© New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

David Finlay will make the first challenge in his career for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on April 5th after winning this year’s New Japan Cup, defeating Shota Umino in the final in Nagaoka. Finlay will face Hirooki Goto in Saturday’s main event in Ryogoku and declared to his rival that “your Cinderella story is over” in the aftermath of his victory.

Finlay and champion Goto have quickly built up a heated rivalry over the past year that occurred completely by accident. Finlay suffered swelling around the neck area that restricted the blood flow to his brain during last year’s tournament, a residual effect of the cagematch in Osaka that a number of serious injuries occurred in. He had to be pulled from the tournament and it was Goto who went on to the final to face Yota Tsuji, taking the spot which had seemed destined for the Irishman.

The two would face off during the G1 Climax series, with Hirooki Goto beating Finlay in a pulsating encounter in Korakuen Hall. It was an emotional win that felt like it was worth so much more than 2 points in the B Block and it may have been that point where New Japan realised they had stumbled onto something really strong.

The next chapter came at October’s “King of Pro Wrestling” show in Ryogoku. Goto’s G1 victory would be converted into a title shot at Finlay’s IWGP Global Heavyweight title in a night that seemed set up for celebration. It wasn’t to be. Finlay played spoiler, retaining his title, leaving Goto’s children at ringside in tears.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Whilst Goto came out of his Global challenge on the losing end, it was clear that the crowd were resonating with him in a way that they hadn’t for most of the last decade. Goto would win the Number 1 contendership at Wrestle Kingdom for a title shot at New Beginning while the War Dogs leader would lose his championship to Yota Tsuji on the same night.

What followed in Osaka was one of the truly memorable nights in New Japan over the last decade. Hirooki Goto; the nearly man of the past 15 years, captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship Title in front of a raucous crowd and celebrated his victory in the ring with his family whilst tag partner YOSHI-HASHI graciously watched on. Finlay could only watch from afar, during a planned absence, as the belt found its way into the hands of one of his recent rivals.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Finlay’s first singles tournament win of his career sees him return to the spot many believed he would be in exactly a year ago. The match also recognises the vast improvements that Finlay has made in the ring and to his overall presentation since he began working with Gedo a few years back. He is no longer a second guy, can work with a range of talents and has no issues delivering at the backend of cards to a satisfying degree. He has also moved his faction away from the Bullet Club branding, as the faction look to create an identity of their own.

The spring is often the time for a first title reign in New Japan, before dropping to a more experienced opponent ahead of the G1 Climax tournament. The uniqueness of 2025 New Japan is that a lot of wrestlers who have experience carrying the IWGP, such as Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi have physical constraints that would make this difficult whilst other recent Heavyweight title holders such as EVIL and SANADA have struggled to sustain at the main event level after their reigns. This leaves former Champion Zack Sabre Jr, Horooki Goto and Finlay as the strongest candidates for the role. Curiously, Finlay is scheduled to take on Zack Sabre Jr. in Chicago 6 days after Sakura Genesis. It would be a Championship defense if he was to capture the title.

Perhaps we should not look fully past Hirooki Goto though. His reign has been no gold watch, instead solidifying him as someone who can continue to work in and around the main event for the foreseeable and that the audience will come out to support when he is in these spots. His title win in Osaka was the biggest New Beginning number since 2020, his first defense in Ota Gymnasium against Hiroshi Tanahashi was the biggest crowd in the venue in the covid/ post covid era and his second defense in Nagoya on 03/15 added an additional 1,000 tickets to last year’s number for the corresponding show and bested every number in the city outside of two G1 numbers from the last two years.

His success will seem surprising from the outside but has been important in stabilising New Japan’s attendance numbers after a disappointing second half of 2024 and lower than expected Tokyo Dome numbers. Goto now provides another viable option to carry the company if required during this period of transition and is set up as a challenge to overcome for the young stars on the roster who are looking to elevate themselves into the main events.

Perhaps no more so than losing finalist Shota Umino. Having lost his hair in a match with Great-O-Khan, Umino displayed a new look for this tour and a new demeanour, not taking part in backstage comments post matches or interacting with the crowds. He watched from the side as Hiroshi Tanahashi gave the leadership of the Hontai faction to Hirooki Goto (a spot he always felt he was set for) and Yuya Uemura designated as the future of the group after Just 4 Guys were absorbed into the faction.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

The current Umino character is said to be mostly a Gedo creation with input from the likes of Tanahashi as they look to find him a path forward after he was so soundly rejected by the audience during the Tokyo Dome main event and the New Beginning Tour. Crowds still appear unsure around the new developments and that led to a final where the atmosphere had to be built rather than one where anticipation was high from the start. His alignment should become clearer after Sakura Genesis, where his match with Hiroshi Tanahashi feels like a setup for a major angle.

Elsewhere on the card, EVIL will challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title in a match placed just before the main event, and United Empire’s Callum Newman and Jeff Cobb will face Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi, with the LIJ duo looking to hold onto the titles they won at New Beginning.

Both Jeff Cobb and Tetsuya Naito have been in the news for other reasons in recent weeks in regards to the status of their current contracts. Fightful reported that Cobb is listed on WWE’s internal roster and is currently working without a full time deal. His situation is expected to be cleared up in the weeks after Sakura Genesis.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Naito caused his own stir on April 1st, as he noted he is also working without a full time deal, in an interview with Tokyo Sports. Naito is not the exception in this aspect, with many on the roster currently working on weekly or single tour deals, with the number likely amounting to over half of the overall roster. There are deals that are close but this is not a standard situation that we tend to see in early April. The War Dogs faction, as noted earlier in the year by Keepin’ It Strong Style, appear to be the exception to the rule, which has led to speculation over whether only those expected to be targeted by the US companies will be contracted in the traditional way or if this is a loyalty test during the company’s transitional period.

One wrestler who ended up not being bought in for the New Japan Cup tour was Bishop Dyer. The former Baron Corbin was a name which had been given to multiple sources as a potential participant on the tour but was nowhere to be found when the field was announced. There would have been a fair amount of resistance within the office and the wrestlers, it is safe to say, to another recently released WWE wrestler coming in at a high spot after the failed runs of Matt Riddle and Nic Nemeth created significant setbacks in the early part of last year and with so many high level prospects looking to move up the roster. Others have suggested this was a cost issue but, regardless, it appears that Dyer will not be appearing in NJPW for the near future.

The tour got off to a highly irregular start, with the first night at Korakuen Hall having to be cancelled after a ringpost completely fractured. New Japan’s lead ring was already on the road to Hyogo for the third date of the tour so a rental was acquired for this date. The ring was set up with no issues but a post developed a massive crack when being tested by trainees running the ropes. With no fix available, making it unsafe to continue, and no time available to source and construct another replacement, New Japan made the decision to move the scheduled first night matches to Saturday’s show. All ticket buyers were offered refunds but were also still able to attend on the night for a ‘talk show’ with various factions on the roster.

New Japan Cup 2025- Night 9

03/20/25
Aore Nagaoka, Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 3271
Watch On: New Japan World

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano defeat Katsuya Murashima & YOSHI-HASHI (7:11)

NJPW World Television Title Match: El Phantasmo (w/Jado) (c) defeats TJP (11:36)

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats Satoshi Kojima (6:56)

BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & SANADA) defeat Just 4 Guys (Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura) (8:26)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeat United Empire (Callum
Newman, Jakob Austin Young & Jeff Cobb) (8:07)

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd & Taiji Ishimori) defeat House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) (8:57)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) defeat House Of Torture (EVIL & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (9:20)

El Desperado, Hirooki Goto & Oleg Boltin defeat TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa & Zack Sabre Jr.) (10:20)

New Japan Cup 2025 Final Match:
David Finlay (w/Gedo) defeats Shota Umino (27:58)

NJPW News

Junior Title defenses that may have been expected on the Sakura Genesis card are instead occurring on April 4th at Korakuen Hall in an event labelled “Junior Genesis.” Clark Connors will challenge El Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title, with Desperado looking to make his fourth defense in a match with hardcore rules. Also on the card, Junior Tag Champions Akio Fujita and Robbie Eagles will face Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori in their second title bout since capturing the belts at Wrestle Kingdom.

Hiroshi Tanahashi will produce ‘Tanahashi Jam’ from Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium (Dolphins Arena) on April 29th in Nagoya. It will be the last NJPW show at the venue before it closes for good at the end of April. The show will be broadcast domestically on TV Asahi.

Its replacement, the currently under construction IG Arena, will become the new home to the city’s summer Sumo basho.

Konosuke Takeshita will release his first book in Japan on April 28th. The book is entitled (translation) ‘Alone-The Lonely Challenge’ and will be published by Kadokawa. Takeshita will be part of the launch with a book signing and talk in Akihabara, Tokyo on May 5, the day after Wrestling Dontaku weekend.

Takeshita became triple contracted in January after signing with New Japan and is already announced for Sakura Genesis, Windy City Riot and Resurgence.

David Finlay, Tetsuya Naito, Rocky Romero, Zack Sabre Jr, Gabe Kidd and Hiroshi Tanahashi will do autograph signings on April 12th at C2E2 in Chicago, the day after Windy City Riot.

