This week on the Patron Saints of Sick Sons of Bitches, Orchid and Colette cover the career of late-90s joshi sensation Mariko Yoshida. It’s the first time a listener-submitted name has come down from The Wheel, and what a ride it is. From her origins as a midcard worker in All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling to her rise as the true heart of Arison and beyond, join us as we delve into career reinvention, the merits of hyper visual fighting, the sounds latex-adjacent gear makes in a mic’d-up wrestling ring, and some of the most technically proficient, thrilling wrestling you’re likely to experience in this or any other lifetime!

Matches Discussed:

• Mariko Yoshida vs. Reggie Bennett (AJW 6/22/96)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Chaparita ASARI (8/4/96)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Lady Apache (CMLL 2/6/97)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Reggie Bennett (Arison 5/5/98)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Aja Kong (Arison 6/21/98)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Mikiko Futagami (Arison 4/14/99)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Aja Kong (Arison 5/7/00)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Megumi Fujii (Arison 5/24/03)
• Mariko Yoshida vs. Rebecca Knox (APW 10/28/05)

Watch these matches and more on our Mariko Yoshida Patron Syllabus playlist on YouTube!

Follow Patron Saints: Bluesky | Twitter | YouTube | IG

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This podcast is part of the Violent People Podcast Network. If you want to join us in talking about each week's subject, join us on Discord!

This week, Orchid and Colette get emotional about Sara Del Rey. The once-and-forever Queen of Wrestling changed the landscape for women’s professional wrestling in the United States through her work in SHIMMER, CHIKARA, Ring of Honor, and other independent wrestling promotions before signing to WWE as a trainer in 2012, a position she holds to this day. While her career as an active wrestler was brief, it was magnificent: a 10 year stretch of classics rivaling the very best of her generation, regardless of their gender. But is she the Greatest Wrestler of All Time? Find out!

Matches Discussed:

• vs. Super Dragon (APW 9/13/02)
• vs. Mercedes Martinez (SHIMMER 11/6/05)
• vs. Lacey (SHIMMER 6/2/07)
• vs. Hailey Hatred (JAPW 3/20/10)
• vs. Kana (CHIKARA 10/8/11)
• vs. Eddie Kingston (CHIKARA 7/28/12)

Watch these matches and more on our Sara Del Rey Patron Syllabus playlist on YouTube!

Follow Patron Saints: Bluesky | Twitter | YouTube | IG

Follow Orchid: Bluesky | Twitter | Live, Laugh, Ligerbomb

Follow Colette: Bluesky | BIG EGG | Partly Garbage

This podcast is part of the Violent People Podcast Network. If you want to join us in talking about each week’s subject, join us on Discord!

In Part 2, Orchid and Colette cover DDP's feud with Raven, the incredibly strange celebrity matches, and his brief WWE run.