Saki Kashima

[7.0] "You either love comedy gimmicks or you hate them. So, in other words, you will either love Saki Kashima or hate her. You will either find her gimmick of being the lazy, loveable goofball who manages to steal wins from everyone hilarious and highly entertaining, or annoying and predictable. But lets put it this way: either way, she's going to stand out at you and catch your attention whether you like it or not. She has built an entire career off of playing the wimpy coward who is still somehow, someway, the most dangerous opponent to face in a Stardom ring - not on how she's going to beat you up, but how she's going to steal a lightning-fast victory right under your nose. Kashima is the definition of fast-food wrestling: she satisfies your first impressions and initial tastes. As long as you don't dig deeper looking for satisfaction or depth, you're likely to walk away highly entertained, at the very least."

[7.0] "Saki Kashima is one of those wrestlers who commands affection effortlessly--and rightly so. She's the kind of performer that captures the hearts of fans not just through skill, but through undeniable charm and personality. In a crowded field, Saki stands out by making every appearance memorable. Her style is a clever blend of technical savvy and cunning tactics, often relying on trickery and smart ring psychology to outwit opponents. This isn't flashy wrestling, but it's effective and entertaining--she knows how to tell a story, to build suspense, and to keep the audience on their toes. While she may not always be the top-tier athlete in terms of raw power or speed, Saki makes up for it with charisma and consistency. Her role in factions like Oedo Tai only enhances her presence, giving her a platform to showcase her unique flair. A 7.0 rating feels just right. She's not the absolute main event centerpiece, but she's a beloved and reliable performer whose contributions make the product richer. Simply put: everyone loves Saki, no kidding."

[8.0] "Saki Kashima! Definitely in the conversations of the best judoka transitions into wrestling like many before her. A good good talent, good check out her time tagging with Yoko, Kairi and Yuzuki in full power girls. But when took up with Gods eye, her battles became more comical than judo based. Go and check in 2018-19 time frame, Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona & Konami vs. Mayu Iwatani, Kashima & Tam Nakano."

[10.0] "My favorite "comedy" wrestler of all time. Never fails to make me laugh. The low speed champion is an incredible gimmick, and, in kayfabe at least, she's the smartest wrestler alive.Her work-rate is very solid as well. I love Saki and think she deserves a higher rating on here. 10/10"

[5.0] "Idk man, I think because she's sort of a meme now, people act like she's one of the best in the world. And there's no doubting what she's done for the business and her legacy, but she is just a completely average wrestler. She's had the same moveset for many years now, and the only thing that's changed is her finisher. I'd like to see some motivation and some Urgency from her. Saki also lacks knowledge on how to use her body to her advantage considering she's one of the smallest on the roster. She should take notes from Kohgo who is the opposite and knows how to use her smaller stature to her advantage."

[8.0] "The absolute GOAT of sloth style, why run around and use up all your energy. When you can pin someone with little wasted energy and time? Saki Kashima is a great hand in any situation, can work High Speed, 5 Star matches. Comedy spots, and serious storied wrestling. She's done it all as a face and a heel, and is loved for it."

[5.0] "Saki's been overrated in part due to her close ties and consistent booking with Syuri, but on her own has struggled significantly to look more than mediocre. There's simply nothing about her wrestling style that stands out or elevates any given performance, and she has yet to figure out what it takes to reach the next level."

[7.0] "Saki Kashimas in-ring is not great but she makes it up with her incredible character. I dont speak japanese but I can tell shes one of the funniest wrestlers in the world"

[9.0] "You can get away with not being a great technician, high-flyer or brawler in the ring as long as you can deliver fantastic character work in and out of the ring. Saki is just the kind of wrestler who does exactly that. Her wrestling style perfectly reflects her character."