Hiromu Takahashi has announced his fourth solo event the Friday of Dontaku weekend in Fukuoka. The event, entitled “With Hiromu-chan Volume 4: Gather Hiromu Maniacs!” follows on from a similar show in Kagoshima last year.

© New Japan Pro Wrestling

Local posters in Japan for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors Tour features Robbie Eagles, Taiji Ishimori, Master Wato, Kojei Fujita, SHO, YOH, BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi. The wait for a Takahashi heavyweight run goes on. DDT wrestler MAO and multiple wrestlers from AEW are in consideration to take part in the tournament.

Other Results

Road To Sakura Genesis Night 1
03/29/25
Takaoka Techno Dome, Takaoka, Toyama, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 868

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuya Murashima, Ninja Mack & Toru Yano defeat Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), Daiki Nagai & Tiger Mask (10:54)

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Oleg Boltin defeat Just 4 Guys (TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura) (7:26)

House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi) defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Gabe Kidd) (5:46) by DQ

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Robbie X, SANADA & Taiji Ishimori) defeat TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles) (9:30)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeat United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young) (9:23)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) defeat House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) (11:33)

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & El Desperado defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors, David Finlay & Gedo) (10:37)

Road To Sakura Genesis Night 2
03/30/25
Act City Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 920

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuya Murashima, Ninja Mack & Oleg Boltin defeat Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), Daiki Nagai & Tiger Mask (8:42)

House Of Torture (Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi) defeat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Toru Yano (6:07)

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & SANADA) defeat Just 4 Guys (TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura) (7:18)

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gabe Kidd, Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori) defeat TMDK (Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles) (10:22)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) defeat United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young) (10:03)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji) defeat House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL) (10:26)

Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & El Desperado defeat BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors, David Finlay & Gedo) (14:33)

Stardom

Mina Shirakawa officially announced her departure from Stardom at a press conference on 03/26. Her last dates in Japan will see her face EXV co-leader Maika at Korakuen Hall on 04/02 before making a final appearance at Tam Nakano’s Homecoming show in Anjo, Aichi on April 6th.

© STARDOM

Shirakawa, who was accompanied at the conference by Stardom President Taro Okada, explained that she had informed the company of her intention to move on at the end of last year. The 37 year old has signed with All Elite Wrestling after multiple visits to the promotion over the last 18 months. She will be the first Japanese wrestler from Stardom to sign with AEW.

Tokyo Sports broke the news early on the 26th after speculation had arisen the previous day following the wrestler being pulled from a number of independent dates during Wrestlemania Week in Las Vegas. Shirakawa will still compete on both Stardom events in the city as well as on Windy City Riot on April 11th. She will operate as a freelancer during this period.

Shirakawa began her wrestling career at a later age than most, with the former wedding designer joining TJPW in 2018 after a spell as an idol. Just two years later, she was ready to make the jump to Stardom.

It wasn’t long before she captured gold, teaming with Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka to win the Artist of Stardom Championships. The trio set the defense records for the belts at 7 during their ten month title reign.

© STARDOM

The former Club Venus leader is perhaps most synonymous with the Wonder of Stardom title, with her defeat of Saya Kamitani for the white belt at All Star Queendom in April 2023 providing a truly memorable moment for the wrestler and crowd in attendance.

Mina Shirakawa will be relocating to the United States for the next chapter in her career and has set her sights on current TBS and New Japan Strong Champion Mercedes Mone, who she cites as one of the reasons behind the decision.

The top four matches for this year’s “All Star Queendom” event at Yokohama Arena on April 27th have been locked into place.

© STARDOM

The World of Stardom Championship bout- Career vs Career between Champion Saya Kamitani and Tam Nakano will be supported by IWGP Women’s Champion Mayu Iwatani defending her title against Syuri after Syuri pinned Iwatani on the last night of the Cinderella Tournament.

Starlight Kid looks to put her recent injury absence behind her as looks to face down the challenge of AZM and retain her Wonder of Stardom title.

FWC will challenge wing gori for the Goddesses of Stardom Championships.

Stardom announced that Starlight Kid would be out of action for a short period following a nose break suffered in the Cinderella Tournament final. Kid had already been dealing with a shoulder injury going into the matchup. The special singles match with World of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani that was set to take place on March 20th has been postponed.

Momo Watanabe has also been pulled from a number of upcoming dates as she was unable to continue working with the injury she sustained during her Revolution PPV match with Mercedes Mone.

Tam Nakano will be wrestling for WAVE on 04/05 in Aichi against Yuki Miyazaki before her homecoming show in Anjo the next day.

Suzu Suzuki, Natsuko Tera, Momo Watanabe, Thekla, Starlight Kid, AZM, Syuri, HANAKO, Maika, Hazuki and Hanan are amongst the talent the company has announced for the Las Vegas shows on 17th and 18th April. Jordan Castle and Veda Scott will be providing English commentary for Triller. 

Stardom talent have also been announced for other promotions such as DragonGate USA, Marvelous and SPARK during the course of the week.

Rookie Anne Kanaya made her debut in hometown Okinawa on March 20th. Kanaya went eleven minutes in a losing effort to Yuna Mizomori.

Saya Kamitani and Tam Nakano increased their war of words ahead of their Loser Retires match on April 27th through interviews with Tokyo Sports.

© STARDOM

When asked what Nakano would do if forced to retire, Kamitani offered a rather brutal answer;

This acted as fuel for Tam Nakano, who bested her foe in a 5 v 5 Elimination match in Okinawa the next day before offering this reply.

Stardom Results

Spring Vacation: Hi! Hi! Okinawa- Night 1
03/20/25
Okinawa Convention Center, Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 541

Churaumi Saver & Gurukun Mask defeat RYUKYU-DOG Dingo & Shuri Joe (10:07)

Yuna Mizumori defeats Anne Kanaya  (11:17)

God’s Eye (Hina, Lady C, Saki Kashima & Tomoka Inaba) defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba, Konami, Momo Watanabe & Rina)  (10:28)

Neo Genesis (AZM & Miyu Amasaki) defeat Empress Nexus Venus (Maika & Rian) (9:30)

HANAKO defeats Aya Sakura and Ranna Yagami
(7:53)

STARS (Hazuki, Koguma, Mayu Iwatani & Momo Kohgo) defeat Akira Kurogane, STARS (Hanan & Saya Iida) & Yuria Hime
(14:15)

Saori Anou & Tam Nakano defeat Empress Nexus Venus (Mina Shirakawa & Waka Tsukiyama)
(12:38)

HATE (Natsuko Tora & Ruaka) defeat Neo Genesis (Mei Seira & Suzu Suzuki)
(8:29)

Saya Kamitani defeats Sayaka Kurara
(12:52)

Spring Vacation: Hi! Hi! Okinawa- Night 2
03/22/25
Okinawa Convention Center, Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 572

Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO, Maika & Mina Shirakawa) defeat Akira Kurogane, Anne Kanaya & Yuria Hime
(11:42)

Miyu Amasaki defeats Saki Kashima and Waka Tsukiyama
(6:48)

Tomoka Inaba defeats Rian
(10:28)

STARS (Hazuki & Koguma) defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba & Rina)
(9:02)

God’s Eye (Hina, Lady C & Ranna Yagami) defeat Neo Genesis (AZM, Mei Seira & Suzu Suzuki)
(9:18)

Ten Man Tag Team Elimination Match: Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura, Saori Anou, Sayaka Kurara & Yuna Mizumori) & Tam Nakano defeat HATE (Konami, Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora, Ruaka & Saya Kamitani)
(22:07)
-Saori Anou eliminates Momo Watanabe (8:02)
-Konami eliminates Yuna Mizumori (10:25)
-Aya Sakura und Konami eliminate each other (12:20)
-Ruaka eliminates Saori Anou (13:59)
-Tam Nakano eliminates Ruaka (15:13)
-Natsuko Tora und Sayaka Kurara eliminate each other (17:32)
-Tam Nakano eliminates Saya Kamitani
Goddesses Of Stardom Title Match: STARS (Hanan & Saya Iida) (c) defeat STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Momo Kohgo) (17:37)

Stardom New Blood 20
03/27/2025
Shinagawa Intercity Hall, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 296
Watch On: Youtube

Rina defeats Anne Kanaya
(10:05)

Akira Kurogane & Tomoka Inaba defeat Sayaka Kurara & Yuria Hime
(12:12)

STARS (Hanan & Saya Iida) defeat Kaori Yoneyama & Rian
(9:26)

Kakeru Sekiguchi & Tae Honma defeat God’s Eye (Hina & Ranna Yagami)
(10:53)

HATE (Azusa Inaba, Ruaka & Saya Kamitani) defeat Honoka, Kohaku & Saran
(12:05)

Tam Nakano defeats Misa Kagura
(14:58)

New Blood Tag Team Title Match: Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama) (c) defeat Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura & Yuna Mizumori)
(17:48)

03/29/25
Tokozawa Sakura Town Hall A, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 453
Watch On: Stardom World

Empress Nexus Venus (Maika & Mina Shirakawa) defeat Rian & Yuria Hime
(11:22)

Rina defeats Akira Kurogane
(9:44)

