What's new, junkies of jockular jousting?!
I continue this unintentional streak of covering Japanese wrestling by going back to Sendai Girls to cover one of my favourite wrestlers on the planet.
I think you guys can figure out who I am talking about.
Regardless, read on! It's a brilliant matchup.
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| Sendai Girls |
Here's what I watched for the week;
All In 2026
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| AEW |
AEW's biggest show of the year proved to live up to every single bit of hype, and maybe even exceeding it in some areas. I splurged this past weekend and spent the cash to watch this show live with my darling wife, who only stuck around for a portion of the card, but she got to see Darby along with Cope/Cage so she was happy.
The Buy In was a fun time, something I normally skip but I didn't want to miss the proper show like I did a few years ago, forgetting it started in the early afternoon, so I watched the Buy IN shenanigans.
The Rascalz & Lio Rush vs. The Opps was fine. I'm pretty tired of both teams involved in this match, with The Rascalz "we smoke weed" gimmick driving me up the wall (we gotta get you out of there Myron Reed) and The Opps barely feeling like a real threat even when they were in their OG format. Lio Rush has been a breath of fresh air lately, so it was fun to see him here. A fine way to open the show.
Harley Cameron & Kris Statlander vs. Sisters Of Sin was fine too, though I'm a bit upset the Sisters didn't pick up the win. I didn't expect to see Harley and Kris teaming together again, but I guess they're trying to bolster the ranks for the women's tag division with that being pretty thin. Another fine match.
Boom And Doom & The Hurt Syndicate vs. Shane Taylor Promotions was fun, but unremarkable. It's kinda crazy that the Costco Guys basically show up for Buy In cards, wrestle dumb, fun matches on huge cards, and then dip out for another year. I've previously given Big Boom AJ 5 stars for his Full Gear match with QT Marshall, purely because that match had me in absolute stitches. This match, however, was not that match. It was fine. I really can't say more about it than that. The commentary team were having a ball during this match and they helped make it more fun.
Maya World vs. Persephone was a match that could have landed on the main card just fine. Perse has the credibility and charisma to be on the main card of a PPV, and Maya World has been growing with each match she has. I was a bit surprised she lost the TBS title in this match, a mere month after winning it, but I can't help but that title has been Perse's for a long time, they've just been waiting to finally strap her up. A more than passable outing from these two.
The Trios Roulette Royale bled over into the main card and, while it was the best thing about the entire Buy In, there were still some moments in the match that had me scratching me head and a bit... upset? Maybe the wrong word, but it certainly didn't sit right with me the more I thought about it. First off, Brody King, one third of the champs, is out after about 2 or 3 minutes it felt like. The entire playing field teamed up to toss him out. Huh, ok. Then, at some point in the match, Bandido ended up getting taken away to treat a "shoulder injury" he suffered in the match. I was paying pretty good attention, not on my phone and engrossed in the action, and I missed where 'Dido got sent out. He just reappeared with a shoulder covered in barely-holding-on tape later in the match. Then, after 'Dido got tossed out, Hangman was sent out with very little fanfare near the end. I can't help but feel that this loss, along with all the recent title changes, has completely devalued the trios titles. I mean, honestly, who cares about the trios division? There have been 8 title changes this year alone, with only 17 individual reigns since the title was introduced in 2022. That's kinda gross, when you think about it. That aside, this match was fun, with the New Da- I mean, New Level debuting alongside Swerve Strickland to win the titles. A fun way to kick off the main card.
Divine Dominion vs. The Brawling Birds - 🟡
The main show properly started with the women's tag titles, with Windsor and Hayter going for the DD's gold. Both teams were strong in this match, with German suplex's galore here. The finish, like a few things on this card, seemed rather predictable, but predictable isn't always a bad thing. The crowd wasn't really here for a lot of this match, it felt like, with the Dominion needing to do a lot of work to get the people with their action. One of the pods I listen to, Pod-a-Mania, made reference to the build for this match hampering it's overall performance. In essence, they argued that if the DD were facing established teams weekly and squashing them, and the Birds were wrestling put-together local talents, this match would have had a lot more heat going into it. I'm not sure if that is the right formula or not, but I do feel that both teams needed a bit more steam coming into this one. Regardless, the Birds winning was the right call in the end, with the show starting off on the right foot here.
