August was a huge month for joshi with STARDOM and Marigold putting on their big round-robin tournaments. Several of our recommendations come from those two events including some more under-the-radar hits from both.
TJPW got in on the tournament fun too with the Princess Cup. Two of our match recs come from the Cup but maybe not the ones you’d expect.
Actwres girl’Z and SEAdLINNNG also get shout-outs here, as well, to round things out. Read on as Fernando and Ryan hit you with a healthy dose of bangers and hidden gems.
Ami Sourei vs. Saya Iida, STARDOM – 5STAR Grand Prix, Night 3 (Aug. 1)
Good ol’ chop battle; nothing beats that!
This was everything I hoped: two wrestlers chopping the hell out of their opponent like their lives depended on it. Ami has been known for her knife-edge chops ever since her ActWres Girl’z days, and Saya has everyone’s chest dreading the day they face her. This hard-hitting fight saw Sourei raising her hand in victory, but Iida’s hand surely left a mark on her chest.
Next time, let’s throw Ibuki Hoshi in the mix to teach everyone what a killer chop sounds like.
Recommended by: Fernando
Mai Sakurai vs. Chanyota, Marigold – Dream Star Grand Prix Opening Game (Aug. 2)
What a showdown between two surging stars.
Sakurai and Chanyota didn’t just want to beat each other, they wanted to beat each other down. They both brought brute force and tenacity to the fight, and each wrestler showed parallel frustration when their opponent kept rising up off the mat.
Chanyota’s best match of her career? It’s certainly in the conversation.
Recommended by: Ryan
Seri Yamaoka vs. Mayu Iwatani, Marigold – Dream Star Grand Prix, Night 1 (Aug. 2)
Take every opportunity you have to make a statement.
Even if I didn’t agree on giving Seri a championship so early in her career (and I stand by that), it is absolutely incredible how fast she picked up this pro wrestling stuff. She was able to keep up with Mayu’s pace to the point of making The Icon try desperately to regain control, culminating in the rookie beating Mayu in a huge, HUGE upset, putting everyone in the tournament on notice.
Recommended by: Fernando
AZM vs. Starlight Kid, STARDOM – 5STAR Grand Prix, Night 4 (Aug. 2)
You can say this was another day at the office for these two, but I can assure you no day at the office is as fun as this match.
The Eternal Foes have mastered the High Speed style like no other wrestler and you can never go wrong when you pair them. Every move is a blink-and-you-miss-it moment and the result is a fair one as neither wrestler deserved to lose.
Recommended by: Fernando
Sareee vs. Hina, STARDOM – 5STAR Grand Prix (Aug. 3)
100 percent my kind of match. Physical. To the point. Strike-heavy.
Hina showed out here, amping up the drama with her visceral reactions to Sareee’s offense and standing up to the outsider with all of her chest. This bout also got a boost because of the animosity The Sun God has churned up with the crowd. Sareee was at her cockiest and the fans matched her energy.
Recommended by: Ryan
Miyu Yamashita vs. Arisu Endo, TJPW – Princess Cup, Night 3 (Aug. 9)
Miyu got cocky, there’s no other way to put it, and it is far from the first time she does it, but the way it backfired for her is what’s rare.
Arisu Endo already had an upset win over one half of the Princess Tag Team champions, beating Hyper Misao in the first round of the Princess Cup. Now in the quarterfinals, she had to face The Pink Striker herself, Miyu Yamashita, the person who defeated her for the tag belts last year, so The Zebra had more than one reason to give her all in this match, while Miyu treated her like a minor inconvenience. Arisu and her fighting spirit fought Miyu and a confidence only an Ace can have. At one point, Yamashita started to realize she wasn’t in control anymore, but by the time Endo hit the Argentine Backbreaker into a Neckbreaker, it was too late, and Arisu got the biggest win of her career.
I could have gone the easy route and recommend Mizuki vs. Shoko Nakajima, which I do, but I’m a sucker for underdogs overcoming the odds.