Empress Nexus Venus (HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama) defeat Anne Kanaya & Miyu Amasaki
(9:52)

Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura, Sayaka Kurara & Yuna Mizumori) defeat STARS (Hazuki, Koguma & Momo Kohgo)
(9:13)

STARS (Hanan, Mayu Iwatani & Saya Iida) defeat HATE (Konami, Natsuko Tora & Ruaka
(12:27)

God’s Eye (Hina, Lady C, Ranna Yagami & Tomoka Inaba) defeat Neo Genesis (AZM, Mei Seira & Suzu Suzuki) & Tabata
(12:53)

Saori Anou & Tam Nakano defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba & Saya Kamitani)
(13:38)

03/30/25
Tokyo Tama Marai Messe, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 438
Watch On: Stardom World

STARS (Hazuki & Saya Iida) defeat Anne Kanaya & HANAKO
(10:21)

Akira Kurogane & Aya Sakura defeat Empress Nexus Venus (Maika & Rian)
(13:49)

God’s Eye (Lady C & Tomoka Inaba) defeat STARS (Hanan & Momo Kohgo)
(9:52)

Sayaka Kurara & Tabata defeat God’s Eye (Hina & Ranna Yagami)
(11:33)

STARS (Koguma & Mayu Iwatani) defeat Yuna Mizumori & Yuria Hime
(13:40)

HATE (Konami & Saya Kamitani) defeat Empress Nexus Venus (Mina Shirakawa & Waka Tsukiyama)
(12:41)

Neo Genesis (AZM, Mei Seira, Miyu Amasaki & Suzu Suzuki) defeat HATE (Azusa Inaba, Natsuko Tora, Rina & Ruaka)
(12:10)

Pro Wrestling NOAH

03/22/2025
Star Navigation Premium
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 1,550
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

The recently returned KENTA will challenge OZAWA for the GHC Heavyweight Title at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on Saturday May 3rd, providing he gets through a No DQ tag match on April 14th that OZAWA has dubbed a “retirement match.” The two clashed in pulsating promo exchanges moments after OZAWA (with a large degree of help from Team 2000X) was able to put away Masa Kitamiya for his 3rd GHC Title defense.

OZAWA had come into the event ridiculing Kitamiya over his defenses of the NOAH dojo system and the role he plays within it as his quest to modernise NOAH remains the focus of his reign. ‘The Real Rebel’ taunted Kitamiya with squats as the match began and once more right before the finish, gaining the 3 count post a Phoenix Splash.

The victory was not a clean one, with the referee pulled out of the ring by Team 2000X when it looked like their team leader was about to be beaten. Whilst Masa was able to gain some sort of revenge, launching members of the faction across the ring in different directions, it ended up being too much to overcome overall and his wait for a first GHC Heavyweight title win goes on.

OZAWA’s confidence shined through in his post match promo, only breaking into a smile when an audience member shouted across the hall, “you’re cool.” It is the coolness factor that is of great value to NOAH right now as his latest title defense gave the promotion their third super no vacancy Korakuen sellout in a row and a 16% increase on the corresponding show from last year. It is no wonder Tokyo Sports dubbed him ‘the Saviour of NOAH’ back in early March.

Ryogoku opponent KENTA beat Ulka Sasaki in a mostly mat based affair earlier on in the show in what was his first singles match since re-signing with the company. There were no hard feelings between Sasaki and Kenta, as they later joined Kenoh in agreeing to work together going forward in the aim of elevating NOAH.

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

The OZAWA- KENTA match up feels like one of the biggest attractions available to NOAH at this point, and with OZAWA’s recent success, much more unpredictable than you would expect it to be on paper. As they clashed vocally in front of a packed, energised Korakuen, OZAWA asked KENTA if he had returned to NOAH in order to “find a place to die” and vowed to send the veteran into retirement.

Elsewhere on the card, an entertaining 8 man highlighted Gelano to the crowd ahead of a Tag Team Title challenge alongside Kaito Kiyomiya on 04/06. The tag belts are currently in the possession of Jack Morris and Daga but are officially vacant after OMOS, who held the belts with Morris, returned to WWE at the end of January. OMOS gifted his belt to Daga, which was not recognised by the company, but will get a chance to earn his reign in Osaka.

The 04/06 show will also feature Kai Fujimura challenging Eita for the Junior Heavyweight title after a superkick saw off brother Alejandro on this show, as well as Tadasuke vs Yuto Kikuchi. Kikuchi will look to get revenge on his former teammate who abandoned him to join Team 2000X.

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

Replacing Tadasuke in Passionate RATELS is Saxon Hurley, who was revealed as the mystery partner for Kikuchi and Manabu Soya on this show to face Kenoh, Marufuji and Hajime Ohara. Hurley has been working in the UK and Europe since January but was able to pin Marufuji on return, much to the chagrin of Marufuji’s reluctant partner Kenoh. Kenoh’s angry undercard tag comedy was once more at the forefront in this one.

Tetsuya Endo progressed to the final of the GHC National tournament thanks to an interference driven win over Takashi Sugiura. The match felt like it was only getting going before Yoshi Tatsu got involved. Endo will face the winner Gelano in the final on 04/11 at Sunny Voyage in Niigata.

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

One set of belts that did change hands in Korakuen were the Junior Tag Team Championships as Junior Tag League winners (be it by unfortunate circumstances) AMAKUSA and Junta Miyawaki ended the third reign of YO-HEY and HAYATA on their 6th defense. Miyawaki, so often on the losing end, achieved the victory for his team, rolling up YO-HEY after an exciting finishing sequence.

Results

Pre Show: Daiki Odashima and Kazuyuki Fujita defeat Knull and Bryce Hansen
(11:57)

All Rebellion (Galeno, Hartoki, Kai Fujimura and Kaito Kiyomiya) defeat Team 2000X (Jack Morris, Daga, Owadasan and Tadasuke)
(11:51)

Passionate RATEL’s (Manubu Soya, Saxon Hurley and Yuto Kikuchi) defeat Kenoh, Naomichi Marufuji and Hajime Ohara
(9:44)

GHC National Championship Title Tournament: Tetsuya Endo defeated Takashi Sugiura
(5:59)

KENTA defeats Ulka Sasaki
(11:22)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles: AMAKUSA and Junta Miyawaki win the Tag Team Titles from HAYATA and YO-HEY
(13:02)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Title: Eita defeats Alejandro
(11:20)

GHC Heavyweight Title: OZAWA defeats Masa Kitamiya
(21:33)

Meiko Satomura’s retirement tour includes a stop with Pro Wrestling NOAH as she will face KENOH on April 15th in Korakuen Hall. The match was announced on KENOH’s Youtube channel and will take place three years after the channel’s debut and on the thirty year anniversary of Satomura’s first professional match. KENOH will produce the show, whilst NOAH are promoting it. The Satomura retirement tour ends on 04/29/25.

Kenoh has also decided that the event on the 15th is another opportunity to toy with Naomichi Marufuji, as he has chosen to have him second Dump Matsumoto in her match.

© Pro Wrestling NOAH

Other NOAH Results

Sunny Voyage 2025
20.03.2025
Act City Hamamatsu, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
Company Announced Attendance: 351
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

RATEL’s (HAYATA, YO-HEY and Yuto Kikuchi defeat AMAKUSA, Atsushi Kotoge and Junta Miyawaki
(11:32)

Shuhei Taniguchi defeats Black Menso-re
(7:48)

Daiki Odashima, Knull and Ulka Sasaki defeat Kenoh, Naomichi Marufuji and Hajime Ohara
(12:34)

Manabu Soya defeats Bryce Hansen
(9:06)

All Rebellion (Alejandro and Kai Fujimura) defeats Eita and Shuji Kondo
(8:25)

Team 2000X (Jack Morris, Daga and Tadasuke) defeat All Rebellion (Galeno, Kaito Kiyomiya and Harutoki
(12:30)

Masa Kitamiya, Takashi Sugiura and Mohammed Yone defeat Team 2000X (OZAWA, Tetsuya Endo and Owadasan)
(17:56)

Sunny Voyage 2025
03/28/25
Yokohama Radiant Hall, Yokohama, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 266 (No Vacancy)
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki defeat Daiki Odashima & Hajime Ohara
(10:13)

Knull defeats Atsushi Kotoge
(7:05)

YO-HEY defeats Black Menso-re and Shuhei Taniguchi
(6:08)

Masa Kitamiya & Shuji Kondo defeat Team 2000X (Owadasan & Tadasuke)
(8:50)

All Rebellion (Alejandro & Kai Fujimura) defeat Bryce Hansen & Eita
(7:12)

Passionate RATEL’s (Manabu Soya, HAYATA and Saxon Hurley) defeat All Rebellion (Kaito Kiyamiya, Galeno and Harutoki)
(12:31)

Kenoh, KENTA & Ulka Sasaki defeat Team 2000X (Daga, OZAWA & Tetsuya Endo)
(17:38)

Limit Break ex.
03/29/25
Yokohama Radiant Hall, Yokohama, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 282
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Hajime Ohara defeats Bryan Ishizaka
(10:34)

Daiki Odashima & Satsuki Nagao defeat Junya Matsunaga & Ryo Hoshino
(11:45)

