How Was This Not A 10?! — Day One Highlights At Stab High Japan 2025 Presented By Monster Energy

Episode 2 of Poolside hosted by Kona Big Wave

Sudden-death shootouts, the first-ever superwoman, and a mullet-flapping Monster Air frontrunner.

Movie fans, the video’s above.

Readers, click here.

We’ll skip the blow-by-blow, but here’s the skinny:

Mikey Wright, fighting to keep his bloodline alive in the sudden-death round, eyed down the line, blasted over the kink like a maniac, pirouetted gloriously in the air, and landed like a palm sliding into your lap — smooth enough for a 49/50. The missing point came courtesy of Lee Wilson, obviously, but getting the guy to lift a hand and crack a smile is a small paper blessing.

In sudden death surf-off against Shane Borland, Matt Meola, outrageously performed a mid-wave double-grab chop hop followed by a double-grabbed, equally outrageous inverted backside full-rote — and closed with a hip thrust aimed at Lee Wilson, somewhere between satire and seduction.

The Ladybirds launched female progression into the stratosphere. Led by Laihani Zoric and Patti Zhou, they barely missed — their make rate that far eclipsed the men’s, and the pulse for progression hummed louder than Christian Fletcher’s exhaust. Mali Adam came achingly close to landing the first ever superwoman — to our knowledge, anyway. Happy to be corrected.

Just getting warmed up, and somehow the end’s already whispering. Tomorrow’s all that remains, so buckle up. Here’s what’s left:

SEMIFINALS — PRO MENS, BOTTLE ROCKETS, LADYBIRDS
Three Rights, Three Lefts
Best Single Air, Top 4 Advance To Final
Leaderboard Format: Surfers Against Entire Field

FINALS — PRO MENS, PRO WOMENS, BOTTLE ROCKETS, LADYBIRDS
Three Rights, Three Lefts
Best Right + Best Left Count Towards Score
Highest Combined Score Wins

Prize Money

Pros: $20,000 USD
Pro Women: $10,000 USD
Monster Air: $10,000 USD
Ladybirds: $5,000 USD
Bottle Rockets: $5,000 USD