Io Shirai’s 546-day World of STARDOM Title reign came to an end on 6/21/17 when she was defeated by Mayu Iwatani in an excellent match (unfortunately, the match wasn’t quite as great as their previous two singles matches against each other). In May 2017, everyone was still expecting Shirai to go on a sports-entertainment adventure in the United States. However, in June 2017, it turned out that the infamous American sports-entertainment company in question chose to delay Shirai’s debut due to Shirai suffering a neck injury in May. This was a blessing in disguise, because that meant that fans of joshi puroresu (Japanese women’s pro wrestling) had the opportunity to witness some more of Shirai’s greatness in Japan until she would eventually join the circus in the summer of ‘18. While Shirai remained in STARDOM for the full calendar year of 2017, another STARDOM wrestler actually ended up in the States in the summer of ‘17, and that wrestler was Kairi Hojo.

Mayu Iwatani’s World of STARDOM Title reign came to an end after 95 days when a shocking and unexpected title change took place on 9/24/17. It was Toni Storm who was awarded the title when Iwatani was no longer able to continue the match due to an elbow injury suffered only two minutes into the match. Possibly even more shocking, however, was the fact that Storm’s title reign, which had begun merely coincidental, ended up lasting 258 days. You could definitely say that from Storm’s perspective, she was in the right place at the right time, though the longevity of the reign was largely based on her being everywhere but STARDOM.

STARDOM was the league with the most number of good matches in 2017, which was as it should be given how many more shows were available than the other leagues. Although this partially had to do with seemingly all other major joshi puroresu leagues providing slightly less memorable matches overall compared to in 2016, it also helped that some of the main people in STARDOM weren’t overrated wrestlers like Nanae Takahashi, Yoshiko, Alpha Female and Kyoko Kimura (etc.), which was the case in previous years. Also, it was good to see some of STARDOM’s younger wrestlers really stepping up their game. Most notably, HZK and AZM showed significant improvement, and they were particularly useful in tag and trios matches. About a third of all the good joshi matches in 2017 took place in STARDOM, and more than half of those good STARDOM matches featured Io Shirai. Kagetsu was another memorable STARDOM worker in 2017, but it feels like her performances in STARDOM weren’t as strong as in other leagues due to her at times focusing a bit too much on her heel character.

As research of joshi puroresu of the 2010s had previously taught us, JWP would normally have been a strong contender for best league of the year. However, JWP folded in April 2017 due to disagreements regarding licensing with their production group. JWP President Command Bolshoi created a new league called PURE-J, which initially continued in the spirit of JWP. While the remainders of JWP’s essence temporarily wandered around in the bardos of joshi puroresu, there were some shows held under the Pure-Dream banner before these remaining energies were ready to coalesce in the form of the PURE-J league. PURE-J had its first show on 8/11/17 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Despite the interruptions in the flow of the JWP lineage, JWP and PURE-J gave us some of the most memorable joshi puroresu of 2017. At a PURE-J show on 12/17/17 at Korakuen Hall, one of the best joshi puroresu matches of 2017 took place when DASH Chisako and Hanako Nakamori faced off in an excellent hair vs. hair match.

Ice Ribbon and SEAdLINNNG were practically only interesting whenever Arisa Nakajima and/or Tsukasa Fujimoto appeared in a match. Arisa & Tsukka were not only successful in singles action, but together known as Best Friends, they were the best tag team of joshi puroresu in 2017. When one fully analyzes the joshi puroresu scene of 2017, one can conclude the Arisa vs. Tsukka singles matches were arguably the two most memorable matches in joshi puroresu that year. Their SEAdLINNNG 12/13/17 match is a contender for best joshi puroresu match of the decade. Their 3/26/17 in Ice Ribbon was excellent and arguably the second-best joshi puroresu match that year. Tsukushi was banned for five months by Ice Ribbon after her attempt to stab STARDOM wrestler Kagetsu on 7/22/17 at an Ice Ribbon event Kagetsu attended. Ice Ribbon gave Tsukushi a chance to redeem herself, as she was allowed to return at their final show of the year on 12/31/17. However, Tsukushi had to start at the bottom and work her way up again, as she was in the opening match of the show (which was a decent but disappointing match against Tsukka) and had to wear plain rookie-style gear.

TJPW had their first relatively strong year with their best workers Shoko Nakajima, Reika Saiki and Yuka Sakazaki providing several good and entertaining bouts. TJPW had already really shown improvement overall as a league in 2016, but in 2017, they showed that 2016 wasn’t just a fluke and that they were ready to attempt to be one of the top leagues in the modern era of joshi puroresu.

SGPW was rather uninteresting. It’s hard not to not blame Meiko Satomura for not nurturing her league better. SGPW still gave us several good matches, but it all felt rather underwhelming overall. WAVE was easily the most disappointing league of 2017 though. In 2016, they were a top 5 joshi puroresu league with more than ten matches that were worth recommending. However, in 2017, it felt like a quest to find just a few good WAVE matches. Of course, a decline had been somewhat noticeable in the previous two years with the departure of Kana and retirement of Shu Shibutani, but the drop in quality in 2017 was bigger than anticipated. We finally had some Marvelous footage available, but the league felt rather underwhelming, based on the footage available. Diana was the league that remained super obscure, as there was once again no footage available of this league, unfortunately.

2017 saw the wrestling retirements of Yoko Bito, Kotori, 235, Kyoko Kimura, Yuuka and Akane Miura. Also in 2017, the legendary Mariko Yoshida returned once again and had the final matches of her career. Yoshida’s final singles match of her career was a decent match against Hiroyo Matsumoto on 11/19/17. Yoshida’s best match of 2017 was her PURE-J 8/11/17 match against fellow former ARSION worker Leon.

While it was nice to once again see a large number of new rookies, it was this time a relatively weak year for rookies. Natsuko Tora, a relatively old rookie (especially for joshi puroresu standards) at age 26, was the best rookie in 2017. Even though Tora never was and never became a spectacular worker by any means, at least she didn’t work as aimlessly like some of the younger rookies from 2017. Of course, it’s debatable if it's only a case of less talented young girls showing up or if it’s also a case of there being less and less good training opportunities available for upcoming talent.

Speaking of upcoming talent… Several wrestlers really started making great strides, and the most improved joshi wrestlers of 2017 were: Reika Saiki, Konami, HZK, AZM, Rin Kadokura, Jungle Kyona, Mio Momono, Maruko Nagasaki and Natsuko Tora.

One of the most notable names in women’s combat sports in 2017 was Syuri Kondo. Syuri had started participating in MMA fights in 2016, and in 2017 she continued to have fights in the Pancrase MMA league. Her fight at Pancrase 284 on 2/5/17 against Minna Grusander was a good one. Her fight at Pancrase 287 on 5/28/17 against Kinberly Novaes was average, but Syuri won the Strawweight Queen of Pancrase Title after winning that bout. Syuri’s first UFC fight at UFC Fight Night 117 on 9/22/17 was a good one against Chan Mi Jeon. It was clear that Syuri was definitely on a winning streak in 2017. In this joshi puroresu project, we’re only considering Syuri’s accomplishments in puroresu though, which means her MMA accomplishments won’t affect her ranking and rating as a pro wrestler. And next to her MMA fights, Syuri still had plenty of pro wrestling matches in 2017 (more than thirty puroresu matches), mainly for SGPW and OZ Academy. In SGPW she stood out as one of their top singles wrestlers, and in OZ Academy she was very successful as a tag team wrestler, along with her tag team partner Hikaru Shida.

OZ Academy, in general, had several good matches this year. One of their most reliable tag team wrestlers was Hiroyo Matsumoto, but it seemed that at this stage of her career, Matsumoto was mostly just interested in doing her Godzilla tribute and not so much being a more dynamic and diverse worker like in her earlier years. That being said, she was still quite good overall. Also, she was involved in a surprisingly large number of good matches. This mostly was the case due to her experience as tag team expert. So while she wasn’t necessarily at her most impressive as a worker, she was certainly being very useful and helpful by showing up in a good amount of good matches. 

Below you’ll find reviews of over seventy of the best joshi puroresu matches that took place in 2017, which is then followed by several lists, including the list of the top 192 joshi wrestlers of the year 2017 and the list of the top 30 joshi matches of that year.

TJPW 1/4/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Princess of Princess Title: Yuu vs. Shoko Nakajima 21:34. This started off with some interesting matwork. Both workers were constantly trying to escape each other’s holds, and they were trying to constantly counter each other. It wasn’t the most high-end matwork you’ll see, but at least they were constantly moving, and they tried their best to put over that they weren’t just taking turns. Shoko Nakajima used her speed, flexibility and resourcefulness to come up with some fun-looking escapes. Yuu had a more no-nonsense approach. Somehow Yuu’s seriousness and Shoko’s playfulness mixed well and resulted in quite a good match. The effort was high, and the work was enjoyable overall. Most of the execution in this match was quite crisp. Despite Yuu being relatively inexperienced, her style and determination make things work for her. Shoko’s ability to think outside the box makes her one of the more fun wrestlers to watch. Yuu had Shoko stuck in an armbar, but Shoko managed to reach the ropes. Towards the finish, Yuu was quite relentless in her quest to finish Shoko off, but Shoko kept hanging in there. In the end, Yuu pinned Shoko after a powerful-looking elevated powerbomb. Yuu retained the title. ***¼ 

SGPW 1/9/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Mika Shirahime & Syuri vs. Konami & Mio Momono 12:18. Mika Shirahime vs. Konami during the early minutes of the match was quite interesting, because both are good strikers and good technical wrestlers. Mio Momono was certainly the weak link of the match, but she played her role as hardworking underdog well, and some of her moves looked quite cool. Syuri gave a good performance, and her strikes were particularly impressive. Konami did a really good job of assisting Momono when the time was right to do so. This really helped make the final minutes feel more urgent and exciting. In the end, Shirahime’s striking ability proved to be too overwhelming for Momono, which resulted in a pinfall win for Shirahime. It was a good match, but only the final bit felt like it had any real urgency. ***    

SGPW 1/9/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE, Sendai Girls’ World Title: Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Aja Kong 15:32. Aja Kong made it clear from the start that she wasn’t in the mood to give anyone an easy time here. After all, she’s Aja Kong, which means she can pretty much do whatever she pleases. Chihiro Hashimoto showed respect for Aja, in the sense that she was obviously well aware of Aja’s legendary status, but she didn’t let any fear or intimidation come to her, as it was necessary for her to be in the right mental state to be a successful defending champion this night. For Aja, it didn’t even seem to be about the title, she was just in the mood to beat someone up and simply be Aja Kong, not too concerned about how things were going to go. Hashimoto showed her strength when she bodyslammed Aja, and then she immediately showed her agility by somersaulting on top of Aja. Things seemed over when Aja hit Hashimoto with the trash can and then followed up with a brainbuster, but Hashimoto kicked out of the cover. Aja hit a released German suplex, but Hashimoto used the little bit of strength left in her to take Aja down with a spear. Aja surprised Hashimoto with a leglock. Hashimoto fought back, and for a minute it appeared things were going to go Hashimoto’s way, but Aja won the match via the spinning backfist. Aja had become the new Sendai Girls’ World Champion! ***¼ 

OZ Academy 1/25/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, OZ Academy Tag Title: Hikaru Shida & Syuri vs. Kagetsu & Hiroyo Matsumoto 28:06 of 30:00. What made this match stand out from every other match in OZ Academy that month was that it felt like the participants in this match went into this with a purpose, while seemingly every other match that month felt more like a lifeless collection of random sequences in comparison. The OZ Academy tag team champions wanted to retain their championship, and the challengers wanted to win the championship. It’s a very simple story, but somehow it’s rare for a match to really reflect this will to win and the will to try your best. All four workers worked hard and worked well. This felt like a true tag team title match because of the solid teamwork displayed by both teams. Hikaru Shida & Syuri were thinking as one unit, and they each were really good at continuing what the other started. Kagetsu & Hiroyo Matsumoto were a strong team as well, but their strength lay in their display of heart and passion. Syuri was the solid half of her team from the start, but somewhere halfway through the match, she remembered what made her so interesting as a fighter, and that’s when she started displaying more intensity. While Shida didn’t do anything groundbreaking, she was spot on from start to finish, doing exactly what she needed to do in the moment, and that’s why her performance played a big part in this match flowing so well. Matsumoto mostly stuck with her basic approach that had her focus on her role as a powerhouse. This allowed her to contribute sufficiently, yet still let the other three more dynamic workers in the match take center stage more often. Kagetsu’s flurries of exciting movements helped bring some extra spice to the match. In fact, it was Kagetsu’s performance that was the liveliest. The sequences between Kagetsu and Syuri in the second half of the match were among the best and most urgent of the match. During the final minutes of the match, the pace increased and the near falls became more dramatic. Even though it was likely this would go to a time limit, the display of fighting spirit made it plausible that we were possibly going to witness a surprise win just before the 30-minute mark. However, in the end, after thirty minutes of interesting action, this really good tag team match came to an end when the time limit expired. ***¾   

SEAdLINNNG 1/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Tsukasa Fujimoto & Kaho Kobayashi vs. Tsukushi & Mio Momono 6:47. High Speed specialist Natsuki*Taiyo was fittingly the referee for this High Speed tag team match, and Taiyo ended up taking some bumps as well. There were some less serious moments in the match, but even in those moments, the focus was still on the athletic skills of these workers. Due to its chaotic nature, it was at times hard to tell if this match was actually a tag team match or a four-way match (and sometimes it even resembled a five-way match with Taiyo being involved). This was a really fun match, but it was unfortunately also a very short match. *** 

SEAdLINNNG 1/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Nanae Takahashi vs. Arisa Nakajima 28:43. Arisa Nakajima was, of course, the one who turned this into a pretty good match due to her ability to do the right thing at the right time. Arisa started off big with a suplex and a plancha off the top rope to the floor. Nanae Takahashi’s performance was okay. Takahashi is a somewhat graceless worker, but at least she did occasionally show some fire, especially during the moments when it felt things turned into a heated blowout. Even disregarding the fact that a match generally doesn’t benefit from more match time from Takahashi, a singles match lasting over 25 minutes is really too long for her. Overall, this was still worth watching due to Arisa working hard and smart. ***¼ 

JWP 1/29/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall: Command Bolshoi vs. Kagetsu 14:49. Some fancy technical wrestling and an urgent pace showed that Command Bolshoi was in the mood to have a seriously good match. Kagetsu was probably at the peak of her career here, at least physically. It’s a shame she ended up spending most of the year in STARDOM focusing on Oedo Tai heel shenanigans. Both workers were very focused throughout this match, even during the middle portion, which was a portion of the match that saw the pace slow down a bit. Bolshoi was really on top of her game when it came to the counter moves, as she was able to execute armbars at unexpected moments. Kagetsu hit a nice springboard dropkick that turned things into her favor. Kagetsu’s momentum didn’t last for long though, as Bolshoi continued to be able to execute counter submission holds with great ease. Bolshoi executed an amazing tiger suplex that almost got her the win. Even though it was mostly Bolshoi who was able to execute impressive counter moves, Kagetsu was able to come close to victory thanks to some counter moves of her own near the end of the match. In the end, Bolshoi proved to be most successful at countering moves, as that’s how she ended up scoring the pinfall for the victory. This was an enjoyable and good match. It probably would have been a bit better if it was a main event match. This being a match in the middle of the show probably aided to the kinda randomness this match often succumbed to. ***¼   