The Leave Mask & The Leave Mask 2 defeat Black Menso-re & Shuhei Taniguchi
(10:59)

Atsushi Kotoge & Koji Iwamoto defeat Naomichi Marufuji & Tomomitsu Matsunaga
(18:17)

Kazuyuki Fujita defeats Koji Doi
(8:43)

Mohammed Yone, Shuji Ishikawa & Ulka Sasaki defeat GAINA, Naoya Nomura & Takashi Sugiura
(20:23)

Sunny Voyage 2025
03/31/25
Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 362
Watch: Wrestle Universe

Passionate RATEL’S (HAYATA, Saxon Huxley & YO-HEY) defeat Black Menso-re, Mohammed Yone & Shuhei Taniguchi (8:51)

Owadasan defeats Daiki Odashima and Naomichi Marufuji (9:52)

AMAKUSA & Junta Miyawaki vs. Atsushi Kotoge & Hajime Ohara – No Contest (7:18)

Kazuyuki Fujita & Takashi Sugiura defeat Bryce Hansen & Knull (11:00)

Eita, Masa Kitamiya & Shuji Kondo defeat All Rebellion (Alejandro, Harutoki & Kai Fujimura) (10:34)

Kaito Kiyomiya defeats Daga (11:38)

Kenoh, KENTA & Ulka Sasaki defeat Team 2000X (OZAWA, Tadasuke & Tetsuya Endo(15:43)

GHC National Title Tournament Semi Final: Galeno defeats Manabu Soya (18:12)

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling

Grand Princess 2025
03/16/25
Ota City Gymnasium, Ota City. Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 1,212
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

© TJPW

TJPW delivered an exciting show for one of their biggest events of the year in Ota Ward Gymnasium, with just over 1,200 people in attendance. It was your usual TJPW mix of fun but ultimately meaningless undercard tags, featured spots for international stars from other promotions and a series of excellent, action packed and highly emotional title matches in the second half of the show.

Mifu Ashida & Yoshiko Hasegawa defeat HIMAWARI & Shino Suzuki (9:42)

An exhibition of Tokyo Joshi Pro’s rookie class. This match was a bit rough in spots. Mifu Ashida stood out the most in this, with her very athletic and flexible offense.

Haruna Neko, Ivy Steele, Kakeru Sekiguchi & Mahiro Kiryu defeat Chika Nanase, Kaya Toribami, Kira Summer & Uta Takami (10:22)

This was a light hearted comedy tag, as you would come to expect with wrestlers like Haruna Neko, Mahiro and Toribami involved. This was your light hearted comedy tag. Kira Summer is someone who always stands out to me for her very contagious energy. If she is able to make further improvements in the ring, she really could be a talent to watch out for.

Max The Impaler defeats Moka Miyamoto (5:00)

I think many people are ready for Moka Miyamoto to begin an ascension up the card, but for this show, she reverted back to the ‘get destroyed by a monster’ spot. At least she had some spotlight on her with it being a singles match, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Aja Kong, Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku defeat Haru Kazashiro, Toga & Yuki Aino (11:22)

The statement above about Moka Miyamoto is also 100% applicable to Wakana Uehara, perhaps even more so. I think Wakana is one of the most promising prospects in Japan and is past the point where she needs to be elevated to a higher spot on the card. She started wrestling relatively late compared to most other Japanese women wrestlers, so I hope she will not just waste away in these undercard matches for too much longer. She was, however, the main character in this match (next to Aja Kong) and managed to get the pinfall.

SETUP All Asia Women’s Title: Raku defeated Pom Harajuku to win the Title (8:04)

This match was the first fully serious bout of the evening. These two fearsome warriors have been intertwined with another for a long time and this was the climactic grudge match for the prestigious SETUP All Asia Women’s Title.
Raku, widely regarded as one of the most dangerous competitors in modern wrestling, has the ability to defeat and permanently put to sleep any wrestler who dares step in front of her with her conniving, ruthless tactics and usage of mysterious foreign objects. Pom Harajuku, is no slouch herself, and had Raku scouted. She was prepared for the oncoming chicanery that was about to ensue than just about anyone before her.

After a wild back and forth, filled with excellent counter wrestling, this battle came down to the wire. Pom’s preparation wasn’t enough to save her at the end, as her title reign received a dramatic finale. An instant 5 star classic.

Willow Nightingale defeats Miu Watanabe (10:15)

© TJPW

This match was originally scheduled to take place in the same venue back in July 2022. It remained a great matchup on paper and the rearranged bout didn’t disappoint either.

These two wrestlers are basically each others’ mirage from two different worlds. They are happy, smiling babyfaces with the physical strength to move mountains and that is exactly how this match played out. Miu didn’t hesitate to throw Willow around, despite her being twice her size and began teasing her giant swing early on. The crowd exploded for the move when they finally executed it later on in proceedings. Miu’s giant swing variations remain majorly impressive and often get some of the biggest crowd reactions on any given show. Willow, however, managed to survive the swing and was able to pin the former Champion after flinging her across the ring via the pounce and then following it up with a doctor bomb.

Meiko Satomura defeats Yuki Arai (11:49)

This was Meiko Satomura’s stop in TJPW on her road to retirement and it was a fine effort. Yuki Arai’s offense can still look somewhat weak at times and it was quite the dichotomy to Satomura’s stiff energy. Arai’s selling was excellent though, although I am not sure how much choice she had in the matter.

International Princess Title: Suzume defeats Arisu Endo (14:28)

Members of the Daisy Monkey tag team faced off for the International title. Their in-depth knowledge of each other led to some really great counter wrestling in a match which became a more gripping and desperate competition the longer it went on. This ended up a match with a high amount of intensity and technically executed well but I do think that they have a better match in them at some point.

Princess Tag Team Titles: Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima) defeat 121000000 (Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita) to take the titles. (21:29)

This match was built from the vast history between these wrestlers and the relationships between them that has developed over several years. The challengers, and winners of the Tag League, Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima, came in hot, rolling the champions up from behind before the referee could even ring the starting bell. The action didn’t let up from there as this match delivered non stop hard hitting action. Misao and Nakajima, forever rivals and sometimes friends did enough to capture the Titles in an arguable match of the night.

To the surprise of some, it was Hyper Misao who looked like an absolute superstar in this one. During a brawl with Miyu Yamashita towards the end her mask was lost. This did not prove to be a setup though, rather it was though the barrier to her releasing her power was removed. Yamashita had unleashed a beast. It brought on an intensity and prowess that Hyper Misao does not normally display that was suddenly unleashed on Yamashita. The flurry of offense allowed her to roll up her opponent and capture the belts for her team.

© TJPW

Princess of Princess Title: Mizuki defeats Rika Tatsumi to retain. (21:14)

TJPW ran an excellent video package prior to the match that explored the history between Tatsumi and Mizuki and explained the emotional weight of the bout set to follow.

Mizuki’s stature and selling allows for the audience to immediately be enthused into a match like this, and no more so than when she endured a double knee breaker on the apron from Tatsumi in this one, looking in complete agony in the aftermath. Her opponent only increased the pressure after that, working over her legs for a lot of the match. The Champion displayed her heart to survive, with her selling genuinely excellent throughout.

The finishing stretch held some stellar counter-submission work before Mizuki was finally able to etch out the victory after an exhausting but great 21 minutes and 14 seconds.

Grand Princess 2025 Attendance

03/16/25 Ota City Gymnasium: 1,212
Last time in the same Venue: 1,222 (Summer Sun Princess 07/08/23)

By Tim Hunter

TJPW News Notes

© TJPW

TJPW have announced a number of title matches for their Las Vegas event on 04/18 including Mizuki vs Miyu Yamashita for the Princess of Princess Championship. Mizuka challenged Yamishita after the 03/23 event, citing her previous inability to defeat her opponent in singles matches with a Championship involved. This is one of the biggest possible matches available for Mizuki’s reign and there have been mixed views over it occurring in the US. It will be Mizuki’s second defense in her reign.

The card also sees Yuki Kamifuku and Wakana Uehara challenge newly crowned Princess Tag Team Champions Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima for their titles as well as Jada Stone once more facing Suzume for the international belt in a rematch from February.

The show will start at 11am local time from the Pearl Theater, Palms Casino Resort.

Raku’s first defense of the SETUP All Asia Women’s Title won at the Grand Princess show will occur on May 5th against Diana ‘Phoenix’ Nor. Nor will wrestle an additional date on May 3rd as she arrives from Malaysian promotion APAC wrestling, where she is the current women’s champion. The Golden Week matchup will emanate from Edion Arena #2 in Osaka.

Yuki Arai will become a full time part of the roster, beginning April 18th in Las Vegas and will participate in Japanese events from the following week onwards. She finished up her time with idol group SKE48 this past weekend.

Maki Itoh and Miyu Yamashita will not be returning to Japan the same week as Arai as both will be staying in the US for excursions over the summer. Itoh will return to the promotion on May 11th whilst Yamashita is not due back until the 21st of July.

TJPW launched their own separate website on 03/25, after years of being hosted on the DDT site. The new site can be found at www.tjpw.jp

The 03/29 show is also available for free on Youtube.

