Year of the Rabbit indeed.

Mizuki’s moment came on a huge stage, amid a swirling storm of emotions, at the tail end of a long journey. After four failed attempts to win the Princess of Princess Championship, Mizuki finally claimed Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s top prize at Grand Princess.

The Magical Sugar Rabbit’s story is one of a big heart and all-out effort getting her oh so close to the mountaintop, but never summiting.

She first challenged for the Princess of Princess title in 2017 – the musclebound Reika Saiki knocked her back. It was not yet Mizuki’s time.

Two years later, Mizuki fought Shoko Nakajima in a championship at an event, poetically enough, called TJPW The Mountain Top. Shoko won and celebrated with streamers while Mizuki rolled off into the shadows.

Mizuki beat Nakajima in the 2020 Princess Cup finals to earn another crack at the gold. That opportunity would come against her good friend and tag team partner Yuka Sakazaki. The conflicted challenger fought hard and well but could not win yet again.

Next came a title match to kick off 2022 against the ever-dominating Miyu Yamashita. A great match played in front of the fans at Korakuen Hall, but it produced the same result. A strong performance but disappointment for Mizuki.

On try five, Mizuki once more had a friendly face standing in her way. In order to become TJPW’s best, its flagbearer, she would have to outlast a warrior who is like a sister to her—Yuka.

She did it. The victory at Grand Princess was one of the most moving and gripping matches in company history. Mizuki stomped on the champion’s chest with those long legs of hers and at last had the Princess of Princess Championship to call her own.

Mizuki now stands at the top of TJPW in a boom period.

The company has grown in a massive way since its debut a decade ago. The crowds are bigger. The roster is deeper. The future is bright.

It’s exciting to think what a new face atop the promotion can do, to see what a championship reign from this energetic, graceful dynamo in white will look like.

Wrestle Inn had the chance to ask Mizuki about her title win, her athletic background and thoughts on TJPW moving forward. Here’s what Mizuki had to say:

Q: At Grand Princess 2023 you finally won the Princess of Princess Championship by defeating Yuka Sakazaki, more than five years after you first challenged for the title in 2017. How do you feel about your long journey to finally winning the title and reaching the top of TJPW?
Mizuki: I thought many times about giving up, but I couldn’t. There were times when my heart was in pain. There were many happy things, and the whole process made me stronger, so I treasure everything along the way.

Q: What were your feelings as you held up the Princess of Princess Championship for the first time?
Mizuki: I felt the weight of the history of Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling and many other things as well as the joy of finally reaching for the belt that had been out of reach.

Q: Yuka Sakazaki said before your title match that she didn’t want you to hate her, and there was some apprehension from her at the start of the match. What are your feelings toward Yuka now and what is the future for Magical Sugar Rabbits?
Mizuki: Thank you for responding to Mizuki’s feelings and turning on the switch. Thank you for fighting for me, I’ll do my best, and I feel like you should watch by my side! Mizuki will never leave Yukacchi, and Yukkachi will never leave Mizuki. I want to continue to see the world together, a world I have never seen before!

Q: Alongside Yuka Sakazaki as MagiRabi you have had huge success. How did your bond with Yuka Sakazaki first form and what helps you to work so well together as tag team partners?
Mizuki: She showed me many worlds I had never seen before and believed in Mizuki’s potential the most. I can freely flap my wings, and I believe in Yukacchi as well as Mizuki. Above all, I’m having a lot of fun at MagiRabi! I can only think of Yukacchi as my tag team partner.

Q: How have you changed as a wrestler since you first challenged for the Princess of Princess Championship against Reika Saiki in 2017?
Mizuki: My feelings for TJPW and my body, of course, have become stronger.

Q: You competed in the USA last year against your trainer Emi Sakura in Deadlock Pro and we’ve seen other TJPW wrestlers such as Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh even appearing on American TV as part of AEW Dynamite against many different types of opponents. Are there any foreign wrestlers you’d particularly like to compete against in the future?
Mizuki: There are a lot of them! I would like to play against them in MagiRabi. Is there anyone you would like to see me play against?

Q: Your whirling candy move is one of the most impressive and dazzling moves in wrestling today. How did you create such a unique move? 
Mizuki: I took the cross body technique that I have cherished since my debut, and improved it over and over again by layering it with my own personality to create a technique that rotates in a circular motion.

Q: TJPW is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. How do you think the company will grow in the next 10 years?
Mizuki: The number of players has increased, and the unique members are working hard to bring excitement and thrill to the audience, always the best!