Jon Moxley vs. Nigel McGuinness - 🟢
Nigel's yearly Wembley pay cheque comes from him standing toe-to-toe with his toughest challenge yet, arguably. Yet another predictable win, the real drama here came from the suspension of disbelief that wrestling is able to create, with there being genuine moments where even I, the most jaded and cynical viewer, believed Nigel could do it! The finish, especially, was brilliant and heartbreaking. McGuinness was mere inches from the rope, his fingerprints nearly catching the bottom rope, but Moxley's punishment was just too much for him to withstand any longer. Brilliant work from both men.
Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita - 🟢
The consensus I have been seeing a lot online, and one I agree with, is that this match should have been given about 5+ more minutes. It really felt like they were just getting into a good groove near the end and could have easily milked a few more minutes of drama out of the crowd. That, and maybe some better camera work would have made this more engaging from a home viewing perspective. Regardless, everyone and their grandma (hi grandma!) knew this match would be stellar. I mean, how could it not?! Maybe not the "match of the year" contender we knew these three were capable of, but still brilliant work from all three involved. The "big brother-ing" of Fletcher from Okada here is gonna come back to bite the Rainmaker in the ass sooner than later, and I am so excited to see a Fletcher fully free from the Don Callis Family. Give me what I want!
Casino Gauntlet Match - 🟢
A match that may have been bogged down by unrealistic expectations and hype (Ilja Dragunov and Sheamus/Stephen Farrelly, where you guys at?!) ended up being about as fun as you'd expect it to be. I'm personally torn as to wether I liked having some of the entrants having proper entrances and others just appearing. Mark Davis and Nick Wayne showed up by jumping someone, whereas Tommaso Ciampa and Jericho got full blown entrances. Part of the fun from this match came from, not the actual wrestling itself, but ring announcer Justin Roberts accidentally calling Kommander Mistico, only for Mistico to come out next and him announce "you guessed it, Mistico!" That was a lot of fun, gave me a good laugh. Andrade winning was no real surprise here, with his eventual World Title match being a lot of fun whenever that does happen. Good stuff here.
Cage And Cope vs. The Young Bucks - 🟢
Another decent title defence for the champs here, with the Young Bucks getting a video package entrance that felt more like a retirement package than a "two of the best to ever do it" package. Regardless, both teams were in peak form here, with Cage and Cope actually tagging in and out instead of having one of them sell for 4 hours and the other work the match for them. I really don't have a lot more to say about this match, which may surprise you as I gave it a solid 4, but the floor for most Young Bucks tag matches is 4 these days, and Cage and Cope were in fine form here, even if I'm not super high on them as tag champs. After the final bell, the Motor City Machine Guns, a returning FTR, and the New Level showed up to confront the champs, showing definitively that AEW has one of the craziest tag team divisions on the planet. A lot of possible dream matches there. Exciting stuff.
Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin - Falls Count Anywhere Match - 🟢
First off, it's a small miracle Darby Allin is alive. Sure, this kid does crazy shit to get out of bed in the morning, but we all knew this match was gonna be bonkers. A dozen run ins, including my man Jake Doyle, Sting, and Steven Borden, son of Sting! The match was pretty bog standard until the run ins started happening, with Knight and Darby not doing anything overly crazy until the DCF showed up. Similar to the CostCo guys, it makes me happy that Sting can show up once a year and still get a massive pop, though he's here exclusively as the vengeful equalizer when Darby finds himself backed into a corner and not a "hey! I'm just gonna help him out real quick! Fuck you!" I like that. It really feels like Darby will be needing Sting less and less as the years go on, and maybe Darbs will start tagging with El Hijo Del Sting after young Borden literally talked his father off a ladder before diving on Brign Cage and Jake Doyle. The big dive at the end from Darbs off the stage set was bonkers, and the true final spot with Darbs Coffin Dropping off the ramp onto a stretcher was pretty cray too. Fun stuff, congrats on the new gold Darby.
Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Mone - 🟢
An exceptional match from both women, it should come as no surprise as these two were able to effortlessly bust out a Morgan-certified 5 star match at the end of 2025 on free TV. For about 85 to 90% of this match, it was exceptional, the story told of Mercedes trying to take Willow's smile and the champ fighting through the pain, despite having a legitimately broken hand, was brilliant, but there were a few hiccups that didn't sit well with me here. First off, I'm really sick of ref bumps. Like super sick of them. It feels like they happen in every single fed main event match, and all they do is make the wrestlers look like fools when they go for their finish and a pin next. After that, Willoew attacking Merceded with her belt on the floor felt like a step beyond, and the point where they started to lose me. I feel like Willow showing some conflict about going to the lengths of using a weapon would have made that moment feel more impactful, but it just didn't click with me. The final moments had me totally lost, and I can't pinpoint it on anything in particular. The finish came from out of nowhere, with it feeling like Aubrey Edwards jumped the gun on calling for the bell or Willow's verbal submission not getting picked up on cam properly. It also felt like they repeated the Nigel McGuinness finish here, which is never a good look on a big show like this. All that said, I loved this match, but it was just barely on the cusp of reaching that much sought after 5 star spot. Close, but no cigar.
Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay - 🟢⭐
This was one of the single greatest wrestling matches I have ever seen in my life. Quite possibly in my lifetime. The entrances from both men alone were perfect and told so much of a story in themselves, I still can't wrap my head around how perfect they were. Bell to bell, things really don't get much better than this match. I'll save you reading me gushing from every pore about this match for a full paragraph. This match will probably get a 5 Star Fridays feature in the near future, or maybe a Project Morgan deep dive of the full trilogy. Regardless, watch this match yesterday and thank me tomorrow.
| Match | Show | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Mika Iwata | Sendai Girls SENJO 20th Anniversary Tour In Yoyogi ~ The Top Of Joshi Wrestling ~ | 08/28/2026 |
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Bell To Bell
Yet another example of "styles make match," Iwata comes into this match a competent striker, with kick as precise and dangerous as they come. I've spoken at great length over the past few months about the credibility and background of Hashimoto, but for those uninitiated, her amateur wrestling pedigree is pretty exceptional, and her strength is almost unmatched compared to those she shares a locker room with.
There's a real feeling out process in the opening moments of this match, with Hashimoto trying to grapple with Iwata, and her challenger wanting to turn this into a striking match, but both women are able to halt the advances of their opponent, at least for a moment. Hashimoto is able to snatch the leg of Iwata and get an early ankle lock, with Iwata able to pull Hash down to the canvas and nearly catch her with a hammerlock, but Hash rolls through and even catches a kick from Iwata once vertical, backing her to the ropes and reluctantly breaking, both women sharing an uneasy staredown.
A lockup in the middle sees Iwata dig in deep, pushing against a stationary Hashimoto, who slowly pushes her back towards the ropes one step at a time. Fighting out of her compromised position, Iwata drives a knee into the gut of Hash, the strike allowing her to force the champion across the ring and into the ropes. Trying to force distance, Iwata fires off a kick to the left thigh of Hashimoto, wanting to weaken her foundation as quickly as possible. Kick after kick is landed, with an Irish whip attempt reversed twice, Hashimoto digging into a low stance to keep herself stationary.
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| The wall runs into you! Sendai Girls |
Again, Iwata fires off kicks to weaken Hashimoto's foundation, with Big Hash able to snatch a waistlock to quickly deposit Iwata face first onto the canvas. Hitting the ropes, Hash return with a shoulder block, but finds herself hobbling on one leg for a few hops, the precise striking from Iwata proving to be more than effective already. With Iwata in the corner to catch her breath, Hashimoto charges in but Iwata gets her feet up, stopping her in her tracks, if only for a moment. rebounding, Hashimoto drives her shoulder into the gut of Iwata before pulling her to the middle, planting her with a bodyslam before using the ropes to fire back with a flipping senton.
A cover is attempted after Hashimoto tends to her wounded leg, but Iwata gets free in time. From the cover, Hashimoto seamlessly shifts into a grounded headscissor, trying to squeeze the life out of her foe. Iwata is far too fresh, however, twisting and rolling around to her feet, able to force her way out of Hashimoto's grasp, despite Big Hash's best efforts to hold her down. Iwata does get semi-free, but Hashimoto is able to force her head back down, only for Iwata to fully break free from the vice-like legs.
Acting quickly after collecting herself, Iwata darts to the head of Hashimoto, snatching a headlock, only for Hashimoto to shift around and snatch one of her own, he mat knowledge shining through in this quick exchange. With Iwata trying to create distance between her and Hashimoto using her arms, the champ shifts gears and twists Iwata to her stomach, using her arms to sinch in a straight jacket-type submission. Wrenching back, Hashimoto eventually lets Iwata go, once it becomes clear that this hold won't be enough to put her out just yet.
Snatching Iwata in a gutwrench, Hash walks her from the ropes to the middle effortlessly, taking her over with a gutwrench suplex, shifting into a comfortable pace. A hard toss into the corner and a lariat crushes Iwata against the corner pad, with a vertical suplex attempted after she staggers out, but Iwata floats over and drills Hashimoto in the chest with kicks to stop her. Leaping onto her foe, Iwata looks to go for a triangle on the standing champion, but she slow shifts her limbs and until she's able to get her in a standing double wristlock, with Hashimoto using her strength to push through the hold and flip Iwata around into a big vertical suplex!
