© New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Resurgence
09/05/25
Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, USA
Company Announced Attendance: 2,027
Watch On: New Japan World PPV

New Japan Strong shows can often be strange things to watch; the crowds attending are a mix of AEW fans, fans of the product’s golden era and those who are keeping up with the current product. Add to that more American style booking and match types and results that no longer feel like they affect what happens in Japan and it sometimes leads to these shows feeling like they happen in a bit of a vacuum. This show had plenty of evidence of all of the above.

The show was main evented by the best match on the card, with AZM emerging out of a 3 way with Mina Shirakawa and previous Champion Mercedes Moné with the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship. AZM rolled up Shirakawa for the win after Mercedes had been thrown to the outside, to the complete shock of the former title holder. It was a result that felt locked in after AZM and Mina Shirakawa’s draw at “Windy City Riot” but was enough of a surprise result to the crowd that it got a big reaction for the finish and there was a good atmosphere for the rest of the action. It would have been preferable for Moné to have dropped the belt to someone directly, especially after such a long run, but these sort of get outs are becoming more and more common again when it comes to interpromotional talent in particular.

In the semi main event, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto defended against the man he won the belt against in Osaka, Zack Sabre Jr. This match had originally been scheduled, right up to the opening of the show, for the main event before being switched very late on. It is the second US show in a row that this has occurred and it was clear by the end as to why, as they executed a double pin finish which did not look great and didn’t really do anything for Champion or challenger. The protection for Zack felt particularly pointless in that it is Shingo Takagi who is challenging for the Title at “Dominion” rather than a rematch between Goto and himself. Both men worked hard to increase crowd investment throughout the match, with strikes being just as prominent as Sabre’s ground game in order to pick up the energy of the crowd.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

On the undercard, Konosuke Takeshita defeated ELP to retain the Never Title in the second of their series after a time limit draw at “Wrestling Dontaku” for ELP’s Television Title. This was a good back and forth that upped the pace from the previous matchups and felt on par with the match in Fukuoka but didn’t really surpass it. Takeshita was able to put him away with the combination of a rolling elbow, power drive knee and then Raging Fire, all in quick succession.

The big match for many in attendance was the 8 man tag between different Bullet Club eras, as Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returned to New Japan to tag with hometown wrestlers the Young Bucks against David Finlay’s War Dogs. This was one which felt like it was much more for the live crowd than the viewer at home and kept threatening to become something more than it was without really get there, despite some of Nick Jackson’s best efforts in particular.

Templario and TJP won the Strong Openweight Tag Titles from the World Class Wrecking Crew in a match that had gained extra attention thanks to TJP’s social media activity over the past month. The pair worked well together and the match exceeded expectations but it remains to be seen how much time TJP will spend in Japan going forward and it also made very clear as to why the company may struggle to see him as a heavyweight.

Full Results

Fred Rosser defeats Matt Vandagriff (13:45)

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Titles:
United Empire (Templario & TJP) defeat The World Class Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs) (c) (13:12)

The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) & The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors, David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & Gedo) (13:39)

NJPW STRONG Openweight Title:
Tomohiro Ishii (c) defeats Drilla Moloney (13:39)

NEVER Openweight Title:
Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeats El Phantasmo (17:48)

IWGP World Heavyweight Title:
Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Double Pinfall Draw (17:28)

NJPW STRONG Women’s Title:
AZM defeats Mercedes Mone (c) and Mina Shirakawa

“Wrestling Dontaku” Tour Review

It isn’t often that a Dontaku tour feels momentous, the build to the Fukuoka weekend is traditionally Bullet Club infused and normally acts as a precursor to June’s “Dominion” show, which is the 2nd biggest show on the New Japan calendar. This all changed this year after the departure announcements for Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI and Jeff Cobb were made and cards were chopped and changed in the aftermath.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Jeff Cobb was first to depart. The 42 year old had originally been planned to challenge Hirooki Goto in his final New Japan match in his adopted hometown of Fukuoka but requests from his new employers led to a hastily arranged final match against Hiroshi Tanahashi on April 19th in Korakuen Hall. Cobb, who has been with the company since 2019, was visibly emotional from the moment he walked out and was met by great support from the Korakuen crowd, who held up Hawaiian themed “Thank You Jeff Cobb” signs. It almost felt like Tanahashi got his head into the match, which Cobb repaid by stealing the slingblade and executing it on Tanahashi before attempting (and missing) a standing moonsault. What followed was of the scariest spots of the year so far as Tanahashi attempted a moonsault of his own with no rope assistance and narrowly missed landing on his head. Sometimes the body really isn’t in tune with the head.
Cobb would take the upper hand from there, finding time to play guitar on Tanahashi’s abs before hitting a Tour of the Islands. Cobb did not go for the pin right away and instead found himself rolled up on the 2nd attempt, as his final match ended in defeat to Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The two men shoke hands and embraced after the match’s conclusion, with both in tears before Tanahashi rolled out of the ring and Cobb was joined by all except 1 of his United Empire teammates. Cobb gave a speech thanking the crowd, with translation assistance from Chris Charlton, ending with “this is not goodbye, this is a see you later” before bowing to the crowd and posing with the Empire.

Jeff Cobb would later post the picture from the show ending on his social media, acknowledging everyone in the faction except TJP, which began a war of words, that also involved Aria Perkins, that exposed the long standing issues within the group fully to the public. Cobb and other members of the Empire that he has previously had issues with (except TJP) have been able to become amicable in recent months ahead of his exit, but this was a messy ending to his New Japan career that did not need to be out there and made everyone involved look quite daft.

The 19th was also the final Korakuen Hall for BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito as full time roster members, with the announcement a few days prior causing a near immediate sell out of the show. The LIJ men were part of an elimination tag that Naito won ugly, even if that didn’t seem to matter to the Korakuen crowd. Tetsuya Naito gave a final roll call for the building, with BUSHI openly emotional in one corner to his side.

Wrestling RedZone in Hiroshima on April 26th drew the highest number of attendees for a spring event in the city in over a decade as 3,018 came to say goodbye to adopted son Tetsuya Naito in his final tour as a member of the New Japan roster.

Hiroshima is home to Naito’s beloved Toyo Carp baseball team, who sing a chant to his theme on offense and is one of the markets which will see an immediate impact from his absence. That was not for this crowd to worry about though, as they turned up to celebrate their hero, whilst purchasing what was described as an incredible amount of merchandise.

Naito would team with Hiromu Takahashi in tag team form for the final time against the first time team of Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi, who find themselves in the same faction for the first time in their careers also.

The crowd were electric from the start, with Naito chants shaking the building, but this fantastic tag match also ended up highlighting some unfulfilled promise.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Hiromu Takahashi has kind of felt like a bit of a forgotten man in recent years, almost held back by his Junior status and the build up of injuries. If there was a match to remind everyone that he could do more, then this was it. Hiromu engaged in a thunderous chop battle with Tomohiro Ishii early on in the match, reminiscent of their excellent match in the 2020 New Japan Cup, as he continued to walk forward despite Ishii’s heavy offense. Takahashi came across as a really strong underdog heavyweight babyface here and that is what he should be from here on out and, arguably, should have been since 2020. It is perhaps ironic that it is the departure of mentor Tetsuya Naito that is finally leading to a move that feels long overdue, but it is something we should finally see post Best of the Super Juniors.

Another man who was full of energy in this match and seems to be operating with a new found resolve is Taichi, who worked tremendously hard to ensure Naito looked as good as possible for his adopted hometown and ultimately got the win at the end of the match. He has more than made his case over the course of the tour to be part of the G1 and should go beyond the qualifiers, which will once again take place during the upcoming New Japan Soul tour.

