Why Joshi Puroresu rules, and why you should watch it (+ match recommendations)
because women beating the ever-living shit out of each other fucking rules
Pro wrestling is a wonderful thing. It’s the perfect mix of visual violence, shitty, crappy community theatre level drama, and the pomp and circumstance of other sports such as Formula 1, Boxing, and MMA. It’s a well known fact that professional wrestling is a scripted simulation of what a fight should look like, and is an amalgamation of all the things that I just mentioned, and that there are different sub-categories and sub-genres of pro wrestling that exist and make it unique, and localized in a way no other sport has really been able to do. Take for example, lucha libre, with its colorful masks, and unique rules that differ from the punch-heavy southern U.S memphis style that dominated promotions like the AWA, NWA, and JCP (Jim Crockett Promotions) to name a few, and the shocking, slow-building, strike-heavy, head-dropping, technical style that puroresu in japan offers. All of these different styles of wrestling are what make up pro wrestling, and what make it so unique, as there are different regions of wrestling that have their own localized style that they can adapt from all of these places and use them to forge their own unique style that provides a unique adaptation to what they are. Now, what exactly is “Joshi puroresu”, and what makes it different from all these styles? Well, to put it quite simply, joshi puroresu, is female japanese pro wrestling, and what sets joshi puroresu apart from their men’s counterpart, is that despite the fact that their male counterparts are more well known and lauded in the wider wrestling world, and the sexist and misogynistic perception of women’s wrestling that dominated the 2000’s, it’s the joshis that have truly been pumping out match, after, match, and story, after story, that have truly encapsulated what pro wrestling is supposed to be. Take for example, Aja Kong. She is one of the best joshi wrestlers to have ever stepped into the ring, and manages to combine an incredibly intimidating aura, ring presence, look, with an incredible understanding of pro wrestling, and absurdly insane pro wrestling skill. Simply put, she is the definition of being the “perfect package” when it comes to being a wrestler. Another example would be the living legend that is Dump Matsumoto, the most legendary joshi wrestler of all time, and one of the greatest heel women’s wrestlers to have ever wrestled, don’t believe me? Watch her hair vs. hair match against Chigusa Nagayo, notice how she controls the crowd, and gets them to scream for every little thing that she does, whether it be just a simple strike with her chain-wrapped fist, or a stab with her scissors, every single action she does gains a reaction from the crowd that she feeds into, and in turn, gets them to buy into Chigusa, and scream at the top of their lungs for Chigusa to get up, and win. These are all things that truly define pro wrestling, and yet, not enough people watch it, sure Dump, and Chigusa’s run in AJW was what caused it to balloon in popularity and actually make it a mainstream promotion in Japan, and eventually, lead them to run the Tokyo Dome, and inspire a whole new generation of women’s wrestlers, and joshi wrestlers. yet, not enough people are watching. Despite its popularity, it would eventually be overtaken by New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and UWF, BattlArts, and all of its off-shoot promotions in the ‘90s despite the fact that they were arguably producing some of the best wrestling in the world at the time. Now why should YOU as the viewer watch this shit? Surely, if everything I’ve been saying is true, it should be the most popular genre of pro wrestling in the world right? Well, sadly that’s not how trends work, and joshi puro sadly exists as a niche in the wider wrestling community. But, that’s not me answering the question, that’s me yelling at clouds. You should absolutely watch joshi puro, because it’s fucking badass, if you’re a hardcore wrestling fan, and you wanna show off the fact that you watch pro wrestling, it’s exactly what you’re looking for to convince whoever you’re showing this to, that it’s real, and that it’s actually not a nerdy, dorky thing (not that it matters in 2025, as everyone is a nerd), and if you’re a new wrestling fan, then this might be the style that convinces you to be a wrestling fan full-time and seek out more styles of pro wrestling. Now, obviously, this shouldn’t end with me letting you walk out of here without some sort of recommendation, as I think that’s rude, and because I put it in the title of the video. Now, here are my top 5 recommendations:
KAORU vs. Aja Kong (2/13/2000 GAEA) - This match has one of the most intense, and badass opening sequences to a match I’ve ever watched. To give some context, GAEA is one of the promotions (after JWP) to form right near the end of AJW, and was ironically formed by formerly, their biggest star at the time, the legendary Chigusa Nagayo.
Chigusa Nagayo vs Dump Matsumoto Hair vs. Hair match (7/11/1986 AJW) - This is the match that I mentioned earlier, and is on my list of one of the greatest matches of all time, it’s an extremely electric match, that I think you should not only just watch, but feel too.
Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori (4/2/1993 Dream Slam 1993) - This is one of the most legendary matches of all time, and deservedly so, if you’re quite squeamish, then this isn’t the match for you, but if you’re into that jaw-droppingly stiff style, then this is the match for you. Now this is the match that I put on here, but in reality, I think that every single match on this card is worth giving a watch. Truly an amazing event
Mayu Iwatani vs. Sareee (4/27/2024) - Now don’t let the run-time scare you, as this is one of the best matches (in my opinion) of the year, and is just an absolute bomb fest between 2 of the best women’s wrestlers of the generation that are just, head and shoulders above the rest of their peers.
Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu (9/18/2017) - There are no other words to describe this other than “GOD FUCKING DAMN, MAYU, YOUR NECK!!!”. Truly a match that perfectly encapsulates why I love Kagetsu and Mayu so fucking much, unreal match, unreal spots, and an unreal performance from 2 of the best that modern joshi has to offer.