JWP 1/29/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall, JWP Openweight Title Match: Hanako Nakamori vs. Leon 22:34. Hanako Nakamori was very focused, showing that she didn’t want to lose this big title match. Of course, the veteran Leon could never be counted out as a threat, because with her experience and ability, she could possibly turn things around at any moment. Leon was able to give herself a break from Nakamori’s offense, as she managed to throw Nakamori to the floor and follow up with a top-rope plancha to the floor. When Nakamori was back in the ring, Leon launched herself in the form of a missile dropkick. Things had really turned in the favor of Leon to the point that Nakamori’s title was in serious jeopardy. Leon got a bit overconfident though, and Nakamori took advantage when Leon came off the top for a splash by putting her knees up, which resulted in Leon crashing on top of Nakamori’s knees. Leon tried to suplex Nakamori off the top turnbuckle, but Nakamori hit her with a backwards headbutt, which made Leon fall backwards into a tree of woe position. However, thanks to Leon’s strong core, she was able to sit herself back up onto the top turnbuckle and execute a released German suplex. They both hit each other with a Northern Lights Bomb, which emphasized that the result could go either way. This was a very good match that got progressively more interesting. It was in particular Leon’s performance that turned the match into one of such good quality. As strong as Leon was as a challenger, Nakamori retained the title via pinfall. ***½  

STARDOM 1/29/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, ICW Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Jungle Kyona 11:59. This was the first STARDOM match of 2017 that was worth recommending. The Insane Championship Wrestling Women’s Title was a title Kay Lee Ray had been fighting for back in her homeland of Scotland. What made this match memorable was KLR doing a really good job carrying this match. She kept the pace high and executed spectacular offense. Jungle Kyona was certainly slowly improving, and this match was a very useful experience for Kyona. Earlier in the month, KLR had some decent tag team matches with tag team partner Nixon Newell, but it was in this singles match here that KLR once again reminded everyone why she is one of the best gaijin workers to have ever stepped foot in a joshi puroresu ring. Kyona, who was the 9th best joshi puroresu rookie of 2016, had never been in a good match before, so the fact that she was in a good singles match here speaks volumes about KLR’s ability to carry a match. KLR didn’t just carry the match by being an excellent in-ring performer, as she also showed why she’s a smart and unselfish worker by making room for Kyona to get enthusiastic and passionate about working an urgent high-workrate match. KLR eventually won the match via a swanton bomb, which meant she retained the title she had regained from Kasey Owens just 19 days prior. ***¼ 

STARDOM 1/29/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Wonder of STARDOM Title: Kairi Hojo vs. Nixon Newell 15:43. These two clearly made the effort to have a good match. One of the bigger moves came early on when Welsh wrestler Nixon Newell hit a beautiful plancha off the top rope to the floor onto STARDOM’s White Belt champ Kairi Hojo. Newell worked to the best of her ability and to the best of her knowledge when it came to trying to add as much quality to this match as she possibly could, as she realized this was maybe the biggest singles match she’ll ever have in Japan. Kairi took her role as White Belt Champ seriously, and she wanted to provide the Shinkiba crowd with a good main event, especially considering it’s the first time Kairi defended the White Belt in the main event at a Shinkiba show. Even though both are capable in-ring performers, the match they delivered here was slightly above expectations, because they didn’t necessarily have the reputation of being workers who carried opponents to really noteworthy matches. What they did here was show that they could work well with each other, and they were able to gradually build this match to a crescendo. This definitely wasn’t a match anyone would consider a MOTYC or anything, but it was enjoyable to watch, and both participants clearly made a strong effort. It’s a shame that this was Newell’s final match in Japan, because it felt like she had the potential to have more memorable matches in Japan in the future. Her career never really reached the potential it could have reached, which obviously has a lot to do with her signing with NXT in 2018, which meant she was NeXT in line to get wasted by them. Of course, Kairi would also get signed by NXT, but that somehow felt more like it was the right place and time for her to be at that point in her career (the summer of ‘17), although it was clear when she returned to STARDOM in 2022 that her workrate had dropped significantly, which happens all to often to workers who spend a long time on the sports-entertainment circus circuit. ***

STARDOM 2/4/17 Kyoto KBS Hall: Io Shirai vs. Konami 9:55. In preparation for an upcoming match against Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai battled Konami at the beautiful KBS Hall in Kyoto. This meant that Shirai was facing someone here who had a somewhat similar style as Baszler, a style more focused on submission wrestling. Shirai’s preferred style is quite different, as she was more of an explosive risk taker focusing on moves that put her tremendous athleticism on display. Early in the match, Konami tried to get Shirai trapped on the mat, but Shirai managed to escape quickly, as she wisely didn’t want to risk staying too long in one of Konami’s holds. Despite Shirai being the top star in STARDOM (and all of women’s wrestling) at the time, Shirai took Konami very seriously. This was definitely a nice compliment for the talented Konami, who had only been in STARDOM for a short while. Konami wasn’t only dangerous on the mat, which Shirai soon realized when she was on the receiving-end of a well-placed high kick to the face by Konami. Shirai sold this big time, further emphasizing that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for Shirai. Once Shirai was able to avoid some of Konami’s attempted offense, Shirai showed lots of urgency in trying to stay on top of Konami. Shirai was soon back in trouble again because of Konami’s ability to counter from all kinds of angles with submission holds. Shirai’s right leg had become a target for Konami’s offense, which was sold well by Shirai. The match ended up going back and forth. Shirai tried to go for high-impact moves, and Konami focused on submission holds. In the end, Shirai went for la magistral and then transitioned into a bridging rollup pinning combination for the win. Shirai’s experience and cunningness had given her the win here, but it wasn’t an easy win. Despite this match lasting only slightly less than ten minutes, it served its purpose. This was a really fun match to watch, and while it wasn’t very spectacular for a match featuring Shirai, it was very enjoyable and logical. In fact, one of the primary reasons it was memorable was that it wasn't the typical Shirai match. Plus, the match helped establish Konami as someone who could potentially achieve big things in STARDOM one day. ***½

TJPW 2/5/17 Tokyo Basement Monstar: Shoko Nakajima & Reika Saiki vs. Yuu & Nodoka-Oneesan 17:25. Nodoka-Oneesan’s gimmick is kinda goofy and geeky, but her attempts at trying to provide some okay-ish wrestling should not be undervalued. That being said, she was easily the least impressive worker in this match. Of course, she was in the ring with three of TJPW’s best. Shoko Nakajima always tries to do unique and diverse stuff, which makes her stand out, especially in a league that features limited workers for the most part. Reika Saiki, one of the four best rookies of joshi puroresu in 2016, showed she was a talented young wrestler, and she wrestled like she felt completely at home in the ring, despite her relative inexperience. Reika Saiki went for Yuu’s legs, but Yuu avoided Saiki’s attempts. Saiki found herself on her back on the mat. Saiki was able to turn things around during the matwork portion, which had somewhat interesting counter wrestling. Yuu and Saiki had a chop vs. kick exchange. Saiki showed a lot of quickness and ability to move around the ring smoothly, which made her work stand out a lot. Yuu relied on power and no-nonsenseness. In the end, it was Saiki who scored a pinfall over Nodoka-Oneesan to win the match. It was a good match that was particularly enjoyable thanks to the tag team of Shoko & Reika. ***  

STARDOM 2/23/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler 16:45. What makes this match stand out is that it’s so different from the usual Io Shirai and STARDOM match. Former MMA fighter Shayna Baszler has a deep passion for catch wrestling, and her style certainly isn’t very flashy. She brings a no-nonsense approach to her matches. The way she applies holds makes them appear more serious than what we usually see in STARDOM. Shirai showed her versatility by being able to adapt to this unusual opponent, and it was refreshing to see Shirai in a match that didn’t just have her steal the show with high flying lucha libre. There were some odd moments in the match though. For example, referee Daichi Murayama forced Baszler to attempt to pin Shirai when Shirai was no longer responding while in Baszler’s sleeper hold. It was interesting to see a stylistically unique match in STARDOM, but it feels like they didn’t quite get what they wanted to out of the match. It was a relatively slow match, but what they did was mostly quite good. Baszler was still improving as a pro wrestler, and that makes it even more frustrating that she ended up in WWE (even though her WWE run admittedly turned out quite well, all things considered), as it would have been interesting to see Baszler return to Japan instead. *** 

OZ Academy 2/26/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Kagetsu vs. Hikaru Shida 18:02. These two are good enough at doing what they do that it didn’t really matter what they did, they were able to turn it into something interesting. Kagetsu showed more athletic moves, like, for example, the springboard dropkick that she executes so well. Shida’s strength lies more in overall performance, having an overview of the big picture of the match yet at the same time being totally into whatever the moment calls for. For example, Shida’s facials and her selling reveal how she is really immersing herself in her overall performance. This started off with some matwork. Once they had enough of the matwork, they started focusing more on launching themselves at each other. They were trying to prevent the other from building up any real momentum, which turned the match into an exciting back-and-forth type affair. They made the match a notch more intense and dramatic when they took it into the crowd, and Shida ended up suplexing Kagetsu on a table. This brawling-in-the-crowd portion didn’t feel like it was a random thing done for the sake of it or out of habit, just like so often is the case in OZ Academy, as it was done in a way that helped give the feel that it helped escalate the drama of the match. In fact, this was a big match, as it was a match that was to determine the #1 contender for the OZ Academy Openweight Title, and these two wrestlers did an excellent job of putting over the importance of the match. As the match came closer to a finish, Kagetsu showed more and more urgency, and as a result, Shida also started moving quicker and reacting more promptly. The finish felt really climactic due to the energy shown by Kagetsu, as it really felt like she was trying to use every ounce of energy she could find within herself. ***½

STARDOM 3/5/17 Nagoya International Conference Hall Event Hall, Goddesses of STARDOM Title: Kairi Hojo & Yoko Bito vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona 23:15. This was a pretty good match overall, but it appears it’s been quite overhyped by some, as it is hard to understand how someone could think this is one of the best matches in STARDOM history; it feels like it was just barely a top 20 STARDOM match of 2017. Something seemeed missing, as there was little more going on there than just taking turns. It didn’t appear to be a competitive title match, mostly due the the champions seemingly not being too fired up for this title defense. Kyona gave a hard-fought performance. Yoko Bito & Kairi Hojo, also known as BY Ho, gave an okay performance. Their work wasn’t super crisp for the most part and somewhat sloppy at times. Bito stood around waiting for opponents to hit a move on her on at least a couple of occasions, and Hojo’s moves lacked power. One of the big spots early in the match happened when powerhouse Hiroyo Matsumoto threw Hojo over the top rope onto Yoko Bito. In this match, Hojo acted a bit cocky and heelish, which helped Kyona look even more sympathetic. Kyona focused a lot on selling and portraying the underdog babyface who was the weak link of her team. Kyona’s story is quite unique, as she used to volunteer in Senegal, which is why her gear had the colors of Senegal’s flag. Matsumoto played her role as the far more established and powerful leader of the team. Despite her limitations as a wrestler, Kyona tried her best and really showed the will to win this battle in her hometown of Nagoya, and Matsumoto showed a lot of energy, as always. This effort shown by the challengers made the title change here feel like it was the right decision and totally justifiable. *** 

STARDOM 3/9/17 Io Shirai & Meiko Satomura vs. Mayu Iwatani & Chihiro Hashimoto 19:17. SGPW’s Meiko Satomura didn’t appear in STARDOM often, but when she did, it was usually for a match that would end up being memorable. This was the main event of a show that celebrated Io Shirai’s 10th anniversary as a pro wrestler. It was interesting to see 2016 Rookie of the Year Chihiro Hashimoto being thrown into the mix here, as this was basically the battle of the top stars of STARDOM & SGPW vs. two wrestlers who had the ability to potentially become the top star of their respective leagues. It was refreshing to see SGPW workers in a STARDOM ring again, as they were able to bring more crispness and intensity than what most of the regular STARDOM matches had been giving that year so far. Since this show was mostly about her, it was not surprising that Shirai was arguably the key performer of the match. Of course, it helped that she teamed with her old rival (Satomura), faced her current rival (Iwatani) and a promising young worker (Hashimoto). Shirai displayed her tremendous athleticism on many occasions during this contest. Iwatani showed that she was eager to show the top dogs that she was ready to do whatever it takes to be a joshi icon in her own right in the near future, and Iwatani certainly gave a strong performance here, always adding more quality to the match through everything she did. Her performance in this match was arguably more interesting than Shirai’s, because Iwatani focused more on detail, while Shirai focused more on being flashy whenever she wasn’t selling. In fact, Iwatani was the only one who really seemed to work in a way that tried to give the impression this was a big match. Satomura was being Satomura, which meant she did some cool stuff and hit some stiff kicks. She definitely gave a good performance, but she didn’t necessarily stand out. However, her work with Iwatani were some of the best moments of the match, even though it was mostly due to Iwatani’s all-round excellence, and commitment to wrestling with intensity and urgency. Hashimoto played her role well. She showed she was an up-and-coming star and managed to come across as humble despite the fact she was clearly physically very powerful. At one point, Hashimoto hit a particularly impressive-looking released German suplex on Shirai. In the end, Shirai won this match via pinfall over Iwatani after nailing a beautiful moonsault. Hashimoto did feel like the odd one out, since the other three were such established names in joshi puroresu. Hashimoto not being able to step up and be a real threat in this match is one of the reasons why the match ended up not quite as excellent as it initially seemed it could have been. It was a very good match, but it was just missing that little bit of extra something for it to be considered excellent. ***¾  

SGPW 3/11/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Syuri vs. Meiko Satomura 14:22. They kept the pace high, and they did some interesting counter wrestling. Once they started to focus more on striking, things got even more intense, as they are both non-nonsense hard-hitting strikers. The selling was also quite good, as they sold appropriately for each other. It was a very good match, but it still felt somewhat underwhelming, as a very good match was probably the least you’d expect from a singles match between these two top names, especially since their styles mesh so well. Perhaps the way this was worked, which was basically like the expected very good match between these two, instead of the more highly recommended-type bout you’d hope to see from them, played a big role in this being ‘just’ very good. That being said, the final minutes were increasingly more heated, and the match almost turned into an excellent one. It was nice to see Syuri get the pinfall victory in the end. ***¾

