jesseewiak Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 October 15th, 2019 Daily News Report by Mercedes Varnado At a press conference in suburban Tokyo, former 5 Star World Heavyweight champion Saeko Hiroyuki announced to the assembled wrestling press, that over the last year, not only had she had been training a new class of wrestlers, but also starting in the new year, she'd be spinning up a new promotion, to compete in the Japanese promotional scene. In addition, Hiroyuki also said that she'd reveal the first ten recruits for her Dojo, along with other people who had joined the new promotion. In a somewhat depleted women's wrestling scene, which many long-time fans see as a side effect of Five Star being unable to create enough talent for there to be more than one successful Joshi wrestling promotion, and in the view of many, that's exactly the way the people behind Five Star, some of whom have links to the exact people implicated in the WLW Scandal, like it. Then again, if you see fan cam footage of a house show of any wrestling promotion and don't notice the older men in sweaters being treated very nicely, then you're not paying very good attention. As most Joshi fans know, Hiroyuki was one of the few Japanese non-Magical Three members of the Five Star roster to actually win the World title, but rumors back then were that Butler, despite being a member of the core group of gaijin women, had actually called for the title change, as she though even then, Five Star needed to build up a new group of stars. Despite this, Saeko would hold the title for a fairly banal six-month reign, where she even had to suffer the indignity of having a tag team match involving the Magic Three + Butler main event over her first title defense. After dropping the title, Hiroyuki fell quickly back to the mid-card, and outside of a few title shots at second-tier events, she was never a main event player in Five Star again and left the promotion in 2007. Rumors abounded, especially on the nascent social media of the time, including message boards and Facebook exactly why she'd left the company, with theories being thrown out ranging from being pregnant, having pissed off some of Five Star's shadier owners, to one of the Magic Three demanding they get to kick out of the Hiroyuki Bomb. Nothing has ever been confirmed, but it is interesting than Sensational Ogiwara beat DEVIL Karbue for the title, after kicking out of a move that closely resembled the Hiroyuki Bomb. Regardless, since then, Hiroyuki has largely been on the periphery of women's wrestling, showing up for various independent shows, the small-scale promotions that last a few shows that die out, and in more recent years, being around for the annual indie shows that pop around The Supreme Challenge, including a fun tag team match, teaming up with June Butler against the 'new age' superteam of Joanne Rodrigeuz & Alicia Strong in 2008, before USPW become the super company it currently is. After her official retirement of the ring, she moved backstage but has never had the wide-ranging involvement that this new promotion will involve. It remains to be seen, in a nation in its fourth year of 'national economic emergency', if any new wrestling companies can deal with the after-effects of the Hiratsuka Tsunami & Earthquake. October 22nd, 2019 J*STAR Officially Announced, New Recruits Rundown by Liz Kocianski In what has to be some of the biggest news in Japan outside of Five Star in the living memory of most women's wrestling fans, Saeko Hiroyuki officially announced her trainees, the name of her new promotion, and a somewhat full schedule, at least for the first three months of 2020. What makes this difference from STARLITE, Hiroshima Pro, New Japan's Women, or the various other small promotions that have popped over the past decade is that Hiroyuki obviously still has connections with 'official' Japanese wrestling, has actually trained wrestlers who will be more likely to be loyal to her personally, and most importantly, actually has a plan. As much fun as those wacky Z to A shows in front of 30 people in an apartment meeting room may be to watch on Youtube, it's not proof of much forward planning. We'll go over the actual recruits at the bottom of this post, but looking at some of the more specific elements of the company - Other Employees – Outside of Hiroyuki, former Five Star midcarder Umeko Hotta was announced in a backstage role (ie. road agent), Tsunayoshi Yamamoto, former PGHW broadcaster from the mid-2000's who according to various Twitter posts has been working in third-tier Japanese MMA has been signed on as the main announcer, and in what could oddly be called the biggest news outside of the trainee roster, Naizen Uboshita was announced as a color commentator and 'Official J*STAR Ambassador.' For those that don't know, Naizen is a well known Twitter and Instagram personality, and even though he isn't famous, he's well known in wrestling circles for being a bit of a charismatic nerd savant about wrestling, and has openly talked about officially getting in the business for years. Well, as many years as you can when we're talking about a guy in his early 20's. Of course, the other reason you might now Naizen is the mini-Twitter storm, at least among hardcore wrestling fans, when K.T. Devonshire (better known as Katya Korshinakova from ACPW), in an informal Ask Me Anything on Twitter, implied that during a recent Supreme Challenge weekend, that Naizen had slept