Actwres girl’Z
AWG ACTwrestling Step 15
March 24, 2023
Shin-Kiba 1st Ring
Tokyo, Japan

Watch: actwresgirlz.net

People often ask when is the perfect time to jump into a promotion. The truth is, there normally isn’t a clear-cut, apparent time to start watching. However, that is not the case with Actwres girl’Z right now. AWG is in a really exciting place, having just concluded their championship tournament with ace Miku Aono becoming the first champion since the company shut down in 2021. That tournament also saw breakout performances from Kouki and Natsuki. In April, Ice Ribbon ace Asahi will be joining Actwres girl’Z for the following three to six months, with many believing she may end up staying with AWG afterward.

Miku Aono vs. Chika Goto

You might be asking why I’m writing about a random show at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring, well, the answer is this. After defeating Kouki in the tournament finals on the last show, Aono was challenged by three young wrestlers wanting to prove themselves. Not only will this be the biggest test (both kayfabe and non-kayfabe) of their young careers, but it also shows that AWG likely has big plans for all three.

Chika Goto is someone who catches your attention right away. She’s tall, beautiful, and charismatic, she kind of reminds me of TJPW’s Yuki Kamifuku (but with a more cheerful disposition). Just like Kamifuku, Gochika is not a great wrestler, and I’m not overly confident she will ever become one, but honestly, that’s okay. I can easily see her becoming a solid midcarder with a big following for either STARDOM or TJPW in the future if she chooses to go that path. Goto is a work in progress and needs a lot of reps, but as long as she can become a decent worker, I can’t imagine she will have trouble finding work in pro wrestling. I imagine this will be an ass-whooping with Gochikagetting a few hope spots. Prediction: Miku Aono

Miku Aono vs. Koara Fujimoto

If I told you someone would challenge the company’s champion immediately after winning it, you probably wouldn’t expect it from a wrestler with three matches under their belt. If that wasn’t crazy enough, this will also be Fujimoto’s first singles match. Back in August of last year, former STARDOM head trainer Fuka joined Actwres girl’Z to assume the same role with the official title being “special advisor.” Since the Fuka era officially began, there have been a few debuts, including Koara in December. To this point, Koara is extremely green and has never been in the ring for more than a couple minutes at a time, with her matches being six and eight women tags and a battle royal. It’s a really bold move putting such an inexperienced wrestler in this position, but she could be the first Fuka-era wrestler to show breakout potential with a strong showing. I do not expect a competitive match here. I think this will be an extended squash, and I’m looking for how Koara sells Aono’s offense and if she can show some fire. Prediction: Miku Aono

Miku Aono vs. Nagisa Shiotsuki

I’m going to take a giant victory lap on this. Nagisa Shiotsuki is easily my favorite wrestler in Actwres girl’Z, and someone I wrote about for the Future Of Joshi project. When I talked about her in that article, I mentioned that her ceiling is likely a midcarder capable of having great matches. It seems the AWG office has more significant ideas for her, and I couldn’t be happier. Nagisa is utterly miscast as a member of Mii’s UPDATE+ unit, surrounded by cute wrestlers with skirts, teddy bears, and batons with ribbons on them. The kawaii section of Joshi does not describe Shiotsuki, and recently she isn’t even teaming with her own unit, Instead forming a team with upcoming star Natsuki. Since joining Natsuki, the pair have had some really exciting matches, and Nagisa has grown a lot as a performer. Of the three Miku Aono matches, this is by far the most exciting, and will likely be the most competitive. I’ve been waiting for Nagisa to be more aggressive and throw a lot more of her signature chop, and I think that’s what we’ll see here, especially since she will be on the receiving end of Aono’s brutal kicks. It’s not gonna be long before the secret is out on Nagisa Shiotsuki, and I’m expecting a breakout performance from her. Prediction: Miku Aono

UPDATE+(Mii/Asako Mia) vs. Kouki/Naru

Imagine having a teddy bear as part of your gear and another more giant bear as a weapon, and that being only the third weirdest fashion choice in the match. That’s what we’re looking at here. Asako Mia has possibly the worst wrestling gear, dressing like a toddler. On the other side, you have Naru, who comes to the ring with a pacifier in their mouth for some reason. Questionable wardrobe aside, this should be pretty good. Kouki is coming off the biggest and best match of her career, main eventing Korakuen Hall against Miku Aono for the AWG championship. Naru is always solid and is possibly the best athlete in this promotion other than possibly CatMASK. The biggest questions are on the UPDATE+ side. Asako is still very new, and has not shown much other than some decent charisma. Mii is very hit or miss, sometimes looking really good and having fun matches, other times she is clunky and moves like a baby giraffe. Prediction: Kouki/Naru after lots of teddy bear based offense by Mii

Sakura Mizushima vs. Natsumi Sumikawa vs. CatMASK calico

If you’re a long-time STARDOM fan, you probably remember Natsumi Sumikawa, who used to wrestle as Natsumi Showzuki in their early days (I’m not gonna try to pretend I knew that until recently). Natsumi is one of the best wrestlers in Actwres girl’Z, and has had some of the best matches since the company reset, including her match with Natsuki at Step 14 last month. Her opponents are both pretty new to wrestling, with Mizushima entering her second year in wrestling, and CatMask only having a couple matches under her belt. Sakura Mizushima is one of the smoother wrestlers in AWG, and is always a highlight on undercards, consistently having some of better matches on AWG undercards. Little is know about CatMASK calico, but she may be the best pure athlete on the roster. I’m really looking forward to this one, and I’m hoping Sumikawa can help bring out her opponents potential. Prediction: Natsumi Sumikawa

BE∀STZ REBELLION (Act Yasukawa/Ayano Irie/CHIAKI) vs. Mari/Natsuki/Naho Yamada

This is the type of match you see a lot in Actwres girl’Z, with the younger wrestlers teaming with veterans. BE∀STZ REBELLION is the top heel unit in AWG, lead by former STARDOM star Act Yasukawa doing her “Drunken Samurai” character. Act is teaming with fellow veteran Ayano Irie and the newest BR member, CHIAKI, who’s fresh off a heel turn. Their opponents are Mari, super prospect Natsuki, and Naho Yamada. Mari is one of the coolest wrestlers going with some of the best gear, carrying a giant sword to the ring and wearing a kitsune mask. Natsuki is the breakout star of the year so far in AWG, consistently having good to great matches in both singles and tag matches (teaming with Nagisa Shiotsuki). Naho Yamada is someone who has a really good look and charisma, but still comes off as playing a character to me. There is a lot to be excited about her. Mari and CHIAKI like to work snugly, Yamada seems to enjoy the head drops, and every Natsuki match is enjoyable these days. Prediction: BE∀STZ REBELLION

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