SGPW 3/11/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Chihiro Hashimoto & DASH Chisako vs. Aja Kong & Hiroyo Matsumoto 19:29. The work was good, but it wasn’t as good as you’d expect from a tag match involving these four main eventers. Aja Kong was no-nonsense, as always, and whatever she did always made sense and felt like it meant something. Hashimoto never really stood out in this match. She never did anything that would take aways from the match quality, but she never lived up to expectations either. Matsumoto worked hard but not necessarily smart, as her hard work didn’t always mean an increase in match quality. Still, her enthusiasm was helpful, as always. DASH Chisako probably stood out the most, as her input almost always led to an increase in match quality in varying degrees. There was a cool spot where Hashimoto was holding onto Matsumoto while Chisako came charging at Matsumoto, only for Matsumoto to move and let Chisako inadvertently (in kayfabe) knock Hashimoto off the apron. The end of the match came after a short finishing stretch that culminated in Hashimoto pinning Matsumoto. This was obviously a good match, as these four probably couldn’t have a match that wasn’t going to be good, even if they tried. However, it wasn’t quite as good as the Syuri vs. Meiko Satomura match that preceded this tag team main event, and it wasn’t quite the very good match it initially appeared to be on paper. ***¼ 

OZ Academy 3/19/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Syuri vs. Maya Yukihi 9:11. It was interesting to see Maya Yukihi in an OZ Academy match without constant interference by stablemates. There was still the bad habit of the usage of a weapon, her whip, but she kept the usage of it to a minimum. Syuri didn’t let Yukihi’s gimmickry become a distraction, and Syuri was all business in the ring. Syuri’s ability to apply submission holds and dish out strikes proved to be quite an overwhelming experience for Yukihi. It’s unfortunate that it appeared that Yukihi felt the only way to stop Syuri’s momentum was to resort to grabbing the whip again, which seemingly was part of a coping mechanism that had turned into somewhat of an addiction. Thanks to the counseling guidance on the part of the referee, who pleaded with Yukihi to put the whip down, Yukihi started believing in herself again and even managed to face the fight again without having to fall back on the usage of her whip. Yukihi’s courage to face her fears head on was admirable, but of course, Syuri was the more experienced one and the more skilled one. It was therefore no surprise that Syuri ended up winning this match via pinfall. However, Yukihi deserves credit for her performance, and this match against a top fighter like Syuri must have been a useful experience for her. ***¼   

OZ Academy 3/19/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Hikaru Shida & Hiroyo Matsumoto & Rina Yamashita vs. Manami Katsu & Kagetsu & Sonoko Kato 21:58. This was a two-out-of-three falls match. Kagetsu and Hikaru Shida have a lot of chemistry together, so it was always interesting to see them work against each other. Hiroyo Matsumoto did well in her role of the experienced powerhouse who is somewhat of a big deal. Rina Yamashita worked hard. Manami Katsu tried her best, but it appeared she had a hard time keeping up with all the action. Sonoko Kato has been inconsistent this year, but at this stage of her career, it appears she’s best of partaking in trios matches, and here she showed some of that fighting spirit that made her so successful in the past. Kagetsu’s springboard moves were the most truly athletic moves of the match. The rest of the action was mostly based on leverage, teamwork and drama. It was a fun match overall. Kagetsu scored the pinfall over Matsumoto to win the first fall, which was significant because of Kagetsu being the #1 contender for Matsumoto’s OZ Academy Openweight Title. As soon as the second fall started, Kagetsu tried to pin Matsumoto again, but Shida realized this was an emergency situation and hit Kagetsu with the kendo stick. Pumped and energized by the adrenaline of wielding her weapon, Shida ended up hitting the other opponents with the kendo stick as well. Even though the usage of a weapon in a wrestling match should normally be somewhat controversial, in OZ Academy, a league with a history of violence, it is something that is not even frowned upon. Shida took advantage of OZ Academy’s violence-condoning philosophy and scored the pinfall over Kato. In the third fall, things were getting a bit more frantic, as everyone seemed to agree that they should now give everything they have in order to score the win for their team. With everyone now daring to take more risks, this increased the excitement of the match. In particular, Kagetsu and Shida showed why they have been two of the most reliable in-ring performers in OZ Academy during recent months. Thanks to the strong effort by all six involved, this was a very enjoyable trios match. In the end, Matsumoto pinned Kagetsu, which, in the storyline, was a nice way of Matsumoto showing Kagetsu that she was still the champ and showing she had no plans to relinquish the title. ***½  

STARDOM 3/20/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai vs. Kairi Hojo 22:38. These two had previously good matches against each other on 3/29/15 and 1/17/16. Their familiarity with each other certainly played a big role in the quality of their match here, but they ended up exceeding expectations on this day. The transitions were smooth, and the overall execution looked very good. Of course, it would probably have been an even better match if Kairi Hojo wouldn’t have her usual tendencies of being overdramatic. However, Hojo certainly can have good matches, especially against a top-notch performance like Io Shirai, who did a great job of carrying the match. Shirai’s performances really see her be super into what she is doing. Everything she did in this match looked so good: the way she moved, the way she sold and the way she hit her offense. At one point, she hit a tremendous moonsault off the fan entrance in the crowd. Once the match went back into the ring, the match went back and forth. No matter whether she was on offense or defense, Shirai’s timing was superb. There was a lot of action, and both workers worked hard. The crowd was on the edge of their seats and really into every move. There were several close near falls towards the end of the match, including Hojo kicking out after Shirai executed a beautiful moonsault. In the end, after hitting a tombstone piledriver, Shirai hit another moonsault. This particular moonsault didn’t hit the target as well as usual, but the damage had been done anyway. This was a very good match, but it wasn’t quite excellent. It would have possibly been excellent if there was more urgency shown throughout the match. ***½

JWP 3/26/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall: DASH Chisako vs. Manami Katsu 12:09. This SGPW vs. JWP match featured a strong performance by DASH Chisako, who always seemed to be one step ahead of Manami Katsu. Realizing that she wasn’t fast enough to give Chisako a run for her money in the speed department, Katsu started showing more viciousness. Chisako, who seemed to enjoy this challenge, upped her level of viciousness in this match as well. This was a good way to open the show. What made this particularly good was that both participants showed the will to keep fighting back. In the end, Chisako scored the win after a frog splash. ***¼    

JWP 3/26/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall: Chihiro Hashimoto & DASH Chisako & Mika Shirahime vs. Hanako Nakamori & Leon & Manami Katsu 15:34. This SGPW vs. JWP confrontation was the main event of the show. It would have been even more interesting if Command Bolshoi was in this match instead of Manami Katsu, but other than that, this was quite a good selection of workers for this trios main event. All six approached this battle with a lot of urgency, showing their pride for the league they represented. Manami Katsu worked hard and it was her size that made her quite useful in this match, as she needed that size against the powerful Chihiro Hashimoto. Hanako Nakamori’s kicks had a bit more force behind them than usual. Mika Shirahime showed Nakamori that she could throw kicks even better though. DASH Chisako’s explosiveness was very useful for her team. Leon’s work was good, but it seemed her tag team partners got more of the spotlight than she did. JWP champ Nakamori scored the pin over Shirahime. ***¼ 

STARDOM 3/26/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Wonder of STARDOM Title: Kairi Hojo vs. Konami 19:54. Their styles didn’t really mesh well, because Konami tried to go for a more no-nonsense type match, and Hojo focused more on drama and overacting. That being said, it was still enjoyable to see these two go at it, and they ended up having a pretty good match. Hojo avoided a Konami high kick, and Konami avoided a Hojo backfist. A bit later in the match, Konami was able to hit a high kick, which sent Hojo to the floor. Konami hit a nice sliding kick on the apron, which resulted in Hojo once again ending up on the floor. Once Hojo was done overselling on the floor, the match continued in the ring. Konami hit several kicks and went for the cover, but Hojo kicked out. Konami didn’t only focus on kicks, she also tried to make Hojo submit.Konami gave a better performance here than Hojo did, but it was Hojo who ended up retaining the title. Hojo appeared to be in a lot of trouble for the majority of the match, but she was somehow able to put Konami away. ***

Ice Ribbon 3/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto 20:00. They started right off with some brawling on the floor. This emphasized that Best Friends were not going to take it easy on each other. What really set these two apart from the majority of the joshi scene at the time (and in general) was their level of urgency. They weren’t just going to sit back and relax. They just kept taking it to each other, not giving each other an inch, knowing that the other could fight back at any given moment. The execution was excellent. The intensity and speed were high. Tsukka was particularly excellent at following up quickly with the right answer at the right time. Arisa was arguably the more vicious of the two, although Tsukka certainly showed her fair share of vicious strikes. Of all the singles matches they had against each other, this might be the one that resembled a war the most. If you would watch this match without knowing their history, you wouldn’t have a clue that these were Best Friends and great tag team partners, because that’s how much intensity they showed in this battle. This is one of those matches where you can’t keep your eye off the action, because they worked it in such an urgent manner that you want to know what is going to happen next all the time. It seemed Arisa became more vicious as the match progressed, which really made it feel like she was about to win. However, Tsukka would show her quickness, which made it plausible that she could pull off a win at any time. In the end, they went to a time limit draw. This was an excellent match! ****¼

JWP 4/2/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, JWP Openweight Title Match: Hanako Nakamori vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki 17:04. This was the final match in JWP history. They wrestled this at a deliberate pace. They tried to make every move seem impactful while slowly building towards a finishing stretch that consisted of several near falls. In the end, Nakamori retained the title and will forever be the final JWP Champion. *** 

SGPW 4/6/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Mika Shirahime vs. Konami 7:16. The work was very good, but the match was short. It was nice to see these two underrated talents wrestle each other in a good singles match though. ***

SGPW 4/6/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Meiko Satomura vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto 15:45. This wasn’t a very fancy match technically speaking, but it was definitely a very no-nonsense type bout. Both women showed their toughness and perseverance. Meiko Satomura kicked Hiroyo Matsumoto hard. Matsumoto replied with stiff chops.There were several big bombs thrown. Satomura hit the Death Valley Bomb, but Matsumoto kicked out. Matsumoto hit a running powerbomb followed by a Liger Bomb. Satomura hit a backdrop suplex and  another Death Valley Bomb. Matsumoto kicked out once again. Matsumoto scored the pinfall win after hitting a lariat. It was a good match that resembled a men’s heavyweight bout in terms of the focus on a no-nonsense approach and hard-hitting moves. *** 

SGPW 4/9/17 Sendai Miyagino Culture Center: Syuri vs. Mika Shirahime 8:11. This was an interesting match-up. These girls have similar styles, but Syuri has a lot more experience. They kept the action moving at a steady pace. Mika Shirahime was not intimidated by Syuri’s reputation, and things got really exciting towards the end with lots of countering. In the end, Syuri’s experience and resourcefulness proved to be just a bit too much to handle for Shirahime, as Syuri scored the submission victory. The only real issue with this match is the lack of duration, as it’s just an 8-minute match. It most likely would have been very good or better if it was a longer match. ***¼

STARDOM 4/9/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Goddesses of STARDOM Title: Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona vs. Io Shirai & HZK 19:35. Io Shirai took big bumps, and her offense looked crisp. It is such a pleasure watching Shirai’s matches from around this time. Her tope suicida was amazing. HZK worked hard and had been showing improvement. Matsumoto & Kyona really seemed to have become a well-oiled machine. It looks like Matsumoto is back in the tag team title business, as she is finally having a memorable run as a tag team wrestler for the first time in a while. Her power and energy really made her team look good. Kyona gave a good effort and played her role well, but she was the least impressive worker of the four. She showed good strength, but she wasn’t exactly a very refined wrestler. The match was worked at a fast pace and had a focus on action and excitement. This was a better match than the famous match where Matsumoto & Kyona won the title from BY Ho. In the end, it was the teamwork displayed by the champions that made their title defense here a successful one. ***¼

OZ Academy 4/12/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, OZ Academy Tag Title: Hikaru Shida & Syuri vs. Kaho Kobayashi & AKINO 18:07. Kaho Kobayashi’s speed and agility were unmatched in this match. AKINO would possibly have been able to match it in the days of her prime, but those days were long gone. Hikaru Shida & Syuri were not phased by Kobayashi’s ability though, as they kept their heads cool, and they seemingly had a lot of confidence that their teamwork would end up bringing them the win. Of course, Shida & Syuri have a lot of individual qualities as in-ring performers, but it was their team effort that really made them such strong tag team champions. AKINO had been a tag team champion several times in her career, and she knows what it tastes like to have tag team gold. It is this tag team expertise that helped AKINO still be quite a useful tag team partner for the young and energetic Kobayashi. When Syuri and AKINO battled each other, we got to see a lot of kicks. Kobayashi came very close to pinning Shida, and Shida came very close to pinning Kobayashi. The action became increasingly more urgent and exciting. In the end, Shida scored the pin over Kobayashi. While Shida & Syuri successfully retained their title, it feels like the story between these two tag teams is not over yet, and perhaps Kobayashi & AKINO will challenge once again another day. ***¼  

Ice Ribbon 4/22/17 Saitama Isami Wrestle Arena: Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto & Tsukushi 13:18. Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera, Azure Revolution, wore matching blue gear. Predictably, Sera was easily the least impressive worker in the match, but she didn’t take away too much from the quality, especially since Yukihi worked the majority of the match and carried the team. Yukihi certainly made a case for being one of the most improved workers of 2017. Their opponents were the two main stars of Ice Ribbon, Tsukasa Fujimoto & Tsukushi. The interactions between Tsukushi and Yukihi were quite heated, as neither wanted to back down from the other. Referee Hifumi Saito let everyone do their thing, as she didn’t get involved too much. Tsukka was impressive, as always. Tsukka’s speed and intensity were perfect ingredients for this match, which was a fun match that saw all four participants try to bring as much to the table as possible within the range of their own respective capacities. Tsukushi brought some extra heat to this blowout, but it was the wonderful mixture of flavors provided by Yukihi and Tsukka that were standing out the most. In the end, Yukihi scored the upset pin over Tsukka. ***¼ 

STARDOM 4/22/17 Hikari Shimin Center: Io Shirai & AZM & HZK vs. Mayu Iwatani & Konami & Toni Storm 14:41. Queen’s Quest leader Io Shirai was joined by AZM (formerly known as Azumi) and HZK (formerly known as Reo Hazuki). QQ’s opponents were a somewhat random trio that teamed up for the first time together. The chemistry between these six was really good, and with perhaps some more time given in a main event spot on a different day, it could have potentially been an excellent match. Konami and HZK started the match off quite well with some heated action. Toni Storm and AZM was an interesting pairing because of the size difference. Of course, the match was at its best when Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani wowed the crowd with their amazing ability. Queen’s Quest gave their opponents a triple face wash in three separate corners. We got a little bit of a preview of 5/14/17 when Shirai and Storm battled it out. Konami gave a strong showing against Shirai as well. HZK showed a lot of fire when she was battling Iwatani, and she came relatively close to beating Iwatani on a couple of occasions. There were definitely plenty of cool spots and sequences. Towards the finish, Storm hit a tope suicida on Shirai and HZK. In an ideal world, the 14 minutes this match lasted would have been the final 14 minutes of a 24-minute trios classic. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. It was basically a spotfest, which kinda made it feel like it was rushed, especially since they mixed up the pairings frequently and quickly, not really giving enough time for things to get played out as well as they could have been. The finish felt like it kinda came out of nowhere, as it felt like the match shouldn’t have been over yet. Perhaps they didn’t want to steal Kairi Hojo’s thunder, since this was Hojo’s homecoming show. Despite being such a cohesive unit, Queen’s Quest lost the match when Iwatani pinned AZM after hitting the frog splash. The match we got here was at least enjoyable enough to consider very good due to the exciting action. ***½   