with three different women wrestler's during that weekend. Now, that we've spilled a little of the tea, let's get to the actual thing that really matters here – the roster of the company. Or at least, the beginnings of the roster of the company, as Hiroyuki has already announced various other talents will be announced in the coming weeks, before the first shows in January of the New Year. In addition, it was noted during the introductions there have been two official classes, but Saeko considers them all as one true class, as they've been working together in some form over the past six months, even if the first-class begin training nearly two years ago. YOUNG LIONESS ROSTER Name: Atsuko Ieseda – 'Class Two' Age: 21 Height: 5' 5” Weight: 147 lbs. Described as a 'wild fighter' by Saeko in her introduction, Ieseda is playing a babyface Patriot gimmick, as evidenced by her Japanese flag gear, and more importantly, by her background as a Miss Japan finalist, and perhaps even more importantly, a mid-tier competitor on an idol competition show a few years back. Ieseda looks will probably sell plenty of posters, but according to reports, she hasn't shown too much skill in the ring, beyond an odd ability to brawl (in an interview transcribed online, she associated with having three older brothers), but she still has the aura of a star, even if she's still hesitant when it comes to cutting a promo. Chikuma Masaoka – 'Class One' Age: 25 Height: 5'4” Weight: 148 lbs. A former gymnast, Masaoka also competed in amateur women's judo, which reportedly has meant she'd adapted well to the mat, already being able to work long involved technical wrestling chains, even if she still can't do them by herself. Her look, which includes a choker, along with her Twitter presence, seems to be leaning into the 'e-girl' aesthetic, even though rumors already are that Chikuma is the 'troublemaker' of the new group of trainees, but how true that remains to be seen. Fumi Fujisaki – 'Class Two' Age: 20 Height: 5' 5” Weight: 148 lbs. Fujisaki's best assets are her looks, which already led her to be a member of an idol group for a short amount of time in 2018 before the management company had to declare bankruptcy as part of the aftermath of the tsunami. This goes along with her ability to work a microphone, which was shown in the opening press conference, where she was one of the few of the trainees to get more than polite responses from the press in attendance. Outside of a knack for brawling (what is it with these former idols and models and the ability to throw a punch?), she's also a work in progress when it comes to in-ring work. Haruko Chiba – 'Class One' Age: 22 Height: 5' 3” Weight: 122 lbs. Coming out of the dojo, Chiba seems to be an odd mix of a goofball who can actually decent chain wrestle and brawl a bit while being able to have fun in comedy matches, and play goofball, underdog, and generally oddball characters well, as seen by her introduction, when she 'accidentally' knocked one of the cameras down, spilled Naizen's drink, and then accidentally sat down on Chikuma's lap. Even though there's some natural talent there, she's still has a lot to learn about actually working the crowd, because the whole bit was more 'cringe' than entertaining according to reports. Kumiko Yamaguchi – 'Class One' Age: 21 Height: 5'4” Weight: 143 lbs. Yamaguchi has a bit of an odd background, as she was a long-time junior golfer who could never make the leap to the Pro Tour, but also appeared in many Japanese television shows as a background or bit player, which means she's probably one of the best in the company at actually acting and being able to sell a promo, but according to reports, an injury in the middle of training connected to her past as a golfer meant she's one of the rawest recruits when it comes to in-ring talent. Maiko Inokuma – 'Class One' Age: 27 Height: 5' 6” Weight: 139 lbs. A former personal trainer, who mentioned she dated a PGHW wrestler during college (but who wouldn't reveal who), Inokuma seems to be a decent all-around athlete, whose biggest plus seems to be her unending stamina, which she says is the result of the dozen triathlons and 20 marathons she's completed over the past decade. An upside of this is that she seems basically unbreakable when it comes to injuries (even though joshi will likely do it's best to prove that wrong), and she does seem to have an inherent badass babyface star quality, that you see in high caliber athletes. Namika Irie – 'Class Two' Age: 25 Height: 5' 3” Weight: 109 lbs. A former Crossfit athlete, Irie was about as well known as you can be in a niche sport such as that, but like Inokuma, one positive of that background is that she's remarkable resilient to injury, and is a bit of an athletic freak when it comes to stamina, along with having a bit of presence to her, even though she's not that well-formed as a wrestler or a promo, as of yet. One bit of rumor is that she wasn't well-liked among other Crossfiters in Japan though, for whatever reason. Nari Tusjimoto – 'Class Two' Age: 27 Height: 5' 4” Weight: 156 lbs. Prior to starting training for Hiroyuki, Nari didn't have any real connection to wrestling at all, outside of being a fan, as she was working in an office, while also moonlighting as a singer in the evenings for a J-Rock band on the weekends, but according to an interview transcribed on Twitter, the new J*STAR dojo was literally two blocks from her office, so she decided to show up and