We present to you a list of joshi bouts to help get you through the post-Spooky Season blues.
Fernando and Ryan team up once again to spotlight some of the best wrestling from the joshi scene over the past month. Their match recommendations from October include action from TJPW and STARDOM, as well as two freelance shows. It’s a robust mix of slugfests and high speed stuff.
You’ll see some familiar names on here like Sareee, Starlight Kid, Miu Watanabe, but this was also a month that showcased some stars on the rise. Namely Reina Takano and Haru Kazashiro. The mix of vets and rookies as well as the variety of promotions says a lot about how good of a month October was for joshi.
Read on for a look at eight contests that need to go on your watchlist.
Team Takase vs. Team Senjo, Freelance – Miyuki Takase 9th Anniversary (Oct. 3)
A match where Takase is the central figure and star, plus we get the drama of elimination and imbalanced teams? Yeah. Count me in.
This was an elimination tag but one with a unique format. It started with two wrestlers fighting and then there was a staggered entry for everyone else. But when a wrestler showed up, Takase didn’t know if they are on her team or not until they started hitting someone. They either joined her or jumped her.
That element made for some fun moments and a constantly changing match dynamic.
The numbers got uneven. Wrestlers came and went. Chaos ran through all of it.
Along the way, the bout delivered a good amount of highlights from Mika Iwata going on a rampage to the two teams aggressively campaigning for Ryo Mizunami to join them. The Miyuki Takase vs. Yurika Oka section of this is entertaining enough to give it a rec. It only got wilder from there.
A good time all around.
Recommended by: Ryan
Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe vs. Yuki Aino & Haru Kazashiro, TJPW – Wrestle Princess VII (Oct. 3)
It’s so fulfilling to watch a wrestler debut, gaining experience, falling just to get back up and watching her become a champion.
In TJPW biggest event of the year, tag team champions Rika Tatsumi and Miu Watanabe defended their titles against Yuki Aino and the rookie she took under her wing, Haru Kazashiro. Haru has had a few accomplishments herself, like the Next Gen Tournament in 2024, which led to her first title match, teaming with that tournament’s runner-up Toga in a losing effort against the then-champions 12100000. She and Aino would challenge once again for those same titles at Tokyo Joshi Pro’ 26, failing to defeat Ober Eats. And since the third time’s the charm, Haru once again challenged for the Princess Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Princess, teaming once again with Yuki Aino. The champions were impeccable as always, but Haru wasn’t willing to lose this time, demonstrating those technical skills that have started to be her biggest strength. Yuki Aino was the one to make Rika submit to end the match and win the titles for her team, becoming a three-time champion with three different partners in the process.
Daydream, alongside MagiRabbi, may have the best tag team chemistry in the history of TJPW, so defeating them should be considered a great feat, and it feels so great that Haru became a champion by doing so.
Recommended by: Fernando
Sareee vs. Reina Takano, Sendai Girls – BIG SHOW in Sendai (Oct. 10)
I could say this was a textbook example of how a veteran can elevate a rookie, but nothing Sareee does can be taught in books.
Sendai Girls has had an excellent series of events celebrating its 20th anniversary, showcasing all of of the talent the promotion have, from the usual highlights like Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata, the rising stars like Manami and Yurika Oka, and the hungry up-and-comers like YUNA and Spike Nishimura. However, there’s someone who is also starting in her career, but is already making waves, and that is Reina Takano. The young girl was set to wrestle in the opening match of this event, and against who? No big deal, just Sareee, one of the best (if not THE best) wrestlers in the world, male or female.
What could haven seemed like a ride in the park for the Sun Goddess (and a torture for Takano), turn into an exellent display of both women’s abilities. The veteran did everything she could to put over Reina, to the point of making everybody believe the rookie could really beat her, and still, looking like she only used 10% of her real power. In the end, logic prevailed and Sareee stood tall, but nobody in that building or watching on Wrestle Universe saw Reina as a loser.
Watch out for Reina Takano, and I mean it.