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| A nutty transition. Sendai Girls |
With Iwata crawling on the canvas, Hash lands a stomp to the small of her back, but Iwata fights through the pain and pulls herself up on the ropes. Pulling Iwata vertical, Hash shoots her into the opposing ropes, but Iwata fires off and crashes into Hash with a flying kick, dropping her like a shot! Making the most of her foe being on the canvas, Iwata drills Hash with heavy kicks to the chest, even managing to catch Hash in the back of the head when she tries to duck a shot. Hitting the ropes to line up another heavy kick, Iwata turns and finds her foe is vertical again, crashing into the living wall and hitting the canvas hard.
Pulling Iwata up, she fires off with kicks on Hashimoto to try and get her advantage back, but the champ catches an axe kick and blocks a crescent kick with a forearm shot, which appeared to hurt Hash more than it did Iwata. When Iwata goes for the ropes, Hashimoto is hot on her heels, crashing into her on the ropes before charging for the opposite side herself. This time, it's Iwata on her heels, landing a knee to the gut of Hashimoto when she looks to rebound. Again, Iwata goes for the ropes and again, Hash follows, but Iwata outsmarts her, ducking Hashimoto's lariat when she hits the ropes, firing off a kick instead, but Hash ducks and shoots in, getting Iwata into an inverted firemans carry. Burning Hammer, perhaps? No such luck.
Bouncing while walking, Hash manipulates the spine of Iwata with each bounce, with a big pop after a bounce almost catching Iwata with a modified suplex, but Iwata twists around, able to catch Hash with a cross armbreaker! Hash grabs her own hand to make sure she doesn't lose a limb while rotating to her side, shoving her head through the legs of Iwata to try and break the hold, but Iwata simply transitions into a triangle choke instead. Hash tries to stack Iwata up high on her shoulders, but her for has the hold in tight and is able to transition it into a modified LeBell lock. Bending backwards, Iwata grabs the left ankle of Hashimoto, all while keeping her right arm bent back as if she has her in a LeBell lock.
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| Free chiropractic adjustment! Sendai Girls |
With Hash in the ropes, Iwata charges her and crashes with a knee, nearly sending her foe out to the floor, but she has her wits about her enough to stay inside the ropes. Pulling her vertical, a 180 crescent kick agsin sends Hash into the ropes, her eyes glassed over. Acting quickly, Iwata climbs the corner, but Hash covers the distance in the blink of an eye, catching her ankle to make sure she can't climb any higher. Trying to rip her from the top with a modified one-arm powerbomb, Hash has Iwata held in position, but Iwata is even quicker, snatching a cross armbreaker over the top rope, with Hashimoto doing all she can to relieve the pressure, pulling herself up and over the top rope to break the hold.
With both women spilling to the floor, Iwata drills Hash with kicks on the floor, her foe on her knees and favouring her right arm. Another kick is attempted, but Hash ducks low and pops Iwata up onto her shoulders, trying for a powerbomb, but Iwata keeps her momentum forward, trying to slip down and off the back of the champion. Acting quickly, Hash drops back, Iwata still clinging upside-down to her back, getting drilled hard into the thing ringside mats.
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| Rough landing, pal. Sendai Girls |
Waiting for her foe in the ring, Iwata slaps some energy back into herself, rolling on the floor and pulling herself back in the ring. Wasting no time, Hashimoto quickly covers Iwata for a pin, the referee counting on the apron, but she's free at two. Pulling Iwata back up, Hashimoto drops her with another modified Air Raid Crash, further targeting the wounded back of Iwata. Another cover, but she's free. Ascending to the middle rope, Hash flies with a huge flipping senton, crushing Iwata before covering again. This two count is dangerously close to three, with Iwata barely forcing Hash off her to break, putting everything she has into getting free.
Pulling Iwata up from her knees into a powerbomb position, Hash looks to drill her and end this once and for all. Iwata struggles and squirms in Hash's grip, with the champion unceremoniously dumping her onto the canvas, more or less just letting her go than spiking her with any sort of move. It's still effective, even if it's not quite as pretty. Pulling herself up on the ropes, Iwata fires up with forearm shots to Hashimoto, who absorbs the shots and comes back with a massive clubbing forearm shot, nearly sending Iwata's head from her shoulders. Stunned on her feet, Iwata has enough gas left in the tank to fire off a kick, catching Hash in the jaw. She takes off for the ropes, but Hashimoto comes at her with insane speed and ferocity, cutting Iwata off at the throat with a lariat.