The aftermath of this match was perhaps the most emotional part of Naito’s long departure, as he laid openly crying on the mat for a long time, with Taichi leaning over him before the Hokkaido man shed his own tears on the outside, whilst Hiromu Takahashi appeared despondent. Seeing Naito so emotional here and after the match at the Tokyo Dome back in January has been such a drastic change from so many years previous that it is hard not to be moved by it.

The tag match occurred in the semi main event slot, with Hirooki Goto given yet another challenge in raising a crowd as he teamed once more with YOSHI-HASHI, as Bishamon took on the United Empire pair of Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan for the vacant IWGP Tag Team Titles. It was impossible for the 4 men to match the atmosphere of the previous match but they did manage to get the crowd invested before the finish where Callum Newman regained the belts he had never lost in the ring by putting away YOSHI-HASHI with a Prince’s Curse.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

New IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions were crowned at NJPW Wrestling Hizen no Kuni in Saga on April 29th, as Master Wato & YOH captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships by defeating Ichiban Sweet Boys (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles). YOH had been dragged somewhat reservedly into the title challenge but more than held his own in the contest before combining with Wato to hit their new finisher the “falconblow” for the win. Eagles and Fujita are now freed up from the Tag Team division ahead of Best of the Super Juniors.

El Phantasmo also regained the TV Title from Great-O-Khan that he lost to the United Empire man at “Sakura Genesis” in what now feels like a pointless set of switches that may have been impacted by O-Khan picking up the Tag Team Championships with Callum Newman following Jeff Cobb’s departure, before El Desperado successfully defended his IWGP Heavyweight Title for a 5th time against Templario. The CMLL wrestler has impressed on this tour in the ring but also with his actions outside of it in training and committing to as many public appearances/ signings as possible. He is said to be aiming to become a New Japan regular and he only increased his chances with his output here.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

The tour would culminate on the weekend of May 3rd/4th in Fukuoka for “Wrestling Dontaku” with Night 1 headlined by a Dog Pound Steel Cage match between the War Dogs and House of Torture after a feud between the two factions broke out in February under the Bullet Club name. It was the Bullet Club name at stake in this one, with the losers to be expelled.

The match was somewhat surprising in that it was not expected to match the United Empire match from February 2024 in Osaka between the War Dogs and United Empire (and thankfully didn’t on the injury front) but was much more serious and hard hitting than anything else we have seen House of Torture be involved in and, thus, exceeded expectations. The melee ended with Gabe Kidd subjecting Ren Narita to an avalanche piledriver onto a barbed wire table, leading to the House of Torture’s expulsion. EVIL would not take it well though, wrapping Finlay in a chair before challenging him to a Dog Collar match at “Dominion”.

The undercard saw Shingo Takagi set himself up for an IWGP Title challenge by putting down Shota Umino after the program between the two had got a little out of hand in the lead up; where a mention of the Dragongate dojo abused monkey on social media let to some heavy chairshot retaliation from Takagi. El Phantasmo and Konosuke Takeshita also went to a time limit draw for ELP’s TV Title. The match wasn’t quite on the level of their incredible G1 bout in 2024, but still of a strong standard.

Night 2 of “Wrestling Dontaku” saw Hirooki Goto break the defense record for the new IWGP belt, as he registered his 5th defense in defeating Callum Newman in the main event. Newman, who is still only 22, gave a good showing of himself in the prime spot that he inherited after Jeff Cobb’s departure, stepping up in a way that Goto had challenged him to in the build.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

The reason most of the 5,407 people were in the building though was for a nondescript 8 man tag match in the middle of the card, as Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI said goodbye to New Japan teaming with Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi against Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Shota Umino and Tomohiro Ishii. Naito noted in his blog the following week that his mother and sister were among a number of family members who had travelled down to Fukuoka to watch the show, although his father sadly couldn’t make it due to ill health.

The match took place without any sense of special occasion, 3rd from the top of the card and with little fanfare, and is perhaps the most Naito way to go out you can think of. It also brought to an end Japan’s most popular faction, after Los Ingobernables de Japon was disbanded, falling just short of a decade in regards to its longevity. Further faction shake ups are expected leading up to and during the G1 as the New Japan landscape appears to finally be shifting from the shadows of the 2010s to become something of its own.

It also means that after 2 decades as a contracted member of the New Japan roster, Tetsuya Naito is a freelancer for the first time. There are expectations that he will work with Pro Wrestling NOAH at some point in the future and he is expected to announce his 1st solo venture, type unknown, on May 25th to be held on June 22nd. The door is also, by no means, closed on New Japan.

The reinstatement of the “New Japan Soul” date for Adachi, Tokyo on July 4th has caught attention from fans and a second match with Hiromu Takahashi in order to put him over is likely to be high on his “to do” list, regardless of if it takes place under the New Japan banner or not. There are no questions over Hiromu’s status, who has chosen to stay with New Japan for the foreseeable future.

Naito is unlikely to wrestle before June 22nd after undergoing another eye surgery and beginning stem cell treatment on his right knee; both of which are issues which have rapidly expanded their impact on his ability in the ring over recent years. There is no expectation that he will return to a full time schedule, instead operating on a tour by tour basis as somewhat of a special attraction.

With Naito (and Bushi’s) impending departure, the “Wrestling Dontaku” Tour was the most successful Dontaku Tour in half a decade, but it leaves with it uncertainty and an expectation of change that will be the theme of the summer to come.

News

Bushiroad Inc released their Quarter 3 financial results on May 15th, with the overall group posting a 19% growth in sales over last year for the first 3 quarters of the 2024-25 financial year and a return to positive operating profit. The increase was mainly down to their Trading Card division, with their Sports division, comprising New Japan and Stardom, the only area where performance was described as “soft”.

Bushiroad presentational material cites that an increase in promotional appearances is helping Stardom to achieve a “gradual attendance recovery”, putting the underwhelming performance at the door of the two Tokyo Dome events for New Japan. The quarter generated 1,850 million yen in net sales for the Sports division, up from 1,817 million yen from the same period last year, but the addition of a 2nd Dome show with AEW talent saw operating profit for the quarter drop from 238 million yen in financial year 2024 to 141 million yen in financial year 2025.

Whilst Bushiroad overall remains in a strong place, there is now extra focus on the performance of its sports wing, with an increased number of meetings around business and booking in recent weeks for New Japan in particular, with the challenges only made greater by the Tetsuya Naito departure. One area which may come under scrutiny is New Japan Strong which has delivered a run of numbers significantly down on previous visits and struggled in regards of drawing outside of Chicago in general.

The 32nd edition of “Best of the Super Juniors” got underway in Chiba on May 10th and drew immediate attention on its opening weekend after a Ninja Mack sequence, where he chases Robbie X down out of the ring and up the entrance ramp through a series of backflips, went viral.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

There has been strong feedback so far for Nick Wayne in particular, who (as of May 15th) has amassed 6 points but also won over the crowds and many in the locker room. His B Block start has been matched by Kosei Fujita in A Block as the 2 set the early pace. The tournament runs until June 1st and we will have deeper insight into the key matches in our next issue.

The card for NJPW’s second biggest show of the year, “Dominion” in Osaka on June 15th, now has a number of its top matches confirmed, with Hirooki Goto defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Shingo Takagi in the main event. Gabe Kidd will challenge Yota Tsuji for the Global Title in a rematch from “New Beginning in Osaka” whilst the newly formed team of Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi will challenge for the IWGP Tag Titles against Callum Newman and Great-O-Khan.

