A teary-eyed, weary Chihiro Hashimoto roared. She sat spent on the canvas, her face painted with relief, pride, the ringing echos of the primal fury she leaned on to gain this victory.
Hashimoto had just knocked off Syuri to retain the Sendai Girls World Championship. Her greatest challenge to date. And she was, again the conqueror, again the champion. A most familiar sight.
Hashimoto has now fended off seven wrestlers for that Sendai Girls world title that she so tightly holds in her hands. She has surpassed over 490 days as the promotion’s top champ. She has claimed the mountaintop as her own.
It is far from the first time that Hashimoto has been Senjo’s end boss. This is her sixth reign. It is not the first time she’s extended her reign past the year-long mark. Hashimoto held the Sendai Girls World Championship for over 1,100 days from 2019 to 2022. Nor is it the first time she’s been outstanding in that role. She’s long been applauded for her work in the ring, long been discussed as one of the top joshi wrestlers around.
But this time is different.
Big Hash has cranked up her level of greatness. As she tears through the competition, she’s showing added magnetism and telling bigger, more stirring stories. Hashimoto seems hyper-focused, armed with swelling momentum.
We’re witnessing something special as this reign rolls on, as the tank of a woman is poised to claim a stockpile of awards once the year closes.
Meiko Satomura (March 19, 2025)
Rating: 8.43-Cagematch, 4.25 stars-Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Poetically, this latest reign began as her first one did—with a win over the legendary Meiko Satomura.
Back in 2016, Hashimoto first claimed the Senjo world title by besting her trainer and mentor Satomura. These two were then rivals for years as Satomura looked to build a star to take over the promotion for her. Hashimoto held her at bay in title matches at Sendai Girls’ Big Show events in both 2017 and 2018. And then a decade later, as Meiko walked the last steps of her retirement road, she faced Hashimoto for the gold once more.
At The Top of Joshi Wrestling, Hashimoto and Satomura tangled on the mat. Technical wrestling dominated the early part of the bout. The master held the advantage for much of this, and Hashimoto had to settle for simply hanging on.
It took a great infusion of aggression to shift the tide. Soon, Hashimoto began firing off her biggest shots, blasting her mentor with a sledgehammer of a lariat and a powerbomb that rocked the ring.
An emotional post-match exchange followed Hashimoto’s big win, and a new-but-familiar story began with the pink-haired bruiser atop Sendai Girls again.
Maika (April 27, 2025)
Rating: 7.78-Cagematch, 4 stars-Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Hashimoto’s first defense saw her step beyond the borders of Sendai Girls. She faced fellow powerhouse former World of STARDOM champ Maika at the massive All-Star Queendom event.
This was not only a title bout but a chance to showcase for Hashimoto to showcase her home promotion.
And that she did.
Hashimoto and Maika were two bulls mashing into each other here. This was a slugfest with big, merciless strikes.
Maika worked over the champ’s arm, pinpointing that limb as the focus of her attack. It worked to a degree, but Big Hash fought off the pain and fired back with more fury than before.
In the end, Hashimoto overpowered her foe. No easy task considering who she was in there against.
This was a resounding first win, a sign that this was reign was going to be something special.
Mika Iwata (September 23, 2025)
Rating: 8.74-Cagematch
Five months later, Hashimoto would face a far more familiar foe in Iwata.
These two had been locking horns as far back as 2015 when they were both rookies. But while the hard-kicking warrior was a two-time former Sendai Girls world champ, she entered this showdown with an unimpressive record against Hashimoto. Iwata had lost 10 times over to her Senjo rival.
Would things be different this time around? Would the Big Show in Sendai be a turning point? Maybe all those losses would only sweeten the eventual championship win. If anyone else on the roster was going to take over as the Ace, it would be Iwata.
This match, as one would expect, was often a battle of kicks versus forearms. Iwata would not out-muscle Hashimoto, but she could out-strike her, and that’s what she attempted to do, trying to will this bout to become a street fight.
Iwata survived Hashimoto’s grinding, punishing offense, including getting choked with her own arms. At times, it looked as if she was wearing down the champ.
Hashimoto, though, hit a counterpunch for everything Iwata threw at her. Slaps. Elbows. Pure intensity.
In the end, the champion caught a charging Iwata and rocked her with a powerslam.
It was not as dominant a win as we’ve seen from Hashimoto. She didn’t vanquish Iwata as much as she bested her for the moment.
Sareee (November 16, 2025)
Rating: 9.25-Cagematch, 4.75 stars-Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Sareee, Hashimoto’s archrival, stomped into Sendai Girls territory looking to take back the title she once wore. Before signing with WWE, Sareee fought Big Hash for the top spot in Senjo. They traded victories over the years with Sareee dethroning Hashimoto in June of 2019 and the roles reversing just four months later.
This time around, Hashimoto was dealing with a more accomplished, more refined star. Sareee had won three titles Hashimoto never had: the IWGP Women’s Championship, Marigold World Championship, and SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Championship. Would she follow those reigns up with a second Sendai Girls world title run on the 10th anniversary of Hashimoto’s debut, no less?
Once the action began, it sure felt like we could see that play out. Sareee took every big strike Hashimoto handed out and offered her own resounding one in return. She attacked Hashimoto’s leg—twisting, kicking, preying on it.
