I know there were people at the MGM Grand Saturday night for AEW’s Double or Nothing who mistakenly thought the Joshi match was a bathroom break match. They saw it was a 3 on 3 contest between six women they’d never heard of and assumed this, like the WWE women’s matches of yesteryear, would be a snooze fest.
I’m sure some of them are lying about it now. “Yes, I stayed for the match. I knew it was going to be the hardest hitting match of the night.” Deep down they’re kicking themselves for underestimating the women of Japan, but hey… can you blame them?
The Joshi ladies made a powerful statement. They proved that as far as the WWE women’s revolution has come, they are still light years ahead. And for those who think that match was a fluke, head to YouTube and search for some Stardom matches. Matter of fact, look up Io Shirai vs Shayna Baszler. Not only will you see this was no fluke, you’ll see just how much WWE has pulled the reigns on Io and Baszler.
For fans who enjoyed that match, and for those who want to see more, I have good news. Stardom, one of the top women’s wrestling promotions in Japan, has a subscription service. It’s Internet based, like New Japan’s, and it’s a tad harder to navigate than the New Japan site. It’s worth the trouble and well worth the price of 920 yen, which works out to roughly $8-9 per month.
Don’t wait for AEW to give you more Joshi in the fall. Visit Stardom World’s website to sign up.