Oleg Boltin, who has been battling recently with a hip issue, should be ready in time to face Konosuke Takeshita for the Never belt whilst David Finlay and EVIL look to end their feud with a Dog Collar match.

© STARDOM

Stardom

Stardom In Korakuen
11/05/2025
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1503
Watch On: Stardom World

Thoughts by Tim Hunter

The return to Korakuen Hall by Stardom after the monumental, record breaking All Star Grand Queendom on 4/27 and the many high profile departures from the company that it entailed, was a night that returned hope and faith to the hearts of many fans who again found themselves in front of a promotion with many gaping wounds and open questions, once more ready for reconstruction only a year after the first exodus to Marigold.

The night was also a surefire sign that despite Tam Nakano’s early retirement, the Tam Road is still intact and will hopefully continue to carry the promotion to cosmic heights. The main event saw Tam’s two most prolific disciples – Saya Kamitani and Sayaka Kurara – fight for the World of Stardom title in a tremendously emotional battle. The young Cinderella winner Kurara, who has only been wrestling for a little over a year at this point, showed immense spirit and fought through great struggle while the champion and 6 year veteran Kamitani dominated her with stiff strikes and impressive throws. In the end it wouldn’t be enough for Kurara, who had to accept her defeat with a busted lip and tears in her eyes. Tears that were not only telling a story of frustration over the failed title challenge, but beyond that, the inability to avenge her master and idol Tam Nakano, who was retired by Kamitani just two weeks earlier.

© STARDOM

The loss, however, should not be considered a failure, as the potential and ability to convey emotion shown by Kurara left a feeling of great hope and aspiration for the future of the promotion in the 1503 people in attendance, another very good number for STARDOM and another great sign that they will be able to overcome the departure of their biggest draw, and that Saya Kamitani will be able to carry the torch and resume the great success the company has seen so far this year.

The great hope for Stardom however was not only displayed in this main event, as the rookies up and down the card all showed tremendous promise and potential. Yuria Hime, who is currently going through a bit of a rookie hazing phase, managed to whip the Korakuen crowd into a frenzy whenever she managed to get the slightest hint of offense and slowly mustered her comeback. Akira Kurogane, who debuted at the same time as Yuria just weeks ago, convinced us with her stone cold attitude and heartless demeanor, as she got the pin over her rookie counterpart in the end.

© STARDOM

Akira’s teammates, the new stable “Mi Vida Loca” have an incredibly bad ass aura about them that they displayed later in the show again, when they confronted the trios champions Neo Genesis after their match. Mi Vida Loca will fight HATE for a number 1 contender spot for the trios belts.

Not unlike Saya Kamitani in the main event, the veteran and newly crowned IWGP Women’s Champion Syuri took on Sayaka Kurara’s rookie colleague and Cosmic Angels stablemate Aya Sakura, who maybe models herself after Syuri more than anyone else, assembling her offense with stiff kicks and strikes which come naturally from her background as a black belt in karate. The match did exactly what it had advertised, as it was an intense showcase of technical wrestling and shotgun-like kicks.

The final bit of big news coming out of the show happened after the STARS match when Hanan, one half of the tag team champions, declared herself the new leader of the unit after the departure of the Icon of STARDOM Mayu Iwatani. Her first official act as STARS chief was to promptly kick Koguma and Hazuki, who she had big personal gripes with leading up to their match at All Star Grand Queendom, out of the group. Booker Taro Okada recently said in an interview that Hazuki and Koguma, known as the tag team FWC, will explore dates outside of STARDOM for a little bit, eventually also overseas.

Full Results

Mi Vida Loca (Akira Kurogane, Itsuki Aoki, Rina Yamashita & Suzu Suzuki) defeat Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO, Rian & Waka Tsukiyama) & Yuria Hime (10:24)

Cosmic Angels (Natsupoi, Saori Anou & Yuna Mizumori) defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba, Fukigen Death & Natsuko Tora) (8:17)

STARS (Hanan, Hazuki, Koguma, Momo Kohgo & Saya Iida) defeat God’s Eye (Hina, Kiyoka Kotatsu, Ranna Yagami, Saki Kashima & Tomoka Inaba) (11:26)

Syuri defeats Aya Sakura (12:19)

Haruka Umesaki & Neo Genesis (Miyu Amasaki & Starlight Kid) defeat HATE (Konami, Rina & Ruaka) (10:58)

CMLL-Japan Women’s Title:
Lluvia (c) defeats Mei Seira (9:40)

World Of Stardom Title:
Saya Kamitani (c) defeats Sayaka Kurara (22:00)

© STARDOM

Other Results

Stardom Golden Week Fight Tour 2025 In Fukuoka
06/05/25
Fukuoka Island City Forum, Fukuoka, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 705
Watch On: Stardom World

Maika said a temporary goodbye to Stardom in her home town of Fukuoka before heading for Tommy John Surgery on her injured elbow in the very near future, getting the win a trios match alongside Hazuki and Koguma in the main event of the show. Maika pinned Akira Kurogone after a Michinoku Driver II in what was a feel good match up at the end of Golden Week.

Full Results

HATE (Natsuko Tora & Saya Kamitani) defeat Cosmic Angels (Saori Anou & Sayaka Kurara) (11:16)

AZM defeats Saki Kashima and Yuria Hime (7:48)

Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura & Natsupoi) defeat God’s Eye (Lady C & Ranna Yagami) (8:50)

STARS (Momo Kohgo & Saya Iida) defeat Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama) (13:43)

HATE (Konami & Rina) defeat Neo Genesis (Miyu Amasaki & Starlight Kid) (9:11)

God’s Eye (Syuri & Tomoka Inaba) defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba & Ruaka) (15:11)

Maika & STARS (Hazuki & Koguma) defeat Mi Vida Loca (Akira Kurogane & Suzu Suzuki) & Yuna Mizumori (16:10)

Stardom News

Natsupoi and Saori Anou will celebrate 10 years in wrestling together at Ota City Gymnasium in Southern Tokyo on May 31st for “Saory & Natsu Are Here, You’re Here, 10th Anniversary ~Our Footprints”. The duo have added 3 singles matches to the card with Sayaka Kurura vs Mayumi Ozaki, Yuna Mizumori vs SAKI, and Aya Sakura facing the daunting prospect of taking on Sareee. Maika Ozaki and Aina Aiba vs Tae Honma and Yuna Manase has already been announced for the event, with Aiba wrestling her first match since 2015.

The main event will see Anou and Natsupoi teaming together against Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata.

© STARDOM

Sareee has expressed her dissatisfaction at Syuri after she opted for a IWGP Championship defense at Pro-Wrestling Eve on June 6th when she had seemingly accepted her challenge at the Yokohama Arena last month:

Next week’s “Stardom Nighter in Korakuen” on May 21st will have 2 rookie debuts against AZM and Hanan. Mai Matsuda and An Toyoshima are expected to be the new members of the roster stepping up at this show that will also feature a Number 1 Contender’s match for the Artist of Stardom Championship between the teams of Suzu Suzuki, Rina Tamashita and Itsuki Aoki (Mi Vida Loca) and Konami, Ruaka and Rina from H.A.T.E. The winners will challenge for the trios belts in Osaka on May 24th. The show will be headlined by Starlight Kid defending her Wonder of Stardom Title against HANAKO.

