WWE has had yet another round of roster cuts, much to our dismay. The names included in this round were ALL of Hit Row, John Morrison, Jaxson Riker, Shane Thorne, Drake Maverick and Tegan Nox. This round really surprised me since they released not only Tegan Nox and Morrison but the entirety of the Hit Row stable that had literally just been called up and were really popular. Today though, I am going to focus on Tegan Nox, or Nixon Newell if you prefer. The girl with the shiniest wizard has a lot of upside to her, plus she is a natural babyface for any promotion. The only reason she seems to have been held back is due to her history of knee injuries. I believe that to be the real reason why she was cut from WWE, not budget cuts. I hope she plans to continue wrestling because she is a lot of fun to watch in the ring. Today, I am going to look at 10 women in Japan, from different promotions, that I would love to see her step into the ring with. Nixon could literally go anywhere and be a star, that’s why I’m not focusing on one specific promotion in Japan today. Let’s jump right into it.
10. Maki Itoh – Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
Maki Itoh is the definition of self-made star due in large part to her over-the-top personality and social media presence. That doesn’t take anything away from her in the ring though. In her short career, she’s quickly become one of the best performers that TJPW has on its roster. She’s improved by leaps and bounds in the ring and she put on a match of the year contender against her friend Miyu Yamashita not long ago.
She might have the most subtile and funny character in Joshi right now. Her in-ring is okay but secondary. She has been criticized a lot since she had her little run in AEW and I totally understand as AEW took exactly 0 seconds to present her character and her backstory to people who don’t watch TJPW and DDT, but I don’t even think AEW themselves understand her, for them she sings and flip off everyone so she is funny. Because of that she is compared to other Joshi wrestlers in big promotions and obviously she isn’t even close to them in-ring, but she is mostly a comedy wrestler who is way more focused on being entertaining and working on her character than being able to have 5-star matches every times she comes to the ring. If you have time, check some videos about her, because she is far from being only an adult who dresses like a schoolgirl and sings. A match against a veteran like Nixon would do wonders for Itoh-chan, but it would also give Newell a chance to show the world what she has left in the tank against someone who can be considered a legit star. This would be a lot of fun, just admit it to yourselves.
9. Mio Momono – Marvelous
Mio Momono is a very good pro-wrestler. She has a compelling style and is very charismatic. Therefore it is pretty easy to get behind her whenever she steps into the ring. She wins you over with her charisma and her matches are never boring or hard to get through because of her quickness. She also manages to excel in both types of matches in styles clashes, where she depends on her quickness to have any chance at all against more physical dominant opponents as well as the super fast matches whenever she collides with people that can go her super fast styles themselves. Mio is one of these super-talented wrestlers in the joshi scene that are 23 or under, and it feels like she really is a star that just waits for a good occasion to explode on the international scene. She’s also a five year veteran of the ring. At 23 years young, she has a lot of years before she should be calling it a career. If the chance comes up that she could step into the ring with Nixon Newell, both women would be better for it. Mio is one of the highest rated women’s wrestlers in the world on Cagematch and she is earning fans around the world due to her fan-friendly style. This would be a fun and entertaining match between Mio and Nixon and that’s really all we ask for.
8. Natsupoi – Stardom
The High Speed Fairy of Stardom graces us next. Natsupoi is one of those women you cannot take your eyes off of when she is in the ring. When I think of pure fun to watch perform, Natsupoi is way up there. She has a technique that is very unique. In this business, that’s a hard thing to pull off. She’s always poised & has a great look. She certainly relies on her gymnastic background a lot, while technical often takes a backseat. But I am totally fine with that, as I don’t want every wrestler to have the same sort of approach. When she came into DDM, she brought a diversity into that group that was very needed. She’s someone who I am always looking forward to see work.
She’s extremely fast, which earned her the nickname, and the way she incorporates her gymnastics training and skills into what she can do in the ring makes her really fun to watch. This combination is pretty unique and it makes her an interesting opponent for someone like Nixon Newell. Poi can hang with the biggest, strongest or fastest in the world and make each match competitive, win or lose. Her style can frustrate bigger or stronger foes while giving her an edge against those who can match her speed. I think Poi would frustrate the ever-living out of Tegan but this is a match that would really test Nixons knee. If she had the chance to step into it with Poi, I could see Nixon trying to match speed at first but then realizing she needs to use her strength and wits instead. This is an interesting match to say the least and it’s one that absolutely needs to happen if Newell finds herself in Stardom.
