Someone put me on a plane to Japan because the more of these shows that get announced, the more and more I wish I could be over there watching them all live! So many wonderful shows are on the docket as we prepare to close out June and get into the height of summer in Japan. For those who have never been there, summers are hot and humid, and virtually every weekend (and sometimes on the weekdays), there are festivals galore. While it’s also the rainy season and the constant buzz of cicadas is in the air, summertime over there reminds me of summertime here in Florida.
The other great thing I love seeing are new faces packing their bags and heading to Japan for their first tours like RHIO who just finished hers or —OMG I AM OVER THE MOON– Willow Nightingale heading over in July with TJPW. Amazon is also killing it over in SEAdLINNG, too. I can’t say enough wonderful things about TJPW, Marvelous and even some freelancers skipping out on Tokyo to come to the US and Europe well. I guess my only complaint, is that I can’t be there to see all these amazing matches and the world seems to march further on toward feeling “like normal” once more.
Pro-Wrestling EVE’s SHE-1 (June 18th-19th) – VENY (Asuka) & Takumi Iroha join ten other exceptionally talented women in this four-show, three-block, two-day wrestling spectacular. Blocks were assigned on June 15th.
*UPDATE* Jamie Hayter (2019 SHE-1 Winner) was scheduled to compete as a participant in C Block, but due to travel complications, they will not be able to make their scheduled date .
Live Streams – The first half will be aired free with the second half exclusive to YouTube members only. The archive will be YT Channel Members on the EVE CHampion ($9.99) EVEonDemand Tier.
Girls’ Pro-Wrestling Unit COLOR’S Next Big Event: Yes, My Way 3 (7/15) ShinKiba 1st Ring
G Pro-Wrestling #27 Results (6/11; Umeda Stella Hall, Osaka)
G Pro-Wrestling #28 Preview (6/19; Sapporo ii-one Stadium, Hokkaido)
Next Big Event: Anniversary Show (7/1; Tokyo Dome City Hall)
CMLL to send Superestrellas to Ice Ribbon! On June 8th, CMLL announced on their program CMLL Informa that Dalys and Stephanie Vaquer will be Japan bound in late July. They will participate on IR’s 7/31 card at Korakuen Hall.
The show also had a live solo singing performance by A-min (Amikura) scheduled, but due to her voice not being in good condition, this portion of the party got canceled.
Next Show: Yokohama Ribbon (Tournament Quarter-Finals; 6/18) – Yokohama Radiant Hall
The Queen of JTO Tournament finals will see Tomoka Inaba and Aoi square off at JTO’s Third Anniversary Show on July 9th . Misa Kagura, rhythm & Sumika Yanagawa are also listed on the poster, but no matches announced for them yet.
Mio Momono Return Show Live Stream Tickets (6/24) Momono has been out for quite some time with an injury but recently, she announced her clearance and return to in-ring action. Marvelous is heavily promoting her return, complete with English instructions on how to order the live stream in English!
Newlywed Rin Kadokura Joins In-Laws on National TV On the June 13th broadcast of Shabekuri 007 , a variety TV show hosted by seven popular Japanese comedians, Rin Kadokura and her husband, Kennousuke Sasaki, joined her new father-in-law Kensuke Sasaki and mother-in-law, Akira Hokuto in their first TV appearance since their marriage . Whether or not the newlyweds will also make an eventual foray into variety TV programming like Sasaki/Hokuto remains to be seen, but it seems that Rin will continue wrestling for the time being.
Both Sasaki and Hokuto have been popular TV talents with Sasaki continuing to wrestle until his retirement in 2014. Hokuto retired from wrestling in 2002, and among her countless projects is her wildly popular YouTube Cooking channel (with over 231K subscribers).
Sapporo Two-Days Tour Results TBA (6/11-12)
Last weekend, Marvelous had two shows in Hokkaido, however between the traveling to and from northern Japan and Takumi Iroha and Chigusa Nagayo heading to London for Pro-Wrestling EVE’s SHE-1 this weekend. As the company hasn’t posted any concrete results, aside from the AAAW Tag Team Defense for Aoki/Kadokura, the matches are listed here with full results pending.
Marvelous, Be Ambitious! (6/11) Results Pending
Marvelous, Be Ambitious! (6/12) Results Pending
Maria & Riko Kawahata (T-HEARTS) form MAGENTA! While on tour in Sapporo, Marvelous’ Maria and T-HEART’s Riko Kawahata debuted a new tag team entrance theme complete with a dance routine! Can’t wait to see where they take this next!