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

Pro Wrestling NOAH

NOAH 25th Anniversary- Memorial Voyage 2025 In Ryogoku
03/05/35
Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 4521
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

It is often funny what a difference a month makes. When KENTA and Kenoh approached OZAWA back in Korakuen Hall after he defeated Masa Kitamiya to set up the main event of this show, the result felt like it hung in the balance. OZAWA was the fresh, young face of Pro Wrestling NOAH (where fans have looked past the tactics of Team2000X to attend shows in much greater numbers than in other recent years) but is running out of strong opponents to face, and especially those who will get cheered over him as a babyface. On the other side you had KENTA, a man who has felt rejuvenated since rejoining the promotion in January, is just as quick witted as his younger counterpart and had the nostalgia ties to hopefully get the crowd behind him. The temptation of a Golden Week triumph for the returning man over the Rebel that has run riot over NOAH felt like it might be great enough to end the OZAWA run, especially combined with NOAH celebrating its own 25th Anniversary since its formation. A month on and the feeling wasn’t quite the same.

The tour leading up to “Memorial Voyage” had indicated that there would still be significant support for the “Real Rebel” in Ryogoku and NOAH chose to solidify the 28 year old in recognition of that on the big stage. The match had the interference you will have come to expect from OZAWA defenses but these were kept in bursts, with Owadasan and Yoshi Tatsu ejected relatively early on, and Jack Morris and Daga stopping a potential 3 count after a big boot through a table and a GTS, only to be run off by Kenoh and Ulka Sasaki. In the end, the finish was relatively clean, with knee exchanges leading to OZAWA cutting off Kenta with a dropkick before delivering the “Real Rebel” phoenix splash for the win and a successful 4th defense of his GHC Heavyweight crown.

Next up for OZAWA is Kaito Kiyomiya, who defeated Naomuchi Marufuji in the semi main event, escaping several submission attempts to hit his elder with an Emerald Flowsion from the 2nd rope and then a top rope diving elbow for victory. Kiyomiya was not welcomed by the crowd, being soundly booed from the moment he stepped out on the stage and having to ask the crowd to be heard when speaking.

The popularity of OZAWA, as evidenced on this night, has left NOAH with somewhat of a conundrum, one they are yet to solve, with the cool factor of their champion dwarfing a large part of their roster. Kiyomiya, who has somewhat struggled with crowds at times in the past, is the latest attempt to fix it. That was not a worry for OZAWA on this night though, as the promotion indicated just how high their investment is in him with a win over a true stalwart in KENTA in front of another impressive crowd.

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

The night was not a complete triumph for Team2000X though, with Daga and Jack Morris losing the GHC Tag Championships they won on April 6th in Osaka to Kenoh and Ulka Sasaki, as their tauntings of “rookie and Youtuber” in the build would come back to haunt them. Sasaki would force Morris to pass out in a sleeper, despite the Scot making several attempts to escape/ break the hold. It was an even tougher night for Tetsuya Endo, who joined Team2000X for the end of show celebrations but had been left in the ring on his own by Owadasan and Yoshi Tatsu earlier on after his reluctance to use Tatsu’s nightstick against mentor Jun Akiyama had cost his team the tag match against Akiyama and Takashi Sugiura. Akiyama would offer no comfort either, and for a moment, Endo was all alone.

The Junior Titles changed hands earlier on in the show, with YO-HEY defeating Eita to win his first ever singles title in NOAH at the age of 37 and Dragon Bane and Alpha Wolf winning over the crowd with their stylish offense before defeating the makeshift pair of AMAKUSA and Junta Miyawaki for the GHC Jr Tag Titles.

Daike Idaba returned after 10 months out with injury after Manabu Soya had inadvertently cost HAYATA his grudge match with Tadasuke. It was an inconspicuous appearance that seemed to leave him as confused in what was happening as everyone else.

Full Results

Yuto Kikuchi defeats Daiki Odashima (9:24)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles:
Los Golpeadores (Alpha Wolf & Dragon Bane) defeat AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki (c) to win the Junior Tag Team Titles (11:37)

Atsushi Kotoge, Black Menso-re, Hajime Ohara, Kazuyuki Fujita & Mohammed Yone defeat All Rebellion (Alejandro & Kai Fujimura), Masa Kitamiya, Shuhei Taniguchi & Shuji Kondo (9:56)

Tadasuke defeats HAYATA (9:03)

GHC National Title:
Galeno (c) defeats Saxon Huxley (5:28)

GHC Tag Team Titles:
Kenoh & Ulka Sasaki defeat Team 2000X (Daga & Jack Morris) (c) to win the Tag Team Championships (13:24)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Title:
YO-HEY defeats Eita © to win the Junior Heavyweight Belt (13:08)

Jun Akiyama & Takashi Sugiura defeat Team 2000X (Owadasan & Tetsuya Endo) (16:49)

Kaito Kiyomiya defeats Naomichi Marufuji (16:57)

GHC Heavyweight Title:
OZAWA (c) defeats KENTA (26:45)

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

The OZAWA – Kaito Kiyamiya match for the GHC Heavyweight Championship takes place on Sunday, May 18th in Korakuen Hall with a convoluted stipulation attached. 28 year old OZAWA had originally declared that if Kiyomiya lost he would have to leave NOAH completely, sparking fears of a WWE excursion or a move to New Japan briefly from the NOAH fanbase. Kaito seemingly dismissed the idea and no official stipulation was set. OZAWA has now adapted it to if he wins, Kaito Kiyomiya has to leave NOAH and return as a member of Team2000X. It somewhat feels like an overplaying of the hand, pointing towards a 3rd GHC reign for Kiyomiya but they will be hoping that it is enough to get the crowd behind the babyface in a way KENTA even struggled to manage in Ryogoku.

The other question for this card is whether it will see the return of Yoshiki Inamura, who has now completed his NXT excursion and feels set to finally receive a sustained push in his home promotion. This card does not suggest an obvious Heavyweight Title challenger to follow, does that leave the door open for Inamura?

The card for Star Navigation is:

© TJPW

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling

Golden Week Fan Appreciation Day East
03/05/25
Kasukabe Fureai Cube, Kasukabe, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 374
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Viva Van defeated Yuki Kamifuku to capture the VPW Women’s championship in what was the highlight of the first of two TJPW “Fan Appreciation” events during Golden Week. Van flooded Kamifuku with a series of strikes before Kamifuku came close to retaining after a suplex and a reverse Famouser. She went for another Famouser but was countered by Viva Van, who used a Japanese Ocean Cyclone suplex to get the 3 count and win the title. The match was broadcast live in VPW in Vietnam, who held a watch party for the event. Yuki Kamifuku remains the holder of the Queen of Asia Championship.

The show was headlined by Princess of Princess Champion Mizuki looking to make her second defense since winning the title on January 4th against former Champion Miyu Yamashita, who has taken gold from Mizuki when they have previously met.

© TJPW

In the main event, Suzme retained her International Princess Title against HIMAWARI, who had earned the opportunity in the rookie gauntlet back in mid-April. This was the biggest match of HIMAWARI’s young career so far, and she put up a spirited effort before falling to the pinfall after a cutter. Yoshiko Hasegawa challenged Suzume for a Championship match after the completion of her 4th defense. The match will take place on May 31st in Tokyo, with Hasegawa with just under 2 months left in her wrestling career.

Yuna Manase replaced Kaya Toribami on the May 3rd card due to Toribami suffering from an illness.

