[8.0] "****3/4 A truly magnificent match--a tremendous bout between Hashimoto and Iwata that I only just discovered and which left a huge impression on me. The chemistry was fantastic, and the match was structured brilliantly: it began with a technical phase that escalated into aggression and intensity, yet retained those technical elements established at the start. There were superb sequences and intensity, with a great build-up in pace; the match ramped up, and before you knew it, it had shifted from technical wrestling to violence and heavy "Strong Style" action. Hashimoto mercilessly slammed Iwata, while Iwata struck Hashimoto with great force, both wrestlers conveying the gravity of the match at every moment. It had a great finish, though there was a slight issue where Hashimoto absorbed a barrage of attacks in quick succession, only to counter effortlessly and put the match away; it is hard to overlook how little the preceding offense from Iwata seemed to affect Hashimoto before that counter, which led to violent powerbombs and a match-winning bridging German Suplex to retain the title."
[5.0] "Mechanically excellent match with a super hot crowd. Unfortunately there's not much story beyond Mika throws everything at Hash with No plan, Hash beats her with no real plan, amazing execution but it's the same story Sendai's been telling for 7 years with no growth or development. I can see why new fans would love it but as somebody who's followed Sendai for close to a decade it was a tedious retelling. Add to that the ending sequence follows the same house style every ace match has had this year: Ace kicks out of the biggest moves the wrestler she'll likely never put over have, another moves/finisher kickout sequence, ace hits her murder move to finish all totally divorced from what happened in the match before it beyond trading blows. The actual final technique of Hash grabbing on after Mika's super kick was great. But it was still part of a sequence that we've seen in every one of these kind of matches this year. Whilst the crowd very clearly loved it, there's not much of interest here outside of the strength of execution of moves which you get in every Hash/Mika match. I have a hard time liking a match where a super finish gets used on an ace by somebody permanently stuck below her and knowing it would never end the match, it was just to make Hash look strong and inadvertently make Iwata look like a loser again."
[9.0] "What we've presented here is sensational, Chihiro Hashimoto is easily a top 3 joshi wrestler today (and I don't disagree with those who consider her the best), but the match here is about Mika Iwata. There were moments when I thought she was going to dethrone Chihiro and others when I thought she would lose for good, but she always came back. Here we have a match that starts "calmly" and wins over the viewer as the action and urgency grow, undoubtedly top 3 women's/joshi matchers of the year so far [****1/2]."
[10.0] "On my short list for Match of the Year. Big Hash gives another stellar performance and Iwata gives an all timer. I love Hash, she's my favorite woman on earth in the ring, but this was the Mika Iwata show. Incredible strikes, energy, facials, selling, you name it from her. Hash my frontrunner for wrestler of the year at this point. Full monty, five stars."
[9.0] "I highkey don't want Hashimoto to ever lose this title, she just non-stop puts on amazing matches when defending this belt. Iwata was amazing in this match and it was very cool to see her push Hashimoto to her limits. Beast match. [****.5]"
[9.0] "The beggining was slow. Way too slow. I really felt people were really exagerating with the rating around this match until I realise how dumb I was. They're just creating momentum until it came to the point you will lose your freaking head. Chihiro, despise being an excellent wrestler, she is formulaic, all her single matches so far this year has that slow burn. But the momentum here, oh my fucking god, maybe it was the best from all her matches. Her chemistry with Iwata and abilitie to get stiffer was amazing, her kicks gave shadows of prime Edson Barboza, and you're a dumb if you don't felt that. Or even a shiver across your spine with the sounds her kicks did. Yeah, she lost, but for me she could easily be The one to get that belt from Chihiro, specially if you look around the entire building and atmosphere created for this event. Whatever, another banger for the WOTY Chihiro."
[9.0] "This match banged so hard. Two long time allies going at it bar for bar and it was damn near perfect. Both Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata are so well rounded but Hashimoto has far more status than Iwata does so it was really cool to see Iwata be the one that pushes Big Hash to her limits and does so convincingly. Every movement felt important in this, from the mat work to minor positional shifts that would make for the most exciting of counters. I loved how Iwata used Hashimoto's grappling and strength advantage against as she would grab onto any limb that Hashimoto would give her and it was quick as cobra strike. Iwata also shined as a character in that final stretch, really selling how much she had to dig deep to keep going and almost selling that she had already lost as Hashimoto kept getting back up. All that being said Hashimoto sold incredibly well for Iwata and is probably the most vulnerable I've seen her in ages. Probably my favorite Hashimoto singles performance and my favorite Iwata match period"
[10.0] "These two long time friends, partners and rivals have known each other since they debuted. Have had great matches and both grown to be amazing wrestlers in their own right. But Hashimoto has always been the stronger and more dominant. Going into this match Iwata has never defeated Hashimoto in singles competition. So this time, surely she was going to achieve it right? Well we believed it, and she came so close. Iwata did nothing wrong, she had the answer to everything Hashimoto did. But Big Hash just wouldn't quit, kicked out everything Iwata hit her with and eventually caught her in the Albright. Outstanding match, I can only hope they have Iwata finally overcome Hashimoto one day. She deserves it."