[8.0] "If Saki Kashima came across her low review score here on CageMatch, I don't think she would care as long as you "run to the ATM". Owner of one of the most original gimmicks in wrestling, I'll rate the wrestler who hates wrestling in three parts: look, promo, and in-ring ability. Getting right into it with look, Saki gives off a cool aura. She's not quite a classic face, not quite a classic heel, yet somehow gets away with calling her fans creepy otakus. Oh, and her ring gear is cool as well and she always stays in shape. As far as promo goes, Saki is good on the mic and is able to garner reactions - usually laughs - from the usually subdued Japanese audience at Stardom shows. In terms of in-ring ability, this is where Saki shines but in a completely unconventional manner. I believe undersized need at least one of the following qualities to get over: 1. Can take punishment but their fighting spirit keeps them from stopping (Spike Dudley, Mayu Iwatani). 2. Can deal punishment through hard strikes (Yoshihiro Tajiri, Suzu Suzuki). 3. Excellent cruiserweight skills (Rey Mysterio Jr., Natsupoi). Or alternatively, you can scratch all of those qualities and go with Saki Kashima's gimmick of hating wrestling. Saki will often find hilarious ways of avoiding contact or wrestling altogether in matches, only to steal the pin or win with her awesome roll-up the kishikaisei (revival from the brink of death). Saki is often booked in triple threat or tag team matches which plays to the strengths of her unique character work. With that being said, she still can bring it in the ring, just not to the level of main event Stardom talent. She has an amazing looking hurricanrana and her aforementioned kishikaisei finisher is great as well. Regardless, Saki is a classic example of hiding your flaws and accentuating your strengths. And in her case, that strength is avoiding wrestling altogether."

[9.0] "I really enjoy Saki's character work. The way she really leans into the character of a cowardly heel who wins mainly because she's excellent at pinning combinations, moreso than anything else. Stardom is full of amazing athletes, but not many people have the great sense of character that Saki does. Saki's matches are not to be skipped in my opinion, and is as entertaining a pro wrestler as you'll find."

[8.0] "True Ace of Stardom. Sure, she'll never be at the top of the card. But I watch pro-wrestling to be entertained and this lady always delivers. Simply fantastic with her cowardly and heelish antics, but she can work well in the ring when need be and can frequently pull off surprise wins over opponents she has no business beating. Seriously underrated."

[5.0] "Saki's OK really. She doesn't embarrass herself in the ring or backstage but she's hardly an interesting character or in-ring worker. A good solid and reliable lower midcarder who regularly gets mini-pushes for being a Stardom loyalist, she fills her role well but hit her ceiling a while ago already."

[10.0] "Stardoms main character. The icon of sneak. The legendary revive. Saki Kashima has no equal in wrestling because she is wrestlings greatest No effort slacker. Orange Cassidy dreams of being Kashima"

[9.0] "Saki Kashima is the one of the most underrated joshi wrestlers in the world. She deserves more than what she gets. Her victory stealer character is so great, also she is very charismatic and funny. Hope she gets more accomplishments in the future. One of my favorite wrestlers in Stardom today."

[9.0] "I can't hold off rating Saki Kashima a 9/10 any longer! She has improved so much and is wonderfully entertaining. When I first got into Stardom she had just turned heel and, to be honest, I did not care for her too much. I always thought Saki didn't get the credit she deserved and played a vital role for the promotion but she was basically a jobber. However; just over a year ago she started adding a lot of additional moves to her arsenal as well as improving her all-round game. She was also in the process of finding a truly great character for herself. Before I knew it she had become one of my favourite wrestlers in the company. I will honestly never get tired of seeing her steal victories with the Kishikaisei. It is such a beautiful flash pin and it always looks believable. Her selling is as good as anyone's too; she literally looks half-dead at the end of many matches. I'm really glad she seems to be getting more credit recently. Awesome entrance theme as well."