see what would happen. As one of the few wrestlers without any real athletic background, Tsujimoto is a work in progress, and it remains what will happen with her. Nozomi Matoke – 'Class One' Age: 22 Height: 5' 6” Weight: 145 lbs. Of all the wrestlers introduced today, Matoke fits closest into the old school idea of the class Japanese joshi babyface, as she's not too pretty, somewhat athletic, and very friendly and respectful to everybody. She's also, according to reports, merely OK so-far in her progress when it comes to the ring, and because it's 2020 instead of 1980, seems far less marketable in the modern era. However, she like many of the other trainees is stamina and athletic beast, which she has a lot of room to grow when it comes to her in-ring work. Sumie Nitta – 'Class Two' Age: 24 Height: 5' 4” Weight: 143 lbs. With her short hair, and 'plain' clothes compared to some of the other wrestlers, Nitta's tomboy character was played up a bit, but even though it seems to be based in reality, the young rookie still seems a bit uncomfortable in playing it up for a crowd but did her best. In addition, according to reports, she seems to be quickly becoming a skilled in-ring technician and striker, which will buoy her in the ring. All in all, as a crop of rookies, it could be a lot worse. Ieseda and Fujisaki seem most groomed for success early, but that's largely in part due to their backgrounds and inherent qualities, as opposed to in-ring skill. That will remain to be seen, as we don't know any of the veteran workers and other young independent workers whom will hopefully surround J*STAR in 2020. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesseewiak Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 Roster, Champions, Schedule Post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Trask Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Nice start, always interested to see more joshi too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesseewiak Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 October 23rd, 2019 J*STAR Announces Full Native Roster by Candice Dawson At a press conference at their Tokyo office, J*STAR boss Saeko Hiroyuki officially announced much of the rest of the roster, along with a schedule, at least for the initial mini-tour in the New Year. At JoshiSpirit, we'll go over the announced names, sorted by how well known they are to the Western audiences. J*STAR also announced they'd have a full announcement of their gaijin roster in the coming weeks. Name: Emiko Miyoshi Age: 21 Height: 5' 3” Weight: 125 lbs. If you know anybody on the J*STAR roster among the native workers, it's likely Miyoshi, but it's also far more likely due to her Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter accounts, instead of her work in the ring. However, her ability to draw attention on social media already led to rumors she'd be picked up by Five Star, but it looks like J*STAR will get the overflow of her likes and retweets she creates in the social media world. Name: Angel Takudome Age: 39 Height: 5' 5” Weight: 146 lbs. A long-time wrestler, largely on the nascent independent circuit, who has competed in many of the short lived competitors to Five Star, including a somewhat famous tag match involving a young Joanne Rodriguez, that was part of her retirement DVD. Outside of that, Takudome in recent years has become an in-ring teacher, as she slowly heads toward retirement. Name: Chitose Ariwara Age: 33 Height: 5' 4” Weight: 145 lbs. Probably far more well known among hardcore joshi fans in the West than she currently is in Japan thanks to some wider circulation of mid-2000's Five Star during the Three Queens era, Ariwara has been bouncing around the various independents in Japan since she was released in 2014, finishing up a long run in O-DOJO, a small independent company in Osaka that focused on comedy and intergender matches, that shut down in the middle of 2019. In the ring, Ariwara is a great babyface and a solid worker, who will help quite a bit with the young wrestlers in J*STAR, assuming she can stay in the ring. Name: Kameo (Aki Kameo) Age: 20 Height: 5' 1” Weight: 118 lbs. Making the rest of the roster look impressive when it comes to stature , Kameo, who has dropped her first name, makes up for it by being quite skilled in aerial and flashiness only a couple of years into the business, along with being quite popular with the male fans for obvious reasons. In fact, she's only behind Miyoshi when it comes to Instagram and Twitter followers, even though her online presence is far more goofy. Of course, behind that goofy persona is someone who got quite the education from the legendary Kit Hatoyama. Asami Okubo Age: 22 Height: 5' 4” Weight: 150 lbs. A young former judo competitor, Okubo has a nascent social media following due to her side-job as a personal trainer, which may help her gain some fandom, among the Joshi faithful within the country of Japan. In the ring, Okubo's fairly green, but is already quite skilled when it comes to the technical end of things. Name: Spider Isako Age: 19 Height; 5' 5” Weight: 144 lbs. Perhaps the most impressive early graduate of the Hatoyama Dojo, it's considered a bit of a surprise that Isako already isn't on the Five Star roster, but there are also rumors that Five Star wanted her to work the indies to gain experience, and also so she's likely be pushed so that when she came to Five Star, they wouldn't have to treat her as a Young Lion. The