7. Yuka Sakazaki – Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
Tokyo Joshi’s Magical Girl is up next at number seven. Yuka Sakazaki is another high flyer to grace this list, but she is just as versed on the mat as she is in the air. She can hang with the best of them wherever the match goes and that makes her a threat to anyone in the world. Her move-set is huge, combines speed, aerial and power attacks beautifully and her finishers are outstanding. Yuka’s got a great gimmick and move set that can easily grab your attention but seeing her in long matches is really where she shines because she’s got such a great way of building up to her finishes and really putting her opponents over with how her selling. She is great at selling as well. Her gimmick is unique and charming but I personally love when she switches to her angry, aggressive mode where she becomes absolutely brutal. Maybe some people do not take her seriously because of her normal comedic character but when she gets serious she is extremely good in the ring; and for anyone that does not think so I urge them to check out her big matches and title defences as champion. It’s those big matches, and her time in AEW, where she earned her place on this list. Her more serious self is more than a match for Nixon and it’s that side of Yuka that I want to see step into the ring with her.
6. Starlight Kid – Stardom
Stardom’s current High Speed Champion is up next. Starlight Kid is in the middle of the best run of her entire career. She nearly won Stardom’s biggest tournament of the year and she also won the High Speed Title for the first time. Since joining Oedo Tai, SLK has shown that she is more than just a high flyer. She’s got an attitude and charisma now that she never showed while she was with the STARS unit. Not only has she grown more charismatic since her unit change, she’s shown that she is more than capable of holding her own on the mat. Love her or hate her, you cannot deny that Starlight Kid has quickly grown into one of the brightest young stars in Stardom. Starlight Kid was already looking to be one of the best in Stardom with her fun, wholesome, high-flying character. But now? She’s even better.
After floundering for basically all eternity in the midcard, her move to Oedo-Tai has pretty much made her one of the most entertaining and must see wrestlers in Stardom. I hope that they have bigger plans for her aside from winning the High Speed belt, because along with AZM, she could be one of the next aces of the company. The Sky Tiger of Stardom would be a good match for someone like Newell. Given Newell’s history of knee problems, you want someone as safe and skilled as SLK to step into the ring with her. Kid’s style is very friendly for someone like Nixon, plus she can sell the shit out of everything that Newell would throw at her.
5. Tsukushi Haruka – Ice Ribbon
Tsukushi Haruka is the lone representative that I’ve chosen from the Ice Ribbon promotion today. Ice Ribbon has a lot of talented women on their roster, but Haruka stands out to me more than the majority of them. Tsukushi could already be considered the Ace of her home promotion Ice Ribbon. From tag to singles matches, Tsukushi is consistently the highlight of every match she’s involved in. Despite her small stature, Tsukushi is well versed in every style of wrestling and she makes up for her small body by being the fastest and most hard hitting 4’11 wrestler I’ve ever seen in Joshi. She truly is a joy to watch in the ring and she reminds me a lot of women like Sareee and Kana. Sure, she’s diminutive in stature but she can put a hurt on anyone.
I think that she’s got a style that would meld well with Nixon Newell, and frankly, this is one of the more exciting matches for Nixon that could happen in Ice Ribbon. It’s a long shot to happen, of course, but never say never.
4. Tam Nakano – Stardom
Honest to god, there are a lot of women in Stardom that I would love to see Nixon mix it up with. But there’s only one women in the promotion that I want to see her step into the ring with more than Tam Nakano. The Stardom Dream has been having a dream run as the Wonder of Stardom champion. I say that, but there is dissension within the ranks of the Cosmic Angels unit. I won’t go too into depth on that, just watch what happens at the Tokyo Super Wars show. Tam is currently one of the best joshi wrestlers. She is charismatic, skilled and very dedicated to the business. Tam’s made huge progress in a very short period of time. From being an idol and being completely green in wrestling, she became an icon – a role model for every young wrestler. Tam Nakano has cemented herself as a figurehead in the top of the card in her 5 years of wrestling. From her start in Actwres Girlz to her stints in FMW’s revival, Tam entered Stardom and fit in instantly with skill that was beyond her years.
