Welcome to RESURA ROUNDUP, our monthly dive into the best joshi action out there. Each month, our crew serves up a curated mix of must-watch matches—barnburners, technical showcases, and everything in between.
We’ll highlight the headline-worthy clashes, but we’re just as excited to spotlight those hidden gems you might have missed. We’ll give you stuff from the major promotions as well as the less-heralded indies.
Let’s do this!
Mei Suruga vs. Sayaka Obihiro, ChocoPro – ChocoPro #458 Make At Ikusa (released-July 4)
There are a lot of wrestlers who tend to act silly during their matches, but when the moment calls for it, they can get serious. Now imagine two goofy wrestlers getting serious at the same time.
The latest title defense for Super Asia champion Mei Suruga was against the wrestling chef Sayaka Obihiro, both wrestlers tend to have comedy bits in their matches (specially Obi), but once the bell rang and the match started, their only focus was the top title in ChocoPro. Mei Suruga takes advantage every time she wrestles in a ring with ropes, but Obi was able to keep her grounded with some power moves. At the end, Mei tapped her opponent with a variant of the Apple Mutilation.
The champion stood tall once again, but she already knows she has another challenger ahead in the form of Miya Yotsuba.
Recommended by: Fernando
Chi Chi vs. Momoka Hanazono, Pro-Wrestling Evolution – Evolution #36 (July 5)
Behind the cheesy “Barbie Girl” theme song and the bubble wand, we have two solid workers who try their best to put on a fun show.
In the semi-finals of the tournament to crown the first-ever Evolution Strong Women’s champion, homegrown girl Chi Chi faced off against known goblin Momoka Hanazono, and while the Barbie Joshi tried to be as serious as the moment called for, Bubble Girl used all of her mischievous tactics against her opponent, from streamers to her reliable bubble wand. However, after a little brawl outside the ring, both girls elevated their game with high speed moves by Momoka and an unmatched fighting spirit by Chi Chi.
Ultimately, it was the Barbie doll who got the win to advance to the finals of the tournament, but both of them showed their more than a one-note gimmick.
Recommended by: Fernando
Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima, Hyper Misao, Suzume vs. Yuki Arai, Rika Tatsumi, Miu Watanabe, Moka Miyamoto, TJPW – Can’t Wait for SUMMER SUN PRINCESS ’25! (July 5)
Once again all the champions faced all the challengers, and once again it was great!
Just two weeks away from Summer Sun Princess, the four title holders in TJPW teamed up against the four girls who would challenge them at the big summer event. All eight girls showed chemistry with each other, as a team and opponents, told a variety of stories and, most importantly, perfectly sold the main matches of SSP.
An excellent match if you want to get started in TJPW.
Recommended by: Fernando
Ayano Irie vs Naru, AWG – ACTwrestling Step 58 (July 5)
You know what I love? When a wrestling match is fun. Not great, not a soap opera, just a good time for a few minutes, and once you get on track with AWG, you can get at least one of these matches per show.
When this match was announced, I was so excited because not only is it a rare non-title singles match between two established talents, but these two are my favorite wrestlers on the roster. Ayano Irie, who usually doesn’t shake hands before matches, caressed Naru’s face, making the babyface the happiest girl on earth. In what was a pretty standard AWG match, you could see both girls were having fun, especially Naru, who surprised her opponent with a crucifix driver, to get the upset win. Although she lost, Ayano took the lost with a smile.
In the post-match promo, Naru invited her foe to join the ActWres 5, and even though Ayano seemingly had a good time, she rejected the offer between giggles. At the end, for a moment, The Snow Angel learned that some people are worth melting for.
Recommended by: Fernando
Yoshiko Hasegawa vs. Arisu Endo, Chika Nanase, Haru Kazashiro, HIMAWARI, Hyper Misao, Ivy Steele, Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer, Mahiro Kiryu, Maki Itoh, Mifu Ashida, Miu Watanabe, Mizuki, Moka Miyamoto, Pom Harajuku, Raku, Ren Konatsu, Rika Tatsumi, Shino Suzuki, Shoko Nakajima, Suzume, Tetsuya Koda, Toga, Uta Takami, Wakana Uehara, Yuki Aino, Yuki Arai & Yuki Kamifuku, TJPW – Yoppy Hasegawa Graduation Commemoration Event “NonfictioN” (July 8)
A super fun retirement match to send off Yoppy in resounding fashion.