Recommended by: Fernando
Sakura Mizushima vs. Nagisa Shiotsuki, AWG – ACTwrestling in Korakuen Hall (Aug. 13)
In the middle of a month full of tournaments featuring the best talents of their respective promotions, AWG offered an enjoyable show at Korakuen Hall to celebrate their 10th Anniversary, featuring matches like Haruka Ishikawa vs Kyoka Iwai, who usually are tag team partners, having a solid brawl, the duo of Mari and ACT being crowned as the inaugural AWG Tag Team champions and Saori Anou and Natsupoi returning for a match. Let’s put the spotlight on the KING of the Ring Entertainment title match between champion Sakura Mizushima and challenger Nagisa Shiotsuki. As AWG’s chop specialist, Shiotsuki tried to wear down Mizushima, hitting her chest so hard even those watching online felt it. Sakura used her quickness to counter her opponent’s offense, and finally hit three consecutive Northern Lights Suplexes to put away Nagisa and score her fourth successful defense.
Recommended by: Fernando
Shoko Nakajima vs. Miu Watanabe, TJPW – Princess Cup, Night 4 (Aug. 17)
These two may have the most underrated chemistry on the roster.
The Princess Cup had its Final Four: Arisu Endo, Yuki Arai, Miu Watanabe, and Shoko Nakajima. The first two wrestled a good match in the semi main event of the show, leaving room for the latter to close the event; and what a way to do it. Miu and Shoko started off with intense grappling, power moves by the Up Up Girl and impressive agility by the Big Kaiju. As everything seemed to go the usual route, similar to their Texas encounter, one miscalculation changed it all. As Shoko went for her big top rope senton, Miu tried to counter it with her knees, but her opponent ended up falling onto her face. Miu started to bleed as bruises appeared on her face. Blood is the rarest of sights in TJPW, and that’s why both girls had to take a moment to assimilate what just happened.
When action resumed, drama was at an all-time high. Every move felt bigger and every near-fall was a cry for mercy. However, Miu, with seemingly her one last strength, was able to hit the Tear Drop and finally put an end to the match.
Miu survived this hard-fought battle, and not without some scars, but now her sights are on the big prize when she faces Arisu Endo in the finals of the Princess Cup.
Recommended by: Fernando
AZM vs Saya Kamitani, STARDOM – 5STAR Grand Prix, Night 12 (Aug. 20)
See what Saya can do all by herself?
Former Queen’s Quest (damn!, I miss them) AZM and Saya Kamitani faced off in the quarterfinals of the 5Star Grand Prix in their first singles match in almost four years. With such big stakes, both girls had a lot to gain, as Saya was trying to win the tournament while being the top champion, and AZM wanted to prove she can beat the Red Belt holder. The fast pace was expected by two former High Speed champions, and big moves took the spotlights, highlighting AZM’s top rope double foot stomp to the outside and Kamitani’s Star Crusher, which AZM barely survived.
In the final stretch, and after kicking out of her opponent’s finisher, AZM knew she only needed one misstep to beat Saya, and she finally got it when she cradled the World of Stardom champion with her AZM Sushi pin. The Neo Genesis member stood tall in this match, elevated by the absence of any godawful interference by H.A.T.E. *cough, cough* Sareee vs Momo Watanabe *cough, cough*
Recommended by: Fernando
Makoto vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, SEAdLINNNG – SEAdLINNNG 10th Anniversary (Aug. 22)
The Lady Destroyer, Hiroyo Matsumoto had one of her best outings of the year as she pursued a second reign as Beyond the Sea champ. She and Makoto delivered a crisp, fierce fight at Korakuen Hall.
A simple story of Matsumoto overpowering the increasingly desperate Makoto. Hard-hitting with some fun use of pink chairs and red mist mixed in. The emotions, the facial expressions, the intensity all make this a story anyone can appreciate, even if you aren’t familiar with the promotion or these two wrestlers.
Good stuff that.
Recommended by: Ryan
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