10 Awesome Wrestling Matches You May Have Missed In 2018

10. Meiko Satomura Vs. Io Shirai (Sendai Girls - 19 April)

Two titans of modern women's wrestling collide in a high-level Sendai Girls clash that's sure to feature on many an indie puroresu/joshi fan's 'Match Of The Year' ballot.

Io Shirai and Meiko Satomura should be familiar to anyone who caught this year's Mae Young Classic. Though neither showed their best work in the tournament, both were highlights. Satomura established herself as a domineering ring general and early favourite from the moment she first stepped through the ropes, while the livewire Shirai (who finally signed with WWE earlier this year) showed flashes of her athletic talents, particularly in her awesome final versus Toni Storm at the Evolution pay-per-view.

Here, Shirai steps into Satomura's world. Sendai is Meiko's promotion, and, with the veteran well-established as joshi's ultimate 'Final Boss' character, she spends the entire runtime trying to impose her will on the invader. Methodical matwork unravels with kicks and crossfaces. It builds and builds and builds in both stiffness and drama. By the end, neither woman has anything left in the tank, having expended everything following a well-crafted closing stretch to cap 20 minutes of energetic action.

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