A press conference was held on 03/27 in order to announce that the July 8th Shinjuku Face show will be the home to the retirement match for Yoshiko Hasegawa. The 38 year old joined TJPW in September last year after returning last March from compression neck fractures and a herniated disk. Hasegawa aims to challenge Suzume for the International Princess Championship before hanging up her boots.

Other Results

Spring Tour 2025: Yokohama
03/22/25
Yokohama Radiant Hall, Yokohama, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 258 (No Vacancy)
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Mahiro Kiyru defeats Ivy Steele (6:46)

Rika Tatsumi defeats Haruna Neko and HIMAWARI (6:27)

Pom Harajuku & Raku defeat Chika Nanase & Yoshiko Hasegawa (7:19)

Wakana Uehara & Yuki Kamifuku defeat Haru Kazashiro & Toga (10:03)

Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume) defeat Maki Itoh & Mifu Ashida (9:45)

Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima) defeat Up Up Girls (Miu Watanabe & Uta Takami) (12:25)

Kaya Toribami, Miyu Yamashita & Mizuki defeat Moka Miyamoto, Shino Suzuki & Yuki Aino (12:59)

© TJPW

Yuki Arai’s Final Two Way Performance- Go For The Victory!
03/29/25
Chunichi Hall, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 536
Watch on: Wrestle Universe and Youtube (Free)

Suzume, Haruna Neko and Mahiro Kiyru defeat Ivy Steel, Yuki Aino and Kaya Toribami (9:44)

Pom Harajuku defeats Arisu Endo and Chika Nanase (8:34)

Maki Itoh defeats Yoshiko Hasegawa (6:33)

Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima) defeat Kira Summer and Yuki Kamifuku (8:48)

Up, Up Girls (Miu Watanabe, Raki, Shino Suzuki and Uta Takami) and Yuka Arai defeat Toga, HIMAWARI, Mifu Ashida, Wakana Uehara and Haru Kazashiro (13:07)

Miyu Yamashita and Moka Miyamoto defeat Mizuki and Rika Tatsumi (13:37)

TJPW SKE48 Yuki Arai Graduation Live- Go For The Dream !!
03/30/25
Chunichi Hall, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 490
Watch on: Wrestle Universe PPV

Haruna Neko, Moka Miyamoto & Yuki Arai defeat Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume) & Shino Suzuki (8:30)

Yuki Arai Battle Royal (with Shiori Aoki as the Special Referee): Raku defeats Miyu, Yamashita, Pom Harajuku, Yuki Kamifuku, Mahiro Kiyru and Hyper Misao (9:10)

Miu Watanabe, Maki Itoh and Yuki Aino vs Mizuki, Shoko Nakajima and Rika Tatsumi- Time Limit Draw (15:00)

DDT

Judgement Day 2025
03/20/2025
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

© DDT Pro Wrestling

Sadly, the main headline from this event is something nobody wanted going in. Masahiro Takahashi suffered injuries to his C5 and C6 vertebrae as well as cervical spinal injury during his match against Chris Brookes for the KO-D Openweight Title in the main event. Takahashi was taken to hospital after being attended to in the venue by doctor Ryoji Kanemura. An MRI on arrival revealed the extent of his injuries and a quick decision was made to perform surgery. Takahashi remained in intensive care following the procedure.

The match ended with back to back praying mantis bombs, with nothing appearing out of the ordinary on first glance. It was immediately apparent after the pinfall, however, that Takahashi required immediate attention. Doctor Kanemura told Tokyo Sports that Masahiro was experiencing numbness in his upper body whilst being unable to move any part of his lower body. He was able to communicate during the immediate treatment and move his arms but could not stand. After asking for a microphone, he declared, “DDT wrestlers, DDT fans, thank you. I love you.”

Opponent Brookes looked visibly crushed whilst treatment was ongoing. After the show on 03/23 he made his first set of public comments after the extent of the injury had become known. “I did my best today because [Masahiro] Takanashi said at Korakuen that ‘the show must go on.’ Takanashi, please take care of yourself. Everyone will be waiting for you.” Brookes also took to X following the event where he wrote, “Today I felt embarrassed and guilty about facing the other DDT wrestlers but I realised I was being foolish. No one should be ashamed to face their family, no matter what the circumstances.”

Brookes was reminded by Shinya Aoki that he cannot put the blame on himself. Aoki dedicated his victory in his ONE fight the following evening to both Brookes and Takanashi. We wish Masahiro Takanashi all the best in his recovery.

© DDT Pro Wrestling

There were a number of more standard wrestling headlines to come from the show, which included Minoru Suzuki picking up his first championship in 2025, defeating Yuki Ueno for the DDT Universal Title. Suzuki will defend his new belt in Las Vegas in two weeks time.

The Astronauts are also new belt holders in the promotion, capturing the Tag Team Titles from MAO and TO-Y in what was the clear match of the night. MAO announced in the aftermath that he will be leaving the 37KAMINA unit, stating he believed he had done everything he can with the group and that he hopes that TO-Y is now at the point where he can challenge him. MAO will not be part of this year’s King of DDT tournament, as he is choosing to wrestle elsewhere in the next few months. His appearance on the match card for New Japan’s 04/04 Korakuen Hall ‘Junior Genesis’ show has increased speculation that he will be part of the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament in May.

© DDT Pro Wrestling

It is a somewhat youthful field which was announced via video package for the King of DDT tournament. This year’s lineup includes Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Yuki Ueno, Yukio Naxa, KANON, Takeshi Masada, Shunma Katsumata, Akito, Hideki Okatani, To-y, Yuya Koroku, Daichi Sato and Shinya Aoki with proceedings beginning on May 6th. Sato and Keroku will participate in the tournament for the first time. Masahiro Takanashi was also announced but it is massively doubtful he will be able to compete.

DDT also announced that ‘Wrestling Peter Pan’ will be a two night event in late August. The first night will be held at Higashin Arena on 08/30, with night two on 08/31 at Korakuen Hall.

Results

KO-D Six Man Tag Team Titles: Kazuma Sumi, Shunma Katsumata and Yuni defeat Harimao (Ryota Nakatsu, Yuki Ishida and Kazusada Higuchi) to win the titles (11:29)

Toru Owashi defeats Antonio Honda and Kazuki Hirata (8:40)

DAMNATION T.A (iLLLUSION AND MJ Paul defeat JJ Furno and Tomomitsu Matsunaga (7:23)

Yukio Naya, Yuya Koroku and Keigo Nakamura defeat Akito, Makoto Oishi and Soma Takao (11:42)

HARASHIMA and Takeshi Maseda defeat Daichi Sato and Jun Akiyama (13:39)

DDT Extreme Title (Loser joins stipulation): Super Sasadango Machine wins the belt from Danshoku Dino (8:33)

Daisuke Sasaki defeats KANON (11:34)

KO-D Tag Team Titles: Astronauts (Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura) defeat The 37KAMIINA (MAO and To-y) to win the tag team titles. (16:17)

DDT Universal Title: Minoru Suzuki defeats Yuki Ueno to capture the belt (23:32)

KO-D Openweight Title: Chris Brookes defeats Masahiro Takanashi (21:17)

Danshoku Dino’s dog is now an official member of the DDT roster after his loss in the DDT Extreme Championship match at Judgement Day.

© DDT Pro Wrestling

Naomi Yoshimura will return to wrestling with DDT on April 6th. The return match will feature all members of Harimao and is the first since suffering a herniated disc in November 2022.

Other Results

Naniwa Fighter 2025
03/22/25
Miyakojima Community Center, Osaka, Japan.
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

JJ Furno defeats Tomomitsu Matsunaga (7:44)

Toru Owashi & Yukio Naya defeat Antonio Honda & Danshoku Dino (8:55)

DAMNATION T.A (Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat Kazuma Sumi, Keigo Nakamura & Yuni (10:11)

Jun Akiyama defeats Akito (8:34)

The 37KAMIINA (MAO, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno) defeat Harimao (Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida) & Kazuki Hirata (15:40)

Schadenfreude International (Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada) defeat HARASHIMA & Yuya Koroku (16:35)

O-Hanami Pro Wrestling 2025-Day 1
03/06/25
Ueno Park Outdoor Stage, Tokyo, Japan.
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Shishamo Power defeats Yuni (7:31)

DAMNATION T.A (Ilusion & MJ Paul) vs. JJ Furno & Takeshi Masada (9:19)

Falls Count Anywhere Blindfold Scramble Bunkhouse Match:
Kazuki Hirata defeats Antonio Honda and Chris Brookes and Danshoku Dino and HARASHIMA (35:33)

Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku defeat Takuya Nomura & Tomomitsu Matsunaga (8:14)

Hanami King Of Drunks Rumble Match: Daisuke Sasaki & MAO defeat Kazusada Higuchi and Shunma Katsumata and Soma Takao and Yuki Ishida and Yukio Naya and Yuki Ueno (23:42)

Fuminori Abe defeats Keigo Nakamura (12:32)

O-Hanami Pro Wrestling 2025- Day 2
03/27/25
Ueno Park Outdoor Stage, Tokyo, Japan.
Watch on: Wrestle Universe

