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.
Sun vs. Peach
I am buzzing about the growing rivalry between Sareee and Momo Watanabe. In a short time, these two have generated an impressive amount of bad blood, and it’s beautiful to watch.
Sareee has taken all kinds of shots at STARDOM in general and Momo in particular since being announced as part of the 5STAR Grand Prix.
She started off by saying that Watanabe was the only wrestler in her block that interested her and claimed that, “Unless I win, this tournament won’t be interesting at all.”
Momo fired back in a Tokyo Sports interview (h/t Mera Wrestling for the translation), “We don’t need her here.” She also said that Sareee “can’t create something new and “she has no choice but to cling to the past.”
Sareee’s response (h/t Monthly Puroresu) hit as hard as one of her forearm shots:
“The ones who end up as the 3rd or 4th in their unit are always the ones making excuses. Even though they have more potential than anyone else, they’re pathetic cowards who can’t take that first step — and they should just keep wandering around in that same spot forever.”
Holy smokes. This back and forth would have been enough to get that rivalry crackling. They have only elevated it with every time their paths have crossed.
On July 24, at the STARDOM Nighter event in Korakuen Hall, the first time they’ve shared the ring, Sareee and Watanabe faced off in a six-woman tag. The moments they interacted were electric. They grabbed each other’s hair. They stared each other down. They promised violence with their eyes.
Momo choked her after the bell and with her H.A.T.E. thugs backing her up. She attacked The Sun God once more after Konami’s surprise victory over her to open the 5STAR. The crowd was afire as Momo and her crew defended STARDOM’s honor and lunged after the outsider.
The most intriguing subplot of the tourney hits its apex on August 16 when those two face off in singles action. Not only will this have major 5STAR implications, its deeply personal, and a fight bigger than wins and losses.
It’s about pride. It’s about laying claim to the future of the company. And you know these two clutch performers are going to deliver when it’s time.
Big Match Momo vs. The Sun God going to be special.
The W’s Keep Coming for Wild Heart
Hazuki inexplicably isn’t part of the oversized 5STAR, but she’s busy boosting her record elsewhere.
The SPARK Joshi champ pulled off a win in a Hardcore match against DASH Chisako during the July 19 Sendai Girls show. That’s huge. Wrestlers simply don’t beat DASH at her own game.
Before Wild Heart took her down, Chisako boasted four consecutive wins in Hardcore matches and had won 11 of her last 12. The only previous defeat came against Aja Kong. and there’s no shame in that.
Hazuki now has a 60-plus percent winning percentage for the year which would be the best of her career. She has not lost a singles match in 2025, her last one-on-one defeat coming against Mercedes Mone in 2024.
Fans have long clamored to have Hazuki pushed as higher-tier star. This likely isn’t how they envisioned that playing out, with her being a semi-freelancer wrestling everywhere from Pro Wrestling WAVE to OZ Academy, but we are seeing her getting treated as more of a marquee star. It’s just not on STARDOM’s center stage.
She’s the reigning SPARK Joshi world champ, the biggest name in the WAVE tournament, and took down a former Sendai Girls titleholder in her home territory. Keep that energy coming.
5-Count: Top 5 TJPW High Speed Wrestlers
If TJPW had an equivalent to the STARDOM High Speed Championship, who would thrive in that division? The company’s roster has gotten stronger over the past few years and now features a number of athletic speedsters who could be the backbone of an official high-speed scene.
We need to look for wrestlers with speed, agility, a move set that works well in these kinds of matches, and a go-go-go motor.
5. Kaya Toribami
The bird shows flashes of acrobatic excellence. She has moves like her rolling over a bent-over opponent that would be perfect for high speed bouts. She’s not nearly as smooth as she needs to be and remains someone with more potential than production.
4. Uta Takami
The littlest firecracker would be a killer high speed contender. She’s feisty and fast, and her heart shows up big in just the minimal time she gets in the ring. This would be a godsend for her.
3. Suzume
A stellar athlete. Smooth. Speedy. A dropkick that’s just majestic.
2. Shoko Nakajima
Nakajima spent time wrestling in Mexico, and it shows. She has a lucha flavor to her style, from her hurricanranas to her version of the 619. The Biggest Kaiju can work a variety of styles, but would definitely be at home in a high speed subsection.
1. Arisu Endo
Endo is the fastest wrestler in TJPW and is impressively athletic. She doesn’t have the match production/experience that Shoko does, but she has a high ceiling that has not yet been reached. She has shades of AZM in her style, and is tailor-made for the high-speed style. Is STARDOM willing to make a trade for her?
Mini Mailbag:
Do you think TJPW will start having more shows annually in the US after the success of the Texas Tour?!?
Chris Allen @thewalkingyotes
Yes! They pulled in 2,500 fans in Dallas. They sold out two straight nights in Houston and had people standing on the stairs and along the walls. All without a GCW partnership.
The demand is there.
TJPW has had a steady presence at WrestleMania weekend the past three years, but this shows they could move beyond that. If they head to cities hosting SummerSlam or AEW PPVs, they will find plenty of us joshi heads. Hell, head to New York or Chicago on a random weekend, and those folks will show up.
I think we’re seeing just the start of teej’s exploration beyond Japan’s borders.
The Prediction Plex:
Chie Koishikawa will dethrone Mei Suruga before the year is over.
Yes, Chie is currently 0-10-1 against the Super Asia champ, but the story can’t just end like this. Suruga’s energetic rival has been climbing this mountain for so long and has been one of ChocoPro’s biggest focuses of late. The rivalry can’t remain this one-sided forever. Right?
Chie took Emi Sakura to a draw back in March. She knocked off fellow Super Asia Championship challenger Miya Yotsuba in May. And come on, that’s the lasting image with the most emotional power, Chie finally overcoming Mei, a ravine-sized grin on her face, the championship title raised in the air.
Mei has been champ close to a full year. All kingdoms fall. And in this case, it will be because of that orange-clad gremlin who has been scratching at the door all this time.
Send any questions for the mini mailbag to @resuramag on Twitter via post or DM.
RESURA 