Q: TJPW has run shows in several unconventional places such as a swimming pool and a train station. What has been your favorite venue to wrestle in?
Mizuki: Wrestling on the street at the Tokyo Skytree was a strange experience! I never thought it was possible to go wild in the city like this! I was very excited!

Q: What sports did you play as a youngster? How did that experience shape you as a wrestler?
Mizuki: I played soft tennis in junior high school as a club member. I walked a lot as a child, played tag, and so on. I was running around outside a lot when I was a kid…!

Q: What is your favorite memory of TJPW so far?
Mizuki: All! But when I left the ring for the stage at the end of Grand Princess 23, I looked around and saw all the fans cheering me on, my friends from TJPW on the stage, and Yukacchi next to me. I felt so happy!

A big thank you to Sam (@nambasanreacts), host of the Tokyo Joshi Freedom Fighters podcast on the Wrestle Inn network, for helping with additional questions.

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A man is sitting in an empty void, on a chair with wheels. He types on a keyboard frantically. Upon his face sits his spectacles, glimmering at a computer screen. He sits there, handsomely and intelligently – so humble and prestigious. Something catches his eye and he stares off to the distance before reacting to what appears to be nothing in particular.

MAN: Oh, hey! [chuckles] Didn’t see ya there! My name is Corey Michaels. Oh, what am I doing? Well… I don’t know. I guess I was writing, or about to. You caught me at an awkward time. Really, you should have told me you were coming. This is really inconsiderate of you.

Corey Michaels removes his glasses and groans, for no discernable reason. He stretches and yawns for fifteen to thirty seconds.

Corey Michaels: So, you’re interested in the world of Japanese professional wrestling, or as it is often referred to – puroresu. So, you want to….

Corey pauses, his facial expression morphs from animated and passionate to being lost in thought. He frowns.

Corey Michaels Oh wait, I’m still in script mode. Just a sec.

The fabric of the universe tears apart. No more visuals or acting. Only words. Only pain and suffering

Intrigued by New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom, are you? The not-so-surprising debut of former WWE star Sasha Banks as Mercedes Mone has peaked your interest or the war between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay? Perhaps Shinsuke Nakamura competing in a NOAH ring against Great Muta had you curious? What about Impact and NJPW’s Multiverse United, the fate of Jay White, or Kota Ibushi’s return to wrestling at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9? That’s great! Kudos to you for taking a jump to something that is a great unknown. Puro is an exciting world. People beating the ever-loving piss out of each other, doing their best to hide the pain and show the strength of the indomitable condition of the human spirit that exists with all true fighters. It tells the story through the wrestling and leaves the emotion and action all in the ring.

Kind of like the best of AEW and WWE, however, the culture is different. Not just in Japan, but the fan culture of puro is staggeringly contrasted to western enjoyment in some respects, save for some independent promotions. There’s a lot to uncover, but I’m here today to help you get through the basics to ensure that you have an easy transition, should you need it, and take a dive into something wonderful. 

Get ready, because this is a world you are not used to. I promise it’s worth strapping in for.

The Language Barrier
Ask any fan of puro and they’ll assure you that despite the distant worlds of the English and Japanese alphabets, the language of professional wrestling is universal. 

However, it can get frustrating when you don’t know what is going on, what these moves are called, why certain moments hold significance. That’s understandable. But, as with introducing yourself to something new, you’re not meant to get it all immediately. That’ll come in time, and you’ll retain more than you think. 

That said, there are promotions that offer English commentary, including the heavy-hitters NOAH and NJPW, with Stardom likely to adopt that same formula too (hopefully with women commentators). These experienced narrators make all the difference for someone who is foreign to the new things going on.

Style
Wrestling in a country typically differentiates itself from other countries by how their culture dictates. In puro, you’ll see people invite their opponents in for a strike. Elbows, fists and knees are going to hit, and they’re going to hit hard. It’s going to feel gruesomely real, it mixes with the spectacle of the incredible move-set and the drama of the moment. So many layers create a big beefy sandwich that will leave your once-hungry eyes satisfied.

There’s different styles of wrestling in puro, namely the King’s Road Style and Strong Style, two branching roads of the same rugged path. There’s also deathmatch wrestling and comedy wrestling, both of which are self-explanatory.

Then there’s the fantastic world of joshi, which simply means women’s wrestling. Japan has a plethora of women-only based promotions, the cream of the crop being STARDOM with other promotions such as TJPW just as worthy of your attention.

