As the new year approaches, I’m once again filled with hope and optimism. It’s a fresh start. For our health, in sports, and in the ever-exciting ecosystem that is joshi wrestling. 

Anything is possible. New stars will emerge, dream matches may be come to fruition, and maybe, just maybe, this is the year Momo Watanabe fans can get what they have long wanted.

I’ve compiled a list of matches and other happenings that I’m hoping (praying?) will happen in 2026. While they aren’t wholly unrealistic, these aren’t events I’d bet money will happen. Part of the fandom package is holding out hope, wishing hard, and many a time getting your heart broken. 

So, join me while I walk into 2026 with my fingers crossed, longing for these seven things to unfold in the next 12 months. 

Momo Watanabe Wins the World of STARDOM Championship

This will forever be on my wish list until it happens. Momo is a big part of why I got into STARDOM and joshi in general. 

She’s an asskicker in the vein of some of those bruisers from AJW’s peak. She consistently proves she’s a top star when given top-star opportunities. See her red belt match with Saya Kamiatani at Crimson Nightmare title as the latest reminder of that.

But she’s positioned as the challenge to overcome, not the champion; the adversary to the Ace, not the Ace.

Momo fans have long been hungry for that to change, forever hoping that this year is the year. 

Watanabe got close in 2025 with a win at the 5STAR Grand Prix, but it makes me nervous that this as far as STARDOM wants to go with her. The Red Belt Momo agenda is ongoing. The universe where she’s running the whole show is where I’d like to live.

Manami is a Featured Star in Sendai Girls

Sendai Girls’ small roster and reliance on Chihiro Hashimoto makes the promotion repetitive at times. How many times can you shuffle the same hand of cards? That list of wrestlers they can work with gets smaller with Yuu’s retirement, too.

If the company is looking for a fresh face to showcase, Manami is one helluva choice. She’s spirited and likeable, fun to watch and easy to root for. She’s easily one of the best young talents they have signed to contract.

I don’t necessarily need to see Manami dethrone Big Hash (though that would be cool!), but Senjo positioning her as a big deal would make 2026 a lot more fun. Give her a title shot, a singles win over someone like DASH Chisako or Mika Iwata, and/or a rivalry with any of the Sendai top dogs.
Embrace the future. Shake things up. That’s what I’m hoping to see Sendai Girls do as 2026 unfolds.

TJPW Establishes More Tag Teams

Magical Sugar Rabbits. Daisy Monkey. 12100000. 

TJPW is at its best when it features cohesive squads. Storytelling benefits. Matches improve. The Max Heart Tournament is way better off with established teams rather than random pairings.

At this point, we may not see much of Daisy Monkey together as both Suzume and Arisu Endo pursue singles glory. And there’s not a ton of depth below Ober Eats and Kyoraku Kyomei.

There’s clearly a need for more teams to bolster the division.  

Hopefully, HIWAWARI and Shino Suzuki remain a duo and get a chance to develop their voice. Maybe Uta Takami gets a regular partner. And pairing Pom Harajuku and Raku seems like an obvious move, chaos merchants joining forces for maximum inanity. 

Here’s to any and all of that happening. Here’s to a healthy TJPW tag team scene in 2026.

One of the Smaller Promotions Catches Fire

2024 was OZ Academy’s time to shine with Ozaki-Gun being the most brutal and compelling faction of the whole scene that year. We got great matches with Mio Momono and Takumi Iroha out of it. 

These past few months it’s been Marvelous sparking interest with its feud against Marigold. 

In both cases, a company normally not bursting with buzz gave us a real reason to tune in. I’d love to see 2026 continue that run. 

SEAdLINNNG hasn’t done much of late. Ice Ribbon has been a non-factor. Diana is not the talk of the town. 

How glorious would it be if that changed? What if there was a story so appetizing in one of those companies that fans had to flock to these places?

It doesn’t feel right that Ice Ribbon is so forgettable right now. SEAdLINNNG has been a lot more relevant in the past, and it’d be great to see it experience a resurgence. 

IYO SKY vs. Miku Aono

IYO isn’t locked behind WWE walls, and that’s wonderful. A company historically resistant to letting its stars work elsewhere twice agreed to The Genius of the Sky wrestling in Marigold. We got two huge matches as a result—IYO vs. Mayu and IYO vs. Utami. 

Now maybe I’m just being greedy at this point, but I’d love to see her come for a third time. And for round three, let’s have her go up against someone she’s never faced before, someone who didn’t come to Marigold via STARDOM. Let’s have her battle a wrestler has been tearing it up, becoming arguably the most interesting figure in that promotion right now.

IYO SKY vs. Miku Aono would be incredible. A clash of two generations. Speed vs. heart. Miku showed us with her matches against Nanae Takahashi and Utami Hayashishita just how great she performs in the brightest spotlight. Put that light on her again, in a match that would be her biggest to date. 

Come on, 2026. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

Actwres girl’Z Grows its Audience

There may not be a bigger gap between the quality of a promotion’s product and the size of its audience than with Actwres girl’Z. Somehow after losing all that talent to Marigold, Miku Aono to Chika Goto, the company rebuilt itself again and is rolling. 

Natsuki has rocked. Marino Saihara has grown into one of the better babyfaces around. Sakura Mizushima had an impressive run with the KING of Ring Entertainment Championship. 

But as good as AWG as been, you simply don’t see enough talk about it on the internet. The stars don’t get enough love, period. 

It’d be great to see that shift some in 2026, with fans pulled into the joshi world by STARDOM and TJPW drifting over curiously to what AWG is offering. 

Here’s hoping Actwres girl’Z sells loads of tickets this year, pulls in a ton of streams on AWG Nets. Here’s to them becoming a larger part of the joshi conversation and getting more of their deserved flowers.

Mercedes Mone Returns to Japan

Mone vs. just about anyone in joshi is a dream match. She’s a top-notch talent who banked on herself when she left WWE. She brings massive buzz and new eyes to the scene as we saw when she was battling for the IWGP Women’s Championship. 

She wrestled Mina Shirakawa at Wrestle Dynasty to start off 2025, but that felt like an AEW match transplanted to Japan. It’s been since spring of ‘23 that we saw Mone clash with Mayu Iwatani and AZM/Hazuki. We need more of that awesomeness.

And damn would it be cool if she did a stint somewhere outside of STARDOM. She’d tear it up against any opponent in front of her. She’d bring an excitement and novelty with her should she head to TJPW or Sendai Girls for a show or two. Wherever she went, it would be good business and great entertainment.

Mercedes Mone vs. Miyu Yamashita. Mercedes Mone vs. Sareee. Mercedes Mone vs. Chihiro Hashimoto. Mercedes Mone vs. I don’t know…Chi Chi, Mai Sakurai, anyone, man.

I don’t care who it is, I’d just love to see The Boss back in Japan again.