A decade of Chihiro Hashimoto in the ring is certainly cause for celebration.
She’s been the Ace of Sendai Girls and the face of the company for the bulk of her career. She’s a powerhouse extraordinaire, consistent, compelling, charismatic.
Hashimoto commemorated her 10th anniversary under the bright lights of Korakuen Hall against her longtime rival, mixing it up against joshi’s best to extend their story together. As it should be.
Big Hash headlined a Nov. 16 show that also featured Takumi Iroha, STARDOM’s Cosmic Angels, Aja Kong, and DASH Chisako. Senjo’s rising star tournament reached its climax. Tag teams tangled.
Read on for a full review of each of the event’s matchups, from the opener to Hashimoto vs. Sareee.
Chi Chi & Soy vs. YUNA & Yura Suzuki
Four wrestlers I really like had a pretty forgettable match to open the show.
A low energy permeated this one. Everything felt uninspired. There wasn’t much that stood out aside from some solid striking from Soy (chops) and Suzuki (kicks).
The most notable thing from the bout is the result: another win for YUNA. The Sendai junior champ is drawing ever closer to doubling her wins from last year. Her spot in the Senjo hierarchy continues to change.
Rating: 4/10
Senka Akatsuki vs. Spike Nishimura (Jaja Uma Tournament Final)
Spike and Marvelous’ super rookie Senka’s styles meshed well. They are both feisty with straightforward offense.
And on the mat, their struggle was believable and engrossing. That’s Senka’s M.O.
She also sold Spike’s attacks on her arm well, looking to be in real pain and as she pushed through the damage.
This was a simple, condensed tournament final. A decent showcase for both up-and-comers.
For Senka, this is one of many significant wins to come. The future is hers. In Marvelous, and beyond.
Rating: 6/10
Shin Sakura Hirota vs. Yuu vs. Aja Kong
If you ever wanted to see what a match between two hosses and a comedy wrestler would look like, then you’re in luck.
Hirota dressed like Hashimoto with a giant Daruma doll on her shoulder came through with her usual sight gags and shenanigans. The match revolved around her more than I expected. This was definitely a Hirota style mash with some dashes of Yuu and Kong.
A mildly funny, playful palate cleanser between the more serious stuff.
Rating: 5.25/10
Natsupoi & Aya Sakura vs. Mio Momono & Yurika Oka
Bob Bob Momo Banana collided with Cosmic Angels from STARDOM for the first time ever.
You can always count on Momono and Oka injecting big energy into a show as they did here. They kept a breakneck pace per their usual, and Natsupoi and Sakura kept up with them.
The action was at its best when Mio and Poi were going at it. They had electric chemistry and hit each other damn hard.
Some nasty dropkicks and relentless offense powered the match before it devolved into entertaining chaos featuring Mio and Oka’s fruit hats. Overall, a fun addition to the card.
Let’s hope we get Bob Bob Momo Banana seeking revenge elsewhere and revisit this.
Rating: 7/10
Maria vs. DASH Chisako
Maria from Marvelous went up against Senjo’s resident bruiser, and things went in an odd direction. Several times, the focus was on Maria brushing her hair in front of DASH as an act of disrespect. The narrative veered back to that image with little impact.
We got some ringside brawling as you’d expect from a DASH bout. It never escalated into a true melee, though. The intensity of the two opponents’ kicks picked up as the match went on. But I can’t have been the only won anticipating/hoping for something more along the lines of a true slobberknocker.
When Sendai Girls announced this bout, I had visions of it being a true show-stealer. It wasn’t quite that, even if it had its moments.
Rating: 6/10
Takumi Iroha & VENY vs. Mika Iwata & Miyuki Takase
An intriguing matchup. Solid tag team action. That’s the Sendai Girls way.
There was a simmering intensity throughout much of this match. We got some ferocity and flair (thanks, VENY!) in bunches.
Unfortunately, one of the things that stood out about this clash when Takase and Iwata awkwardly set up a double superplex for what seemed like a really long time. Then VENY shrugged off the move and hopped to her feet. This is a case of when no-selling for drama’s sack didn’t work for me. It just felt forced.
An enjoyable dynamic overall, but not nearly as good as it could have been with that talent.
Rating: 6.75/10
Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Sareee (Sendai Girls World Championship)
So fucking good. The franchise players came to play.
You expect greatness from Hashimoto and Sareee every time out, especially against each other. They have been producing such captivating work as rivals since 2019. They’ve long brought out the best, and they’ve only gotten better with time. So yeah, predicting that this would be a banger didn’t take any clairvoyance.
A slow-but-intense start saw both wrestlers remain methodical and wary. Big, resounding strikes soon followed as Sareee and Hashimoto battered each other.
When Sareee turned things around by attacking the champ’s leg, the real drama started. The stakes were palpable. The warriors turned on their ferociousness to full blast.
Hashimoto survived all manner of ugly suplexes and Sareee’s best shots. She looked like an absolute beast as she fended off the challenger.
All in all, the match sang. Must-see.
For me, this sits just behind the Match of the Year frontrunners, but if someone had this in their top 3 joshi bouts of 2025, I wouldn’t bat an eye.
Rating: 9.5/10
The greatness of the main event will get the focus off a somewhat disappointing undercard. Hashimoto and Sareee excelled. They made the most of this celebration, and that’s sure to create some buzz coming off this show.
Sareee routinely gets talked about as the best of the best. Hashimoto has long belonged in that conversation. She reminded everyone once more of that fact. Emphatically.
RESURA 