Big Promotions

• New Japan Pro Wrestling – The big one, the one who is described as the WWE of Japan in terms of popularity. NJPW has garnered a lot of love and attention from the professional wrestling fanbase. When jaded and lapsed fans left after WWE went PG and TNA/Impact was under the iron fist of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, the spectacle and awe of the lion-crested company captured the eyes of fans due in part to Kazuchika Okada’s rivalries with Hiroshi Tanahashi and later Kenny Omega. It’s a long-standing company started in 1972 by the late Antonio Inoki, and the stars are some absolute aces that keep fans coming back for more.
  
• Pro Wrestling NOAH – Born of a mass exodus from legendary wrestler and promoter Giant Baba’s All Japan Pro Wrestling in the early 2000s, NOAH continued to drive the hard hitting action continued by AJPW’s Four Pillars of Heaven and Jun Akiyama. Though founder and big star Mitsuharu Misawa is no longer here with us, he started this emerald beauty that made stars like KENTA (formerly Hideo Itami of WWE), Naomichi Marufuji and countless others. Though their populairty suffered, recent years have seen a return to form for NOAH thanks to stars such as Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya and Katsuhiko Nakajima.

• Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling – TJPW is a great place to go if you’re looking for character and storylines over workhorse wrestling. It’s a place for the cute and funny and badass. Things can get unconventional, but it’s a great time for those who are used to the WWE’s or AEW’s characters – in fact, AEW features TJPW talent from time to time, with ace star Miyu Yamashita challenging then women’s champion Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s Championship. TJPW also houses the popular Maki Itoh, the big kaiju Shoko Nakajima, superhero Hyper Misao, and my personal favorite, Yuka Sakazaki.
  
• World Wonder Ring Stardom – A faction-heavy company, Stardom features a more competitive and action-oriented style of wrestling. The strikes are stiff, the pace is non-stop, and nothing stays as cute as it is on the surface. The women of Stardom are brutal, with a short but rich history filled with emotion as the stories are deeply entrenched in wrestling. Known for talents such as KAIRI (aka Kairi Sane), Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, Ruby Soho and Io Shirai (aka IYO SKY), it’s easy to see why it’s been the apple of the west’s eye. For talents to watch if you don’t believe me, keep a look out for Giulia, Thekla, Tam Nakano, Syuri, and especially Mayu Iwatani, who lives and bleeds Stardom.
  
• DDT Pro Wrestling – For fans of Kenny Omega and Konosuke Takeshita, this is where it started. DDT is known for being a hilarious promotion, but their reputation for comedy often overshadows the sheer talent their roster holds. Some of the Japanese humor might not translate well for western audiences, but there’s always a laugh guaranteed. That is, unless someone challenges for the KO-D Championship, which emphasizes a more serious story. The KO-D, however, pales in comparison to the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, a title so prestigious that even inanimate objects have won it.

There are more promotions out there that you may find yourself discovering at some point, such as Actwres Gir’z, Dragon Gate, GLEAT, BJW, Sendai Girls, Choco-Pro, and so, so many more. Those will come in time upon exploration and experimentation.

Accessibility
In this technological era, wrestling is becoming more and more accessible than ever. And yet, sometimes things are still out of reach unless we research ways to access it. There are various sites and videos and streaming services. Numerous AJPW and NOAH matches are sitting on YouTube right now. Wrestle Universe holds TJPW, DDT, and NOAH. New Japan World is a great stop for everything NJPW and Stardom World is the same for Stardom. You just need to shell out their monthly costs. 

The problem is, a lot of content from puro history isn’t as easily found. You’re just going to have to accept that. You have to come to grips with the fact that you’re not going to reach every facet of content for your favorite piece of media. Plus, you’re just getting started. Baby steps.

Resources
The wondrous thing about the internet is that it is a library filled to the brim with a plethora of knowledge and content. As mentioned above, you can locate some matches in whatever corner you need. However, there’s a question that will leave you overwhelmed, maybe leading you to giving up. “Where do I start?”

Fortunately, you have a lot of people on the internet that can set you on your way. Numerous articles, video essays and podcasts are all at your fingertips. Follow all the relevant things that you feel will be helpful. Your interest may grow, because with wresting in general there’s a lot of neat things in corners both big and small.

Moreover, there are plenty of people willing to teach about wrestlers, promotions, move sets and the small moments that speak to a greater universe. They’ve been where you are and would like to help more people. After all, wrestling is fun when you can interact, converse about and enjoy with others. Simply approach them if you want to know more. Ask and you shall receive. 