Full Results

Chika Nanase & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeat Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami (10:23)

Moka Miyamoto, Shino Suzuki & Yuki Arai defeat Ivy Steele, Kira Summer & Wakana Uehara (8:37)

Haru Kazashiro & Yuki Aino defeat Rika Tatsumi & Toga (11:12)

Alexis Lee, Matcha & Nor Diana defeat Arisu Endo, Mizuki & Pom Harajuku (11:41)

Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima) & Raku defeat Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu & Yuna Manase (11:39)

VPW Women’s Title Match:
Viva Van defeats Yuki Kamifuku (c) to win the Championship (7:15)

International Princess Title:
Suzume (c) defeats HIMAWARI (15:16)

© TJPW

Golden Week Fan Appreciation Day [West]
05/05/25
Edion Arena #2, Osaka, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 412
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

The team of Kyoraku Kyomei (Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao) made their 2nd defence of the Princess Tag Team Championships, defeating Alexis Lee and Matcha in the main event of the 2nd “Fan Appreciation” show of the week. The mini tour has focused on South East Asian talent from outside of Japan, leading Shoko Nakajima to express her wish for more talent from across the continent to be part of TJPW and for her and Misao to take the Tag Titles to as many places as possible.

It was Nakajima who gained the victory in the match, pinning Matcha after a diving senton.

Raku kept hold of the SETUP All Asia Women’s Championship, seeing off Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana, who had threatened to take hold of the belt after locking Raku into a shoulder lock. Raju fought back and hit Doctor Yellow for the win. After the match, Rakue expressed her wish to face Diana again in her native Malaysia.

© TJPW

In the TJPW Rush match, it came down to Mizuki and Miu Watanabe, after Miu had managed to claw her way back from a 3 on 1 deficit. Watanabe managed to get Mizuki into a giant swing but it was not enough for victory as the time limit expired. Needing just a 1 count for the final fall of the match, Mizuki caught Miu Watanabe with the Whirling Candy and got the win for Team Takoyaki.

Full Results

Wakana Uehara defeats Chika Nanase (6:39)

Haruna Neko, Mahiro Kiryu & Toga defeat Ivy Steele, Kira Summer & Moka Miyamoto (10:28)

Kaya Toribami & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeat Mifu Ashida & Ryo Mizunami (13:02)

TJPW Rush:
Haru Kazashiro, Mizuki, Pom Harajuku, Rika Tatsumi & Shino Suzuki defeat Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume), HIMAWARI, Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami (37:49)

SETUP All Asia Women’s Title:
Raku (c) defeats Nor Diana (8:17)

Yuki Kamifuku defeats Yuki Aino and Yuki Arai (6:46)

Princess Tag Team Titles:
Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima) (c) defeat Alexis Lee & Matcha (14:17)

TJPW News

The TJPW “Princess Cup” has dates and locations announced, with the 1st round at Shinjuku FACE on July 27th and the Finals at Korakuen Hall on August 23rd.

Miyu Yamashita made a surprise TV appearance as part of her US excursion as she faced AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm in Norfolk, Virginia, on flagship program “Dynamite”. This was her first time competing with the promotion since facing Thunder Rosa in the summer of 2022. Yamashita has competed in the USA, Canada and Europe on this occasion during the time away from her home promotion.

TJPW have announced the debut of trainee Kotatsu for June 1st and a new referee who can speak both Japanese and English named Katsura Fumirin.

© DDT Pro Wrestling

DDT

King of DDT 2025 First Round
06/05/25
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

The highlight of the First Round of this year’s “King of DDT” Tournament in Korakuen Hall was a pulsating match between the recently returned Kazusada Higuchi and Shinya Aoki. Higuchi withstood the Aoki and several headbutts before submitting Aoki with the Claw as his comeback continued.

The shock of the night saw HARASHIMA set a victory time record for the Tournament, defeating Chris Brookes in just 22 seconds, having survived a dropkick attack during his entrance. HARASHIMA was able to escape a praying mantis bomb attempt from the KO-d Champion, hitting his opponent with a Somato for the win. You would expect that HARASHIMA will be challenging Brookes for the KO-D Title in the near future after that result.

Full Results

DAMNATION T.A. (Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat NWA Jr. (Kazuma Sumi & Yuni) and Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Toru Owashi (5:31)

Danshoku Dino & Jun Akiyama defeat MAO & Kazuki Hirata (8:25)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
Yuki Ueno defeats Antonio Honda (15:05)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
Daisuke Sasaki defeats Akito (4:44)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
KANON defeats Shunma Katsumata (9:16)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
Yukio Naya defeats Daichi Sato (12:33)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
Hideki Okatani defeats To-y (11:58)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
HARASHIMA defeats Chris Brookes (0:22)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
Takeshi Masada defeats Yuya Koroku (12:10)

King Of DDT 2025 First Round:
Kazusada Higuchi defeats Shinya Aoki (15:34)

© DDT Pro Wrestling

Other Results

KANON, Yuki Ueno, Hideki Okatani and Kazuzida Haguchi are the final four for this year’s King of DDT tournament after victories in the second round at Shinjuku FACE. The semi Finals and Final will take place on May 25th at Korakuen Hall, with the semi final lineup being KANON vs Hideki Okatani and Kazusada Higuchi vs Yuki Ueno. These matches were decided by lottery draw. Minoru Suzuki will defend the DDT Universal Title against nemesis Danshoku Dieno on the same show. 

King Of DDT 2025 2nd Round
10/05/25
Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, Japan
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

DAMNATION T.A. (Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat Kazuma Sumi & Yuya Koroku (5:14)

Danshoku Dino, Kazuki Hirata & Toru Owashi defeat The 37KAMIINA (Shunma Katsumata & To-y) & Soma Takao (11:04)

Daichi Sato, Jun Akiyama & Shinya Aoki defeat Schadenfreude International (Antonio Honda & Chris Brookes) & Akito (9:47)

King Of DDT 2025 Second Round:
Kazusada Higuchi defeats Takeshi Masada (8:12)

King Of DDT 2025 Second Round:
Hideki Okatani defeats HARASHIMA (12:25)

King Of DDT 2025 Second Round:
KANON defeats Yukio Naya (12:41)

King Of DDT 2025 Second Round:
Yuki Ueno defeats Daisuke Sasaki (21:22)

DDT News

Yuki Ishida suffered a concussion on the 27th of April and has been kept off shows in order to recover. There is currently no return date for the Harimao wrestler.

DDT have announced that the KO-D Openweight Title will be defended on both nights of Wrestling Peter Pan this year. The new night event will be held at Higashin Arena on August 30th and Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on August 31st. The promotion has also announced that their final big show of the year “DDT Ultimate Party” will be held on November 3rd from Ryogoku Sumo Hall.

The Astronauts have quickly racked up 4 defenses of their KO-D Tag Team Championships, having defended them in BURST and Big Japan on top of their DDT show defenses.

The Toru Yano vs Super Sasadango Machine Produce show has been confirmed for June 9th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. The DDT promoted show will broadcast on New Japan World and is already involving some hilarious marketing in a form of back and forth. No other matches are currently announced for the card, with fans instead being asked to buy into the DDT vs NJPW element with seating divided between DDT and New Japan supporters, Yano and Super Sasadango supporters and separated by a section for those who “want to be seen on camera”.

Konosuke Takeshita will team with Yuki Ueno against Daisuke Sasaki and Dock Togo in the main event of “Dramatic Dreams!” in Osaka on May 17th.

© All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan Pro Wrestling

The semi finals and final of this year’s Champion Carnival take place at Ota City Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon in Japan, with the final four competitors now confirmed after this week’s shows. Hideki Suzuki came out at the top of A Block after defeating Davey Boy Smith Jr. during the Block’s final night in Korakuen Hall on May 6th. He will be facing comeback king Rei Saito, whose confidence issues at the start of the tournament, where he expressed a feeling of inferiority to brother Jun, are now long gone. Seito saw off Hokuto Omori and Yuma Anzai on the final 2 nights of B Block to reach the semi finals.