The 2-out-of-3 Falls bout had has much heart as it did high jinks. We get everything here from Hyper Misao’s cold spray to Kamiyu’s eye pokes, and Maki Itoh crowning Hasegawa the second cutest in the world. But amid all the cameos, chaos, and familiar shtick, Yoppy showed great spirit in fighting until the end. She made sure this would be a dramatic affair despite its comedic trappings.
Plus, this gave us the TJPW boss man getting beat up and some DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship shenanigans in the middle of it all. Highly recommend.
Recommended by: Ryan
Mizuki & Suzume vs. Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto, TJPW – TJPW Live in Houston Night 2 (July 11)
Mere days before their respective title matches, TJPW’s singles champions faced off against their challengers one last time.
At the promotion’s second show in Houston, Princess of Princess champion Mizuki and International Princess champion Suzume teamed up in that night’s main event; their opponent’s, Yuki Arai and Moka Miyamoto, not only are hungry for gold, but are well known for having great chemistry as a team, so the Texan crowd had a blast with an action-packed match where every girl showed us they will do whatever it takes to have their hands raised at Summer Sun Princess ‘25. It was Moka who hit her finisher on Suzume to get the victory for her team.
We are witnessing one of the best buildups for a major show, where all three title matches are highly unpredictable, making this one of the most awaited events in the promotion’s history.
Recommended by: Fernando
TJPW Says Howdy to Houston: The Best Bouts, Awesome Moments, and Big Texas Energy
Act & Mari vs. Nagisa Shiotsuki & Natsuki, AWG – ACTwrestling Step 59 (July 11)
Sometimes, when watching AWG, you forget they’re not technically a wrestling promotion.
Every participant in this match knew her role and played it really well. Act, the veteran who knows she has nothing to prove; Mari, the merciless killer; Natsuki, the former champion trying to regain momentum; and Nagisa Shiotsuki, chopping her way through the match. For more than 16 minutes, these women used all of their arsenals trying to put away their opponents, with even Act almost breaking a sweat. Mari was the one who got the victory for her team after a devastating crucifix bomb on Natsuki.
With Mari being a former King of Ring Entertainment champion and scoring a pinfall victory over a former AWG champion, she has an argument to challenge Marino Saihara for the promotion’s main title.
Recommended by: Fernando
Miya Yotsuba vs. Hiyori Yawata, ChocoPro – ChocoPro #461 (July 13)
Just days away from the biggest match of her career challenging for the promotions top title, Miya Yotsuba wrestled Hiyori Yawata in singles action, with none other than Super Asia champion Mei Suruga, serving as the referee of the match, so she not only had to take care of Hiyori, but also had Mei and her mischievous self as a distraction throughout the bout.
With the action starting with some basic maneuvers, it didn’t take long before the competitors brawled outside Chocolate Square, with Hiyori using a ChocoPro banner as a weapon and Miya running on the street to gain momentum. Even when Miya has less than three years of experience and Hiyori a little over one, the former knew how to conduct the match while the latter was a good dance partner. At the end, Miya trapped her opponent in a wicked Texas Cloverleaf submission to score the tap out victory and show Mei she is determined to win on July 18th.
During a weekend where all eyes were on All In, ChocoPro offered two shows from Ichigaya, proving that pro wrestling can be enjoyed from a packed stadium to a little venue with barely 20 people.
Recommended by: Fernando
Mio Momono & Senka Akatsuki vs MIRAI & Kizuna Tanaka, Marvelous – Marvelous (July 13)
You will lose count after the 50th nearfall.
In her triumphant return from injury, Mio Momono teamed up with rookie sensation Senka Akatsuki to face Marigold’s MIRAI and Kizuna Tanaka in another chapter of this ongoing war between promotions. With Mio going at it like she never left and Senka setting the standard of what a hungry rookie should be like, MIRAI and Kizuna fought an uphill battle. However, the girls from Marigold were up to the task and all four women battled for more than 20 minutes, with each false finish more convincing than the last. Mio finally hit a top rope splash on Kizuna to win the match.