STARDOM 4/30/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Cinderella Tournament Final: Mayu Iwatani vs. Toni Storm 13:01. Mayu Iwatani was determined to win this tournament, which she showed by being laser focused in this match. Her actions and reactions showed that she cared about what was going on at all times. Toni Storm is one of the best gaijin workers in STARDOM history, and she certainly had a big chance to win this tournament. Storm wasn’t the sophisticated and refined worker Iwatani was, but Storm certainly showed just about as much heart and determination as Iwatani. Storm showed a certain nervous cockiness that proved that she really cared about her performance being good. Iwatani did well during the initial moments of the match, but Storm started showing more dominance during the early parts of the middle portion of the match. Storm hit a nice tope suicida. However, Iwatani wouldn’t let Storm dominate for too long. Iwatani fought back and hit a plancha off the top rope. Just before Iwatani ascended to the top rope, she kinda slipped, but instead of just going for a second attempt right away, she took advantage of this moment and used it to show the toll this tournament had taken on her so far by selling fatigue and general damage done to her. The action quickly returned into the ring. When Storm came charging at Iwatani, Iwatani anticipated this and countered with a tremendous dragon suplex that if it wasn’t for Iwatani’s flexibility would have broken her in half by executing the move with such a snap. Storm hit a couple of headbutts and a piledriver. Storm followed up quickly with a Bull Nakano-esque guillotine leg drop off the top. This gave Storm the win. It was a good match, but it felt like the finish came slightly too early. A little bit more back-and-forth wrestling would have been nice. ***¼ 

Pure-Dream 5/4/17 Tokyo Itabashi Green Hall: Kaho Kobayashi vs. Leon 9:00. Out of the ashes of JWP would arise PURE-J, but in the stage between JWP’s death and its eventual reincarnation as PURE-J, there was an intermittent stage in which there were a few shows held under the Pure-Dream banner. For some reason, this particular match had three 3-minute rounds. This was a good match, but the rules never affected the match to the point that it was pretty much useless to have this match under anything other than regular rules. Both workers showed their impressive athletic ability. Kobayashi was the quicker of the two, but Leon was very impressive as well, especially considering Leon had been wrestling for 17 years at this point and was still one of the most impressive workers in joshi puroresu. Kaho Kobayashi executed a very impressive missile dropkick off the top rope in the first round. The match ended when the time limit expired. Kobayashi won the match based on points, as they somehow decided the score was 23-20. This score wasn’t completely unfair, since Kobyashi was indeed slightly more impressive than Leon in this match. ***

STARDOM 5/6/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Artist of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai & AZM & HZK vs. Kairi Hojo & Konami & Hiromi Mimura 14:52. The Queen’s Quest trio of Io Shirai & AZM & HZK had recently won the vacant STARDOM trios title, and this was their first title defense. Io Shirai was phenomenal. Her moves looked great and she was one of the reasons the pace was kept high. Shirai was very good at putting over the desperation in not being able to put away the opposition. AZM (pronounced as: A-zu-mi) continued to impress, especially considering she was only 14 years old at the time. HZK (pronounced as: Ha-zu-ki) was good in her supporting role for Shirai’s lead role, trying to finish what Shirai started. Hiromi Mimura was only the #15 joshi rookie of the year in 2016, and she was a relatively old rookie (especially for joshi standards) at 29. However, she worked hard in this match and gave one of her best performances. Because she hadn’t really been given much of a standout role in STARDOM, she was particularly convincing in portraying the underdog challenger. Kairi Hojo didn’t necessarily stand out in this match, but she did what she had to do and did it well enough. Konami was starting to get more used to being in STARDOM, and her interactions with the STARDOM workers were definitely getting smoother. She continued to bring an interesting dynamic to the matches she was involved in because of her style being different from most STARDOM workers, yet she was able to blend in nicely with the flow of the match. There was a lot of action, and considering this was “only” a Shinkiba show, the effort given here resulted in the fans certainly getting their money’s worth. The challengers were in so much trouble that it really seemed the end result would be a successful title defense by the champions. However, the final minutes saw the challengers hang in there. After absorbing a lot of punishment, they eventually scored the win, which could be considered a mild upset for sure. Mimura scored the pin over AZM for the win. The Queen’s Quest girls were shocked and started protesting in the referee’s face. However, the decision was final. Hojo and Konami were smiling politely and acted like it was just another win for them, while Mimura was visibly getting emotional as a result of this victory. ***½ 

TJPW 5/14/17 Kasukabe Fureai Cube: Shoko Nakajima & Yuu vs. Yuka Sakazaki & Reika Saiki 15:19. Yuu focused on power and mat wrestling. Shoko Nakajima followed her resourceful instincts to play her part in the match successfully. Yuka Sakazaki was the most lively and energetic performer, but sometimes that led to her not appearing to be as focused as the other three. Reika Saiki continued to show why she was one of the most promising workers on the TJPW roster due to her enthusiasm and athleticism. While the effort was high, as they clearly tried to put on a good performance, it all just felt rather random. There were no real outstanding sequences that would make someone still remember this match by the end of the year. That being said, what they did in this match was mostly quite good. ***

STARDOM 5/14/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Wonder of STARDOM Title: Kairi Hojo vs. Mayu Iwatani 19:44. This was Kairi Hojo’s final Korakuen Hall show until her puroresu return in 2022. They went for a slow start in trying to put it over as a big battle, but by doing so, it felt the beginning was a bit contrived. There were some good sequences and a plancha off the top rope to the floor onto Hojo by Mayu Iwatani. Then they had the seemingly mandatory brawl in the crowd segment, just to further emphasize that this was a big match, in case there were still some who doubted it. Hojo leaped off the fan entrance onto Iwatani with an elbow smash. Once the action was back in the ring, the action continued its slow plodding pace, for joshi standards at least. Iwatani worked over Hojo’s right arm by kicking it and stomping on it. Iwatani hit an Ayumi Kurihara-style dropkick when Hojo was down against the ropes. Iwatani hit a superkick that had Hojo wobbling on her feet until she hit a spinning backfist that had Iwatani wobbling. Then they both hit each other with a relatively weak-looking slap that somehow sent both down on the mat for several seconds. Once back up, they traded elbows. A bit later on, Iwatani hit a double footstomp off the top rope onto Hojo’s right arm. The action started going back and forth, and the pace increased. Neither worker could really get the upper hand for long. Despite Iwatani having done all that damage to Hojo’s right arm, Hojo hit her flying elbow. Hojo went for another one, but this time, Iwatani got her feet up. Iwatani hit a frog splash and hit a dragon suplex. Hojo kicked out at the two count. Hojo hit elbow smashes, and Iwatani hit a superkick. Iwatani then hit a modified dragon suplex for the pinfall win. Iwatani had become the new holder of STARDOM’s White Belt. This was a pretty good match overall. ***

SEAdLINNNG 5/24/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto 15:26. The work shown in this match was very good overall. Arisa Nakajima was quite a bit quicker than Hiroyo Matsumoto, who relied more on her power and size. Both participants definitely gave a good effort. Of course, despite being a pretty good singles wrestler, Matsumoto really is mostly a tag team expert. Arisa not only worked hard, she also showed very good precision and timing. The final minutes were particularly good because of the way they were able to build up the drama. Despite Arisa’s effort, Matsumoto was able to win the match via a well-executed backdrop suplex. ***½   

Ice Ribbon 5/28/17 Tokyo KFC Hall: Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Kyuri & Maika Ozaki 17:06. Kyuri & Maika Ozaki knew they were major underdogs here, so they double teamed Arisa Nakajima as soon as the match started. However, they made a big mistake when they took a few seconds to pose, as this gave Arisa the opportunity to beat both of them up, since she’s not the type to appreciate posers. Best Friends dominated Kyuri, who didn’t stand a chance. When Ozaki was tagged in, she used her size and freshness to temporarily shake things up a bit. It didn’t take Tsukasa Fujimoto long to get Best Friends back in control though. A bit later in the match, Ozaki showed her tremendous strength by being able to carry the combined weight of both members of Best Friends on her shoulders. Kyuri briefly got some offense in against Tsukka. For a few brief moments, Kyuri and Ozaki had finally found that confidence they initially had in the first few seconds of the match. Best Friends didn’t let Kyuri and Ozaki live in this illusory state for too long though, as they soon were back in the driver’s seat. It was quite an impressive performance by Arisa & Tsukka, as they turned this into a pretty good match overall, as they gave their opposition some moments to shine whenever the time was right for it. This was a fun match, especially since it’s pretty much always fun to watch Best Friends in action. Even though it first seemed this was a somewhat pointless match, Best Friends turned it into a worthwhile match. This was quite a feat, especially considering Kyuri and especially Ozaki aren’t usually expected to be in matches that are worthwhile. In the end, Tsukka scored the expected win for her team when she pinned Kyuri. *** 

OZ Academy 5/28/17 Tokyo KFC Hall: Hikaru Shida vs. Kaho Kobayashi 20:00. After a solid start by Kaho Kobayashi, it was Hikaru Shida who started dominating most of the early parts of the match. Shida was visibly enjoying the punishment she was dishing out. Kobayashi would occasionally be able to do something back, but Shida ended up taking control again. Shida’s smile almost seemed to turn into a sadistic smile as she continued the onslaught. About halfway into the match, Kobayashi started showing more desperation in her attempts to stop Shida’s momentum. However, Shida was surprisingly relentless and kept giving Kobayashi quite a beating. Shida executed three vicious backbreakers in a row. Somehow, Kobayashi was able to muster the strength to continue. Finally, Kobayashi was able to hit her dropkicks off the top rope. This really changed things around in this match. Kobayashi’s performance really put over that despite receiving a beating, she always believed that she would survive and eventually overcome Shida’s attack. Towards the end of the match, Shida did a good job of putting over that her outlook had changed from confident and sadistic to frustrated and desperate. While this match was enjoyable to watch from start to finish, the main issue with this match is that the final back-and-forth section was way too short to offset the incredibly long Shida control portion of the match. Still, the work was good enough to consider this a very good match overall. ***½ 

STARDOM 6/4/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Artist of STARDOM Title: Konami & Kairi Hojo & Hiromi Mimura vs. Io Shirai & AZM & HZK 15:20. This was Kairi Hojo’s final show in STARDOM until her return to the puroresu scene in 2022. Hojo was about to embark on a sports-entertainment adventure. Her trio of the Chibis (which roughly translates as the ‘small cuties’) defended their trios titles. The match started off with Hojo battling it out with the promising young worker AZM, who would arguably be the best joshi worker in the world by the time Hojo returned in the year ‘22. Io Shirai’s Queen Quest worked together as a cohesive unit, which helped them get the upper hand in this match pretty quickly. Shirai did a good job of trying to show a bit more attitude in order to make Hojo look more sympathetic. At some point, Shirai dropkicked Hojo off the apron onto the rampway, just to mess with Hojo. Later in the match, Hojo got some revenge by elbow smashing Shirai off the apron to the floor. Konami gave a solid performance, and she was a solid hand for Hojo, who was the leader of her team and also the main focus of the match because of this being her farewell show. Shirai hit Hojo with a bridging German suplex, but Hojo couldn’t kick out, and Shirai had to randomly release the move in order to not score the win, which kinda looked bad. HZK gave a solid performance and rounded out the team quite well. AZM worked hard and was quite impressive, especially for her young age. She was probably the one who gave the strongest effort out of all six in this match. It was nice to see her score the win over Mimura to regain the trios title. It was a fun match, but things didn’t always flow very well. Execution sometimes appeared to be off due to sequences getting rushed. Those are probably the main reasons that this match was only pretty good and not very good. Shirai’s beautiful Asai moonsault was the biggest highlight of the match, but AZM was the worker who shone the brightest that day, as her performance exceeded expectations the most out of all six participants. ***

TJPW 6/4/17 Tokyo Shinjuku Face: Shoko Nakajima vs. Reika Saiki 10:32. These two are two of the most enjoyable wrestlers to watch in TJPW history. Shoko Nakajima seems to always try different things. She’s the opposite of a formula wrestler. Her playful enthusiasm and resourcefulness make her such a joy to watch. Whenever she shows up, it’s hard not to smile. Shoko was in control for a big chunk of the first half of the match, but Reika Saiki finally was able to turn things around. Reika hit a beautiful missile dropkick. A bit later on in the match, there was a cool sequence that had Reika block Shoko’s 619 attempt, and Reika kicked Shoko in the face. Reika’s athletic body and sense of accuracy certainly helps her hit her moves with a lot of intensity and finesse. For a minute, it looked like Reika was going to win this bout, but Shoko was able to score the pinfall victory via a northern lights suplex. The work was more high-end than what we normally get to see in TJPW, which made this match more memorable than most other TJPW matches. ***½ 

Ice Ribbon 6/10/17 Hakodate City Kameda Welfare Center: Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maruko Nagasaki & Maya Yukihi 15:24. Best Friends gave Maruko Nagasaki a rough time, as they showed no mercy for the youngster. A good old fashioned beating by one of the greatest tag teams in joshi puroresu history was probably exactly what Nagasaki needed for her own progress as a worker. It seemed that Tsukasa Fujimoto was more vicious whenever Arisa Nakajima was around that year, as we hadn’t seen this level of stiffness from Tsukka since the excellent 3/26/17 singles match between Arisa and Tsukka. Nagasaki was eventually able to make the tag to the fresh Maya Yukihi, who was eager to show her stuff against Best Friends. Yukihi showed that she was definitely willing to work hard and try to improve. She always showed lots of potential, basically from the start, but she has been improving at a relatively modest pace. That being said, this match was significantly better whenever Yukihi was in the ring, as she was quite a bit more advanced as a worker compared to her tag team partner Nagasaki. Unlike Nagasaki, who sold well and did a nice job in the underdog role, Yukihi got quite a decent amount of good-looking offense in against Best Friends. When Nagasaki was tagged back in, Best Friends had lots of fun showing some of their stuff. Things got surprisingly exciting near the end, as Nagasaki almost scored an upset pin over Tsukka. In the end, the match ended with the expected Best Friends win when Tsukka pinned Nagasaki with the Japanese Ocean Cyclone suplex. This was a very good match with very good execution, but it wasn’t super competitive, mainly because of Nagasaki’s relatively low rank in the Ice Ribbon hierarchy. Still, this was one of the more seriously worked matches that also is worth recommending of the Ice Ribbon matches from the first half of this year. And what made the match work so well was the strong effort given by all four participants. ***½ 