The other semi sees last year’s winner Kento Miyahara face B Block winner Ryuki Honda, who managed to rebound from a loss to Aigle Blanc on the penultimate night to take the group with a win over Madoka Kikuta. Miyahara booked his place in the final 4 with a seemingly cathartic win over Jun Saito after suffering Triple Crown disappointment against the Champion back in March.

The Final will be supported by Rising HAYATO and Yuma Anzai defending the Asian Tag Championships against Aigle Blanc and Mike D. Vecchio whilst Yoshioka Seiki challenges MUSASHI for the Junior Heavyweight belt.

Final Block Standings:

© Dragongate Network

Dragongate

Dead or Alive 2025
05/05/25
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 3,389
Watch On: Dragon Gate Network

Dragongate said goodbye to the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium as the host to its Golden Week “Dead or Alive” show on May 6th, with a 10th edition of the signature cage match for the event to close the show.

The cage match is more ‘capture the flag’ than the traditional ‘escape the cage’ format, with 5 flags placed at the top of the cage that will allow a competitor to leave. The sole remaining wrestler who doesn’t escape then gives up their hair or their mask. This year it was a battle between members of factions D’Courage and Z-Brats that reached its conclusion in the cage after several months of feuding and interplay between the two groups and each other.

On this occasion, it was Yuki Yoshioka who was the man left at the end, after he was turned on by now former D’Courage partner Madoka Kikuta. Yoshioka ended the night having lost an ally and his hair. The turn came after a false dawn back in April where it appeared that D’Courage were all on the same page and focused on targeting Shun Skywalker after months of internal squabbling between Kikuta and Yoshioka in particular. There were no pre-warnings during the match before Kikuta delivered a vicious chair shot attack, shook hands with Skywalker before the 2 men claimed the final 2 flags from the cage in front of a stunned Nagoya crowd.
There was a serious injury during the course of the match, with Dragon Dia looking to have sustained a serious elbow injury after being knocked off of the cage. The action calmed momentarily as Dia was assessed but he was not removed from proceedings.

Full Results

Mondai Ryu & Takashi Yoshida defeat Genki Horiguchi & Syachihoko Machine (3:09)

Ryoya Tanaka defeats Hyo (6:44)

Z-Brats (Gianni Valletta, KAI & Yoshiki Kato) defeat Mochizuki Dojo (Daiki Yanagiuchi, Masaaki Mochizuki & Ryu Fuda) (3:24)

GOLD CLASS (Ben-K, JACKY KAMEI, Mochizuki Jr. & Riiita) & Bendito defeat PARADOX (Dragon Kid & Naruki Doi), Don Fujii, Luis Mante & Ultimo Dragon (8:08)

Open The Triangle Gate Title:
Natural Vibes (Flamita, Kzy & Strong Machine J) defeat PARADOX (BxB Hulk, Kagetora & Susumu Yokosuka) © to win the Triangle Gate Titles (14:58)

Open The Brave Gate Title Tournament Final Match:
U-T defeats Homare (11:38)

Open The Dream Gate Title:
YAMATO (c) defeats Jason Lee (22:10)

Hair Vs. Mask Steel Cage Survival Six Way:
Dragon Dia and ISHIN and Kota Minoura and Madoka Kikuta and Shun Skywalker defeat Yuki Yoshioka (27:00)

Dragon Kid and Naruki Doi will challenge for the Open The Twin Gate Championships on June 4th after defeating a quartet of Z-Brats, including Tag Champions Kota Minoura and Jason Lee on the May 9th Korakuen Hall show. Kid is wasting no time since his return from injury, having also agreed to team with El Desperado in the same venue a day later. June 4th will also see Masaaki Mochizuki challenging for YAMATO’s Open The Dream Gate Championship after defeating Gianni Valleta in singles action to earn the opportunity.

© Marigold

Dream Star Fighting Marigold

Rising Spirit
04/05/25
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1,210
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Striding to the ring with a slight remix of her classic Stardom theme, Iwatani was clearly moved to tears, but also beaming with joy to be reunited with Rossy Ogawa and to debut as the ICON of Joshi Puroresu. Whether you were a Stardom fan just checking in or a Marigold devotee, there’s no denying the waves of joy that emanated from her entrance.

Then the bell rang—and just four days after putting on a certified classic with Syuri at All Star Grand Queendom—Mayu stood across the ring from Nanae Takahashi in front of a raucous Korakuen Hall and delivered a debut match that was just so perfectly Mayu. Short of breaking a trophy or mispronouncing the building’s name, we were all treated to Mayu’s greatest hits: she tripped over a chair; she landed in the audience’s lap; she tumbled down a flight of stairs; she sat opposite Nanae and exchanged devastatingly stiff slaps to the face; she bumped on her neck and shoulders (repeatedly); like a zombie, she ardently refused to die; and she delivered the most precisely violent buzzsaw kicks in wrestling history.

In short, this was a masterclass disguised as a war of attrition. The nearfalls were increasingly dramatic—to the point where you could trick yourself into thinking Mayu might actually lose her debut—but then, like a flash, she hit a rana, hooked the legs, and the match was over. Nanae, as is her wont, did not lose directly to Mayu’s finisher, but that was neither here nor there. There were plenty of rough and wild moments, but Mayu’s debut was a certified classic and arguably the best match in the promotion’s short history. Not five stars, but not too far off.

In the post-match, we had a glimpse of Mayu’s future direction. She has stated her goal is to become a grand slam champion, and her first opportunity for gold will come against Victoria Yuzuki for the Superfly Championship on 24 May 2025. That show will also feature Nanae’s retirement match, which—in the post-match angle—she confirmed to be against Miku Aono. Aono is an interesting choice: probably the Marigold original (i.e. not from Stardom) who has shown the most star potential to date, but not one of Nanae’s classic rivals.

While Mayu was busy grabbing the headlines, the semi-main event of Mirai and super-rookie Seri Yamaoka versus Utami Hayashishita & Victoria Yuzuki provided a worthy preview of Mirai and Utami’s upcoming World Championship clash. Utami got her win back here over Mirai with the Hijack Bomb—certainly an interesting booking decision to present the women as evenly matched rather than giving Mirai maximum momentum. The work between Mirai and Utami was simply sensational. Mirai’s intensity is unmatched and her every lariat sublime, while Utami was back at her best. Faced with a worthy opponent, Utami used her incredible knack for long-term selling and storytelling to build the drama to a fever pitch. Seri and Yuzuki were game for their part—fiery and impressive in turn, dynamic, but still noticeably green in places. This match wasn’t a classic by any means, but it was a satisfying preview tag.

© Marigold

The rest of the card was less compelling and only served to highlight Marigold’s top-heavy nature. Mai Sakurai’s reign as United National Champion continued with a victory over Misa Matsui. Matsui was nominally playing heel, but essentially got over as a babyface when faced with Mai’s aggression. The match was solid enough—Mai has upped her game since leaving Stardom and is very strong on offense—but her ring positioning, selling, and bumping for her opponent leave a lot to be desired. In this sense, she is reminiscent of Britt Baker in that she takes a lot but gives little to her opponents in return. This encounter went along well enough, but had a crowd-killing finish when Mai had Matsui beat, pulled her up at two, and applied her new submission finisher—borrowed from Titan and named Romanee con Titan. It’s all fine and well debuting a new finisher, but the nature of this finish humiliated the opponent and continued Mai’s credulity-straining booking.

Kizuna Tanaka vs Miku Aono was a sloppy-at-times but exciting affair with some stiff and compelling action. Unfortunately, while the first two-thirds were engaging, the match absolutely fell off a cliff toward the end. Tanaka appeared to buzz Aono with a shining wizard, and a cringe-inducing sequence of missed kicks and mistimed bumps ensued. The match remained a mess until the final moments, when a good flash pin from Tanaka led to a convincing nearfall before Aono wrapped the match up with the Styles Clash. The failings in this match can’t be overlooked, but I would very much like to see a rematch between the pair—as they were on the road to a strong performance before disaster struck.