Interacting with Fans
Community is a great thing. I personally have had great friends that helped me get to where I am in experiencing the parts of wrestling I was curious about. Joshi wrestling, Omega vs Okada, Rikidozan, 6/3/94. There’s so many corners beyond that, too. My own experience in wrestling as a child had little glimpses at matches and wrestlers such as Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask, Owen Hart vs Jushin Liger, and the likes of Pegasus Kid, Vader, The Great Muta, and the Japanese ventures of Cactus Jack and Terry Funk. I get to revel in all of that with my friends, and that’s amazing. It’s incredible. Enough to make me feel I’m a part of the experience of this fantastic medium.

However, wrestling fans are a rough lot, and some puro fans are no exception, especially if you’re slowly crawling out of the caverns of WWE. That’s just the risk you run because this is special to people. Wrestling means a lot to people, and for some, Japan is one of the almost untouched things. You don’t want someone coming into your house, telling you how to live, telling you that your way of life sucks, that you must live and enjoy things their way. That’s the understanding you must go into things with.

Beneath the abrasiveness, there’s a love for this side of wrestling. Here, you are presented some options: leave those with attitudes alone (they’ll make themselves obvious), grow a thick skin and just deal with someone dissing on wrestlers, matches and promotions you may still like, or walk away in general.

Puro fans tend to not want much intermingling, particularly with WWE. At first you’ll have to walk on eggshells when befriending them, but things will mellow out. People will accept you because in the end, you have your opinions and not everyone is out to alienate you and make you uncomfortable. 

I personally have been turned off from Japanese professional wrestling by types of fans who are a little too intense with their love. I’ve come around it, because personally it was such a small thing and I’ve been having fun since. I’ll enjoy almost all the wrestling you throw my way. The angry, red, screaming faces and the furiously worded comments are naught but muffled sounds in the background when a glorious concert is taking hold, blaring all negativity away.

Take That Leap of Faith
There’s no one way to be a fan. You’ll find your seat and enjoy it your own way. Wrestling is fun that way. 

It may be intimidating, exploring another whole world of wrestling, but you’ll get there. You’ll learn all these names and the way things are done. It’s a part of world culture, and honestly that’s pretty neat. Learning about life around the world is incredible. It’s different for others. Maybe they just want to see Japanese motherfuckers beat the absolute shit out of another Japanese motherfucker, and it’s that simple.

Either way, you’ll find that ledge and take that jump to see where you land. That’s all it is – a leap of faith.

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On July 1, 2022, a man calling himself Max Dupri stood in a WWE ring and made good on his promise to bring together a posse of men with a passion for fashion. As Dupri debuted his two new discoveries, existing roster members Mace and Mansoor, it was clear this would be a very different presentation for both men. With the additions (slightly) rebranded as “ma.çé” (Mah-SAY) and “mån.sôör” (Man-SWAH), the three swaggered around with an air of self-delusion that has wafted from many a great wrestling heel over the years.

From Ravishing Rick Rude to The Model Rick Martel (himself a made-over babyface turned into a vainglorious bad guy), holding yourself to be a far more desirable specimen than anyone paying to get in has a rich history. Dupri himself was no stranger to this – as Eli Drake in IMPACT! Wrestling, he once named the fans one of his top five “Dummies of the Year.” For the tag team members themselves, hell, it had to beat being a generic smiley babyface and a member of goddamn Retribution, right?

The only issue was that it was all bullshit, and not in the sense of kayfabe or character change that covers all of wrestling in just a little bit of bullshit. The guy leading things up was very clearly, VISIBLY, L.A. Knight with weird glasses over his eyes. Fans had been desperate for Knight to get out of NXT 2.0 and get a chance to go toe-to-toe with the best on the main roster. Instead, we got to see him made strictly into a manager and stripped of any of the things that made people feel compelled by him (even if they were compelled to boo). This turned out to be one of the last great examples of “Vince gonna Vince,” as he took what we wanted and said “oh yeah, pal? Try THIS.” A simple reminder that he can take our nice things away just because he says so.

This immediately kneecapped the gimmick, it reminded fans how much better the product could be but wasn’t. What’s worse, “Max” was the only one talking so there was little to no chance for the actual wrestlers to save the whole idea. It seemed destined to tank, soon be repackaged again or sent back to NXT altogether.

Then something interesting happened. Just three weeks after the debut of this very New Generation-style gimmick, Vince McMahon stepped down and Triple H took over the booking of WWE. Over the next two months we saw organic change as Maxxine Dupri began popping up to enthusiastically push the next seasonal line, or mindful preparation while Max slowly turned from the group as if coming out of a fugue state. Soon enough LA Knight was back and nobody cared how we got there. MMM then moved to RAW, severing any ties with the Megastar who began doing his thing on SmackDown.