STARDOM 6/11/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING: Io Shirai vs. HZK 13:33. This was the main event of this Shinkiba show, and it was quite a good match between two stablemates. Io Shirai was, of course, the leader of Queen’s Quest, and HZK wanted to show what she could do against Shirai, who basically was in grumpy veteran mode so that she could teach HZK a wrestling lesson. As usual, Shirai was very impressive, especially considering she was working with a neck that had been injured less than a month prior. Shirai showed viciousness and explosiveness with every move. When HZK came off the ropes, Shirai hit a tremendous dropkick that had a lot of force behind it. Shirai’s tope suicida looked amazing as well. HZK hit a plancha off the top rope to the floor onto Shirai. HZK had Shirai stuck in the crippler crossface, but Shirai reached the ropes. HZK executed a Michinoku driver on the apron. After dragging Shirai in the ring, HZK hit a senton off the top. HZK made quite an impression against the World of STARDOM Champion. Even though this was a non-title match, this felt like an important opportunity for HZK to prove herself. Both workers showed quite a lot of urgency. Shirai almost pinned HZK via a bridging German suplex. Shirai went for the moonsault, but HZK pulled her away. HZK then went for a Kairi Hojo-esque flying elbow off the top rope, which didn’t do too much damage to Shirai. In the end, Shirai was able to hit the moonsault after nailing HZK with a tombstone piledriver to score the pinfall. Shirai showed once again that 2017 was a year in which she was a truly great worker, and HZK showed that she had come a long way and was better than ever before. However, it’s a shame that their 9/18/17 and 12/24/17 matches in their trilogy weren’t quite as good as this one, as they were both merely decent. In this first match, Shirai’s great effort helped carry HZK to this exceptionally good match. However, in the second and especially in the third match of the trilogy, Shirai gave HZK more space to show her stuff, which resulted in making it clear for all to see that HZK wasn’t quite ready yet to have good singles matches on a regular basis, even when she was in there with the best in the world. ***¼ 

Fortune Dream 6/14/17: Meiko Satomura & Mika Shirahime vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Konami 11:40. Fortune Dream is a series of events produced by Kenta Kobashi, and on this show there was a good joshi puroresu match. The way Konami and Mika Shirahime locked up and then started hitting each other was a good start of the match, because it showed that intensity and quality execution were going to be two of the most enjoyable features of this match. Hiroyo Matsumoto focused more on being a standard powerhouse, but she’s a tag team specialist, so she managed to be quite useful anyway. Meiko Satomura’s kicks were very good, as always, but overall, she gave merely a pretty good showing, as she didn’t go out of her way to go the extra mile in this somewhat random match. Konami, on the other hand, was quite fired up and gave a strong showing. ***¼ 

STARDOM 6/21/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani 27:52. The last two times these two wrestled each other in singles action, they produced the two best joshi puroresu matches of the year 2016 (5/16/16 and 12/22/16, ****¾ and ****½ respectively), which were both successful World of STARDOM Title defenses by Io Shirai. Shirai had been on a roll, and this was in fact her 15th title defense during this title reign, her second reign as World of STARDOM Champion. Things were changing in STARDOM, as Kairi Hojo had recently left. As an in-ring performer, Hojo has always been vastly overrated, but she was one of the top stars in STARDOM, and her leaving the company certainly shook things up a bit in the top ranks. This meant it was the perfect moment for Mayu Iwatani to prove she was ready to shine as the brightest star in STARDOM. The only problem was, Iwatani had only been able to defeat Shirai once, and that was a Cinderella tournament match that allowed a win to occur via over-the-top-rope elimination, which is exactly what happened on 4/23/15. This means Iwatani had never been able to get a pinfall or submission win over Shirai in a singles match, and that made her the clear underdog in this match. This wasn’t going to stop Iwatani from trying, of course, especially since she gave Shirai a run for her money in their two great battles in 2016. In this 6/21/17 match, Shirai started off with a lot of confidence. They worked some beautiful sequences that emphasized Shirai’s tremendous athleticism. Shirai showed no signs of stepping down as the best in-ring worker in joshi puroresu. However, Iwatani was determined to at least take away the title Shirai was so proud of. These two had two great matches before, so there was no reason for them to not have a great match here. The battle spilled to the floor, and Shirai hit a German suplex on the floor. After the action returned into the ring, Shirai hit a dropkick off the second rope with great authority that sent Iwatani back to the floor. Shirai then hit a tremendous tope suicida. Shirai’s tope suicidas are so amazing because she just launches herself with such ferocity onto her opponent. This sort of excellence of execution is where these two excel, as they just perform the moves that much better than almost anyone else. Iwatani showed that she could also fly, as she leaped off the fan entrance with a diving body press. Io made it back into the ring just on time, and Iwatani immediately welcomed her back into the ring with an Ayumi Kurihara-style dropkick while Shirai was trying to catch her breath near the bottom rope. Iwatani went for a Dragon suplex, but, like a cat, Shirai seems to always be able to land on her feet. Shirai got a near fall when she hit a bridging German suplex. Iwatani hit a dropkick off the top rope. Shirai took a rough landing on her neck when Iwatani came off the top rope with a double footstomp while Shirai was hanging upside down in the tree of woe. Shirai took another nasty bump when Iwatani hit a Dragon suplex on the apron. Iwatani went for a La Fiera-esque frog splash, but Shirai moved out of the way. Iwatani hit a Dragon suplex, and Shirai used all her strength to kick out. The way she kicked out showed that she was now just barely hanging in there with the challenger, emphasizing that Iwatani’s victory was something that could really happen. Shirai put Iwatani in a half Boston crab, seemingly just to get Iwatani to stay down for a while. Shirai showed great desperation, but she also showed she wasn’t planning on leaving this building without the belt. Determined to do whatever it takes to retain the belt, Shirai hit a flying elbow off the top rope onto Iwatani’s back and then executed a Texas cloverleaf. Shirai executed the move like her intention was to break Iwatani’s back. Since Iwatani’s body was so flexible, the move didn’t have the impact Shirai intended, so Shirai went back to what she knew could get the job done at any time, the bridging German suplex. Iwatani managed to kick out just barely. Shaken up from Shirai’s devastating offense, Iwatani grabbed onto Shirai’s legs to try to slow the determined Shirai down. Shirai had enough and hit Iwatani with the Dragon suplex, one of Iwatani’s main moves. Iwatani managed to avoid embarrassment, as she kicked out, just in the nick of time. There was one move Shirai hadn’t gone for, and she was about to hit it next. This was a fabulously executed moonsault that not only looked extremely graceful, but it also looked like it had tremendous impact. The relentless Shirai tried to go for a tombstone piledriver, but she managed to avoid it, and hit Shirai with a tombstone piledriver of her own. Iwatani’s face showed a sign of relief, as she went for the Dragon suplex. Shirai was somehow able to kick out. Shirai kicked out in a way that almost seemed like the autopilot of her body-mind mechanism had taken over, as she was selling like she was now barely able to continue. Iwatani’s facials went from a look of relief to now a look of disbelief, which really helped add more to the drama of the final minutes. Iwatani knew she couldn’t spend much time hesitating or worrying about anything, and she quickly went back into full concentration mode. Iwatani hit a modified lifting Dragon suplex into a bridging pinning combination. This time, it was really the end of this battle, as Shirai was not able to kick out. A proud Rossy Ogawa, who had always believed in Iwatani from day one, walked over to Iwatani to give her the Red Belt. Iwatani had a big smile on her face, which was a smile that showed joy and gratefulness at the same time. It was a great moment that Iwatani had worked hard for. It was not only the culmination of a beautiful story of a wrestler fighting hard to make it to the top, but it is also part of Iwatani’s life story, as she had been suffering from a great deal of anxiety and depression before joining STARDOM, and in a way, the way she had been challenging herself to get better and better as a wrestler mirrors the story of her dealing with her traumatic life experiences before joining STARDOM. Over six years prior, Iwatani took a big and courageous step forward in her life, and as she showed the will to work on herself and improve her life, she joined STARDOM. It’s great to see that it helped Iwatani in getting a grip on her mental health situation, but it is obviously also great for wrestling fans, because Iwatani turned out to be a great wrestler. The execution was superb throughout this match. There was maybe one spot that wasn’t perfectly executed, but nothing that came close to having an impact on match quality, and even if that would have been the case, then it would have obviously been forgiven, since this was such a high-quality match overall. Both workers showed a lot of intensity, and what they did particularly well was how they really put this over as a heated battle. They weren’t just going from highspot to highspot, as they showed a lot of intensity in between the big moves as well. They would try to rough each other up with some strikes before hitting a big suplex. This was an excellent match with excellent in-ring work, but it wasn’t just what they did that made it excellent, it was also the way they did things. They treated each other like two great competitors who knew what the other was capable of, showing viciousness and great respect at the same time. They really managed to make this match come across as an important contest between two of the best in the world. This was a huge victory for Iwatani, easily the biggest win of her career, which rightfully propelled her status to that of someone who was viewed as being of great importance to the company. The main issue with the match is that it didn’t have nearly as much action as their previous two matches, and it was also quite a bit slower than their two great matches. This is why as a match overall, it was ‘merely’ excellent and not truly great. The post-match interviews given by Iwatani and Shirai were great, as the words that were spoken and the emotion displayed further emphasized that this was a great battle between two great warriors. Shirai’s second reign as STARDOM Red Belt Champ had come to an end, but what a reign it was. Inaugural World of STARDOM Champion Nanae Takahashi had a longer title reign, but she defended her title far less often than Shirai did (only seven successful title defenses spread out over 602 days), and certainly not with anywhere near the level of skill. This means that Shirai’s 546-day title reign with 14 successful title defenses has to be considered the most impressive title reign in STARDOM history, especially if we also take match quality into account. Even to this day, nobody else in history has been able to successfully defend the World of STARDOM Title 14 times in a row. ****¼

OZ Academy 6/25/17 Yokohama Osanbashi Hall, OZ Academy Tag Title: Hikaru Shida & Syuri vs. Kaho Kobayashi & AKINO 18:29. There was still some animosity between Hikaru Shida and Kaho Kobayashi from their 5/28/17 match, which was a match that had gone to a draw, so they really emphasized from the start that they still had a score to settle. AKINO didn’t show the energy and excitement that Kobayashi did, but AKINO was a solid and experienced tag team wrestler who would be there to back Kobyashi up when needed. Syuri was a solid tag team partner for Shida, and Syuri showed some good moves, but it felt like this match was more Shida’s match. And this match was particularly about Shida vs. Kobayashi. Syuri and AKINO traded some kicks and elbow smashes when they faced off. Shida & Syuri showed the cohesiveness you’d expect from a dominating tag team championship team. As the match progressed, AKINO and Syuri started contributing more to the match, and this match became more interesting, as it had turned into a back-and-forth match with all four workers giving a very good showing. After Syuri had taken Kobyashi down with a high kick, AKINO came over to check on Kobyashi, but Shida then used Kobyashi’s back to leap off of and hit AKINO with a jumping knee. Things were looking good for Shida & Syuri, but the match ended when Kobayashi managed to score the surprise pin over Syuri. Kobayashi & AKINO had become the new tag team champions! ***½   

STARDOM 7/2/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING: AZM & HZK vs. Jungle Kyona & Natsuko Tora 12:42. All four workers showed a lot of passion. AZM & HZK showed particularly good teamwork. Natsuko Tora worked hard and gave what was probably her strongest performance that year. She was quite good in her role here as secondary member of her team and lowest ranked wrestler in this match (both in kayfabe and reality). The match kept going at a good pace, and there was plenty of well-executed action. HZK gave Tora the Otani face wash in the corner. AZM & HZK had a good strategy going, as they kept Tora in the ring as much as possible, since Jungle Kyona was a powerful opponent they were trying to avoid. Kyona ended up cleaning house when she was tagged in. HZK hit a surprise DDT on Kyona, which stopped Kyona’s momentum. Things got quite intense near the finish. AZM & HZK appeared to come close to victory. Tora and HZK gave each other a heated slap in the face. The match came to an end when Kyona’s size advantage proved to be too much for young AZM, as Kyona nailed AZM with a lariat that got her the pinfall win. This was a good match, and it was lots of fun to watch, particularly because these four workers were clearly enjoying what they were doing and they managed to slightly exceed expectations. ***

SEAdLINNNG 7/14/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Nanae Takahashi & Sareee vs. Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto 18:47. Best Friends attacked Nanae Takahashi while she was still being introduced by the ring announcer. Best Friends continued this display of urgency for quite a bit, which really helped make the early portion of the match worthwhile. Best Friends did a very good job of trying to get Sareee to fight back harder. When Nanae was in the ring, things slowed down a bit, because Nanae kinda wanted things to go her way. Also, whenever Nanae was in the ring, it felt like she wanted the spotlight to be on her. At some point, Best Friends were bumping around like they were heels on WCW TV bumping for an overrated stiff. When Sareee was in the ring, things were flowing more organically, as Sareee simply provided what the situation called for without too much fanfare. Tsukasa Fujimoto hit a really nice dropkick off the top rope on Nanae. Later in the match, Arisa Nakajima hit quite a nice top-rope dropkick as well. Best Friends managed to increase the pace and workrate as the match progressed. Arisa worked some particularly good sequences with Sareee towards the end of the match. Sareee, who clearly was one of the most improved workers of the year, deserves credit for her performance. Arisa & Tsukka were the stars of this match. Overall, this was mostly a good match thanks to Best Friends being a superb tag team in every aspect of the game. ***¼

OZ Academy 7/16/17 Osaka Minato Kumin Center: Aja Kong vs. Hikaru Shida 15:51. Aja Kong’s early dominance was clearly due to her size advantage. What Aja did so well was really sell the idea that she was a powerful force that isn’t quite like anyone or anything else anyone could ever face. She did this by remaining in control in a very stern and decisive manner, yet she let Shida fight back from time to time in a very subtle way, just enough to really help tell the story that Shida, despite facing an uphill battle, wasn’t going to back down. Aja was like the strict master who would keep it simple, not out of laziness, but in a way to challenge the opponent to fight back harder and try to come up with ways to give Aja a run for her money. It wasn’t just Aja’s work that stood out, since one of the reasons this match was so good was because of Shida's talent to really enhance the performance aspect of the matches. Shida’s ability to weave in her selling skills with the overall flow and story of the match helped make this an intriguing match. At some point, Shida hit Aja with the kendo stick, but it didn’t feel like a random act of violence, it really felt like she was doing this as a result of feeling it was the right thing to do in order to prolong her chances to survive the circumstances she was facing. A bit later in the match, Shida wasn’t just trying to survive anymore, she was now also trying to create chances to try to beat Aja. Shida almost pinned Aja after a missile dropkick. Towards the end of the match, things had escalated to the point that Shida would do whatever it took to win this match, which included the usage of the kendo stick in a more aggressive and desperate manner than before. Aja was now like a wounded grizzly bear, trying to take revenge, and she managed to hit Shida with the spinning backfist just before both weren’t able to stand up anymore. The match ended in a double KO. It was a very good match with solid psychology and storytelling. The execution was excellent. It’s a shame we didn’t get an actual winner, but at least that will help us look forward to another meeting between these two even more. ***½    

