You should watch more Mei Suruga. That’s just some free advice.
She’s one of the most exciting wrestlers on the joshi scene today, an electric dynamo who can switch from funny to ferocious in an instant. Mei excels at the high-speed style. She’s a skilled storyteller and a hand-biting gremlin who demands your attention.
If you seen bits of her work on AEW and/or STARDOM, or if you mostly know her via clips on the internet, read on for some recommendations for where to head next.
Luckily, a good portion of her catalogue is available in full, for free on YouTube. Thank Gatoh Move (now ChocoPro) for that consistent level of accessibility.
The following matches are a good representation of her style and story. You get to see her against her two biggest rivals, working alongside her brother-in-arms, and shining in the championship spotlight.
BestBros (Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki) vs. Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinnou, Gatoh Move – ChocoPro #168 (Oct. 30, 2021)
You have to check out a BestBros match if you want to understand Mei. She and Baliyan Akki have been a duo since 2018 and are an ubiquitous sight on the ChocoPro landscape.
On this night, in the intimate and unique confines of Ichigaya Chocolate HIroba, Mei and Akki defend the Asia Dream Tag Team Championship in a thriller.
With this title bout, you get to see the BestBros partnership in play, a taste of the Chie-Mei rivalry, and how The Apple Girl thrives in the chocolate shop environment where she has the majority of her matches.
Mei Suruga vs. Momoka Hanazono, Gatoh Move – Under the Big Apple Tree (May 29, 2023)
Gremlin vs. gremlin. Ball of energy vs. ball of energy. What a way to ring in Mei’s 5th anniversary.
The two wrestlers deftly blended silliness and submissions. Here, you get to Mei deliver merciless elbows, tortuous limbwork, and dashes of goofy comedy. It’s a good sampling of who she is and well worth checking out.
Mei Suruga vs. Emi Sakura, Gatoh Move – For the Future (Aug. 31, 2024)
Sakura is an essential character in the Suruga story.
The highly decorated vet trained and mentored Mei. After founding ChocoPro (previously Gatoh Move, and before that Bangkok Girls Pro Wrestling), Sakura served as the face of the promotion, its tentpole star. But eventually the young, rising star moved into position to take that spot from her.
This match is one of many between the two, one that cements Mei as ChocoPro’s ace. It’s a personal showdown built on the foundation of their long relationship. The stakes and the atmosphere amplify all of it.
Mei Suruga vs. Chie Koishikawa, ChocoPro – #438 Warring Era (March 31, 2025)
Koishikawa’s quest to beat The Apple Girl is one of the best stories going in joshi right now. Their chemistry is excellent, and they’ve delivered in a number of tag matches. This showdown, though, is the best of the bunch.
The bout features just the right blend of playfulness and intensity. It’s fast-paced and urgent throughout. Mei gets a chance too to show off her selling skills as Koishikawa works over her leg for much of the fight.
Suruga’s best match of 2025 and a great showcase of what makes her special.
Mei Suruga vs. Mei Seira, ChocoPro – #452 The Apple Film (May 29, 2025)
To celebrate Mei’s seventh year in the ring, she went up against former STARDOM High Speed champ Mei Seira, revisiting their 2019 rivalry in SEAdLINNNG.
Suruga showcased her growth, her skills, her star power here. She gives off a grand air during her entrance and then proceeds to deliver a spirited bout. The offense is creative. Suruga’s intensity pops off the screen. It’s speedy and silly and dramatic, in other words, an embodiment of who she is.
Seira and Suruga are so evenly matched and their styles mesh superbly. Rematch when?
Check out previous editions of Starter Pack:
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