This freed the group to 1) shine more evenly, displaying their own characters and inclinations, and 2) lean into the kind of wacky comedy that this whole idea was meant for without us feeling like it was dragging down a more serious contender. I initially thought I was glad to be rid of the group, but over time I noticed MMM and their transition to a new manner more and more on the red brand, which had severely lacked consistent and pure entertainment for years.

WWE has long been seen as a place that values story above all; if you can get over with a character or an arc, the matches can (for better or worse) take a back seat sometimes. The Bloodline has in-ring promos, backstage segments and angles main eventing shows and finishing pay-per-views like the Royal Rumble! Further down the page, WWE’s TV has also had successful characters shine through in recurring bits like The Fashion Files and Daniel Bryan and Kane’s anger management sessions. With this in mind, MMM got its own dedicated time in backstage segments and the online feature series “Making It Maximum”, where we get to see more of what each member brings to the table. You may be surprised at just what gets revealed.

Mansoor, who had not been a standout character even when succeeding in-ring, carries a lot of the comedy chops, which I did not know he had in him, describing himself as not being “cosmetically cleared” to compete and other hilarious nonsense. His exclamations when struck by some calamity, or by another superstar, have escalated to strictly dog frequencies and never fail to pop me.

Mace (the character, not the person mind you) plays the sweet but more distant and, well, sort of dim friend who says less but often has the funniest line each time out. At one point, after Mansoor plays the old joke of trying to bribe their way into a TV match with his “close friend” Abe (a $5 bill), Mace quietly and sincerely exclaims “you never told me you knew Abraham Lincoln” on the way out, making the whole bit.

Maxxine brings all the usual heel manager mean girl energy towards others, but interacts with the team in a genuine way and comes across as sincerely fighting for them, even if telling them hard news for their own good, like critiquing their carb intake. Believing in each other and what they’re doing, even if it’s outrageously misguided, makes it easier to laugh with them. They’re still the butt of the joke, but it feels more like their joke now.

Owning the material also means putting in little pieces of themselves and what they like. A recent search for the missing Mace ultimately led to something that felt like any Very Special Episode of Saved By The Bell, Punky Brewster, or so many other pop culture devices I grew up with. They had to raise [X amount of dollars] to stop [Generic important spot in the community] from getting demolished by big bad business, and wouldn’t you know it a local karate tournament offered exactly that amount in reward!

The characters ruining this trope with just the right amount of trademark stupidity as it played out made for an enjoyable satire of the pop culture I grew up on. Not what I was expecting from this crew! Sprinkled along the way were nods to video games; Mace, a streamer and table-top gamer, let loose a genuine “Hadouken!” while training for the karate event, with further nods to Star Wars and even Scrubs! This gives lots of folks with similar passions and favorites a chance to not only enjoy MMM, but even relate to them in small ways. That’s how you successfully go from “you suck, get off my tv” to a lovable loser who people want to laugh with and see try again.

Such teams have a longstanding history in WWE; from the Bushwhackers to the Headbangers to Hawkins and Ryder. Several have managed to stick around, get into feature stories, and that last one managed to even win gold at WrestleMania! MMM may not get that far up the card, but they clearly have the ear of creative to be able to get the chances to spread their goofball wings so consistently. And with the title picture largely monopolized by people who live on SmackDown, there’s time for stories to unfurl on RAW and grab people’s attention. It worked for Breezango, who Triple H believed in so much he brought them back to NXT as credible challengers.

It appears there’s belief behind this version of MMM also, given that recent weeks have seen them consistently reaching out to, and now acquiring, the services of another popular character in former Mr. Money In The Bank Otis (excuse me, Otìse). Whether the big man’s pursuit of another blonde bombshell ends in backstabbing, her ditching her original boys, or long-term friendship, that’s already more options and future stories than the gimmick seemed to have only a short time ago.

Given how far they’ve come since they started and their dedication to posing, avoiding saturated fats, and purging the locker room of (as Mace put it) “Sandoval-esque ick,” I’m actually looking forward to seeing what they pull off next. If you spend enough time with them and hide your carbs, you just might do the same.

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Prior to her WWE signing, Asuka made a name for herself in her home country of Japan under the name of Kana. Competing across various promotions she would even put on clinics in the American independent circuit while wearing face paint or acting like a clown. As expected with someone of her calibre and talent, Kana caught the eye of WWE and was soon under their umbrella, starting out in NXT with a clear face and clear slate.