Enjoy Chigusa Nagayo (?) losing her mind over Rin Kadokura’s new entrance gown… a handmade gift from her new mother-in-law Akira Hakuto!!
Hikaru Shida Returns for MAKAI Vol. 70! FIREBALL , the next stage production by MAKAI will be on July 15th at Nakano Zero Hall. Shida reprises her role as ‘Tsuruhime’ in the historical drama with a modern musical twist.
https://twitter.com/shidahikaru/status/1526474656017813505?s=20
NOMADS’ Freelance Summit! Volume 2 (8/5) Shinjuku FACE
At the conclusion of their first Freelance Summit in May, the NOMADS’ Event Committee announced the date for volume 2! Just in time for the height of summer and fireworks festivals all over Japan, this time around NOMADS’ selected a summer theme! The first talent announcements include Hiroyo Matsumoto, Yuu, and all four members of GPU COLOR’S (SAKI, Yuki Sakurai, Hikari Shimizu & Rina Amikura). This time around all four members of the event committee (Rina Yamashita, Maya Yukihi, Sumire Natsu & Miyuki Takase) are also expected to participate.
It seems I am going to need to hop on the NicoNico Douga streaming platform train because I didn’t know about this show until I saw photos of the main event involving Yuu and Minoru Suzuki!! The archive requires the purchase of a live stream ticket ! While I am not all that familiar with the brand, they seem to be in the wrestling gear-making game as well.
At CyberFight Festival, Prominence hung out at the Miyako Matsumoto Event Booth . They played games, jumped rope … and well… street fight wrestling broke out. Even Naomi Marufuji went from casual spectator to doling out chops !
Prominence 3: Haten Kouen (Catching Fire) (6/25) – ShinKiba 1st Ring
Prominence 4 (7/17) Kurumi Hiiragi Returns! – Card TBA
Next Show Line Up (6/19) Kame Dojo, Tokyo
②同トーナメント一回戦 KAZUKI&藪下めぐみvs大空ちえ&海樹リコ(#SEAdLINNNG)
③同トーナメント一回戦 ライディーン鋼&SAKI(COLOR'S) vsAKARI&久令愛#PUREJ #YMZ#GPU_COLORS pic.twitter.com/j4FtfjRlXl
Next Show: ShinKiba (6/26) Tag Tournament Participants
What I love about the concept of this tournament, is the pairing of wrestlers who are of the same career length! There are match-ups with a long grounded history and others that are first-time in their careers. The links feature interviews with some of the participants where they announce who their partner is and each one has a free match included! If you are curious, please check them out! The matches have not yet been announced, and I am not sure if this is the complete list of participants just yet, but this is a fun way to hook people into PURE-J and some other smaller promotions.
A representative from each tag drew cards (numbered one through seven) to determine the bracket placement. Lucky 7 gets a first-round bye and faces the winner of five vs. six later on the same show.
Round One Matches – links connect to the tag team announcements.
ShinKiba Night (6/10) – ShinKiba 1st Ring
~Early Summer Games~ (6/30) – Korakuen Hall
~The Sky is The Limit~ (6/16) Results ShinKiba 1st Ring
Next Big Show: Miyagino Ward Cultural Center (6/19)
Utami Hayashita Interviewed about STARDOM x NJPW The Ace of Stardom dropped two very big names in a recent interview with Tokyo Sports . When asked about the dual-branded show with Stardom’s sibling promotion, she confessed that she would like to tag with none other than Kazuchika Okada. When prodded about being a Tetsuya Naito fan since she was in middle school, she replied, “He’s welcomed to stand diagonally across from (us; in the opposite corner).” While both Stardom and NJPW are keeping the details locked up tight. Bushiroad Owner, Takaaki Kidani is also cited in the article, suggesting “the possibility of two or three mixed tag matches.” Personal note: until the official matches are announced… don’t let your imaginations run … completely away with you!
Osaka 2-Days (6/11): Osaka Edion Arena Hall 2
KAIRI Appeared in Osaka It seems the next chapter of the Return of the Pirate Queen has begun and she is charting a course for Saya Kamitani and the Wonder of Stardom Championship. However, as a precursor to a potential singles match, the former Wonder of Stardom Champion brought the current one a present in the form of a tag match challenge. KAIRI’s tag partner is TBA, but Tam Nakano is already wondering if WHITE KNIGHTS are about to become a one-hit wonder!