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| For an "ugly" knee, this looked pretty great! Sendai Girls |
Somehow, Iwata is back on her feet, charging at Hash who tries for another lariat. Ducking, they both hit the ropes, with Iwata able to take Hashimoto down with a busaiku knee! Hashimoto is able to crawl to Iwata, both women meeting forehead-to-forehead as they rise to their feet, crashing into each other with heavy forearm shots. And I mean, heavy forearm shots. What makes them even better, is they are holding each others hands, making sure their foe is always within striking distance. When their grip breaks, their distance increases, giving Iwata the window she needs to crack Hashimoto in the head with a kick.
Dropping ot the canvas, referee Kyohei Wada (famous for his tenure with AJPW, refereeing some of the biggest matches in the companies history) starts to count Hashimoto out, but Iwata pulls her to her hands and knees, catching her in the head with a vicious set of kicks. A punt, an axe kick, and a kick to the side of the head, with both women falling to the canvas. One from exhaustion, one from the damage dealt. Iwata is able to crawl to make a cover, but Hash survives. Again, Iwata lays in stiff kicks when she makes it back to her feet, kicking Hashimoto all around the ring and back into the corner, assaulting her with knees and punches.
Absorbing a kick, Hashimoto starts to move out of the corner, allowing Iwata to land another kick before she snatches it and drives her shoulder forward, sending Iwata to the canvas. Iwata is able to break hash's grip and drive another knee into the head and torso of Hash, dropping her face first to the canvas. Acting quick, Iwata ascends to the top rope and takes off with a kick, catching Hash in the head as she rolls over for a cover, but the champ survives!
Pulling Hash to her feet, Iwata wrenches the arm around and goes for a kick, but Hash is quick to reach, darting under the leg and snatching a waistlock. With Iwata's arms between her legs, Hashimoto pulls them through and flips Iwata down to her back, with Iwata trying to pull Hashimoto forward to the canvas using her legs. Alas, Hashimoto is still too strong, grabbing the waist of Iwata and pulling her off the canvas. An insane feat of strength as Hash literally deadlifts Iwata and wheelbarrow suplex's her. Gnarly shit.
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| Shit like this will always be crazy to me. Sendai Girls |
Darting to the apron, Hash ascends to the top rope, taking too long to line up her foe, with Iwata meeting her with a kick and a vicious headbutt to halt her in place. Pulling a dazed champion off the top, Iwata lands a sit out powerslam in the dead centre of the ring, covering the champion for a close two count. With Hash on her knees, Iwata assaults her with kicks to the head, finally spiking her on her head with a Michinoku driver! Again, she covers, but Hash forces her off. Without a second thought, Iwata rises to her feet and charges at Hashimoto, crashing into her head first with not just one, but two knee strikes.
Move Of The Match
Coming off the ropes for a third, Iwata gets caught, with Hashimoto taking her over with a fucking massive snap powerslam. Holy shit.
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| Actually insane. Sendai Girls |
Another cover, and a kick out at one! Iwata is back up, landing a kick on the head of Hashimoto, trying to chop her for down to size. Another kick, but Hash catches her in a powerbomb position, crushing her with two powerbombs in a row. Good lord. She folds Iwata for a cover, but she survives at two.
Lining Iwata up, Hashimoto takes off for the ropes and rebounds, looking for a lariat, but Iwata fires off a kick that catches Hash in the jaw. She drops from the shot, but drops into a waistlock! She's able to get Iwata off her feet and hold her in place, like an older brother playing around with his sibling. Popping her hips, Hashimoto lands Albright, her signature German suplex and holds Iwata down for the three count.
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| God, what a finish. Sendai Girls |
Match Time: 21:15
This match was incredible, from start to finish. You can tell these two are really close and know each other well from how seamless a lot of this felt. They went in on each other at times with some pretty snug strikes and it helped to put this match over the edge. I loved how dangerous Iwata felt here, like she was a real threat at times. The finish especially makes you feel like Hashimoto was doing everything she could to survive, snatching the waistlock off a kick to sneak in her German suplex. Just brilliant. From top to bottom. I feel like I say this monthly at this point, but goddamn, Chihiro Hashimoto is one of the best wrestlers in the world.
• • • • •
Until next week. Be well, stay safe, and love one another.
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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