Scramble Pie Bunkhouse Street Fight:
DAMNATION T.A (Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat Akito & Makoto Oishi (5:16)

Kazusada Higuchi, Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno defeat Soma Takao, Yuki Ishida & Yukio Naya (9:35)

Keigo Nakamura & Takeshi Masada defeat Munetatsu Nakamura & Yuni (12:04)

Yuya Koroku defeats JJ Furno (7:45)

Hanami King Of the Drunks Final: MAO defeats Daisuke Sasaki (16:31)

Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata defeat Chris Brookes & Danshoku Dino (20:09)

Owari Wars 2025
03/29/25
Chunichi Hall, Nagoya, Japan
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

Yukio Naya defeats JJ Furno and Yuki Ishida (8:48)

DAMNATION T.A (Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat Toru Owashi, Yasu Urano & Yuni (12:07)

Jun Akiyama defeats Antonio Honda (10:22)

Kazusada Higuchi & Yuya Koroku defeat Chris Brookes & Kazuma Sumi (11:50)

Keigo Nakamura & Shinya Aoki defeat Akito & Minoru Suzuki (15:18)

The 37KAMIINA (MAO, Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuki Ueno) defeat Danshoku Dino, HARASHIMA, Kazuki Hirata & Takeshi Masada (16:13)

Wedding Hall Spring Fesival
03/30/25
Sentir la Saison, Gifu, Japan.
Watch On: Wrestle Universe

DAMNATION T.A (Daisuke Sasaki, Ilusion & MJ Paul) defeat JJ Furno, Keigo Nakamura & Yuni (11:02)

Yuya Koroku defeats Yuki Ishida (9:05)

Jun Akiyama, MAO & Yukio Naya defeat Kazuma Sumi, Kazusada Higuchi & Toru Owashi (12:28)

Schadenfreude International (Antonio Honda, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada) vs. The 37KAMIINA (Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuki Ueno) – Double Count Out (10:50)

Falls Count Anywhere: The 37KAMIINA (Shunma Katsumata, To-y & Yuki Ueno) defeat Schadenfreude International (Antonio Honda, Chris Brookes & Takeshi Masada) (17:08)

All Japan Pro Wrestling

AJPW Dream Power Series 2025- Night 3
03/29/25
Ota City Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 2098
Watch On: AJPW.TV

© All Japan Pro Wrestling

The third and Final night of All Japan’s ‘Dream Power Series’ culminated with Triple Crown Champion Jun Saito declaring himself “the face of All Japan Pro Wrestling” moments after he had seen off challenger Kento Miyohara with a viscous Pyscho Break in just over 27 minutes.

Saito has set the goal of winning all his matches in this year’s Champion Carnival and was full of confidence after completing his third defense. Miyahara, on the other hand, was left looking for answers now that it is over two years since his last Triple Crown reign.

© All Japan Pro Wrestling

Elsewhere on the card Yuma Anzai and Rising Hayato made their 5th defense of the All Asia Tag Team Titles, seeing off Hokuto Omori & Takashi Yoshida. Whilst Yuma Aoyogii suffered his second loss in a row to Davey Boy Smith Jr.

There were some late changes to the card as Junior Heavyweight Champion MUSASHI had to withdrawal from his title match due to gastroenteritis. Kurushio TOKYO Japan was added to the card in a six man as a part replacement, which I am sure Western AJPW fans were thrilled about.

Also missing was Cyrus, who had been unable to board his plane to Japan because of poor health. This also led to him being withdrawn from this year’s Champion Carnival Lineup with Takashi Yoshida named as his replacement.

The show saw 2,098 fans in Ota City Gymnasium, up narrowly from the 2,057 fans that attended last year’s corresponding event.

Results

Dan Tamura, Ryo Inoue & Seiki Yoshioka defeat Atsuki Aoyagi, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Taishin Nagao (13:17)

Suwama defeats Seigo Tachibana (0:15)

Fuminori Abe & Yuko Miyamoto defeat Saito Brothers (Naruki Doi & Senor Saito) (10:50)

Madoka Kikuta, Ryuki Honda, Shotaro Ashino & XYON defeat Hideki Suzuki, Kuma Arashi, Rei Saito & Ren Ayabe (13:38)

Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeats Yuma Aoyagi (20:14)

All Asian Tag Team Titles: Rising HAYATO & Yuma Anzai defeat Hokuto Omori & Takashi Yoshida to retain the titles (22:00)

Triple Crown Title: Jun Saito defeats Kento Miyahara for his 3rd defense (27:24)

Match Cards for the Champion Carnival have been announced as well as the 18 participants.

Champion Jun Saito, Hideki Suzuki, Kento Miyahara, Kengo Mashimo, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Shotaro Ashino, XYON, Kuma Arashi and Takashi Yoshida will form the A Block.

Rei Saito, Yuma Aoyagi, Hokuto Omori, Yuma Anzai, Ryuki Honda, Ren Ayabe, Aigle Blanc, Mike D Vecchio and Madoka Kikuta will make up the B Block.

The tournament will begin on April 9th with the finals on May 18th.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. had cataract surgery in the US before returning to Japan for the tournament. Appearing on ‘Cafe de Rene’, Smith also stated that he had signed a new five month deal with All Japan and intends to stay in the country until the end of August.

Other Results

New Age Chronicle-Z
03/23/25
Shinkiba 1st Ring, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 340

Dan Tumura and Taishin Nagao defeat Hiroyuki Suzuki and Shota Kafuji (12:50)

Hokuto Omori defeats Takahiro Katori (8:53)

Ryo Inoue defeats Ryoma Tsukamoto (11:12)

The Saito Brothers defeat Atsuki Aoyogi and Seigo Tachibana (16:16)

Rising HAYATO defeated Ren Ayabe, Ryuki Honda and Yuma Anzai after pinning Anzai and Ayabe simultaneously (12:40)

Dragongate

Rey De Parejas 2025- Night 13- Tournament Finals
03/30/25
Kobe Sambo Hall, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 756
Watch On: Dragongate Live

© Dragongate

Homare and Shun Skywalker ran the gauntlet on the final night of this year’s Rey De Parajes, winning three matches in just a few hours in order to claim tournament victory. The Z-Brats began the night in a second place playoff after finishing on 6 points in Block B alongside Kzy and Strong Machine J. After putting them away, they had just a three match break before the semi final against Hyo and Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, but were still able to make it through to face Jason Lee and Kota Minoura, in an all Z-Brats Final.

This was a pivotal moment for Homare, in particular. The rookie, only six months into his professional wrestling career, won the match for his team by pinning one half of the Open the Twin Gate Champions (stablemate Kota Minoura) after executing his Firebird (450) splash.

Results

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block B 2nd Place Playoff: Z-Brats (Homare & Shun Skywalker) defeat Natural Vibes (Kzy & Strong Machine J) (7:08)

Royal Rumble: Dragon Kid defeats Ben-K and Don Fujii and Ho Ho Lun and Ho Ri and Luis Mante and Mondai Ryu and Reach Tominaga and Syachihoko BOY and Takashi Yoshida and Yasushi Kanda and Yosuke Santa Maria (8:16)

U-T defeats Mochizuki Jr. (7:32)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Semi Final Match: Z-Brats (Jason Lee & Kota Minoura) defeat Hyo & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan (10:54)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Semi Final Match: Z-Brats (Homare & Shun Skywalker) defeat GOLD CLASS (JACKY KAMEI & Riiita) (14:31)

PARADOX (BxB Hulk, Kagetora, Susumu Yokosuka & YAMATO) defeat Mochizuki Dojo (Akihiro Sahara, Daiki Yanagiuchi, Masaaki Mochizuki & Ryu Fuda) (9:36)

Z-Brats (Gianni Valletta, ISHIN, KAI & Yoshiki Kato) defeat D’courage (Dragon Dia, Madoka Kikuta, Ryoya Tanaka & Yuki Yoshioka) (5:40)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Final Match: Z-Brats (Homare & Shun Skywalker) defeat Z-Brats (Jason Lee & Kota Minoura) (23:46)

Dragongate have announced their upcoming cards for the 5th, 6th and 7th April in Japan with the highlight being Daiki Yanagiuchi challenging YAMATO for the Open the Brave Gate Championship in Korakuen Hall on 04/07.

Dragon Gate/Shun Skywalker Produce SSW Quest IV ~ The Chosen Zs
03/24/2025
Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 546
Watch On: Dragongate Live

© Dragongate

Shun Skywalker found his own Produce show rough going in the ring as he fell to a BUSHI pin in the main event six man tag in Shinjuku Face. That didn’t stop teases of a future singles match between Skywalker and Shingo Takagi though, with Shun also pitching a match with LIJ leader Tetsuya Naito.

Former LIJ member SANADA also appeared as a surprise guest, as he and Taiji Ishimori faced of against KAI and Jason Lee from the Z-Brats. SANADA had been scheduled to team with KAI for the ‘All Together’ show last year before his withdrawal, but was firmly on the opposite side on this occasion with KAI ending up getting disqualified after being caught with the guitar that SANADA put in his hands by the referee. An angry KAI demanded a singles match with SANADA in the aftermath.