[7.0] "I think the idea here was to present Mika Iwata as a tough and cool babyface who pushed Hashimoto to the limit in front of a new audience that found SenJo interesting enough that they decided to put their asses in seats for this show, but if you've seen Iwata's career for a while you wouldn't see anything new or different from her, other than a new entrance gown. Match structure was adjusted to reduce number of near-falls to maximize their impact - that (very easy throughout the show) crowd bought into it, can't say I bought for a moment that Iwata had a chance, if Hashimoto wouldn't kick out after those pinfall attempts it would make her look not so good in defeat. Still, in-ring work never went below a certain floor and was very solid from start to finish, Hashimoto standing tall post-match came across as a big wall for any possible challenger to overcome. Unfortunately Iwata's performance didn't convince me that she's gonna be any better than she is right now, so I wonder where she goes from here because this match should've been a level up for her no matter the result, and because it didn't happen her future seems uncertain. ***1/4"
[10.0] ""Top of Joshi Wrestling" is an excellent tagline for a show main evented by a match like this. Possibly the best wrestler in the world, Chihiro Hashimoto, against one of her fiercest and longest rivals. They were even classmates under the training of the legend Meiko Satomura, for goodness sake! They debuted at nearly the same time in 2015 and their careers have progressed in parallel ever since. Hashimoto has pulled ahead but Iwata has always been coming behind her, in fact last year they had such a brilliant match that it also landed in my top 10 of the year. Iwata has been fighting up to Chihiro's level for a long time, but that's a damn hard level to truly reach. This played off their strengths and previous battles just as expected but with fantastic skill. Hashimoto remains the Brick Wall Monster in every respect, her power and toughness is incredible, a walking tank of a human being with nearly unpierceable armor. Iwata has built an extremely powerful battery of offense though to try to smash through that armor, she has many tactics but just like last year she made her main point of attack one of the hardest places to defend: she did everything in her power to simply kick the skull out of Hashimoto's head. Beatifully strong, stiff, just violent, the very definition of perfect chemistry, these two fit together like an absolute glove. Iwata could not quite defeat her rival this time either but it feels she's getting quite close in her attempts. Will she ever be able to take that Sendai Girls title off her rival? Time will tell. My #6 match of the year to date."
[9.0] "Very strong title defense from Chihiro Hashimoto" This is my first time seeing both women and I am truly impressed by the talent they both have.9/10"
[9.0] "I freaking loved this match. Just a hard-hitting battle between these two women, Mika was especially stiff with each of her kicks and strikes, didn't hold back once. Chihiro hasn't had a single bad match this year, she's bene having nothing but bangers all year, she's really made me a fan of hers quickly. Watching Mika for the first time, and I was impressed with her performance here. Both just lighted each other up with stiff strikes. The maneuvers here were also really freaking good."
[9.0] "Big Hash is the best in the world and Iwata is not far off when she is locked in like this. A shame I went in already knowing the result which did slightly harm my enjoyment of it. Iwata threw everything she had at Hashimoto and its going to hit like crack when she finally does take her down."
[10.0] "Hashimoto's best title defense of the year because it has the 10 years of history baked in with Iwata that they're match is operating so many layers deep when it comes to predicting, reacting and countering one-another's moves. There was even a call back late in the match to their last title match when Hashimoto got the win off a surprise powerslam, it's also one of the few matches where Hashimoto let the mask of being the unscalable monster slip when they were holding each other's wrists and throwing sloppy big forearms with fire behind them. Iwata's the person who pulls real desperation out of Hashimoto and draws the emotion out of her and out of the match. Amazing match, I can't believe they rug pulled us on Iwata winning this belt again."
[10.0] "Two longtime rivals and former classmates that debuted at the same time. Hashimoto had the clear advantage over Iwata, having won against her in every singles match they have had, but that didn't stop Iwata from bringing her all. Her eyes were filled with fire as she looked upon her rival. The kicks she delivered were stiff and she never held back. She was so obsessed with trying to be better than Hashimoto but it cost her once again. That wheelbarrow into the German suplex was deadly. This is by far one of the best matches of the year in my opinion."
[9.0] "[4.5*] WOW! Chihiro and Iwata did an amazing job here; I was fascinated by the full arsenal of moves they deployed. Iwata's submissions, kicks and her spectacular knee strikes were incredible, and seeing Hashimoto hold firm--acting as a literal wall against the challenger was FANTASTIC! And I haven't even mentioned the reversals--my God, they were the highlight of this electric and physically brutal match. Hashimoto is having a WOTY-caliber year; this marks her eighth successful title defense, and she continues to lead the company along this glorious path."