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a tag or a singles match. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is!” – Saya Kamitani (in response)
Osaka 2-Days (6/12): Osaka Edion Arena Hall 2
Fortune Dream 7 (Korakuen Hall; 6/15) This special event was produced by Kenta Kobashi, and featured Himeka and Lady C clashing in a battle listed as the “Women’s version of Jumbo Tsuruta and Giant Baba.” The Jumbo Princess and the Human Tower not only represented Stardom but the entire women’s scene as the only women’s match on the entire card. In the Queen’s Dream Match (1/20), Himeka defeated Lady C with a Running Power Bomb. (10:56).
This was the first time in three years Kobashi has produced a show. Other notable names on the show included Minoru Suzuki, AJPW’s Jake Lee and Yuma Aoyagi, GLEAT’s Takanori Ito, and #STRONGHEARTS led by CIMA.
MIRAI’s Homecoming in Iwate (6/16) Morioka Gymnasium
5☆GP Purple Stars Week 2 Standings:
NEXT WEEK: The Road to Fight in the Top
Miyagi Match Card (6/18) Sendai PIT
Yamagata Match Card (6/19) Yamagata Big Wing
Fight in the Top Press Conference (June 26th)
MidSummer Champions Tokyo Tachikawa Stage Garden (7/9) Press Conference (6/14)
My full CyberFight Festival Event Report is now available! If you are interested in a crash course in everything TJPW-GanPro-NOAH-DDT, check out my report and perhaps check out the entire event over on Wrestle Universe.
Additional Attack (6/19) Card – with English Commentary by Chris Brookes & Baliyan Akki
Willow Nightingale makes her debut in Japan at Summer Sun Princess!! Words cannot describe how over the moon I am to see Willow going over to Japan with TJPW! She’s a ray of sunshine. I am confident the fans in Japan are going to love her as much as we do!!
Willow Nightingale to make her Japan debut at #tjpwSSP22 !#tjpw pic.twitter.com/JJNchvVEVY
Next Marquee Event: Summer Sun Princess (7/9) Ota Ward Gymnasium
I truly hope by next year, I’ll understand all the intricacies of the CATCH THE WAVE Tournament, but I can best describe it as a multi-genre wrestling tournament, covering the various styles of wrestling available to discover the most well-balanced wrestler!
Detras de Lazona vol. 5 Results (6/11) Kawasaki (POST di AMISTAD)
CATCH THE WAVE 2022 BLOCK STANDINGS (as of 6/16)
Strong Arm Block – [Points Total]
NEXT CATCH THE WAVE Matches
CHIBA WAVE vol. 1 (6/18) 2AW Square, Chiba Prefecture
Weekday WAVE vol. 125 (6/22) – Shinjuku FACE
Sarray to NXT UK Confirmed?! Sarray’s headed across The Pond to the United Kingdom to take on the best NXT UK has to offer, and she’s made it no secret that NXT UK Women’s Champion, Meiko Satomura is at the top of her list. With a roster that includes several talents with Japan scene experience like Blair Davenport (as Bea Priestley), Stevie Turner (as Bobbi Tyler), and Xia Brookside, Sarray has an opportunity to not only bring more eyes to her own work, but to NXT UK as a whole. This is likely a temporary tour and not a permanent transfer of brands.
The Warrior of the Sun is ready to shine in #NXTUK as @SarrayWWE takes a trip across the Atlantic to show the NXT UK locker room what she is capable of. pic.twitter.com/VEfyVeNHLx
— NXT UK (@NXTUK) June 16, 2022
Before it vanishes into the ether, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the “ENGLISH PROHIBITED” three-way match Stardom recently had. The concept is that everyone, including the referee and ring announcer, must use only Japanese for everything once the gong rings. If someone breaks the rule, there is a punishment (squeaky mallet, paper fan). Even simple responses like “OK,” “COVER!” or the Referee counting the match counts as eligible for punishment!
I picked this because this was such a fun match, and it really makes you realize how much English is incorporated in wrestling matches. Stardom doesn’t have that many comedy gimmick matches, and I wanted to pick something light and fun before they all throw themselves into the highly competitive 5 Star GP! Honestly, I would love a little more fun and stakes in the undercard matches from time to time.
Thanks for reading! Have a great week!