On May 27, Mnet’s World of Street Woman Fighter (hereinafter WSWF) premiered, expanding the Street Woman Fighter (SWF) franchise to a global stage. The show featured K-pop icon J.Y. Park of JYP Entertainment, Kinjaz leader Mike Song, and Alia Janell as fight judges. Competing crews included Australia’s AG Squad, Japan’s Ojo Gang and RH Tokyo, New Zealand’s Royal Family, the U.S.’s Motiv, and Korea’s BUMSUP, uniting SWF veterans Gabee, Lee Jung, noze, Hyojin Choi, Lip J, Monika, Aiki, Honey J, and Rihey.
The six crews faced off in a “No Respect World Battle.” The results were shocking. Five crews, after reviewing pre-evaluation videos, criticized BUMSUP with comments like, “I don’t see their strengths” and “They need to learn from us,” directing 12 “No Respect” votes at the Korean team.
Gabee remarked, “I thought we were being ostracized.” The first individual battler was Honey J, a 26-year legend of Korean girls’ hip-hop and SWF Season 1 winner. She chose Motiv’s Marley but faced dismissal as Motiv claimed, “What Honey J does isn’t real hip-hop, just commercial hip-hop.” Marley won decisively, with all three judges raising her hand. J.Y. Park commented, “She was better prepared, but she was too stiff trying to do too much. She tried to prove too many things.”
The attack on Aiki crossed a line. AG Squad’s Aliya provoked, “Aiki’s movement quality was poor. I get ‘likes’ on TikTok just by looking at the camera, but Aiki has to do all sorts of things to get ‘likes.’ It feels like she bought her TikTok followers. She’ll lose to me anyway.” Aiki struggled to stay composed and was criticized for failing to control the battle’s flow, ultimately suffering a complete defeat. Aiki reflected, “I couldn’t control my emotions at the end. I regret not staying calm.”
From the first battle, the Korean team faced prejudice as “commercial dancers” and a lack of respect. Moreover, most of BUMSUP’s original members, except Leejung, are in their mid-to-late 30s, while other crews consist of younger dancers in their 20s and 30s, making age a significant handicap. As the fierce sisters who sparked the street dance craze, all eyes are on whether they can overcome these challenges and dominate globally.