Even with all the time off, Mio looked great and she is on the way to be one of the best wrestlers of the year, let alone joshi wrestler.
Recommended by: Fernando
Mei Suruga vs. Miya Yotsuba, ChocoPro – ChocoPro #462 It’s Timeee (July 18)
Okay, let’s see, in the last two months, Mei Suruga has given the best matches in the careers of Hiyori Yawata, a one-year rookie, Kaho Hiromi, a literal child, and Miya Yotsuba, her pupil and her most recent challenger for the Super Asia Championship.
Unlike Mei, Miya hasn’t had the best last two months, seeing her sister Nonoka Seto taking a break from wrestling and failing to capture the Asia Dream Tag Team titles with Soy, but approaching her second anniversary in wrestling, she dared to challenge the Super Asia champion and mentor. In order to spice things up, Miya entered TOKYOSQUARE sporting a new hair color and gear, but Mei meant business and proceed to wrestle circles around her opponent. However, the challenger stepped up to counter the champion with her own repertoire, highlighted by a pretty creative way to escape the Apple Mutilation submission move. Miya almost got the victory after hitting the Miyahammer, but Mei finally cradled her pupil to get the win.
Mei continues her epic reign with the Super Asia title and Miya continues to grow as a wrestler, so it won’t be a surprise if they face off again for the championship.
Recommended by: Fernando
Sora Ayame & Takumi Iroha vs. Mio Momono vs. Yurika Oka, Marvelous – Marvelous (July 20)
Having Mio Momono off the injury list just fills me with such joy. Here, she and Oka inject their trademark electricity into a fast-paced tag match that just keeps getting better as it goes.
You get both a sense of struggle and drama between the teams and some fun doses of comedy. The wrestlers fight off being suplexed with every ounce of defiance in their body. Yurika blows a whistle in Sora’s face to distract her. It all blends together seamlessly.
Plus, those last-second saves toward the end of the bout made my heart race. Exciting stuff all around.
Give Bob Bob Momo Banana the world.
Recommended by: Ryan
Mizuki vs. Yuki Arai, TJPW – Summer Sun Princess ‘25 (July 21)
Big. Match. Feel.
Since graduating SK48, Yuki Arai has been on a roll as a full-time wrestler, especially since she won the battle royale for a shot at the Princess of Princess title. She even scored a pinfall victory over the champion Mizuki and remained undefeated during the Texas tour. Once the day finally came, both women knew they had to leave everything in the ring in order to win. Mizuki took control early in the match, showing off her 10-year plus experience, while Yuki had the size advantage. Back-and-fourth action and determination from both competitors made this a good title match. Mizuki was able to retain her championship after a deadlift Cutie Special.
There were quite a few things that could have been better, but knowing this is the first time Yuki challenges for this title, let’s hope that eventually she can capture this belt.
Recommended by: Fernando
AZM vs. Bozilla, STARDOM – STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen (July 24)
AZM’s first NJPW Strong Women’s Championship defense was a knockout.
She and Bozilla’s dynamic shined onscreen. Their marked size difference amplified the story of size versus speed. Bozilla’s hubris, AZM’s heart, close-calls, and fun counters made for a sensational in-ring story.
It’s a match with ample momentum from start to finish. You can hear the crowd buzzing throughout, the audience taken on an adrenaline-filled journey.
What a display from both the champ and the German powerhouse.
Recommended by: Ryan
Starlight Kid vs. Tomoka Inaba, STARDOM – 5STAR Grand Prix 2025 – Night 1 (July 27)
With 16 matches to fit in one show, it was expected that most of them weren’t gonna be long, with five of them going less than five minutes. The last three matches were the highlight of the night, with Konami vs Sareee being the most well received. However, let’s talk about the match that preceded it.
Wonder of Stardom champion Starlight Kid faced Tomoka Inaba in a star-making performance by the JTO student. It really looked like SLK was determined to get the best out of the God’s Eye member in a highly competitive match, combining high-speed moves and hard strikes. Both of them tried to wear down each other’s legs, but in the end, Inaba trapped the White Belt holder in a vicious leg lock to get a shocking upset win.
Tomoka made a big statement in this match, and it’s only the first, so let’s see how this momentum helps the rookie in the tournament.
Recommended by: Fernando
RESURA 