Recommended by: Fernando
VENY vs. Ayako Hamada, Freelance – VENY Produce BLOOM (Oct. 16)
VENY’s produce event capped off with a memorable main event between VENY and the woman who trained her. There’s some fun to be had with some of the other contests (hello, Aja Kong & Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Rina Yamashita!), but this is far and away the star of the show.
Hamada and VENY’s battle began with a long stretch of back-and-forth mat wrestling and over time built into something thrilling. They brawled in the crowd. They traded kicks and slaps. They fired off their best weapons.
The last third in particular pulled me in as Hamada struggled to put VENY away, victory seemingly forever a fingertip out of reach.
There is a grandness to all of it—the entrances, the atmosphere, the flow of the match. A terrific performance from both wrestlers. A match well worth seeking out.
Recommended by: Ryan
Mio Momono & Senka Akatsuki vs. Chi Chi & Chikayo Nagashima, Marvelous (Oct. 18)
Yessir! What an entertaining tag team battle.
In Senka’s first action since August, she tussles with Chi Chi, continuing an intriguing rivalry. So much of this bout is built around the animosity between the two of them. Akatsuki and The Fighting Barbie brawled outside the ring. They traded shots between the ropes. They were pulling hair and kicking heads, and it was a joy to watch.
Plus, we get Mio’s usual high-energy, acrobatic style and Nagashima kicking ass. There are a ton of last-minute saves to prevent three-counts.
The bout gets better as it goes along, too. Both teams realize time is ticking away and crank up the intensity to try and get the win.
Between this, Sareee vs. Senka, and Marvelous Kingacha Season 3 Vol. 1, Marvelous sure gave us plenty to take in in October.
Recommended by: Ryan
Hanan vs. Hina, Stardom – Path Of Thunder (Oct. 18)
With Hanan winning the White Belt and Rina the 5Star Grand Prix, it’s understandable that Hina wants her own big moment this year.
The last time Hina faced one of her sisters for a title, things didn’t go so well, since Rina defeated her for the Future of Stardom Championship. Now, she challenges her other sister, the Wonder of Stardom champion, Hanan.
Hina may not be as flashy as her twin sister, but don’t be fooled, she is just as capable as Rina, and when you pair her with someone who knows her as well as her big sister, she brings her A Game. Hina took Hanan to the limit, and the champion needed multiple finishers to put away the challenger.
Your moment will come Hina, I just know.
Recommended by: Fernando
Suzu Suzuki vs. Starlight Kid, Stardom – Crimson Nightmare (Oct. 29)
Yes, Starlight Kid has accomplished a lot of things in Stardom, but come on!
The World of Stardom title was on the line when champion Suzu Suzuki faced Starlight Kid, and seriously, what does it take for this woman to win the Red Belt? She constantly gives out the best performance of any show, and this was no exception. SLK’s spectacular moveset met Suzu’s roughness, and they complemented each other really well. A Tiger Suplex and an Eternal Foe weren’t enough for the challenger to win the big one, but a series of German suplexes by the champion did finally put an end to the match.
Everyone likes a good story for big title wins, and maybe Starlight Kid hasn’t started hers yet.
Recommended by: Fernando
Anita Vaughan & Safire Reed vs Miyuki Takase & Reina Takano, Sendai Girls SENJO 20th Anniversary Tour In Yokohama (Oct. 31)
Seriously, where did you get this girl?
This opening bout really served its purpose: highlighting everyone’s strengths. Reina continues surprising everyone with her unmatching fighting spirit, this time guided by Miyuki Takase. On the opposite corner, we had Senjo’s resident gaijins, Safire Reed and Anita Vaughan, who lived up to their “Hyperactive“ moniker. The European girls dominated the rookie for quite a while, but Reina showed she isn’t afraid of anyone, even if she is a giant, like Anita. Miyuki did what she could to help her tag partner, but Safire put an end to this match with a running headbutt and secured the win.
Reina will continue to improve, while I now feel the need to watch everything Hyperactive-related.
Recommended by: Fernando