Over the past few years, Tam would be involved with some of the most intriguing stories of Stardom, her feuds with Oedo Tai, her feud/arc with Arisa Hoshiki and her recent feuds with Giulia and the collapse of STARS has shown that though her acting may fall to the side of melodramatic, she has been able to deliver incredible stories through professional wrestling. I could go on and on, but I won’t. Tam Nakano is arguably the best match in Stardom for someone like Nixon Newell You really can’t argue with me about that.
3. Takumi Iroha – Marvelous
With all the respect in the world to everyone that preceded my number three today, none of them can really hold a candle to the Queen of Marvelous. Takumi Iroha is on another level when it comes to the world of Joshi. She took several big names in Stardom to the limit during the Five Star Grand Prix and she had a really decent, albeit brief, run in Stardom this year. She could the top star anywhere she’d choose to work without anybody complaining in the least but instead she’s always helping the other talent to get over. She selflessly play the roadblock that will force her opponent to go beyond the limit, and usually get beaten for all her efforts, and in tag settings she’s always the one working the hardest but also the one taking a step away from the spotlight so that others may ultimately shine. One of the veritable class acts in pro-wrestling worldwide.
All Red Everything Takumi Iroha is the ace of Marvelous that has some of the best strikes in wrestling I’ve never seen her put on a bad match no matter the opponent and when given the right opponent she can have legit MOTY contenders. Her array of kicks is something else and her superkick puts the Young Bucks to shame. This is someone that a woman like Nixon Newell should be scrambling to get into the ring with. She could learn so much from Takumi and she could have one of the best matches of her career with her. That’s not just me saying that. Watch some of Takumi’s matches and tell me I’m wrong.
2. Mayu Iwatani – Stardom
Back in 2016, Mayu Iwatani faced off against Nixon Newell in their only single’s match to date. Said match went to a time limit draw, but both women have changed a lot in the years since that match. Mayu Iwatani is the, arguably, best in the world for women’s professional wrestling. That said, Nixon has got to be dreaming of getting to step back in the ring with one of the GOAT’s. If Io Shirai didn’t exist, Mayu Iwatani would be the undisputed best women’s wrestler in the world today and there is no debating it. She’s the ultimate seller in the ring, everything her opponents do to her looks absolutely excruciating. She’s got a top notch move set and she’s got this killer look when she gets serious. I swear she looks like she is going to murder her opponents sometimes and I love it. You watch Mayu in the ring and some of the bumps she takes and you have to wonder how she didn’t break her neck taking it. She is possibly the greatest talent that STARDOM has ever produced. Mayu has filled in all the check boxes to meet the requirements for being a complete wrestler with a depth that is only found in those that are of legendary status, hence why I called her a GOAT. While her earlier back catalog reveals how flawed she used to be, altogether she makes up for it when she fleshed out her entire game and lifted herself into the beloved wrestler we know today. With all that praise, you cannot deny that someone like Nixon would be an absolute fool not to want to step back into the ring with someone like Iwatani.
1. Miyu Yamashita – Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
My number one pick for who Nixon Newell should face in Japan is the Ace of Tokyo Joshi Pro, the Momoiro Striker herself, Miyu Yamashita. Yamashita has cemented herself as the top of the food chain in TJPW and there is no debating it. She is perhaps the most feared striker on the Joshi circuit at this time and I’d argue that she could be the most fearsome striker in the world, regardless of gender. There have been several times during her matches where I thought she legitimately knocked out her opponents with how lethal her kicks are. Miyu is very lethal with her legs, so much so that they are basically a lethal weapon at this point. I once saw a clip of her doing a very clean spinning back kick to Mirai Maiumi that looked and sounded like she took her head off. Everything she does in the ring is great and just looks good.
There is also no doubt that Miyu is an absolute badass in the ring. Given how terrifying her strikes are and how good Miyu is in the ring, someone who needs to work with safer workers like Nixon should absolutely work with someone like Miyu. Despite how brutal her stuff works, Miyu is very safe in the ring and can absolutely be the ring general when she needs to be. Nixon would have a rough go of it in there with Miyu, there is no debating that. However, I feel that a match between the two could be one of the best matches of the year. Nixon can hold her own against Miyu, despite the striking disadvantage. The only question I have is if she could survive one of those head kicks. Please, wrestling gods, make it happen someday…