More Japanese imports coming to the E in '17? :ohhh:

[Apex]

I'll miss the 20 minute, 4*+ main events she's been putting on damn near every week

Nobody in NXT or the main roster can hang with her (Asuka is the only one who even belongs in the same ring tbh but she's really not close to Io's level)

But I'm happy for the GOAT get that money Io-san.

I've watched her risk life and limb in front of 300 people at Shinjuku FACE on more occasions than I needed to. It's time

What companies do you watch in total?

 

[PYRRHUS 88]

Got it, wasn't sure. I know Shinjuku is a place in Japan, so I thought maybe you were visiting a venue called Shinjuke Face where events were being held.

Yeah it's a building that a lot of smaller companies run semi-regularly. Stardom has shows there whenever they aren't touring or running Korakuen Hall.

What companies do you watch in total?

Stardom (mostly everything)
Ice Ribbon, Sendai Girls, etc (here and there)

WWE (highlights/skim through it)
NJPW (here and there/must see matches)

 

[Apex]

Yeah it's a building that a lot of smaller companies run semi-regularly. Stardom has shows there whenever they aren't touring or running Korakuen Hall.



Stardom (mostly everything)
Ice Ribbon, Sendai Girls, etc (here and there)

WWE (highlights/skim through it)
NJPW (here and there/must see matches)

Damn, I didn't know Stardom was that must-watch. Are you Japanese yourself?

 

[mrken12]

Damn, I didn't know Stardom was that must-watch. Are you Japanese yourself?

Stardom is the best women's wrestling promotion around. The next closest one is Shimmer but I'm not sure if they're still as good as they once were.

 

[PYRRHUS 88]

Damn, I didn't know Stardom was that must-watch. Are you Japanese yourself?

Nah.

Don't get me wrong, not everything on Stardom World is must-watch. They upload every single show they run, in full. Good thing is, that usually only amounts to like 1 hour of content per week to watch literally everything they do. The interviews and promos are all subtitled too, which is great. You start to get drawn in by the personality they show. Kairi Hojo is legit hilarious.

Every show will have one or two short opening matches involving rookies, which generally are at best "basic". They're def skippable, though it's cool to watch the progression of the more talented ones. One girl who made her debut in late 2015 is already an upper-tier worker and contender for the top belts. If you've seen their career unfold since their first match, it's highly rewarding seeing them "make it".

Then there will be a few matches involving gaijin who can range from solid workers like Deonna Purazzo, Evie and people like that, to some of the worst wrestlers I've ever seen. I've learned to skip the matches involving random white girls whose names I've never heard before.

When you get to the upper midcard/main event level though, shyt is piff. People like Hiroyo Matsumoto, Kagetsu, Mayu Iwatani, Konami (Asuka trainee, only been wrestling for 2 years), Kairi Hojo are some of the best wrestlers you'll find anywhere. And of course there's Io who has a chance to go down as the greatest female wrestler ever. At 26, she's already in the conversation. That makes everything involving her must-watch to me.

 

[Vinny Lupton]

Io Shirai got a great azz

 

[Apex]

Nah.

Don't get me wrong, not everything on Stardom World is must-watch. They upload every single show they run, in full. Good thing is, that usually only amounts to like 1 hour of content per week to watch literally everything they do. The interviews and promos are all subtitled too, which is great. You start to get drawn in by the personality they show. Kairi Hojo is legit hilarious.

Every show will have one or two short opening matches involving rookies, which generally are at best "basic". They're def skippable, though it's cool to watch the progression of the more talented ones. One girl who made her debut in late 2015 is already an upper-tier worker and contender for the top belts. If you've seen their career unfold since their first match, it's highly rewarding seeing them "make it".

Then there will be a few matches involving gaijin who can range from solid workers like Deonna Purazzo, Evie and people like that, to some of the worst wrestlers I've ever seen. I've learned to skip the matches involving random white girls whose names I've never heard before.

When you get to the upper midcard/main event level though, shyt is piff. People like Hiroyo Matsumoto, Kagetsu, Mayu Iwatani, Konami (Asuka trainee, only been wrestling for 2 years), Kairi Hojo are some of the best wrestlers you'll find anywhere. And of course there's Io who has a chance to go down as the greatest female wrestler ever. At 26, she's already in the conversation. That makes everything involving her must-watch to me.

It's better than NJPW?

 

[Norrin Radd]

WWE-bound Kairi Hojo announces departure from Stardom

Kairi Hojo, one of the elite woman wrestlers in the world, who signed with WWE in March, but had personally kept it quiet, should be reporting to the Performance Center shortly.

Hojo, real name Kaori Housako, 28, announced at Saturday's Stardom show that she is leaving the promotion. She never mentioned WWE, because talent is not allowed to mention they are going to WWE until WWE announces it first.

We had reported Hojo's negotiations and signing as the story was playing out from last year. WWE was after both Hojo and Stardom's top star, Io Shirai. Shirai was brought to Orlando not that long ago to train, which was not supposed to go public but due to a communications issue, was briefly mentioned on the WWE website.

Shirai hasn't signed with WWE at this point.

Hojo has wrestled for just over five years and was an Olympic hopeful in yachting before getting into pro wrestling. She had worked a few shows for Lucha Underground but was not under contract with the promotion.

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

Stardom is dead if they both leave

Pretty much. I was going to resub but no point anymore even though Kris Wolf is pretty dope, but not dope enough to hold STARDOM on her shoulders .

 

[DoubleJ13]

Don't know what the fukk Stardom is doing. Kairi already had a belt that she hasn't lost yet & they put another one on her last night

 

[MightyHealthy]

You knew it was going to happen.

 

[Jmare007]

 

[Konnan]

Damn can't wait til this lil PAAG arrives

 

[Amor fati]

Ohhh damn my heart is beating fast

 

[DoubleJ13]

Says diving elbow drop 4 streaks

Kairi's last Stardom show is June 4th.