The number of issues only worsened the further down the card we delved. Chanyota, Chika Goto & Natsumi Showzumi defeated CHIAKI, Megaton, and Nagisa Nozaki in a match where everyone certainly tried hard, but the results were decidedly mixed. Megaton’s brand of klutzy comedy is a turn-off. She isn’t a worker on the level of Fukigen Death, R-Truth, Saki Kashima, or even Max Caster, and as a result, her shtick is just tiresome with little upside in the ring. There was uninspired brawling, the odd flash of excitement from Showzumi, and some noticeable botches along the way before Goto picked up the win.

The match was eminently skippable, but the post-match was well worth watching, as Chika Goto challenged Kouki Amarei, whose return from injury is well worth celebrating.

Nao Ishikawa has escaped Gigaton duties (if you don’t know, don’t ask) and returned to winning ways in a messy and limp three-way over Riara and Erina Yamanaka—which would have had worst match of the night honors were it not for the opener.

Hummingbird, Komomo Minami & Rea Seto vs. Minami Yuuki, Nagisa Tachibana & Ryoko Sakimura was sloppy and soft to the point of parody and felt like watching models playing pro wrestlers. I’m not normally one to be harsh, but this was far below the standards expected of a major promotion. That’s not to say there’s no potential here—and it’s worth noting the match ended on a positive note with Komomo’s spinning Fisherman Buster—but this was reminiscent of Japan’s answer to WWE’s Divas Era, albeit with a far more complex match structure. Please put multiple veterans in these openers going forward, for the audience’s and the wrestlers’ sake.

Reflecting on the show overall, there is one additional criticism to address, which did not undermine the superb main event but is worth commenting on: Sonny Gutierrez is an excitable and engaging colour commentator, whose passion can really bring the product to life—but his comments regarding Tam Nakano in the week of her retirement were tactless, and his hard selling often distracts from the matches. He has good instincts on commentary, but no one watching Joshi pro-wrestling wants the tribalism that blights American wrestling to infect Japan. While he and Rossy Ogawa have every right to be aggrieved about whatever happened behind the scenes during the Stardom split, the pettiness does not enhance anyone’s viewing experience.

By David Hayter

Full Results

Hummingbird, Komomo Minami & Rea Seto defeat Minami Yuuki, Nagisa Tachibana & Ryoko Sakimura (7:29)

Nao Ishikawa defeats Erina Yamanaka and Riara (7:09)

Chanyota, Chika Goto & Natsumi Showzuki defeat Darkness Revolution (CHIAKI, Megaton & Nagisa Nozaki) (9:31)

Miku Aono defeats Kizuna Tanaka (11:52)

Marigold United National Title:
Mai Sakurai (c) defeats Misa Matsui (16:42)

Utami Hayashishita & Victoria Yuzuki defeat MIRAI & Seri Yamaoka (15:55)

Mayu Iwatani defeats Nanae Takahashi (26:19)

© Marigold

Marigold News

The 28 year career of Nanae Takahashi draws to a close on May 24th, as she faces Miku Aono in her last match having accepted a challenge by Aono. The two last met during last year’s “Dream Star Grand Prix” last year, where they went to a time limit draw in a heavily acclaimed matchup.

“Shine Forever 2025” will emanate from Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium #2 in Tokyo and is likely to be Marigold’s biggest show of the year so far. The undercard sees MIRAI challenge Utami Hayashishita for the Marigold World Title and Mayu Iwatani begin her quest to replicate her Stardom ‘Grand Slam’ with the Marigold Super Fly Championship, currently held by Victoria Yuzuki.

Kuki Amarei will return on the show, after 5 months out with a torn ACL, to team with Kizuna Tanaka and a Marvelous vs Marigold Elimination match will also take place.

Magenta are the new Twinstar Tag Team Champions after defeating Nanae Takahashi and Seri Yamaoka on May 10th in Osaka. The team of Maria and Riko Kawahata are representing Marvelous in the ongoing feud with Marigold and had turned heel prior to the match.

Sonny Gutierrez caused a stir with his comments on English commentary during the May 5th Korakuen Hall show, when he remarked that Tam Nakano was one of 3 wrestlers, alongside Mayu Iwatani and Guilia, that had encouraged Rossy Ogawa to leave Stardom and set up his own promotion.

The timing of the comments, just a week after Nakano’s retirement in Yokohama, appeared to be a deliberate swipe at the wrestler who remained with Stardom rather than jumping to Ogawa’s new setup. A number of Stardom fans remarked their surprise at the inclusion of Nakano, who was not pushed as a top star in the promotion prior to Marigold’s creation and has been one of the strongest beneficiaries of the exodus that followed.

One source in Japan noted directly to us that the action came from Tam Nakano’s team and was aimed at speeding up the departure of Stardom’s former booker, and that these comments illustrate that Marigold leadership are still either unaware or unable to admit that they were outmanoeuvred.

© Sendai Girls

Japanese Indies

Big Japan Pro-Wrestling
30th Anniversary- Dainichi Spirit
05/05/2025
Yokohama Budokan, Yokohama, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1,657
Watch On Samurai TV/ Youtube

Daichi Hashimoto defeated Hideyoshi Kamitani for the BJW World Heavyweight Strong Title in the main event of Big Japan’s biggest show of the year in Yokohama on May 5th.

The crowd waited in silent anticipation before the bell was rung before breaking into support for the performers, who began in a cagey fashion, battling over lock ups and unable to take each other down. Kamitani took control early, flinging Hashimoto into the corner, driving him down to the mat with a forearm to the back before applying a half crab. Hashimoto was able to escape, fighting back with a combination of chops and kicks, the last of which took Kamitani down for the first time.

Hashimoto tried to establish himself in the match by leaping at the Champion on the outside, only to be slapped to the floor and then suplexed onto the apron. He attempted a kick off the apron in retaliation, only to find himself suplexed onto the outside. The slow paced matchup moved back into the ring, with Kamitani applying a double leg submission that forced Hashimoto to desperately search for the ropes. Daichi found something in his escape, picking up in heavy forearm exchanges before hitting the Champion with a DDT. He weakened Kamitani’s leg with a dragon screw before locking in an STF that he only just survived. By this point, Hashimoto was firmly in charge, hitting a sitdown piledriver and then the Rising DDT finisher to become the BJW Strong Heavyweight Champion for the 3rd time in his career.

Kosuke Sato defeated Ikuto Hidaka in the semi main event to earn his first BJW Junior Heavyweight Title reign with a front neck lock counter.

Full Results

Our Ikkitousen Match: Kazumasa Yoshida  defeats Koshiro Asakura (11:45)

Kota Sekifuda & Tatsuhiko Yoshino defeat Kaji Tomato & Ryuma Sekimo (9:57)

Street Fight Death Match:
Daiju Wakamatsu & Kazumi Kikuta defeat Mad Man Pondo & Masashi Takeda (6:34)

Jacob Crane, Leyton Buzzard & Yuya Aoki defeat Astronauts (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura) & Mari Hana (9:03)

Yokohama Shopping Street Barbed Wire Board & Weapon Bringing Death Match: Abdullah Kobayashi, Kankuro Hoshino & Ryuji Ito (c) defeat Masaya Takahashi & Yankee Two Kenju (Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto) (9:30)

BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title Sharp Object Barefoot Death Match:
AKIRA (c) defeats Dale Patricks (17:26)

BJW Tag Team Titles:
W-Daichan (Daisuke Sekimoto & So Daimonji) (c) defeat Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue (14:09)

BJW Junior Heavyweight Title:
Kosuke Sato defeats Ikuto Hidaka © to win the Junior Heavyweight Title (17:39)

BJW World Strong Heavyweight Title:
Daichi Hashimoto defeats Hideyoshi Kamitani to the World Title (c) (27:53)

Big Japan is undertaking a tour of the West Coast of Japan between May 16th and May 20th. Sean Lao debuted with the promotion on May 15th.

