles bout against Victoria Yuzuki in March was a powerful drama that helped the rising star shine in a big way.

And that’s a key part of why this stretch has been so important. Takahashi is not only having bangers and making the Marigold tag scene must-watch stuff, she’s elevating younger talent in emphatic fashion.

Yuzuki looked damn good opposite her. Chika Gota got to show off her improvement and fighting spirit in a battle with Takahashi in early March. Bozilla has benefited from banging heads with the former World of STARDOM champ. 

Takahashi forces her opponents to display fighting spirit when she wallops them with her overpowering offense. Then when they get any measure of revenge on her, it feels massive. To hang in there with someone of that caliber boosts one’s career, win or lose.

We’re not going to see this dynamic much longer, unfortunately. We’re not going to see Takahashi lariat someone to the netherworld after May.  

That’s going to be a gigantic loss for Marigold, for joshi, for wrestling.

Are You Not Entertained?

Mari’s run with the AWG King of Entertainment Championship was exactly what that belt needed to start off its legacy.

Outside of Act Yasukawa, she’s the biggest name in Actwres girl’Z. She’s the best in-ring performer in that company, in my mind. That’s the perfect person to establish this championship.

I loved too that Mari turned the King of Entertainment belt into a workhorse title. From October 2024 to March of this year, she defended it six times. That’s barely less than Yuki Arai defended the TJPW International Princess Championship (seven times), and Arai was champion 10 months longer than her.

Mari had such an interesting batch of challengers, as wel.

Rising star Marino Saihara made for an intriguing matchup. Hard-hititng Kyoka Iwai’s style gelled well with Mari’s. We also saw the veteran MARU step up for a challenge.

This ended up being a decently long reign packed with good action that featured one of AWG’s brightest stars. 

That’s how you kick off a new title and make it mean something right away. 

5-Count: Top 5 Joshi Gremlins

Who are the top menaces in joshi? The unpredictable and unscrupulous maniacs prowling the scene? Let’s dive right in.

5. Momoka Hanazono

You know you are dealing with a menace when they bounce down to the ring armed with a bubble gun. Opponents find themselves recovering from a hard dropkick and look up to see her wailing on them with an oversized novelty flower. 

4. Asako Mia

Wildy expressive. Deceptively dangerous. A screaming, high-energy goblin terrorizing the Actwres girl’Z roster.

3. Natsupoi

That glinting grin says everything you need to know about Natsupoi. She is trouble. A killer and a clown wrapped into one. Charged up on whiskey and presubably copious amounts of caffeine. 

2. Hyper Misao

Even her signature vehicle has gremlin energy. Misao foes have to contend with her trying to run them over with her jazzed up bicycle, cold spray attacks, and/or getting wrapped up in ring apron. 

Lie, cheat, steal, sucker-punch. Misao will go to any length to win and we love that about her. 

1. Mei Suruga

The captain of the All-Menace Team. The embodiment of gremlin energy. 

Mini Mailbag:

What promotion has been the biggest surprise to you this year so far?

-Anthony Glass

ChocoPro. I’ve always appreciated the wacky action that unfolds in Ichigaya Chocolate Square, but it’s rarely stuck with me. This year, though, I’m finding more and more reason to tune in on the regular.

Chie Koishikawa’s quest for gold and glory has been a blast. She radiates charisma. She’s great at emoting. And the quality of the action in her recent matches, tag or singles, has been impressive. Add in appearances from Soy, Sayaka’s solid work, and Miya Yotsuba’s heart, and ChocoPro has given me reason to change up my whole weekly viewing schedule. 

The Prediction Plex:

Mizuki vs. Miyu Yamashita in Vegas will end up being the best TJPW match of the year. 

Their chemistry and history transported to a buzzing environment is going to make this magic. Mizuki finally getting a big win against Teej’s end boss will hit hard.

Send any questions for the mini mailbag to @resuramag on Twitter via post or DM.