PURE-J 8/11/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Command Bolshoi vs. Konami 7:21. This was the first PURE-J match ever. If this match was indication of what PURE-J was going to be all about, it was definitely a good sign. As this was a match that focused on skill, it was a good way to start off the successor league (PURE-J) of a league that had been one of the best leagues in the world (JWP). While Konami usually felt out of place in STARDOM, as she was stylistically so different from pretty much everyone else there, here in this PURE-J match against Command Bolshoi, she seemed to fit right in. There was certainly some intriguing matwork between Bolshoi and Konami. However, it’s a shame that this match was only seven minutes long. All matches on this card were in the 7- to 11-minute range, so it wasn’t only this match that was short, as it seemed short matches was the theme of this entire show. The work was very good, but due to the short length, they weren’t really able to turn this match into a teaser of what could have been a very good match. In the end, this was still a pretty good match overall in spite of the short length. *** 

PURE-J 8/11/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Leon vs. Mariko Yoshida 8:42. Leon started this match off strong until Mariko Yoshida got warmed up and was able to counter Leon’s offense. Yoshida hadn’t been active as a regular in-ring performer for several years, but even a slightly rusty Yoshida is better than most workers anyway. It was nice to see Yoshida in action on a more regular basis. In 2017, she was the most active she had been as an in-ring performer since 2008. Leon almost pinned Yoshida via a frog splash, but Yoshida kicked out. Yoshida almost pinned Leon after an Air Raid Crash, but Leon kicked out. Yoshida almost made Leon submit on at least a couple of occasions. In the end, Leon scored a pinfall win over her legendary trainer. This was a nice feather in Leon’s cap, as Leon is one of the joshi workers that doesn’t always get the credit she deserves. This victory also felt deserved because of Leon still being an active full-time in-ring worker, while Yoshida’s run in 2017 was more like a final run of a semi-retired legend. Overall, this match was more interesting than very good. It was certainly pretty good, and the action was quite good, but it felt rushed and probably would have benefited from a few more minutes of match time. *** 

PURE-J 8/11/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Meiko Satomura vs. Hanako Nakamori 10:48. Hanako Nakamori worked hard, as she probably felt this was quite a big match, since this was the first main event of this new league. This had been quite a good show overall, and this main event was a good one. Meiko Satomura provided the stiffness and no-nonsense attitude that helped emphasize her as the tough top-notch opponent that she is. Hanako showed a lot of fighting spirit, so much so that it seemed very plausible that she was going to be able to defeat Satomura here in this main event. However, in the end, it was Satomura who scored the pinfall victory after all. ***¼   

WAVE 8/12/17 Tokyo Ota-ku Taiikukan: Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami 12:31. Best Friends to the rescue. WAVE didn’t have too many memorable moments in 2017, but this match was a very good one, thanks to the hard work by Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto. It was nice to see Misaki Ohata give more of an effort, reminiscent of her work from previous years, thanks to Best Friends’ encouragement to step things up a notch. Ryo Mizunami didn’t get in the way too much, which was also a plus. Best Friends were so good at making this match seem important. This was easily the best WAVE match of 2017. ***¾   

STARDOM 8/13/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu 18:33. This was Mayu Iwatani’s second title defense. Her first title defense was against Yoko Bito on 7/16/17. Kagetsu focused a bit too much on being heelish early in the match. There was a cool spot where Kagetsu went for a springboard move, but Iwatani dropkicked her to the floor. Iwatani followed this up with a plancha. The interference by Kagetsu’s Oedo Tai cronies got quite annoying, especially since it started happening more frequently than needed. If it happened only once, it would have been more tolerable. Iwatani worked hard, but this match was obviously never going to reach the level of her great title win against Io Shirai. There was a pretty brutal spot where Kagetsu was hanging Iwatani from above the fan entrance and then let her drop. Iwatani then took a stairs bump down to the ringside area. Iwatani showed that she was super tough, but all this punishment she took was unnecessary and certainly not wise, since it had nothing to do with good in-ring action and would only appease the most barbaric fans. Iwatani executed a super huracarrana and a top-rope dropkick. Iwatani was clearly out there to steal the show, and this match was easily the best of the show, so she definitely succeeded. Referee Daichi Murayama counted to three when Iwatani had Kagetsu pinned with a dragon suplex, but Murayama then decided it was just a 2-count. Murayama then let himself get distracted by Oedo Tai member Kris Wolf. This gave Oedo Tai member Hana Kimura the opportunity to hit Iwatani with a dropkick off the top rope. Kagetsu once again had a chance of winning this because of all the cheating going on. Kagetsu went for a 450 splash, but Iwatani got her feet up. Iwatani went for a dragon suplex, but Kagetsu landed on her feet. In the end, Iwatani scored the pin via her modified dragon suplex. This was a very good match, and it was one of the best matches of STARDOM during the year 2017. ***½   

STARDOM 8/20/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, 5STAR GP Blue Block: Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm 15:00. It started off quite hot, but then it kinda slowed down. Things started picking up a bit at the 5-minute mark when Io Shirai started getting some good offense in. The tempo of the match kept changing due to some extra time spent by Storm working over Io’s neck. Of course, Io’s neck was hurt in their previous match, so the neck work was quite logical and useful in the storytelling here. The last five minutes or so were quite good, and it was a pretty good match overall, but this was slightly disappointing when you consider they probably could have had a better match. At least it was better than their 5/14/17 match, which was a stretched out 30-minute draw in which Io injured her neck, and turned out to be only a decent match. This 5STAR GP match ended when the 15-minute time limit expired. It’s a shame the draw didn’t come during a bit more heated action. The work was quite good throughout the match for sure though. ***  

OZ Academy 8/20/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, OZ Academy Openweight Title: Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Hikaru Shida 25:49. This was a good match, but early on, it was basically the standard main event type match, which kinda made it feel a bit contrived. However, thanks to Shida, who was the more inspired worker of the two, things really picked up during the second half of the match. Matsumoto wasn’t very interesting whenever she wasn’t doing the powerhouse stuff she enjoys doing so much. Shida’s performance was what kept things interesting, as she really put over quite well her hunger to win this title. Shida even executed a poison rana. Matsumoto executed a Liger bomb off the second rope quite well. Shida kept pushing harder, and the near falls ended up being quite exciting. Despite Shida’s hard work and effort, Matsumoto won the match via pinfall after a backdrop suplex. ***¼    

TJPW 8/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Meiko Satomura vs. Miyu Yamashita 10:47. Miyu Yamashita showed that she wanted to face Meiko Satomura head on by starting off quite aggressively. Satomura wanted to show that she was the bigger name of the two and quickly took the wind out of Yamashita’s sails. Yamashita wouldn’t just let Satomura bully her around though, and Yamashita became even more aggressive than she was earlier, even to the point where she was losing her cool and throwing the ref around. Yamashita fought hard, and it was actually Yamashita’s effort that made this match memorable. Satomura gave a good performance too, but she didn’t go the extra mile, and the way she wrestled made it seem like she felt Yamashita had to prove herself and that she didn’t really have to give a similar effort herself. In the end, Satomura won the match by submission. It was a good match that didn’t have any real downtime, and it felt like a lot more of a heated battle than we’re used to seeing in TJPW. Satomura was definitely a good opponent for Yamashita to really get to show the type of match she could be having when in there with someone with a somewhat similar style. ***¼   

TJPW 8/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Princess of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki vs Reika Saiki 14:13. They showed urgency from the start. Yuka Sakazaki showed some of her unique offense, and she made it work within the context of a competitive match. Reika Saiki’s selling was particularly good, because it helped put over Sakazaki’s offense, while at the same time also making the neutral (or biased) viewer hope she’ll be able to overcome the punishment. And she did all of this without exaggerating. When Saiki was on offense, she would focus on intensity and power. Sakazaki tried to interrupt Saiki’s momentum, and Sakazaki had to really dig deep to get the match under control. There are times when Saiki’s inexperience shows, but there are so many more times where her excellent talent shines through. It was very nice to see that Sakazaki understood this match required a more serious approach from her than her naturally playful self would normally want to go for. Saiki hit a beautiful missile dropkick, but this wasn’t the end, as the action would continue going back-and-forth. The pace of the match was relatively high, and it was worked with a good amount of urgency. There wasn’t any stalling, and they both gave the impression that they wanted to win this title bout. Saiki went for the jackhammer, which was the move she had beaten Sakazaki with to win the Tokyo Princess Cup final against Sakazaki on 7/30/17 (which was a decent match that wasn’t quite as good as this 8/26/17 match), but Sakazaki managed to avoid getting beaten… for now. Sakazaki went for the magical splash, but Saiki rolled out of the way. Saiki hit the shining wizard, which she then followed up with the jackhammer for the win. Saiki’s hard work had paid off, as she won this match, which was a very good match and one of the best TJPW matches of 2017. ***¾ 

STARDOM 9/2/17 Yokohama Radiant Hall, 5STAR GP Blue Block: Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray 11:54. What set this match apart from the other matches in the so-called 5STAR Grand Prix tournament was that a lot more intensity and urgency was shown here. In this match, these two wrestled this match like it was a match that actually mattered. It’s nice that this match got more than ten minutes, since most 5STAR GP matches got less than ten minutes. Around the 5-minute mark, Io Shirai hit a beautiful Asai moonsault. Shirai threw Kay Lee Ray back into the ring and hit a springboard dropkick while making her way back into the ring herself. KLR went for a kick, but Shirai moved out of the way, which caused KLR to get tangled up in the ropes. Shirai dropkicked KLR’s right leg, and then continued to work over the leg by applying a figure-four leglock. Shirai went for a moonsault, but KLR interrupted Shirai's climb to the top. KLR went for a Gori bomb, but Shirai countered it into a sunset bomb. Shirai then executed a lifting German suplex into a bridging pinning combination, but KLR kicked out. Shirai went for her moonsault, but KLR got her right leg up. While this stopped Shirai in her tracks, it also did further damage to KLR’s right leg. KLR went for a swanton, but Shirai avoided it and applied a Texas cloverleaf for the submission victory. The well-executed action and storytelling made this a match that was fun to watch and the first memorable match of this year’s 5STAR GP. ***¼  

STARDOM 9/18/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, 5STAR GP Red Block: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu 12:18. This was the most memorable match in the Red Stars Block portion of the 3STAR err 5STAR tournament. Oedo Tai made their big entrance. Mayu Iwatani didn’t get a chance to make her full entrance, as Oedo Tai leader Kagetsu immediately came running towards Iwatani as soon as she came through the curtain. In a brutal spot, Kagetsu and other Oedo Tai members pushed the huge steel entrance stand on top of Iwatani. Kagetsu then wanted to end things quickly, and went for the 450 splash, but Iwatani moved out of the way. Kagetsu executed a dragon suplex, but Iwatani kicked out. After some Oedo Tai shenanigans, Iwatani hit several hard-hitting elbows on Kagetsu. Soon after, Iwatani started hitting several kicks in an aggressive manner. Kagetsu pushed Iwatani into referee Daichi Murayama and then spit blue mist in Iwatani’s face. Kagetsu won the match via pinfall after hitting the 450 splash. This was a very good match, mainly because of the excellent effort given by both workers. Neither Iwatani nor Kagetsu would end up going to the final though, as Yoko Bito was declared the winner of the block due to her victories over Kagetsu and Viper. Toni Storm, who was the winner of the Blue Stars Block, became the first gaijin to win the 5STAR GP by beating Bito in a decent 8-minute final. ***¾

Gatoh Move 9/22/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE, Super Asia Title Tournament Final: Riho vs. Kotori 12:29. Very good effort. This match stood out because these two workers are usually not known for having good singles matches. While this wasn’t a very exceptional joshi match, these two deserve credit for really going above and beyond in an attempt to deliver the best singles match they could possibly have against each other. ***¼  

WAVE 10/3/17 Saitama Isami Wrestle Arena: Rin Kadokura & Takumi Iroha vs. Kaho Kobayashi & Rina Yamashita 13:34. Marvelous representatives Takumi Iroha & Rina Kadokura showed good teamwork. The match was significantly better when Kaho Kobayashi was in the ring because she has a better eye for detail than Rina Yamashita. Of course, Yamashita gave a good effort, as usual, but she just seems to prefer to go full steam ahead without much thought or finesse thrown into the mix. Kobayashi did a good job of adding some fancy moves to the match, and her selling and timing were particularly strong. Rin Kadokura has always given the impression that she could potentially be a future star, but it looks like she finally has been starting to get into her own around this time. She even has cool-looking gear now instead of the rookie gear she used to wear previously. Takumi Iroha was rather humble here, and she didn’t impose as much as expected. However, when she threw in some kicks and suplexes, it was clear that she wasn’t just going to step aside and watch from the sidelines. Everyone gave a good effort, but it was Kobayashi who truly stood out the most from an in-ring work quality perspective. Iroha pinned Yamashita to give the Marvelous team the win here. ***

PURE-J 10/9/17 Tokyo KFC Hall, Daily Sports Tag Title Match: Command Bolshoi & Leon vs. Natsumi Maki & Saori Ano 14:37. Bolshoi & Leon had become Daily Sports Tag Team Champions in January, and their formation as a tag team was a clever one, as they clearly were going to be a really tough team to beat due to their experience and high quality in-ring work. Natsumi Maki’s quickness came in handy in order for her to overcome Command Bolshoi’s technical expertise. On paper, Saori Ano was the least spectacular performer in this match, but she was able to prove to be an enjoyable worker nonetheless. In fact, her performance played an important part in this match being a good one. It seemed the level of Ano’s performance was actually elevated by being in the ring with these top-notch pure workers, as she appeared to give 110% effort. Ano got quite a lot of ring time in this match. Ano’s timing was crucial near the end, as she managed to break up Leon covering Natsumi Maki after a frog splash, which could have very well been the end if not for the timely reaction on Ano’s part. However, Leon still managed to pin Maki just a bit later on in the match, and the team of Bolshoi & Leon retained the title, as expected. *** 

STARDOM 10/17/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Kagetsu vs. HZK 10:50. 2017 was a year in which HZK improved quite a bit. HZK became more confident, and she started paying more attention to detail, which included showing a bit more aggression and executing her moves a bit crisper. In this match, Kagetsu did a very good job of guiding HZK to a good match. Kagetsu dictated the ebb and flow of the match, and she sold well for HZK. Kagetsu’s run as leader of Oedo Tai in 2017-2019 is arguably the most fun to watch part of her career, because not only had she reached her peak physically, but she also had found a role she enjoyed portraying with passion. Although, at times, the Oedo Tai shenanigans were rather annoying, especially when it involved interference from multiple members of the stable. In this match, we luckily didn’t get to see much of that. Kris Wolf tickled HZK’s stomach while Kagetsu had HZK stuck in between the ropes, but that was about it. When HZK applied a crippler crossface on Kagetsu, Oedo Tai members Kris Wolf and Hana Kimura attempted to interfere, but they were prevented from doing so by Queen’s Quest members Io Shirai and Momo Watanabe. However, we did get to see a referee bump when Kagetsu threw HZK into Daichi Murayama, which resulted in Murayama tumbling to the floor. As HZK came off the top rope with the whoopie cushion, Kagetsu sprayed green mist in HZK’s face. This interrupted HZK’s momentum, as HZK had been delivering some good offense. The ref made his way back into the ring just on time to witness Kagetsu hitting the 450 splash, which resulted in a win for Kagetsu. Io Shirai complained to the ref, but the ref stuck with his decision. This was quite a fun match to watch, and the execution was good overall. ***

