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.
Hero vs. Killer
An arctic stare. Mari beckoning Marino Saihara to come at her. A trading of forearms. A taste of something grand.
When Saihara, Naru, and Sakura Mizushima knocked off Mari, MARU, and Act at ACTWrestling Step 62 on September 7, I found myself deeply drawn to the parts where Mari and Saihara collided.
Their chemistry buzzed. I could all but feel the weight and depth of their animosity through the screen.
Look, these two need to go at it more often. There’s something special there.
As star members of their respective factions, Killer’Z and Actress5, Mari and Marino have collided a good number of times in tag and trios action. In August, Mari and Act defeated Saihara and Rico Fukunaga in the ACT Game finals. And last November, Mari fended off Marino in a King of RING Entertainment Championship match. Every time they battle, I just want to see more.
Three singles matches (all of them losses for Marino) is not enough.
Saihara and Mari have excellent chemistry. There’s a classic good-versus-evil dynamic at play with Marino being one of the best pure babyfaces in joshi. We’re talking too about two of the top in-ring performers in Actwres girl’Z right now. So, you know you’re getting a banger.
Marino’s poor record against Mari could easily be the foundation for the story between them. She’d also be fighting to claim her spot above the more experienced Mari in the AWG hierarchy. The narrative is essentially pre-written.
Put these two warriors on centerstage and stand back to watch the sparks fly.
Hashimoto vs. Iwata-By the Numbers
The “Hashimoto Beats Iwata” headline is an increasingly familiar one.
Much the way TJPW has relied on leaned on Miyu Yamashita over the years, Chihiro Hashimoto has long been the centerpiece of Sendai Girls. As good/popular as Mika Iwata has been, the company just has not booked her to be on Big Hash’s level.
We saw that again when Iwata wrestled Hashimoto for the Sendai Girls World Championship match on Sept. 23 at Big Show in Sendai and lost. This was the first time they’ve met for that strap. The stakes were different, but the result was not.
Per CageMatch.net, Hashimoto and Iwata have fought in seven singles matches. Hashimoto has won all of them. The most recent match is the only one to go over nine minutes. The rest were shorter, more clearly showing off Hashimoto’s dominance.
As for tag bouts, Chihiro has won the last six matches against each Iwata and any given partner and is 4-0 against her in Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship contests.
Iwata has twice won the Sendai Girls world title, holding it for a total of 366 days. Hashimoto, meanwhile, is a six-time Senjo world champ and she’s reigned for over 2,100 days. At the time of this writing, Iwata has won 26 matches this year, a career high.Hashimoto has passed that mark seven times, including 2019 when she boasted 59 victories.
Senjo fans know full well that Hashimoto is booked to be on a tier well above Iwata, but seeing all those numbers laid out shows you just how far apart they are from that standpoint.
Hashimoto is great. I’m among her biggest fans. But Sendai Girls need more of its wrestlers to be treated like huge deals. If not Iwata, then someone else. You can’t have the same central star forever.
5-Count: Dream Riho Opponents
Gail Kim recently commented on Twitter about how watching Riho made her “uncomfortable” and how she didn’t find her wrestling believable. That brought out the Riho faithful to respond to her in big, loud waves.
Rather than contribute to the internet noise, I’d rather dream of what could be, to think about the coolest potential matches the former AEW women’s world champ could have now that she just added a bout against Mercedes Mone to her resume.
5. Arisu Endo
Speed vs. Speed. Riho and TJPW’s most athletic star would push each other in the ring. Sign me up.
4. Dakota Kai
Injuries keep derailing the talented, charismatic dynamo. When she’s healthy, though, she delivers fun action in the ring. It’d be a blast to see her try to kick the spirit out of Riho’s body and force the smaller to tap into her big heart.
3. Mio Momono
Momono against anyone knew is a dream match, to be honest. One of the absolute best on the joshi scene.
2. Starlight Kid
High Speed Riho. The pageantry sure to happen here. SLK’s increasing star power. You have a recipe for something special here.
1. AJ Lee
So much Riho discussion is centered on her lack of size. Give her an opponent who is of similar stature then. Give her the recently returned former WWE Divas champion. The chances of this kind of AEW-WWE are next to none which only makes it more of a dream match.
Mini Mailbag:
This time, my 12-year-old daughter offered up our question of the month. Hats off to her for hitting me with a good one.
What makes successful joshi wrestlers so successful?
Aura is a massive part of the equation. Saya Kamitani carries herself like a badass, a goddess, a true champion. She looks the part. She acts the part. She feels like a star.
You think back too to when Akira Hokuto worked her Dangerous Queen gimmick. She always a great in-ring wrestler, but when she morphed into that character, she rose to a new level. Her presence and presentation all screamed top star.
Now we’re seeing glimpses of marquee-worthy presence from rookies like Seri Yamaota and Senka Aktuski. Their power, mat skills, and athletic ability will be huge in making them successful, but it’s their “it” factor that will truly make them special.
Joshi wrestling is unfairly filled with great in-ring talent. From STARDOM to the smallest indie promotions. To stand out in that crowded field, you have to be magnetic on a main event level.
The Prediction Plex:
Do not go and look back who I predicted to win the 5STAR or the Princess Cup. Do however look up who I picked for the Dream Star. Spoiler, it was Miku Aono!
It’s hard to take a victory lap on that with how many people say that coming. That was the right move for Marigold and fans knew that.
For my next attempt to see into the future, let’s focus on the Future of STARDOM Championship. HANAKO just beat Hina to claim that title and begin her reign. It’s a title run that I think will last for a significant amount of time.
Look for HANAKO to hold the Future of STARDOM champ for over 200 days. The company has highly of her, having her mix it up in singles bouts with stars like Suzu Suzuki and Mayu Iwatani. Rina, Hanan, Hina, and Ami Sourei all hit that 200-day mark over the past few years. HANAKO outdoing all of them is a bet I’m comfortable taking.
Send questions for the mini mailbag to @resuramag on Twitter via post or DM.
RESURA 