From there she began an undefeated streak, defeating the likes of Emma, Dana Brooke and Cameron before dethroning Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship. As her body count increased, Asuka became a threat and a prize in and of herself, many wanted to topple her and etch their name in the pantheon of NXT megastars, but all fell swiftly to her stiff strikes and mighty power, including legend Mickie James and Asuka’s closest threat yet, Ember Moon. She would remain dominant and seated at the top of the division, William Regal noting her as one of the best champions in WWE’s history and Triple H reportedly wanting to keep her in his black and gold brand.

This version of Asuka was a natural born killer. Those gazing, peering eyes and that sly little grin would freeze most in their tracks as she lowered her mask. Rarely was she to show any weakness; she remained confident in her ability to withstand whichever opponent was sent her way. Her matches were high-octane frenzies that you could not look away from. Transcending language, Asuka was a star among stars.

Charlotte Flair, however, had wrestling in her genetics, she worked to cultivate that into a force that few could manage. She may have had an easy foot in the door, but she made her own path and paved it in gold. If you didn’t like it, you had to learn to love it.

Inevitably, both women were on a fateful collision course towards each other at the Showcase of the Immortals. Asuka would soon be called up to the main roster and at the 2018 Royal Rumble, where I first became a fan of her, she last eliminated Nikki Bella to earn a title opportunity. She would soon declare her choice of which title she wanted to challenge for and she chose the SmackDown Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair, who was in the midst of her long reign after having won it off of Natalya in 2017.

As Gorilla Monsoon once put it, the unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

The stage was set for New Orleans, for WrestleMania 34, immediately the stakes were high. A winning streak spanning for over two years versus a championship reign by someone born of a high wrestling pedigree. And still, despite all she has in her flowing blood and pumping heart, Charlotte Flair was this time an underdog.

How can you dominate the indomitable? Was the Queen of WWE ready for the Empress of Tomorrow?

Asuka stands physically dwarfed by Flair in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, but her aura and shadow obscures the golden talent that stands before her.

Evenly matched at the start, their styles clashed with the agility, speed, strength and sheer unpredictability. Flair did her best to hold fast against the train of offense that is Asuka, but the unrelenting Asuka would prove too much, firmly situated inside the head of her opponent.

Sometimes when I get so into a match, I stiffen and the world dissolves around me, where nothing else exists but the action in the ring. That was the case here, I was staunchly and firmly in Asuka’s corner, quietly cheering her on and praying the streak would continue, that the typical WWE-style would waver in favor of something new.

Asuka was getting the upper hand with her submissions, with Charlotte managing to escape, but each time it felt that victory was truly in the grasp of the Empress. Both showcased their smarts, Asuka jumping on Charlotte’s back to ground her, only for Flair to outsmart and outmanoeuvre this by simply but wisely falling flat on her back.

Charlotte would soon attempt a moonsault, but Asuka’s quick timing managed to counter this with a sublime armbar. Charlotte could’ve tapped out at any moment, the Empress of Tomorrow becoming the champion of today, but Flair valiantly reversed it into a Boston Crab.

It was time to panic.

My inexperienced heart couldn’t take it, this was too much – yet I couldn’t look away. The adrenaline was flowing and the testosterone was pulsating. This is how the sport gripped me in ways I never thought I’d ever face again.

Throughout the match Asuka would target the shoulder of Charlotte, sensing this wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. Once you break down your opponent, the armor falls off and the flesh is easier to target, but Charlotte was proving ready enough to avoid and dodge, landing a kick to stop Asuka’s running hip attack.

The match then moves to the always perilous ring apron, from which Asuka sacrificed the well-being of both women with a sinister suplex to the floor that shook the wind out of both competitors, but eventually both made a hasty return to the ring to avoid a count-out.

The threat of Asuka was not wearing down, despite how long the match went she would not relent – her stiff kicks and strikes kept Charlotte floored and in misery, yet the champion always persevered. The Queen had yet to unleash her full arsenal, the Natural Selection, but this was met in kind with another arm submission. This time, this time for sure, I thought, desperately lost in the frenzy. There was so much on the line and the end had to come soon. Please, please let Asuka’s streak continue, for the love of God, let it continue.

Flair trapped Asuka with the famous Figure Four, only for it to reversed into the Asuka Lock. A relentless Empress who was ready to go through fire and brimstone to keep her reputation and have the cerulean belt around her waist, this was her destiny. After a back-and-forth Flair finally snatched Asuka up again for the Figure Eight; such a vicious hold for such a damning effect.

The time grew short the longer the hold was maintained and the strings of fate were thinning, ready to be cut. Will Asuka survive? Can she fight out of it like she has many times before? Oh no, oh no, oh no, please no…

The punishment was too much, even for an eternal soldier, and with tears streaming across that thick black line across her face, Asuka frantically tapped on Charlotte’s leg. Her bitter surrender.