STARDOM 11/4/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Goddesses of STARDOM Tag League: Io Shirai & HZK vs. AZM & Starlight Kid 7:22. AZM & Starlight Kid wanted to show that they were all business and not be taken lightly. They attacked Io Shirai while Shirai was still being introduced. Starlight Kid and especially AZM had shown lots of improvement over the course of 2017, and it was clear that they would eventually become two of the best workers in STARDOM. HZK also had the best year of her career up until that point in time, so she was also eager to show what she could do. The great Io Shirai gave the three younger wrestlers their chance to shine, and she didn’t want to take the spotlight away from them. Shirai, HZK and AZM were all part of the same stable, Queen’s Quest, so Shirai & HZK were familiar with AZM’s ability. Shirai and HZK had never wrestled SLK before, so she was a new opponent for them. Despite AZM being in the same stable as Shirai & HZK, she wanted to show how much she had grown as a worker, and she really took it to the opposition. AZM & SLK have actually been rivals for pretty much their entire career, but they put their rivalry briefly aside to create this exciting underdog team for the tag league. It’s a shame this was only a 7-minute match, but it was seven really fun minutes. Everyone gave a strong performance. SLK executed a standing moonsault, which had become one of the main moves in her repertoire. Shirai went for a springboard dropkick on AZM, but AZM moved away, which resulted in Shirai hitting HZK instead. It really feels like they made the most out of the time they were given, and it feels like they made the most out of what they were capable of at the time, given their respective experience levels. HZK pinned AZM via the whoopie cushion. Shirai’s team winning was the expected result, but that didn’t take anything away from this match being pretty good overall. ***

SGPW 12/2/17 Osaka EDION Arena #2: Chihiro Hashimoto & Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Io Shirai & Meiko Satomura 15:25. If you were to watch SGPW footage from 2017 in succession without watching stuff from other leagues, you would be in for a big treat once you reach this match. Io Shirai is a breath of fresh air in the SGPW ring. While SGPW had quite a solid year, Shirai was so amazing at the time that having her in any match in any league should peak anyone’s interest. Knowing that this was a big match, Meiko Satomura increased her stiffness, especially when she was in the ring with Sendai Girls’ Champ Chihiro Hashimoto, despite Satomura being somewhat by the numbers in the 9/24/17 singles match against Hashimoto, which was a decent match. Shirai’s presence added lots of dynamic to the match that otherwise wouldn’t be there. Hashimoto gave a solid performance, not really standing out much, but giving the performance you’d expect from her at this stage of her career, as she showed her power and will to keep trying harder. Hiroyo Matsumoto was probably the one who added the least to the match, as it seemed it was more about Hashimoto trying to overcome the odds, while Matsumoto was mostly there for support. The match ended when Hashimoto once again scored a pinfall win over Satomura, just like in their 9/24/17 singles match (but unlike on 11/17/17 when Satomura pinned Hashimoto in a tag team match). This was a good match, but apart from the novelty of seeing Shirai make another rare appearance in a SGPW ring, the work in this match was somewhat standard SGPW fare. ***¼ 

SEAdLINNNG 12/13/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto 30:00. You wouldn’t know they were Best Friends and great tag team partners if you didn’t know their history, as they beat the living daylights out of each other from the start of this match. They clearly went into this match with the intention to put their respective competitive nature at display here. Perhaps the best aspect of this match was that everything was done with a lot of intensity. Holds were applied in a very snug manner, and they were both constantly trying to make the other fight to get the upper hand. The workrate was high, and the execution of the moves was done superbly. There were several moments where things looked very uncooperative, which really enhanced the feeling that this was not just another match. Tsukasa Fujimoto’s kicks were thrown in a ferocious manner and looked very stiff. Tsukka also threw some amazing dropkicks, which were reminders of her dropkicks arguably being some of the best in all of pro wrestling. One of Arisa’s most effective-looking moves in this match was a tremendous DDT on the apron while coming off the top rope. Later in the match, Arisa executed a beautiful moonsault that was one of the best-looking moonsaults Arisa has ever executed. It looked like a finish was going to happen, as Tsukka was ready to put Arisa away with the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, but then the time limit expired. Despite this match going 30 minutes, they were able to keep the action going at all times. What a great pro wrestling match! This was the best Arisa vs. Tsukka singles match they ever worked together, even better than the excellent Ice Ribbon 12/28/14 match, the great JWP 12/28/14 match, the excellent Ice Ribbon 3/26/17 match, the excellent 4/29/22 SEAdLINNNG match and the excellent 4/30/22 Ice Ribbon match. ****¾ 

WAVE 12/17/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING: Rin Kadokura & Takumi Iroha vs. Mika Iida & Rina Yamashita 19:49. Rin Kadokura is really starting to get the hang of it. Her execution is crisper and has more force behind it compared to how it was before. She also seems to be able to be more confident in her ability to add something to the match. Rina Yamashita showed a lot of energy, and she kept going full steam ahead like a freight train. It was nice to see Mika Iida in the ring with some workers she could actually do some good sequences with. Takumi Iroha showed a lot of fighting spirit, but it feels like Mika Iida was more impressive. What made this match good was mainly the effort put into it by all four participants. The work wasn’t too fancy, but they were into what they’re doing enough to make what they were doing intriguing enough to pay attention to. There was a really cool spot where Kadokura hit a cannonball in the corner on Yamashita while Iroha hit a swanton bomb on Iida at the same time. Things were looking good for the Marvelous team, but Iida & Yamashita kept fighting. However, in the end, the Marvelous team scored the win anyway after Iroha hit the running tree on Iida for the victory. It was a good match with especially the final minutes being quite exciting. ***

PURE-J 12/17/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, PURE-J Openweight Title, Hair vs. Hair: Hanako Nakamori vs. DASH Chisako 21:24. This rivalry had started about a month earlier when Hanako Nakamori accidentally kicked DASH Chisako in a match where they were each other’s tag team partners. All of a sudden, things were turned into a hair vs. hair match, which felt kinda drastic. Either way, we got n excellent match out of this situation. The match was intense from start to finish, which was exactly what you would want from a match in which the title and hair was on the line. Nakamori’s kicks were way more aggressive than usual, and Chisako showed the high level of intensity you’d expect from her in a big match like this. Nakamori showed a lot more urgency than usual, which really helped make this match stand out as one to remember. It felt like Nakamori was fighting for not only her title and her hair, but also for the pride of PURE-J. The execution wasn’t always perfect, but the raw intensity shown made it easy to forgive any small glitches in the execution department. The end result was really cool, because it was nice to see Chisako, who has generally been underrated, walk away with the title. This was an excellent match and an excellent way to end PURE-J’s first year on an excellent note. ****

TJPW 12/23/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING: Shoko Nakajima vs. MIZUKI 8:51. MIZUKI gave one of her best performances here. She’s always cute, and she usually tries hard, but she’s not quite good enough to have actual good matches on a regular basis. Of course, being in the ring with one of TJPW’s best workers, Shoko Nakajima, gave MIZUKI the opportunity to show what she was truly capable of. It was only a relatively short match, but it was intriguing from start to finish, and they had about as good of a match as they could. MIZUKI showed a lot of desire to win, and Shoko’s sense of timing helped a lot. What could have made this match better would have been Shoko maybe interrupting MIZUKI’s offense more, which would have given the match more of a back-and-forth feel. ***

TJPW 12/23/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING: Yuka Sakazaki vs. Reika Saiki 10:00. Yuka Sakazaki showed desperation trying to get out of Reika Saiki’s attempts to wear her down. There was a lot of action, and they kept things going. It was a good match, and it was nice to see them have a good match, since these were two of the best performers TJPW had in 2017. For some reason, this only had a 10-minute time limit, but that actually helped this match be more urgent than it possibly would have been without the time limit. ***¼

AWG 12/24/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING: Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Natsumi Maki 13:21. Natsumi Maki did some nice cartwheel escapes when Tsukasa Fujimoto grabbed her in a standing wristlock. Since Tsukka is one of the top workers in joshi, Natsupoi was challenged here to try to be more resourceful than in the matches she usually works in AWG, which are usually tag team matches that often feature wrestlers with even less experience than herself. Even though Poi was still relatively new at the time, it felt like this match really helped her kinda get the wheels going in terms of advancing towards a higher level. Natsumi executed a nice plancha off the top rope to the floor, and she kept the momentum going by hitting a top-rope plancha in the ring as well. Tsukka would be able to turn the tables around occasionally, but she really allowed Natsumi to try to give what had to be her best performance yet. There were even some exciting near falls towards the end, which further emphasized that this wasn’t just Tsukka spending her Christmas Eve in a squash match, as it turned into quite the competitive match. Tsukka did a really good job of putting this over through the increased sense of urgency she showed during the final moments of the match. In the end, Tsukka got the expected victory, but this match proved that Maki had a bright future ahead of her. When you compare Maki’s work from the beginning of the year to this match, you can tell she improved quite a bit. ***  

(in parenthesis: pro debut dates) [in brackets: rankings of previous years] {in braces: country of origin if worker is non-Japanese} 

10.0 ~ The Best of the Best ~ 5.0*

1. Arisa Nakajima (debut: 1/3/06) [2010-2011: N/A, 2012: #1, 2013: #1, 2014: #1, 2015: #2, 2016: #2]. Whenever Arisa showed up in Ice Ribbon, she elevated the in-ring quality of the Ice Ribbon product. Whenever Arisa wasn’t visiting her Best Friend Tsukasa Fujimoto, Ice Ribbon was a rather unmemorable and weak league hardly worth watching. Arisa was in the best joshi puroresu match of 2017 on 12/13/17 when she faced Tsukka, and those two also had the second-best joshi puroresu match of 2017 when they faced each other on 3/26/17. Arisa was involved in 8 recommended matches in 2017.

9.0 ~ Great ~ 4.5-4.75*

2. Mayu Iwatani (debut: 1/23/11) [2010: N/A, 2011: NR, 2012: #39, 2013: #33, 2014: #17, 2015: #6, 2016: #3]. Mayu missed the last three months of the year due to injury, but she was definitely a great worker during the first nine months of the year. A particularly good example of her greatness is the 3/9/17 match in which she was the best performer. Mayu was involved in 7 recommended matches in 2017.

3. Io Shirai (debut: 3/4/07) [2010 ranking: #9, 2011: #8, 2012: #7, 2013: #4, 2014: #3, 2015: #1, 2016: #1]. She was still great, but it felt like she relied a lot more on her great athleticism. She didn’t really do too many intriguing things otherwise, unless the match ended up going in a different direction. This is the main reason Mayu Iwatani ranked slightly higher than her this year. Of course, Shirai had WWE on her mind, and that’s probably why she focused more on being showy without thinking about more intricate sequences. Shirai was involved in 14 recommended matches in 2017.

4. Tsukasa Fujimoto (debut: 8/23/08) [2010: #23, 2011: #14, 2012: #18, 2013: #14, 2014: #5, 2015: #5, 2016: #4]. Tsukka showed her carrying skills by carrying rookie Karen DATE to a surprisingly decent match on 10/7/17. She also guided promising up-and-comer Natsuki Maki to a good match on 12/24/17. However, most of the memorable matches Tsukka participated in featured Arisa, either as an opponent or tag team partner. In total, Tsukka was involved in 9 recommended matches in 2017.

5. DASH Chisako (debut: 7/9/06) [2010: #22, 2011: #11, 2012: #16, 2013: #10, 2014: #7, 2015: #4, 2016: #6]. No matter how poorly booked in SGPW she gets, you can’t take away the fact that DASH Chisako was one of the most talented in-ring performers of 2017. Her 12/17/17 match against Hanako Nakamori is proof of that. DASH was involved in 5 recommended matches in 2017.

8.0 ~ Excellent ~ 4.0-4.25*

6. Kaho Kobayashi (debut: 6/28/13) [2010-2012: N/A, 2013: #58, 2014: #16, 2015: #13, 2016: #7]. Kaho Kobayashi once again proved herself to be an explosive tag team specialist. It feels like she would have been even more outstanding if she would have been booked in more matches against good opponents. Still, her input of the matches she was involved in made a high ranking deserving. Kaho was involved in 6 recommended matches in 2017.

7. Syuri (debut: 10/26/08) [2010: #28, 2011: #16, 2012: #4, 2013: #6, 2014: #6, 2015: #9, 2016: #5]. Syuri had a very successful year as an MMA fighter in 2017, winning all 3 of her matches including her UFC debut, and she was also quite successful as a pro wrestler. She was one of the best singles wrestlers in SGPW, and she was one of the best tag team wrestlers in OZ Academy, along with her tag team partner Hikaru Shida. Syuri was involved in 7 recommended matches in 2017. 

8. Hikaru Shida (debut: 7/20/08) [2010: #26, 2011: #15, 2012: #6, 2013: #7, 2014: #8, 2015: #8, 2016: #11]. Hikaru Shida was very enjoyable to watch in action, as usual. By the way, she wasn’t just a successful tag team wrestler in 2017, she was also part of Makai, a group that combined theater, music and wrestling. Shida was involved in 8 recommended matches in 2017.

9. Kagetsu (debut: 8/24/08) [2010: NR, 2011: #24, 2012: #11, 2013: #18, 2014: #15, 2015: #18, 2016: #10]. From mid April, she started appearing almost exclusively in STARDOM. While this was good news for STARDOM, it was a bit of a shame for those who enjoyed Kagetsu’s performances in leagues like OZ Academy and JWP, because it was in STARDOM that her in-ring skills were oftentimes overshadowed by her Oedo Tai heel gimmick. Kagetsu was involved in 7 recommended matches in 2017.

10. Leon (debut: 3/16/00) [2010: #7, 2011: #6, 2012: #5, 2013: #9, 2014: #21, 2015: #11, 2016: #20]. Leon finally reached excellence again, which was quite an impressive feat considering she’d been in the business 17 years. Leon was involved in 5 recommended matches in 2017.

7.0 ~ Very Good ~ 3.5-3.75*

11. Meiko Satomura (debut: 4/15/95) [2010: #19, 2011: #20, 2012: #29, 2013: #22, 2014: #12, 2015: #10, 2016: #12]. Meiko Satomura was involved in 7 recommended matches in 2017.

12. Hanako Nakamori (debut: 7/16/06) [2010: NR, 2011: #29, 2012: #13, 2013: #17, 2014: #13, 2015: #26, 2016: #18]. Hanako Nakamori was involved in 6 recommended matches in 2017.

13. Shoko Nakajima (debut: 8/17/13) [2010-2012: N/A, 2013: NR, 2014: #93, 2015: #56, 2016: #13]. Shoko Nakajima was involved in 5 recommended matches in 2017.

14. Reika Saiki (debut: 3/30/16) [2010-2015: N/A, 2016: # 47]. Reika Saiki was involved in 5 recommended matches in 2017.