Results

Hyo, Kzy & Madoka Kikuta vs. Dragon Dia, JACKY KAMEI & YAMATO – No Contest (11:25)

Diamante & Dragon Kid defeat ISHIN & Yoshiki Kato (13:23)

Masked Z (Fuminori Abe) defeats Riiita by DQ (8:02)

Gianni Valletta defeats Shuji Ishikawa by Count Out (11:58)

BULLET CLUB War Dogs (SANADA & Taiji Ishimori) defeat Z-Brats (Jason Lee & KAI) by DQ (10:29)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) defeat Z-Brats (Homare, Kota Minoura & Shun Skywalker) (22:06)

Other Results

Rey De Parejas 2025- Night 9
03/20/25
Arcrea Himeji, Himeji, Hyogo, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 325
Watch On: Dragongate Live

Luis Mante defeats U-T (9:09)

Z-Brats (Gianni Valletta, Homare & KAI) defeat GOLD CLASS (Ben-K, JACKY KAMEI & Riiita) (8:15)

Genki Horiguchi defeats Madoka Kikuta (7:43)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block B Match: Hyo & Kuroshio TOKYO Japan defeat Mochizuki Dojo (Akihiro Sahara & Masaaki Mochizuki) (10:07)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block A Match:
D’courage (Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka) vs. Z-Brats (ISHIN & Yoshiki Kato) – Double Count Out (8:50)

PARADOX (Kagetora, Naruki Doi & Susumu Yokosuka) defeat Z-Brats (Jason Lee, Kota Minoura & Shun Skywalker) by DQ (9:11)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block B Match
PARADOX (BxB Hulk & YAMATO) defeat Natural Vibes (Kzy & Strong Machine [(15:51)

Rey De Parejas 2025- Night 10
03/22/2025
Tottori Industrial Gymnasium, Tottori, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 262
Watch On: Dragongate Live

D’courage (Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka) & Luis Mante defeat Daiki Yanagiuchi, Hyo & Yasushi Kanda (8:38)

Gianni Valletta defeats Mochizuki Jr. (5:12)

Ben-K & Don Fujii defeat Z-Brats (Jason Lee & Kota Minoura) by DQ (8:22)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block A Match: Mochizuki Dojo (Akihiro Sahara & Masaaki Mochizuki) vs. PARADOX (BxB Hulk & YAMATO) – Time Limit Draw (20:00)

Z-Brats (Homare, KAI & Shun Skywalker) defeat Natural Vibes (Kzy, Strong Machine J & U-T) (10:25)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block A Match: GOLD CLASS (JACKY KAMEI & Riiita) defeat PARADOX (Kagetora & Susumu Yokosuka) (16:08)

DG Rey De Parejas 2025 – Night 11
03/23/25
Juruko Plaza, Gifu, Japan.
Company Announced Attendance: 306
Watch On: Dragongate Live

Hyo, Luis Mante & PARADOX (BxB Hulk & YAMATO) defeat Akihiro Sahara & GOLD CLASS (Ben-K, JACKY KAMEI & Riiita) (12:42)

Ho Ho Lun defeats Mochizuki Jr. (8:15)

Z-Brats (Gianni Valletta & KAI) defeat D’courage (Madoka Kikuta & Ryoya Tanaka) (7:15)

Z-Brats (ISHIN, Shun Skywalker & Yoshiki Kato) defeat Natural Vibes (Kzy, Strong Machine J & U-T) (10:25)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block A Match: D’courage (Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka) defeat Mochizuki Dojo (Daiki Yanagiuchi & Ryu Fuda) (9:51)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block A Match: PARADOX (Kagetora & Susumu Yokosuka) defeat Z-Brats (Jason Lee & Kota Minoura) (16:16)

Rey De Parajes 2025- Night 12
03/29/25
Kirameki Minato Hall, Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan.
Watch On: Dragongate Live

D’courage (Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka) & Hyo defeat Z-Brats (ISHIN, Jason Lee & Kota Minoura) (8:40)

Ben-K defeats Yasushi Kanda (5:35)

Z-Brats (Gianni Valletta & KAI) defeat Luis Mante & Punch Tominaga (6:32)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block A Match: GOLD CLASS (JACKY KAMEI & Riiita) Mochizuki Dojo (Daiki Yanagiuchi & Ryu Fuda) (12:04)

Rey De Parejas 2025 Block B Match: Z-Brats (Homare & Shun Skywalker) defeat Mochizuki Dojo (Akihiro Sahara & Masaaki Mochizuki) (12:11)

Natural Vibes (Kzy, Strong Machine J & U-T) defeat PARADOX (Kagetora, Susumu Yokosuka & YAMATO) (14:40)

The March show you may have missed…

Sareee ISM

Sareee ISM Chapter VII
03/10/25
Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan
Company Announced Attendance: 598
Watch On sareeelive.com
Recap and Review by Tim Hunter.

Sareee’s latest self produced show was a super no vacancy sell out at Shinjuku Face with a reported attendance of 598 in a venue that lists 511 seats before standing room. Already on her second show of the year, Sareee could once more be in hot contention for Promoter of the Year, because this was another show that did not miss. Nothing on this card disappointed, and there were two excellent matches to top see things out.

Natsupoi was originally supposed to work this card, but was unfortunately forced to withdraw due to a leg injury. They did however find a suitable replacement, in the form ofher tag team partner, Saori Annou.

Misa Kagura defeats Sya (6:22)

This is the 3rd Sareee ISM appearance for the former idol Misa Kagura, who is really starting to put it together. She already had a notably great match earlier in the year against Honori Hana in SEAdLINNNG and this match continued to illustrate her progress in a really solid opener. Kagura brings a certain intensity that translates really well to her ring work. It was a rather short match, going just over 6 minutes, but it was a good appetizer for the rest of the show.

Jaguar Yokota & Kaoru Ito defeats Kohaku & Yurika Oka (12:25)

Your typical legends match that is featured on every Sareee ISM show. It is always fun to see Jaguar Yokota and she can certainly still go!
In what was a scary moment, Ito lost balance on an attempted powerbomb to Kohaku, but everyone was able to continue. These matches remain the filler tags of these shows that engage the crowd. At some point, these veterans are gonna put someone over and it will be a great moment.

Chi Chi & DASH Chisako defeats Honori Hana & VENY (14:07)

‘Barbie Girl’ Chi Chi is continuing to make her name on the Japanese independents thanks to her rapid improvements but there are still shaky spots in the midst.
This match did a good job of putting a spotlight on her and Honori Hana, the two younger rookies, who each partnered up with a veteran on this occasion. DASH and VENY kept everything together well with VENY going to her usual recipe for getting a good match out of anyone; kick everyone harder. That ended up being her own team’s demise in this one, with Chi Chi pinning Honori Hana right in front of her after she had accidentally took out her own partner.

Saori Anou defeats Miku Kanae (11:16)

Miku Kanae is the first real project that Sareee has taken upon herself. She has been slowly elevated up the Sareee ISM cards and has only wrestled on shows Sareee is affiliated to ever since graduating from AWG in 2024. You can see why Sareee has taken such a liking to her as, even without a large degree of experience, it is already apparent that she really gets how to be a sympathetic babyface and how to get the crowd behind her. It appears to be working, as she was placed in the semi main event spot on this card and it didn’t feel out of place.
The intensity rose throughout the match, with Miku suffering a busted lip and Saori having a cut on her eyebrow, sustained at a recent Stardom event, re-opened during proceedings. This match was a stiff affair, which you somewhat expect with Saori in the ring. Miku was able to keep up with Saori for a surprising amount of the bout, but there are only so many times you can survive being dropped on your head before taking the pin in just over 11 minutes.
The post match deviated from the standard paying of respect to the senior momentarily, when Miku slapped Saori hard. Kanae came to her senses pretty swiftly after and bowed to Saori, who responded by patting her on the head. Miku also gave a deep bow to Natsupoi, who attended the event despite her injury. Poi offered her a handshake on the way to the back.
I think it is only a matter of time before Miku Kanae is signed by a bigger company. I personally believe she could be a great fit alongside Natsupoi and Anou in the Cosmic Angels.

Syuri vs. Sareee- Time Limit Draw (30:00)

This was a fantastic match between two hard headed, humourless, stiff and methodical workers. Whilst there may not have been a decisive winner in the ring, the audience definitely did as they were brought to a complete fever pitch for much of the last 10 minutes.The story of the match was how these essentially evenly matched fighters found themselves measuring up against each other over and over.

They started out by testing each other’s back with hard kicks, before it spilled to the outside where Sareee first killed Syuri with a double stomp before throwing her into the chairs on the opposite side. Syuri narrowly avoided the count. They went on to target individual limbs, as Sareee worked over Syuri’s right knee with more double foot stomps and knee bars while Syuri went after Sareee’s arm, placing it in various submissions. This head to head competition ended up more than just a phrase as they exchanged some scary looking viscous headbutts.

The selling of both women through the various submissions in the finishing stretch was incredibly dramatic, leading the audience to a thunderous crescendo, as they willed both women on.The exchanges in the last ten minutes were enough to have me squirming in my seat and balling my fists to the point of cramp. The match never felt like it had gone 30 minutes, so the finishing bell declaring the time limit draw felt like it came out of nowhere.