reasons for that are obvious – Isako has an impressive looks, already looks solid in the ring dealing out strikes and kicks, and even is quite charismatic which is something that even young workers who look to be future stars lack at the beginning of their careers. The only reason why Isako probably isn't as well known as other young joshi stars in the United States is most of her early career has been on small independent shows that aren't even featured on shows like Last of the Independents on Japanese Cable TV, let alone channels that get wider exposure in the rest of the world. Name: Kaori Takenouchi Age: 24 Height: 5' 3” Weight: 161 lbs. A tank of a competitor, Takenouchi leans into her character by wearing military fatigues, before she batters opponents with punches, forearms, and other strikes, before hitting big throws or huge power moves, thanks to her low center of gravity. Thanks to that ability, she's been a successful heel on the independent circuit over the past couple of years, and even got a Five Star tryout in 2018. Name: Mio Takasu Age: 32 Height: 5' 8” Weight: 142 lbs. A lean strike, it's somewhat of a surprise that Takasu has never been picked up by Five Star, despite the fact she's a perfectly capable wrestler who could've been built up by the company in the earlier portions of the 2010's or used as a veteran midcarder training up the younger wrestlers over the past years. To those who want to give the benefit of the doubt to Five Star, the reason usually given is Takasu seems totally uninterested in interacting with fans, and is stiff even for joshi, with her Yazuka Kick largely being sold because she's actually kicking your head off. On the other hand, if you want to be less friendly to Five Star, the fact Takasu is of Chinese background is a big enough black mark in a country like Japan that's still dealing with racial issues. Name: Nami Genda Age: 23 Height: 5' 7” Weight: 143 lbs. The bubbly purple haired youngster is still green in the ring, but has become popular among hardcore joshi fans thanks to her willingness to hit big moves, even though she has quite a bit to figure out what to do between those big moves. As a result, her 'Purple Passion' team with Hoshiko Tagawa seems like a good spot to learn her trade, before possibly moving on to Five Star in the future. Name: Yayoki Kurmochi Age: 19 Height: 5' 6” Weight: 143 lbs. Kurmochi is another talented graduate of the Hatoyama Dojo, but a combination of a quieter personality combined with a simple lack of exposure has meant that she isn't quite as well known as the other graduates outside of Japan, even though her character of a high-flying sassy schoolgirl would seemingly be catknip to many Western joshi fans. With her new roster spot in J*STAR, it's likely she'll quickly become quite popular. Name: Rika Tsujimura Age: 24 Height: 6' Weight: 182 lbs. Tsujimura, being six feet tall, has one of the more impressive looks on the roster, and her running knee strike is already an impressive finisher, but other facts about her are why she's still likely on the indy scene six years after graduating from the Five Star academy. Even though she has a good look, and even does well selling pictures and such to fans despite being taller than a strong majority of the fans, she does lack a certain 'spark' to her persona and rumors she's quite self-centered don't help matters. Name: Kichi Mochizuki Age: 19 Height; 5' 6” Weight: 140 lbs. Another graduate of the Hatoyama Dojo, Mochizuki isn't quite the obvious star that some of the other graduates are, but her red hair and good looks give her some second looks from the crowd, and even though she's still quite inexperienced, she's already become quite the high flier, with an impressive swanton bomb finisher. Name: Hoshiko Tagawa Age: 21 Height: 5' 2” Weight: 129 lbs. A small spitfire, Tagawa was a strong high school wrestler who was just below the level of those who would fight to get on the Olympics, so she moved over to wrestling. As a former athlete, her intense way of dealing with the business can be off putting to some, but as somebody barely in her 20's, she's already a quite psychologically sound wrestler with strong technical skills, with even a bit of flashiness to her takedowns and submission holds. Tagawa's intense personality likely hurts her a bit when it comes to being a star, or selling posters, but she'll likely have a strong career as a wrestler. When it comes to a schedule, J*STAR is starting fairly slow, with only 5 shows in January, with two shows in Tokyo at Gunma Hall, before having two smaller tour shows in Miyagi and Nagano, before finishing up back in Tokyo at the end of the month. January 10th, 2020 – J*STAR RISE UP! - Night #1 - Tokyo January 12th, 2020 - J*STAR RISE UP! - Night #2 - Tokyo January 17th, 2020 - J*STAR RISE UP! - Night #3 - Miyagi January 19th, 2020 - J*STAR RISE UP! - Night #4 – Nagano January 25th, 2020 - J*STAR RISE UP FINAL! - Tokyo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neoteros Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 I employed basically most of those young girls, and went bankrupt. It's a shame, because Miyoshi and Spider are the kind of otaku bait that could lure the younger demographic in quite easily, while Tagawa and Tsujimura look very promising when it comes to their skill. Maybe I should've ran only one show each month. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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