15. Konami (debut: 10/7/14) [2010-2013: N/A, 2014: NR, 2015: #32, 2016: #34]. Konami was involved in 9 recommended matches in 2017. 

16. Mika Iwata/Mika Shirahime (debut: 7/12/15) [2010-2014: N/A, 2015: #39, 2016: #37]. Mika Shirahime was involved in 5 recommended matches in 2017.

17. Hiroyo Matsumoto (debut: 7/16/06) [2010: #17, 2011: #17, 2012: #24, 2013: #24, 2014: #28, 2015: #17, 2016: #17]. Hiroyo Matsumoto was involved in 10 recommended matches in 2017.

18. Command Bolshoi (debut: 11/26/91) [2010: #11, 2011: #24, 2012: #14, 2013: #27, 2014: #20, 2015: #14, 2016: #9]. Command Bolshoi was involved in 3 recommended matches in 2017.

19. Aja Kong (debut: 9/16/86) [2010: #6, 2011: #19, 2012: #23, 2013: #15, 2014: #11, 2015: #19, 2016: #8]. Aja Kong was involved in 3 recommended matches in 2017.

20. Kay Lee Ray (debut: 5/30/09) [2010-2015: NR, 2016: #14] {Scotland}. 

6.0 ~ Good ~ 3.0-3.25*

21. Yuka Sakazaki/Mil Clown (debut 12/1/13) [2010-2012: N/A, 2013: NR, 2014: #91, 2015: #55, 2016: #25]. 

22. Mika Iida (debut: 11/21/10) [2010-2011: NR, 2012: #56, 2013: #46, 2014: #31, 2015: #28, 2016: #16]. 

23. HZK (debut: 7/6/14) [2010-2013: N/A, 2014: #40, 2015: #35, 2016: #95].

24. Toni Storm (debut: 10/9/09) [2010-2015: NR, 2016: #36] {Australia/New Zealand}.

25. Takumi Iroha (debut: 4/29/13) [2010-2012: N/A, 2013: #54, 2014: #33, 2015: #29, 2016: #29].

26. Chihiro Hashimoto (debut: 10/11/15) [2010-2014: N/A, 2015: #38, 2016: #21].

27. Maya Yukihi (debut: 11/24/14) [2010-2013: N/A, 2014: #50, 2015: #54, 2016: #52].

28. AZM/Azumi (debut: 10/6/13) [2010-2012: N/A, 2013: NR, 2014: #95, 2015: #94, 2016: #73].

29. Tsukushi (debut: 1/16/10) [2010-2011: NR, 2012: #38, 2013: #30, 2014: #22, 2015: #25, 2016: #15].

30. AKINO (debut: 7/21/98) [2010: #13, 2011: #25, 2012: #26, 2013: #31, 2014: #27, 2015: #21, 2016: #22].

31. Shayna Baszler {USA}

5.0 ~ Above Average ~ 2.5-2.75*

32. Natsumi Maki

33. Kairi Hojo

34. Kotori 

35. Rina Yamashita

36. Riho

37. Miyu Yamashita

38. Sareee 

39. Yuu

40. Jungle Kyona

41. Misaki Ohata/Misaki Glico 

42. Tsubasa Kuragaki 

43. Sonoko Kato 

44. Yu Yamagata 

45. Hiromi Mimura

46. Starlight Kid

47. Rin Kadokura

48. Mariko Yoshida

49. MIZUKI

50. Manami Katsu

51. Nixon Newell {Wales}

52. Koharu Hinata

53. Chikayo Nagashima

54. Kaori Yoneyama

4.0 ~ Average ~ 2.0-2.25*

55. Maruko Nagasaki

56. Mio Momono

57. Mima Shimoda

58. Sayaka Obihiro

59. Jaguar Yokota

60. Aoi Kizuki

61. ASUKA

62. Makoto

63. Mari Apache {Mexico}

64. Natsuko Tora

65. Kyuri

66. Mayumi Ozaki

67. Moeka Haruhi

68. Nodoka-Oneesan

69. Apple Miyuki/Hibiscus Mii/Miyuki Matsuyama

70. Nanae Takahashi

71. Ayako Hamada

72. Megumi Yabushita

73. Yoko Bito

74. Saori Ano

75. Momo Watanabe

76. Emi Sakura

77. Hana Kimura

78. Yumi Oka

79. Shanna {Portugal}

80. Deonna Purrazzo {USA}

81. SAKI

82. Natsu Sumire

83. Yako Fujigasaki

84. Haruka Kato

85. Viper {Scotland}

86. Risa Sera

87. Cassandra Miyagi

88. Yuki Miyazaki

89. Yoshiko

90. Cherry

91. Tequila Saya

92. Hiroe Nagahama

93. Yumiko Hotta

94. Tomoko Watanabe

95. Kyoko Inoue

3.0 ~ Below Average ~ 1.5-1.75*

96. Karen DATE

97. Hikari Shimizu

98. Saki Akai/Sakisama

99. Shiori Akiba

100. Ai Shimizu

101. Asahi

102. Shoko Sekiguchi

103. Hanan

104. Arisu Nanase 

105. Hiragi Kurumi

106. Tae Honma

107. Nao Kakuta

108. ERINA

109. Bambi

110. Mitsuru Konno

111. Maika Ozaki

112. Ryo Mizunami

113. Manami Toyota

114. Kris Wolf {USA}

115. Tessa Blanchard {USA}

116. Mochi Miyagi

117. Nori DATE

118. Hana DATE

119. Miyuki Takase

120. Noa Igarashi

121. Hirori

122. Maho Kurone

123. Reyna Isis {Mexico}

124. Sawako Shimono

125. La Rosa Negra {Puerto Rico}

126. Tam Nakano

127. Shiki Shibusawa

128. KAZUKI

129. Ibuki Hoshi

130. KAORU

131. 235/Fu-mi-ko

132. Yuna Manase

133. Akane Fujita

134. Mari (Sakamoto)

135. Micro

136. Takako Inoue

137. Giulia

138. Nao DATE

139. Ruaka

140. Chesca

141. Manami

142. Yuina

143. Rika Tatsumi

144. Miku Aono

145. Aasa Maika

146. Zoe Lucas {England}

147. Xia Brookside {England}

148. Rebel {USA}

149. Scarlett {USA}

150. Matsuya Uno

151. Gabby Ortiz {USA}

152. Hamuko Hoshi

153. Alex Lee {Australia/Bosnia}

154. Rydeen Hagane

155. Hina

156. Rina

157. Jarochita {Mexico}

158. Kaoru Ito

159. Marika Kobashi

160. Drake Morimatsu

2.0 ~ Poor ~ 1.0-1.25*

161. Nagisa Nozaki

162. Azusa Takigawa/Azusa Christie

163. Miki Tanaka

164. Maki Ito

165. Aki Shizuku

166. Miyako Matsumoto

167. Totoro Satsuki

168. Kelly Klein {USA}

169. Chardonnay {England}

170. Bea Priestley {England}

171. Christi Jaynes {Brazil}

172. Jessicka Havok {USA}

173. Nyla Rose {USA}

174. Akane Miura

175. Ami Sato

176. Itsuki Aoki

177. Chigusa Nagayo

178. Yuki Kamifuku

179. Nonoko

180. Fairy Nihonbashi

181. Hyper Misao

182. Kyoko Kimura

1.0 ~ Terrible ~ 0.5-0.75*

183. Hetzza {Mexico}

184. Mandy Leon {USA}

185. Heidi Katrina {England}

186. Big Bang Nicole {USA}

187. Dump Matsumoto

188. Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru

189. Sakura Hirota

190. Teruko Kagawa

191. May Lee

0.0 ~ The Worst ~ 0.0-0.25*

192. Aiger

1. Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto (Best Friends)

2. Hikaru Shida & Syuri

3. Rin Kadokura & Takumi Iroha (NEW-TRA)

4. Kaho Kobyashi & AKINO (MISSION K4)

5. DASH Chisako & Chihiro Hashimoto

1. SEAdLINNNG 12/13/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto 30:00. ****¾ 

2. Ice Ribbon 3/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto 20:00. ****¼

3. STARDOM 6/21/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani 27:52. ****¼

4. PURE-J 12/17/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, PURE-J Openweight Title, Hair vs. Hair: Hanako Nakamori vs. DASH Chisako 21:24. ****

5. OZ Academy 1/25/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, OZ Academy Tag Title: Hikaru Shida & Syuri vs. Kagetsu & Hiroyo Matsumoto 28:06 of 30:00. ***¾

6. WAVE 8/12/17 Tokyo Ota-ku Taiikukan: Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami 12:31. ***¾

7. STARDOM 3/9/17 Io Shirai & Meiko Satomura vs. Mayu Iwatani & Chihiro Hashimoto 19:17. ***¾ 

8. TJPW 8/26/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Princess of Princess Title: Yuka Sakazaki vs Reika Saiki 14:13. ***¾

9. STARDOM 9/18/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, 5STAR GP Red Block: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu 12:18. ***¾  

10. JWP 1/29/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall, JWP Openweight Title Match: Hanako Nakamori vs. Leon 22:34. ***½

11. TJPW 6/4/17 Tokyo Shinjuku Face: Shoko Nakajima vs. Reika Saiki 10:32. ***½

12. OZ Academy 2/26/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Kagetsu vs. Hikaru Shida 18:02. ***½

13. OZ Academy 5/28/17 Tokyo KFC Hall: Hikaru Shida vs. Kaho Kobayashi 20:00. ***½

14. OZ Academy 6/25/17 Yokohama Osanbashi Hall, OZ Academy Tag Title: Hikaru Shida & Syuri vs. Kaho Kobayashi & AKINO 18:29. ***½

15. Ice Ribbon 6/10/17 Hakodate City Kameda Welfare Center: Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maruko Nagasaki & Maya Yukihi 15:24. ***½

16. STARDOM 3/20/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai vs. Kairi Hojo 22:38. ***½ 

17. STARDOM 2/4/17 Kyoto KBS Hall: Io Shirai vs. Konami 9:55. ***½

18. STARDOM 4/22/17 Hikari Shimin Center: Io Shirai & AZM & HZK vs. Mayu Iwatani & Konami & Toni Storm 14:41. ***½

19. OZ Academy 7/16/17 Osaka Minato Kumin Center: Aja Kong vs. Hikaru Shida 15:51. ***½

20. STARDOM 5/6/17 Tokyo Shinkiba 1st RING, Artist of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai & AZM & HZK vs. Kairi Hojo & Konami & Hiromi Mimura 14:52. ***½

21. OZ Academy 3/19/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Hikaru Shida & Hiroyo Matsumoto & Rina Yamashita vs. Manami Katsu & Kagetsu & Sonoko Kato 21:58. ***½

22. SEAdLINNNG 5/24/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto 15:26. ***½

23. STARDOM 8/13/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of STARDOM Title: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu 18:33. ***½  

24. Fortune Dream 6/14/17: Meiko Satomura & Mika Shirahime vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Konami 11:40. ***¼ 

25. Gatoh Move 9/22/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE, Super Asia Title Tournament Final: Riho vs. Kotori 12:29. ***¼

26. OZ Academy 4/12/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, OZ Academy Tag Title: Hikaru Shida & Syuri vs. Kaho Kobayashi & AKINO 18:07. ***¼

27. STARDOM 9/2/17 Yokohama Radiant Hall, 5STAR GP Blue Block: Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray 11:54. ***¼

28. JWP 1/29/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall: Command Bolshoi vs. Kagetsu 14:49. ***¼ 

29. JWP 3/26/17 Tokyo Ryogoku KFC Hall: DASH Chisako vs. Manami Katsu 12:09. ***¼

30. SGPW 3/11/17 Tokyo Shinjuku FACE: Chihiro Hashimoto & DASH Chisako vs. Aja Kong & Hiroyo Matsumoto 19:29. ***¼

1. World Wonder Ring STARDOM. Mayu Iwatani and Io Shirai were two of the greatest joshi workers in the world at the time. Also, a lot of the useless overpushed workers from the past were no longer around, and instead we were able to witness the rise of some more promising young talent. About 25% of all the good joshi puroresu matches from 2017 took place in STARDOM.

2. JWP Joshi Puroresu / Pure-Dream / PURE-J. Although they are technically separate leagues, I’m counting them as one here, because PURE-J was basically created from JWP’s ashes (figuratively speaking, of course), and the Pure-Dream events were the intermediate events.

3. OZ Academy. Kagetsu played a big role in the match quality during the first four months. Once she started appearing almost exclusively for STARDOM from mid April onwards, her presence was missed tremendously in OZ Academy. Hikaru Shida and Syuri played a big role in the quality of OZ Academy’s in-ring action as well, and luckily for OZ Academy, they were able to appear on OZ Academy shows on a far more regular basis.

5. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW). Reika Saiki, Shoko Nakajima and Yuka Sakazaki made this league surprisingly fun to watch. Miyu Yamashita and Yuu also deserve to be mentioned as some of the better TJPW workers. The matches involving some of the other wrestlers on the roster were sometimes quite bad, but at least this league was rarely dull due to the fun-loving vibe.

4. SEAdLINNNG. If Arisa Nakajima wasn’t part of this league, I shudder to think what the status of this league would have been. The 12/13/17 MOTY between Arisa vs. Tsukka took place in SEAdLINNNG, and that’s the main reason for this league making it to the top 5.

6. Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling (SGPW). Disappointing overall, given the talent booked on the shows, but there were at least some good matches worth watching.

7. Ice Ribbon. If it wasn’t for Tsukasa Fujimoto and her visiting Best Friend Arisa Nakajima, the league would have a hard time keeping a spot in the top 10.

8. Pro Wrestling WAVE. A big step down for WAVE. 2017 was one of their least eventful years.

9. Actwres girl’Z (AWG). The league featured mostly young inexperienced idol-type wrestlers, but the league showed some promise.

10. Gatoh Move. 9/22/17 Riho vs. Kotori is the main reason Gatoh Move deserves to be in the top 10.

11. Marvelous. Despite the efforts of Takumi Iroha and Rin Kadokura, Marvelous failed to impress as a league in 2017.

12. REINA. This was one of the least eventful years in the history of this league.

13. Osaka Joshi Pro (Daijo). There’s no need to seek any footage of this league.

NOTE: As of this writing, there is no 2017 footage available of the Diana league.

1. Natsuko Tora

2. Karen DATE

3. Hikari Shimizu

4. Asahi

5. Shoko (Kakeru) Sekiguchi

6. Hanan

7. ERINA

8. Mitsuru Konno

9. Nori DATE

10. Hana DATE

11. Miyuki Takase

12. Noa Igarashi

13. Hirori

14. Shiki Shibusawa

15. Ibuki Hoshi

16. Nao DATE

17. Ruaka

18. Chesca

19. Manami

20. Miku Aono

21. Hina

22. Rina

23. Miki Tanaka

24. Totoro Satsuki

25. Ami Sato

Honorable mentions:

26. Itsuki Aoki

27. Yuki Kamifuku