[9.0] "Entertaining wrestler who isn't the best in the ring but she is always entertaining whenever she steps in the ring"

[9.0] "[[[ Keeping my previous rating here for posterity - October 2020 - (7.0 RATING): Far more of a presence than she gets credit for, she has a lot of potential as an unscrupulous, indifferent heel and can be genuinely scary at times. All she needs at this point is for Stardom to have a little more faith in her abilities when booking her. Saki Kashima is a vibe. ]]] --- At this point I feel completely vindicated in my earlier support of Saki Kashima and my expectations for her potential have even been exceeded. Saki has not only stepped up to being one of the best character workers in Stardom, if not the best, she can also hang in the ring with the best wrestlers in the company and look good if not great. She's established herself as an asset to the company, able to win or lose to anyone on the card at any time for any reason and also have good matches with almost anyone. She can play the comic relief, she can play the serious hard hitter, she can have a high psychology storytelling match, and she does it all very well. Saki's personality shines through in everything she does, whether she's disinterested, terrified (hi that Syuri match in the 2022 5Star), amused, pissed off, focused, etc. Saki is an essential part of Stardom and with her smart work she will stay so for a long while. Saki Kashima is still a vibe."

[9.0] "I've really changed my tune on Saki over the past year. Last June, I had her at a 6 because she came across as uninspired and seemed like she was going through the motions. Almost immediately after Natsuko Tora got hurt in July, Saki immediately ramped it up everywhere and seemed to be motivated and rejuvenated, ready to prove her worth and abilities. Fast forward to now and she's become one of my favorites in Stardom. All of her matches are fun for me these past few months, she continues to deliver fun promos whenever she has the mic and in prematch segments and she is arguably doing the best work of her career during this recent stretch. Everything she does just clicks, and the fans seem to be more supportive of her now than ever before as a result. I don't know how much longer she can continue at this level, but I'm going to enjoy it however long it lasts."

[6.0] "Every time I watch Saki in a match I feel like she is one step lower from her stable partners, but later I watch her matches and she is really good. It's true that some of her moves doesn't look too good, like the foot stomp, she doesn't jump she just falls from the top rope and a lot of times she nearly touches her opponents, it looks strange specially when is a move she uses very often, but she really does good some other moves like the underhook facebuster, revival and the bulldog using the ropes to jump. She really fits well in tag team matches, but not so well in singles, this years 5 star grand prix she had all the shortest matches (nearly all were under 5min) and that's make her look weaker than the rest of big names in STARS, I don't know if she has some problem with long matches but that didn't help Saki to look stronger. A good worker, with some really good moves and original 3 count finisher, but some soft moves and short singles matches doesn't let her a better rating."

[8.0] "I will admit, I wasn't the biggest Saki Kashima fan last year. She was botch heavy, she didn't really do anything exciting and there weren't many memorable matches from her. However after she joined Oedo Tai she seemed to up her game, having a fun walk and brawl with Mayu, and then stepping her technical game in a short match she had with Momo, the only thing that's keeping her from looking like a star is the fact she's stuck in tag team matches with either Bea or Natsuko."

[6.0] "I think Saki is decent, but when she's standing next to the likes of Mayu, Tam, & Arisa; you can see her shortcomings. She doesn't have half the charisma that the aforementioned three have. Her in ring maneuvers are also rather basic."

[7.0] "Ever since her return to wrestling early last year, Saki Kashima has become a strong midcarder for Stardom. She is a solid in-ring performer and has been involved in good singles and tag matches, but where she really excels is that she is one of the more charismatic members of the roster and is very likeable."

[7.0] "In her first year back in the ring, Saki has quietly become one of Stardom's most versatile workers. She might not be a standout or eye catching performer in any particular area, but she's above average in just about everything and has a very likeable personality. She really thrives in tag matches, and has been a part of a lot of good ones since returning. You can plug her in anywhere on the card in just about any kind of match, and she seems to adapt well to whoever she's working with. That's a valuable presence to have in any promotion."

[8.0] "Didn't expect to like her tbh. She came across as just another hot female that'll get pushed but she impressed me a ton. Great in tags as the FIP, worker or hot tag and very good in singles. She combined different styles well and is very likable. Can be a bit awkward due to her long frame but I generally like her execution."

[6.0] "Saki has the potential to be one of the best. It seems she gets nervous and her moves can come across as awkward at times (also cause for botches). However, she is super talented. I love the fact that her moveset includes power moves and technical wrestling. She is super athletic and she can really work those long limbs of hers."