An easy match of the year contender. 4.75*

By Tim Hunter

© Sendai Girls

Results

Maria defeats Manami (5:03)

Lena Kross, Nina Samuels, VENY and Yuu defeat Honoka, YUNA, Yura Suzuki and ZONES (10:07)

Jaguar Yokota defeats Shin Sakura Hirota (5:54)

Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue and Takako Inoue defeat Chikayo Nagashima, Ryo Mizunami and Yurika Oka (10:28)

Hardcore Match: DASH Chisako defeats Risa Sera (17:12)

Junior Title: Aya Sakura defeats Chi Chi to win the Title (10:02)

Tam Team Titles: Red Energy (Mika Iwata and Miyuki Takase) retain against HANAKO and Maika (12:42)

World Title Match: Chihiro Hashimoto defeats Meiko Satomura to win the Sendai Girls World Championship (19:06)

Kuroshio Tokyo Japan

“Everybody Will Love Tokyo Japan Even More!”
03/18/25
Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan.

© Kuroshio Tokyo Japan

Kuroshio TOKYO Japan challenged Seigo Tachibana for the SMASH title to opened the show but was defeated in just over 15 minutes. Kurushio challenged again because he can do “whatever he wants” only to be beaten for a second time. Not to be deterred, he attempted to challenge for a third time in the evening but was deterred from doing so by Momoka Hanazano. That would not stop TOKYO Japan from wrestling again that night though, as he adopted clown makeup in order to make it into the eight man tag main event, where he lost, again.

At the conclusion of the event, Kurushio TOKYO Japan, Seigo Tachibana and Momoka Hanazono announced they were starting a new promotion which they have named ‘Uptown’. The new group’s first show will be on April 16th, back at Shinjuku Face and has already sold through the current ticket inventory. They have announced further dates in May and June that are also already on sale.

Results

Smash Title: Seigo Tachibana defeats Kurushio TOKYO Japan (15:48)

Smash Title: Seigo Tachibana defeats Kurushio TOKYO Japan (1:11)

Shinya Aoki defeats Momoka Hanazono (2:38)

Brahmen Kei and Brahman Shu defeats Momoka Hanazono and Shinya Aoki (13:11)

Minoru Suzuki defeats Fuminori Abe (7:46)

No DQ: Daisuke Sekimoto, Jun Kasai, Masashi Takeda and Rina Yamashita defeat Fuminori Abe, Kuroshio TOKYO Japan, Momoka Hanazono and Seigo Tachibana (28:47)

 T-HEARTS 5th ANNIVERSARY SHOW

03/30/25
Shinjuku Face, Tokyo, Japan.

Results

Honori Hana vs. Misa Kagura – Time Limit Draw (15:00)

NORI defeats Miria Koga (9:03)

YuuRI defeats Chi Chi (11:35)

Aja Kong & Tam Nakano defeat Kaoru Ito & Natsupoi und Saori Anou & Yumiko Hotta (3:46)

Natsupoi, Saori Anou & Tam Nakano defeat Aja Kong, Kaoru Ito & Yumiko Hotta (16:34)

DASH Chisako, Sayaka Toyota & VENY defeat Chihiro Hashimoto, Miku Kanae & Sareee (16:23)

by Tim Hunter

The T- Hearts 5th anniversary show was a fun watch anchored by the stories in the semi-main and main event after a hard hitting undercard filled with rookie talent.

The 3-way tag match curiously saw the three stablemates from Stardom- Nakano, Natsupoi and Annou, go against each other whilst each one tagging with a veteran from their pasts. The match seemed to have reached a quick conclusion when Aja Kong pinned Natsupoi with a backfist after just 3 minutes. Hotta, a producer of the show, was not satisfied with this outcome and re-arranged the matchup into a 3v3 match between the Cosmic Angels and the veterans for a second attempt

This was your typical veteran “alright we put you over..” special, where they first squashed the younger stars only to give them another chance before not giving them an inch for the next 16 minutes, the end arrived via fluke as Aja Kong accidentally hit Hotta with her backfist, who was subsequently then pinned by Saori Annou.

It was still a fun watch though, especially the large stretches where Tam Nakano squared off with each of the veterans. Tam and Aja clashing is always delightful.

The real story beat came after the match, as a 9 year old storyline came full circle. Tam Nakano left Hotta’s promotion in 2016 rather abruptly; she would be back to shake the hand after once she had reached the top of women’s pro wrestling. And that’s what she did.

Tam triumphed, winning the top belt in the biggest women’s promotion twice and being one of only two people to hold both top belts simultaneously. She certainly reached the mountain top and now with her impending retirement, it was time to give back that handshake. Hotta challenged each one of the Cosmic Angels to a singles match after.

The story of the main event was basically a graduation type ritual for Miku Kanae. As you can read in the review for Sareee ISM 7, Miku Kanae is a special rookie that Sareee obviously took under her wing and this was another instance of her being showcased in a big spot. She understands how to pull the emotions of the audience extremely well and they exploited that for the entire duration of the match, with DASH, Toyota and VENY just taking turns beating the tar out of her.

Miku’s selling is heart wrenching and the match structure was perfect to showcase her big heart, as she fought valiantly right until the end. it is curious to have two of the best wrestlers in the world in Sareee and Chihiro Hashimoto on the same team and then building 90% of the match around the young rookie that accompanies them, but I love the idea of this match because it is properly investing in the future.

I doubt anyone walked away from this match disappointed despite the big stars basically taking the night off (a stark contrast to the veteran special in the semi-main).

In incredibly sad and frustrating news coming out of the event, Chi Chi, one of the most promising rookies in Japanese women’s wrestling, came out of the event with a thoracic vertebrae compression fracture. It is unclear when and if she will be able to return to the ring.

By Tim Hunter

World Series Wrestling toured Australia this past weekend, with stops in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney between 03/28 and 03/31. The Legacy tour brought over international names such as Nic Nemeth, Matt Cardona, Ash by Elegance, Matt Riddle, Danhausen, Shigehiro Irie, The Bollywood Boys and Raj Dhesi. Brian Cage was announced for the tour but had to withdraw due to the injury suffered the week previous.

The tour featured multiple title changes across the four shows, ending with Matt Riddle keeping hold of his newly won Australian Title, Ash by Elegance regaining the Women’s title, the Parea winning back the Tag Team Titles and Nic Nemeth keeping hold of the WSW World Heavyweight Title.

ICW will be returning to Australia for 3 dates in May.

On Thursday May 22 they will run “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb You Gotta Be Tough” – at a Venue to be announced in the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne.

Saturday May 24 will see “Tag Team D.R.E.A.M”, Australia’s first tag team deathmatch wrestling tournament from Drill Hall, Melbourne.

Sunday May 25 sees ICW No Holds Barred 76 – ‘The Chains return down under!’ also from Drill Hall, Melbourne

Melbourne City Wrestling have begun announcing their first matches for High Stakes on Sunday 17th May.

Ryan Rapid will challenge for the MCW Intercommonwealth Championship, currently held by Adam Brookes. Rapid is cashing in the shot he earned at End Game.

MCW have also announced 07/05 for their Ballroom Brawl show.

Meiko Satomura added Taiwan as a stop on her retirement tour as she appeared for NTWE on 03/29. She partnered with Yuriuka Oka to take on Manomi and Syun Syun.

Selected Results:

SETUP
Ep 21: Double Cross
03/22/25
The Circus Studio, Bangkok, Thailand.
Company Announced Attendance: 141

Anont Alonzo defeated Alonzo defeats Gatekeeper Hyde (0:37)

Uprising Series: A Block: Kenn Wang defeats Kru Pol (7:26)

Uprising Series B Block: Flame Drake vs Gum- Time Limit Draw
Pondhub and Black Drewz defeat Admin Oau and Chalee (10:07)

IWA Japan World Title Qualifying Match: Shivam defeats Jake De Leon (11:36)

All Asia Women’s Championship Number One Contenders Match: Matcha defeats Alexis Lee
World Tag Team Titles: Good Deal defeat Jack ‘n’ Cheese to retain the titles (12:42)

Setup Thailand Openweight Championship: Andruew Tang defeats Jonathan Johnson

Singapore Pro Wrestling
Clash at the Club 3
03/28/25
Balmoral Plaza, Singapore.

CK Vin, Bryson Blade and Kentona defeat Mighty Arrow and Destructive Dharma

Emmar and Terrace Choong defeat Riz and Pritish

No DQ: Dr. Gore defeated Ray

Aiden Rex defeats Mason and BGJ

Andrew Tang and Alexis Ler defeat Wonderboy and Poppy

Cinderella Stories

Tim Hunter dives into the rookie focus of this year’s Cinderella Tournament in Stardom, how it might impact the Saya Kamitani-Tam Nakano matchup later in the month and profiles the exciting new names to look out for.

Recommendations From A History Man

Peter Edge introduces his regular column, where he will look back upon classic matches and what made them memorable.

Rey de Reyes

AAA’s first major show of the year was screened live on Space and MAX in Mexico, becoming available on Youtube the week after. As has become standard fare, only the second half of the show was broadcast live with the Rey de Reyes..