[10.0] "What an absolute war. Every advantage not only felt earned, but was also made to count. Iwata came sooo close to victory and I loved how Chihiro grasped the desperation decisive waistlock while collapsing from a kick ****3/4"
[8.0] "Mika Iwata once again attempts to claim the throne of Sendai Girls from Big Hash. Hashimoto will be damned if she allows that. That struggle of opposing needs is what makes this match. Iwata doesn't really have a plan, she doesn't target a limb, she doesn't focus on one style. She just gives it her all. Unfortunately for her, Hashimoto, as tough as it is, does power through it all to put Iwata down one more time."
[10.0] "Unsurprisingly these two delivered a match of the year contender. I won't lie, i had no idea what Iwata could bring to the table as i have never seen a match of hers but oh boy SHE'S GOOD! The kicks she was throwing at Hash especially in the second half of the match were ABSOLUTELY AWESOME, so crisp and perfectly landed. I don't even know if i'll talk about Chihiro as she DELIVERS every single time when she's in the ring, doesn't matter who she faces or when or for what, she is wrestling and as the event name indicates, SHE IS THE TOP OF JOSHI WRESTLING. Those 21 minutes were just phenomenal with no weak points and the strongest point was for sure the finishing stretch which got the packed Yoyogi going CRAZY. I'm curious who's next for Big Hash as she defeated really everyone and there's no one who could actually beat her at this point. *****"
[8.0] "Iwata threw everything she had at Hashimoto in this one, trying to finally get a win over her. Hashimoto was on the back foot basically from the bell onward. Really cool arm bar counter out of a torture rack that I can't remember seeing before. The closing stretch of this one is very good. 4 stars."
[10.0] "Iwata vs Hashimoto - THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST WOMENS PRO WRESTLING MATCHES IVE EVER SEEN I loved it so much 10/10 id give it higher if i could"
[10.0] "ABSOLUTLY AMAZING match here between Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata, I really thought that Mika Iwata was there to win the SENJO title, but once against it's not enough. Chihiro Hashimoto's title run is so good, she is the best wrestler of 2026, male or female, and by far, I don't even realize yet, the performance was outstanding. The battle of elbows, the huge kicks of Mika Iwata of the genius suplex by Big Hash Chihiro Hashimoto, it will be for sure, one of my match of the year of 2026."
[9.0] "This was awesome, with Mika pulling out every possible trick to try to finally topple Hashimoto. The submissions to the arm were great and there were times I really thought Mika had a chance to pull it off. Alas, it was not to be."
[8.0] "Hashimoto continues her excellent year, she's fantastic here. Iwata has some cool transitions and kicks. Her armbar catch out of (I believe) the torture rack was awesome. Unnecessary one count kickout ahead of the finish sours me slightly on the ending sequence as a whole but it did little to take away from an otherwise really great match. ****1/4."
[9.0] "These two are perfect rivals, straddling the striker-vs-wrestler dynamic while both having good submission game. This felt a touch behind their match last year, which was so free-flowing. I initially thought Mika would win, but Chihiro is undeniable. This will neatly fit into her title reign, in spite of falling behind her other defences this year."
[10.0] "Excellent match for the Senjo World title. The two best wrestlers in the promotion who don't often face off in singles matches, this had a proper big main event feel. As expected, Hash and Iwata had a hard hitting fight where they beat each other up. Hash does dominate at times with her strength and technical ability, but Iwata would always manage to find a way to make a believable comeback and have the champion on the defensive. Very good selling from them both as they took big bumps and wore each other down. The last few minutes were great with how they were definitely going for the win. Iwata kicking out at two powerbombs had the crowd going crazy. It wasn't to be though as Hash followed that up with an Albright to finish Iwata off and successfully retains. While I think Iwata should have won, Hash's reign has gone on long enough and she can always win back the title again, the match was more than good enough I can overlook that. 10/10"
[10.0] "Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata are an undeniable pairing. Their individual strengths balance out so well that despite Hashimoto's dominance, every big burst of offensive striking from Iwata feels believably threatening. Outside of an unnecessary, albeit less offensive than some, kickout at 1, the closing stretch was fantastic and enhanced by how frenzied the crowd was."
[10.0] "Wow, what a match, probably the best striking I've seen this year, Hashimoto's technical work is phenomenal, brilliant selling, MOTY contender from some WOTY contenders. Must Watch."
[10.0] "Chihiro Hashimoto vs Mika Iwata part 12 was good? OF COURSE IT WAS, another match for the best wrestler of the year 2026, Chihiro Hashimoto, who will be in the debates for the women's match of the year, WHAT YEAR, she is extraordinary, she walks on the competition, no one can hold a candle to her, Mika Iwata too WHAT A PERFORMANCE, Mika Iwata has shown once again that she is certainly excellent as a tag wrestler but that she is CLEARLY one of the best in the world in 1v1, 21 minutes of crazy intensity with a crowd behind Iwata looking for his first win in singles against Hashimoto SINCE 2015, congratulation to both wrestlers for this BIG MATCH, a MOTY Contender without a doubt"
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