It was over and my muscles relaxed. A sigh of relief and of sadness, for the streak had been broken.

914 days broken in a single instant. Undone in a moment was the aura of someone with massive magnitude, and out came just a normal woman with unnatural talent and ability. The frustration among those around me was made justifiably clear and though I was disappointed, I could not find myself to be embittered and angry because I was lost in the story.

Asuka would then declare that Charlotte Flair was ready for Asuka. “Congratulations!” The two embraced. Respect and love were fought for and earned in full.

Though the match didn’t break fifteen minutes, it felt like a grand epic spanning thirty or more while still feeling like it had just started. The performance was endlessly enthralling and captivating.

I became a consistent viewer of wrestling from then on and I had to keep learning more, even if I couldn’t watch or access certain areas. My curiosity and intent for knowledge and experience drove me down the rabbit hole that is professional wrestling.

I had my childhood heroes growing up such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Razor Ramon, but I had been out of the game for so long. After retirements and death drove me away, I was back. A further nudge was needed, however, and that would come at the clash of a Stone Pitbull and a Cleaner.

I understand everyone’s sentiments about Asuka’s booking, of which she would recover from a few times before becoming an imposter mid-carder who belonged adamantly in the main event. She’d rightfully win the SmackDown Women’s Championship later that year and the RAW Women’s Championship years after, as well as a tag team run with Kairi Sane.

But, the killer in her became soft. Her goofy side is heartwarming and wholesome to see, but that wasn’t the Asuka we all came to know and love. That black dash over her face would be replaced with whatever steaming color ran down her face to symbolize the green mist that would live inside her.

However, during RAW on December 12, 2022, Asuka would emerge in a match against Rhea Ripley with no face paint and no urge to indulge in fun and games. She would lose this match, with posts indicating she needed to return to who she was, with photos of past Asuka and Kana. She said she needed to go back home and “find something”.

After a period of silence the Empress of Tomorrow made her return, but she was not the same – she had new music, a new mask and demented clown makeup reminiscent of her Kana character in days of yore. Instead of spewing mist as much (though she still did), she’s since been letting it ooze. She’s still toying with her prey, while hiding a fact that she could do more if she wanted. Something about that smile… This is the Asuka and the Kana we’ve been wanting.

From far and wide and lightyears away, a new future writes itself as queens will fall to the ground like rain, to the thunder of the force of nature they call by name – Asuka, the Empress of Tomorrow.

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To begin to know a new world is exhilarating. There is nothing like those early days of discovery, to go from walking blindly on some unfamiliar road to mapping every curve of the path, be it in wrestling, sports, or a literary genre. This is my happy place.

This is where I am with Actwres girl’z.

As I write this, I know more about cricket than I do about the joshi promotion. That is to say, very little.

Even as someone who consumes far more than the FDA’s recommended daily amount of joshi wrestling, Actwres girl’z remains alien to me, a corner of the wrestling world I just haven’t stepped into. But I’m curious. Folks within my online bubble have been buzzing about it. From the sounds of it, the company is in the midst of some sort of resurgence.

That, the fact that they have someone with a ninja gimmick, plus wrestlers like Himeka and Saori Anou used to work there is all I know about AWG.

Time to change that. But where to start? Trying to dive into a new promotion can be intimidating especially when there’s a language barrier.

My approach has always been to seek out a favorite and branch out from there. Rooting for one new fav is more mentally manageable than trying to understand the mythos of a whole alien world right away. And once you’re attached to a wrestler, you become emotionally invested in what they and the folks around them do.

So, let’s find someone to stan.

Logically, we have to start with the ninja. She’s the one AWG wrestler I’ve seen the most clips of, and she has a badass look.

I’ve popped on the AWG show from January 9, ACTwrestling in Kitazawa with Cagematch.net open to help with names. The ninja’s name is Mari and she’s striding to the ring with a fox mask on her face and a big ass sword in her hand.

Okay. This might be a short new-fave search.

Mari tapped out a wrestler named Chika Goto in like six seconds. Then proceeded to beat her again in a second match right after. Wow.

Mari has all sorts of swagger. She’s cold-blooded with convincing offense. Plus, that gear is boss. I need to go watch some highlights and see more of what she’s about.

I’m back and even more convinced Mari is the one. She is a killer a la Miyu Yamashita. Kicking thighs and taking names.

I have to keep looking, though. Just to be fair. You’re not supposed to buy the first house you look at without seeing what else it out there.