And when Hashimoto went for her trademark powerbombs, Sareee managed to slip out.
The champ was faced with someone of her caliber. Someone as tough and relentless as her. Someone who knew her better than anyone.
Hashimoto had to withstand an onslaught. She took the worst suplexes and somehow stood after. She fought on despite how hard Sareee came after her.
An emphatic German suplex was enough to keep Sareee at bay. For now.
Manami (March 27, 2026)
Rating: 8.42-Cagematch
If Iwata and Sareee couldn’t end Hashimoto’s reign, then who could? Perhaps it was time for someone different to arrive, for the dawn of a new era with the effervescent Manami in charge.
If Manami could beat Hashimoto in the Sendai PIT arena, she would have been Sendai Girls grand champion having already won the company’s junior and tag titles. Hashimoto, though, was undefeated against the Osaka native. Manami would have to break fresh ground to come away champ.
The challenger remained feisty throughout the match, even with as much as Hashimoto was in control. Manami nailed Big Hash with knees to the face and gut. She dove on the champion.
But it never felt like we were seeing history about to be made. It would take more than this to move the queen from her throne.
Hashimoto was rugged and relentless. She blasted Manami with lariats. She crushed her with a nasty powerbomb.
This was easily Manami’s best singles match. For Hashimoto, it was a continuation of excellence. She was not only making every title defense must-see stuff, she was killing it in tag matches like the instant classic she had alongside Syuri against Takumi Iroha and Sareee at Sareee-ISM Chapter X.
Ryo Mizunami (June 7, 2026)
Rating: 7.33-Cagematch
Next up, a Sendai Girls regular who could slug it out with Hashimoto. Ryo Mizunami sauntered into this battle with an outstanding resume. She’d won the Regina Di WAVE Championship, Championship and SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Championship, as well as victories in the Tokyo Princess Cup and the AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament.
Inside Shinjuku FACE, Miznami brought her usual energy and antics. She could hang in there with Hashimoto in terms of power, but she might also throw the champ off her game with her silliness.
This was a struggle of wills. You saw that during the tie-up and when the two warriors locked hands in a test of strength. The winner would be the one showed the most stamina and inner strength.
That looked even for a long while as Hashimoto and Mizunami exchanged lariats and as they went toe to toe.
Aniki took a lot of punishment and kept going. Hashimoto had to pull out all of her big moves, hitting the challenger with everything she had. Big Hash won with her trusty German suplex, extending her already lengthy reign.
In terms of match quality, this was the least impressive of the run so far. It was a solid collision of powerhouses but not at the level we’ve seen before and after with Hashimoto. You know you’re kicking ass as champ when the expectations get as high as they have for her.
VENY (July 12, 2026)
Rating: 8.85-Cagematch
Hashimoto continued to go down the list of potential top challengers with the one-of-a-kind talent VENY stepping up next.
Not only was she the top champ in Pro Wrestling Wave, SEAdLINNNG, and Diana, she’d defeated Hashimoto for the Sendai Girls world title back in 2022. Plus, she and Lena Kross had beaten Hashimoto and Yuu for the Sendai Girls tag belts two years after that. This was an opponent who could take down the mighty Hashimoto.
When VENY battled her at SENJO the Biggest in July, it looked like history might repeat itself.
The sultry star slapped Hashimoto in the face. She clocked her with a steel chair. She used her speed and agility to evade the champion.
This proved to be the biggest threat to Hashimoto’s reign to date, but Hashimoto endured. She withstood VENY’s best and fired back with overwhelming force. At one point, she nailed the challenger with a lariat that hit VENY like a train.
In the process, they created something magical. A match that will be in the conversation for best of 2026 come the end of the year.
VENY was just the right opponent to keep up Hashimoto’s momentum as a performer.
Syuri (July 20, 2026)
Rating: 8.75-Cagematch
The latest of Hashimoto’s great rivals. Former World of Stardom Champion. A current IWGP women’s champ. A tough, heavy-hitting force who could go blow for blow with Hashimoto.
That’s who the champ faced at Senjo’s 20th Anniversary show.
Syuri, who had put Hashimoto to sleep in April, could match the Sendai Girls Ace in technical skill as well as striking. And that’s just how things unfolded.
It was an even match with the opponents trading holds, countering each other’s moves, pushing each other.
Syuri peppered Hashimoto with kicks. Hashimoto fired off clubbing blows to Syuri in the corner. This was an absolute fight.
The God’s Eye leader had all the right tools to beat the champion, but they weren’t enough. Hashimoto survived several armbars. She suplexed her way out of the sleeper hold that got her last time. She knew what was coming and landed the counteroffensives she needed.
Another great match. Another successful defense. Everything you expect from Hashimoto at this point.
Iwata emerged from backstage to claim her spot as the next challenger. We’re at the point in the reign where we have to cycle back to folks who already had a chance.
If Iwata doesn’t win, Sendai Girls will probably have to outsource who goes after Hashimoto next. The champ has beaten all the best from her own promotion. She’s beaten the biggest names from the freelance world and some of STARDOM’s top dogs. The big bouts left on the board involve names like Saya Kamitani or Mayu Iwatani.
That’s the level of match Hashimoto demands. She’s thriving in her spot and only the very best will do. She needs someone who can reach this high level she’s operating on. Bring on the S-tier talent and watch the fireworks go off.
RESURA 