Sareee and Takumi Iroha defeated VENY and Ai Houzan in the finals of the AAAW Tag Team Championships’ Challenger 1-Day Tournament and will challenge champions Ryo Mizunami and Sonoko Kato on May 20th at Shinkiba 1st Ring.

Oz Academy will now have monthly broadcasts on GAORA Sports in Japan, having previously had an irregular broadcast schedule with the broadcaster.

Kyuri, who currently wrestles with Ice Ribbon, will not be renewing her contract and will become a freelancer at the end of May. Her last match with the promotion will be at the Ice Ribbon dojo on May 31st.

The new Hayabusa recorded his 2nd and 3rd wins, after defeating Yuuki Toki on March 3rd at Shinkiba 1st Ring in a singles match and then besting Tanaka and Mammoth Sasaki in a tag team match alongside Jinsei in Kawasaki on May 7th, with both matches occurring in Zero-One. Zero-One told Tokyo sports that the revived character will compete in this summer’s “Fire Festival”, a tournament that was established by Zero One founder Shinya Hashimoto.

The show on the 7th also contained an “explosive” matchup as Unagi Sayaka and soon-to-retire Risa Sera took each other on in a “plasma explosion death match.” Sera was first to hit the exploding barbed wire before taking an exploding bat. She fought back, forcing both of them into a barbed wire explosion, at the same time putting a stop to Unagi’s momentum. Unagi attempted another strike on Risa with the exploding bat but Sera blocked, using the bat in combination with the exploding barbed wire to put Unagi away for the 3 count.

Amazingly, Risa Sera’s music could not be played after the match’s conclusion under consideration for residents nearby, who had just been treated to an outdoor firework display in the moments beforehand.

Dradition has made a card change for its Korakuen Hall show on May 16th, with Hiroyoshi Tenzan forced to withdraw due to knee and back injuries. Tag partner Satoshi Kojima will replace Tenzan to team with Dradition founder Fujinami and Yuji Nagata in a 6 man tag against Mitsuya Nagai, Manubu Seiya and Go Takemura.

El Desperado and Jun Kasai have confirmed that the final singles match between the two will take place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on June 24th. Desperado is 0-2 against Kusai so far.

ICW No Holds Barred will run 3 shows in Japan in June, with 2 nights in Tokyo on the 18th and 19th and a 3rd night in Nagoya on June 21st. Joel Bateman vs Takashi Sasaki is set for the 19th, whilst Daisuke Masaoka vs Tommy Vendetta has been announced for the Nagoya show.

© WXMu

Other News from Asia and Oceania

Wrestling Xtreme Mania
Ground Zero – Powerbomb
02/05/25
NSCI Dome, Mumbai, India

WXM ran “Ground Zero – Powerbomb” from the NSCI Dome in Mumbai, India, on May 2nd for a show built around an appearance from Raj Dhesi, who defeated British veteran Sha Samuels in the main event. The card was an eclectic mix of ex-WWE, European independent and South Asian talent, with wrestlers from GLEAT, ChocoPro, wXw, Progress and Rev Pro mixing it up with local talent on the night.

Results

evin Malik defeats Adam Maxted

WXM Waves Shield Title:
Guru defeats Axel Tischer, Charlie Sterling and Sheikh El-Sham

Jossan defeats Regener

Neel defeats Chris Adonis

Kaptaan and Samuray del Sol defeat CIMA and JD Lee

Baliyan Akki and Mei Suruga defeat Dev and Emi Sakura

Raj Dhesi defeats Sha Samuels

APAC Malaysia have announced that their big summer show, “Slamfest 25” from Stadium Juara in Mont Kiara, will be a collaboration show with the WWE ID program. The announcement was met by celebrations at their last show in a video that is available on the promotion’s social media channels.

Malaysia Pro Wrestling had another announced sell out, with 240 fans attending “New Breed 3” as they celebrated their 11th year as a promotion.

In the main event, Shivam pinned Emman Azman to retain his MYPW South East Asia Championship in a four-way which also included Andreuw Tang and Shaheen. This was a replacement main event with Shaheen added to what was originally a 3-way after MYPW World Champion Carlo Cannon was unable to make the show after being detained due to a passport issue. We should note that the incident has not been reported and no follow up is available.

In a joint statement with the promotion, the Australian Filipino wrestler stated that a minor passport issue being missed at Melbourne Airport is what led to his ordeal, leading to him being detained on arrival, “put in a cell and had to wait with no food.”
Cannon has been returned home and is safe and well.

Matcha will face TJPW’s Raku for the SETUP All Asia Women’s Championship on May 31st after Raku made her first defense of the title last week. Matcha defeated Alexis Lee for the right to challenge for the title she had previously held. Raku was quick to introduce herself to her challenger, ‘attacking’ her with a lullaby during backstage comments in TJPW on the 5th. The “Fallen Kingdom” show on which the match will take place will also include Zack Sabre Jr. The company announced that their initial ticket allocation has sold through.

SETUP Thailand will be airing “Fallen Kingdom” as well as future events on the streaming platform Soop, which is available as a free app on a global basis.

PWS Korea claimed a successful end to “Project 3000” as they presented a sold out “WrestleNation” show from the KBS Arena in Seoul in front of 3000 fans, the largest wrestling crowd in the history of South Korea on May 10th.

Alexis Lee flew straight from her tour with TJPW in Japan to make the show, which also featured Tajiri, WWE ID prospect Jordan Oasis and Samuray del Sol, who put over PWS Champion Shiho in the main event.

© Go Woon Ho

Results

Yoon Hyeong-Bin defeats Tajiri by DQ

Ha Da On defeats Jordan Oasis

Poison Rose defeats Alexis Lee

Wrestle Nation Battle Royal:
KA Kid defeats 2Shinbi, Andre Cartier, Byeolbit Naru, Dr. XXplosive, Ikemen Jiro, Melina, Pixel and The Boy Diva

KaneTV vs. Toe Teacher

Kodai Nozaki, Ricardo Rodriguez & Sage Matthews defeat Jay Lamrod, Omerta & Tajiri

Succubus defeats Tooji

PWS Korean Title:
Jin Gae Sung defeats Lee Rang (c) and Kim Jung Wook to win the title

PWS Title:
Shiho (c) defeats Samuray del Sol

Wrestle Rampage will headline “Mayhem at the Factory” on May 24th in Adelaide, Australia with a dog collar, No DQ match between Havok and Edward Dusk.

BCW Melbourne have announced their full card for the Burwood show on May 23rd with special guest, The Great Muta.

Butterflies & Pink Flowers

In the 3rd of our Tunnel Talk inspired “special little guy” series and ahead of the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Final on May 25th, Emiliana Rico-Toro writes about the impact Hangman Adam Page has had on her fandom as well as the wider impact on her life.

Recommendations From A History Man

Peter Edge takes inspiration from Phil Schneider’s “Way Of The Blade” for his picks this week. One guarantee; there will be blood!

MLP Northern Rising

Aaron Wrotowski from GrapPro reviews the Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling show that took place on 5/10 in Toronto.