I’ve put on the January 9 show again with an eye on who could be cooler than the red-clad Mari.

Wait. Stop everything. There is a wrestler on my screen with a black cloth across their eyes, an ornate red and black robe swishing as they walk, and she’s taking a healthy swig from a sake bottle before screaming up to the heavens. And she’s got a sword, too?

Sorry, Mari. Someone has taken your spot. Everything about this woman screams cool.

I dug around the internet to find out that this blindfolded, sword-wielding warrior is none other than Act Yasukawa herself. I didn’t recognize the former STARDOM champ at all. She’s sporting a new look and looking rejuvenated.  

Oh damn. Just read an interview she did with James Carlin on Monthly Puroresu and apparently Yasukawa plays three different characters on AWG including the masked Wild Bunny.

Beat that, AWG roster. I dare ya.

Natsumi Sumikawa said challenged accepted, I guess. She stands out from the crowd with those granite abs and big-time stage presence.

No disrespect to the other women in the tag match with her, but I can tell that Sumikawa is on another level from them in-ring wise. Everything is crisp. She’s effortlessly confident. From my first impressions, she seems like someone AWG would tap as their ace.

I have to see more of her work.

A match against Misa Matsui is up for free on YouTube. It’s shot in VR 3D which is a fun departure from the norm.

Sumikawa works fast. She jumps on Matsui, going for an armbar. She’s fluid. She’s tough. Man, that’s a lot of swagger.

Her diving knees to the gut look great. Her transitions are butter smooth.

The internet is telling me she used to wrestle in STARDOM (as Natsumi Showzuki) back in 2012 and 2013 which I guess I missed/forgot about. There’s a massive gap between that run to her starting up with AWG in 2021.

Back to the Kitazawa show and a battle royal ensues. Excellent. That kind of match is one of the easiest ways to get introduced to a lot of wrestlers at once.

There’s a wrestler that has a Squirrel Girl-like gimmick—Marino Saihara. She’s got a sweet dropkick and wears fuzzy ears. I can get behind that.

The rest of the battle royal field didn’t stand out much to me. Some good moves and interesting vibes but nothing that compete with my newfound attachment to Mari or Sumikawa.

Onto the main event, a six-person tag.

There’s someone in action called Bulldozer Todokori. That’s the best name I’ve heard in a long time. She’s hitting people with a stick. She’s an immovable object with purple Bam Bam Bigelow-esque gear. I like.

There’s someone just named Allen? She’s got stylish, shoulder-length hair with a purplish tint. She’s carrying around a glittery umbrella and definitely has an interesting vibe. Color me intrigued.

But my eyes are locked on someone else—Miku Aono.

Her entrance gear is a sparkly red and black dress/robe that feels inspired by Victorian fashion. She carries herself like a star. Miku’s got that “walk into a room and everyone take notice” quality.

In the ring, she’s bringing it. Everything is tight and on point. Even something as simple as a snap mare is artful and crisp as hell. There’s something about the way she works that reminds me of Miyuki Takase.

Aono just punched MARU’s lights out. Now she’s kicking people like they stole something from her. That is how you win me over as a fan. I’m easy.  

She’s known as The Brilliant Rose. Great nickname.

Pardon me while I go look for more of her matches.

She wrestled Sumikawa last fall. And it’s free on YouTube? Praise be the wrestling gods.

That was good. You could tell they have more to give of each other, but they had solid chemistry to work with. Add all the hair-yanking, fat lariats and emotion on their faces, and you have quite the enjoyable match here.

Aono is an ace in the making. It’s official; I have a new fav.  

Now I’m sitting here feeling like a dope for missing out on AWG all this time. This is a fun promotion with some strong wrestling.

I guess I assumed there would be more comedy and cutesiness than good action, and I’m happy to report I’m wrong on that front. I’ve only scratched the surface, but my initial findings are that AWG is at least as good ring-wise as several of the other joshi promotions like WAVE.

Its appeal, though, I think will be the varied assortment of characters.

A ninja. A squirrel. A sake-drinking samurai. A faction full of women toting guns. Someone smacking the snot out of everyone with a teddy bear. AWG sure as hell looks like a circus worth checking out.

I’m not sure where Actwres will end up on my promotion hierarchy, but it clearly deserves a spot in the rotation.

And as I watch Sumikawa, Aono and company kick ass, I will continue to learn all the intricacies of this promotion. There are backstories to understand, faction to figure out whether to root for or against, rivalries to explore. There’re layers to this, man.

I stand on the entrance of a winding path full of the unknown and all the thrills that bring, ready to walk and wonder and be wowed.