Korakuen Hall, Tokyo | Attendance: 1,004
VENY fired up the crowd with a dance performance alongside backup dancers.
1. 15-Minute Limit, 1 Fall Itsuki Aoki & ○Ryo Mizunami (10:50, Body Press Pin) Rina Amikura● & Yuki Kamifuku *Following a Diving Guillotine Drop
The match kicked off with Aoki and Amikura simultaneously belting out at the top of their lungs, “Let’s have a great maaaatch!” After tying up in a lock-up, the two collided repeatedly with shoulder tackles until Aoki mowed Amikura down.
Both women tagged out, shifting the action to Kamifuku and Mizunami. From a lock-up, Mizunami backed Kamifuku against the ropes. Kamifuku fought back with a flurry of elbows followed by a dropkick, then teamed up with Amikura for double-team offense to corner Mizunami.
However, Kamifuku was caught in a fierce onslaught from Aoki and knocked down with an elbow strike. When Mizunami unleashed a barrage of chops on Kamifuku in the corner, loud “Aniki!” chants echoed throughout the venue. Kamifuku attempted to counter with an Octopus Hold, but Mizunami hoisted her up and slammed her into the turnbuckles.
Amikura retaliated by firing off a series of chops at Mizunami, only for Mizunami and Aoki to pepper Amikura with rapid-fire elbows of their own. Amikura connected with a diving senton off the corner onto Mizunami, but it only got a two-count.
As Amikura and Mizunami battled back and forth, Aoki mowed down both Amikura and Kamifuku at the same time with a double lariat. In the end, Mizunami scored the three-count over Amikura.
2. 15-Minute Limit, 1 Fall ○Ikuto Hidaka, Takuya Sugawara & Hayato Mashita (7:55, Solarina) MAO, Naoya “AKM” Akama & Hyo Ogawa●
Sugawara and Akama started the match, but MAO and Ogawa immediately stormed the ring. Ogawa took Sugawara for a ride with a giant swing. Sugawara fired back at Akama with a series of elbows and followed up with a dropkick.
Mashita hit a brainbuster on Akama and went on to trade heavy strikes with MAO.
As Ogawa laid into Hidaka with a relentless assault, loud “Regent!” chants rang out across the hall. Ogawa tried to put Sugawara in the giant swing once again, but Hidaka cut him off.
Finally, Hidaka rolled up Ogawa to claim the three-count.
3. 15-Minute Limit, 1 Fall Mima Shimoda, ○Makoto & Nagisa Nozaki (10:13, Gannosuke Clutch) Rina, Maria● & Chanyota
The match began with a surprise ambush by Las Ego, immediately spilling out into a ringside brawl. Maria was isolated by Las Ego and subjected to a concentrated beatdown, eating Nozaki’s Oshare Kick as well as a corner train attack.
After a back-and-forth exchange between Maria and Shimoda, Chanyota and Shimoda engaged in an elbow battle, which Shimoda capped off by launching Chanyota with a German suplex.
Rina nailed Nozaki with a dropkick and followed up with a missile dropkick from the top rope. Nozaki locked her in a sleeper hold, but Rina bit Nozaki’s hand and spat at her. Nozaki retaliated by unloading closed-fist punches to Rina’s head.
Makoto connected cleanly with a knee drop on Rina, though Rina countered with a harai-goshi hip throw.
Maria blasted Makoto with a stiff kick, only to get caught by Las Ego’s double- and triple-team maneuvers. From the floor, Rina grabbed Makoto’s legs and tripped her up.
A chair shot from Shimoda accidentally struck Makoto instead. However, Nozaki cracked Maria with a chair of her own, allowing Makoto to finish Maria off for the three-count.
4. 20-Minute Limit, 1 Fall ○Jaguar Yokota & Yumiko Hotta (11:40, Single-Leg Crab Pin) YUNA & Selene Misora● *Following a Diving Rolling Heel Drop
Jaguar and Hotta refused YUNA and Selene’s offer of a handshake. In response, YUNA and Selene unloaded a barrage of dropkicks on Hotta.
Hotta wrenched Selene in a Boston crab, forcing YUNA to make the save. Jaguar then raked Selene’s face across the ropes, choked her down with a sleeper hold, and pressed the advantage with an Octopus Hold.
Behind the referee’s back, Jaguar yanked Selene by the hair. Selene fought back with a dropkick and tagged in YUNA, who immediately peppered Jaguar with a series of dropkicks of her own.
Hotta grabbed YUNA by the hair, but YUNA fired off a flurry of elbows to back her into the corner, where YUNA and Selene followed up with consecutive dropkicks on Hotta.
YUNA went for repeated pinfall attempts on Hotta, but couldn’t get past a two-count. Selene stomped away at Hotta with a series of foot stomps. Hotta then sat down directly onto Selene for a pin attempt, which also ended at two.
Jaguar battered Selene with elbow strikes, though YUNA and Selene answered with a simultaneous double dropkick on the legend. Undeterred, Jaguar launched herself off the ropes with a Swanton Bomb onto both opponents on the arena floor.
In the end, Jaguar put Selene away for the three-count.
5. 20-Minute Limit, 1 Fall Chihiro Hashimoto & ○Aja Kong (15:47, Single-Leg Crab Pin) Rina Yamashita● & Hiroyo Matsumoto *Following an Uraken
Right at the opening bell, Matsumoto and Hashimoto collided with shoulder tackles. After tying up in a lock-up, they crashed into each other with shoulder tackles once again. Matsumoto unleashed a barrage of chops, but Hashimoto bowled her over with a shoulder tackle, only for Matsumoto to catch Hashimoto in a Boston crab.
Yamashita and Matsumoto hit Hashimoto with a corner train attack and slammed her down with a double brainbuster.
Aja and Hashimoto answered by mowing Yamashita down with a double shoulder tackle. Aja delivered a flurry of kicks followed by an elbow drop for a two-count, then continued her assault by stomping down on Yamashita.
Hashimoto tagged in and kept the pressure on Yamashita. Yamashita fought back with elbows, sparking a heated elbow exchange between the two. Hashimoto locked in an Octopus Hold and followed up by planting Yamashita with a backdrop suplex. After trading another round of elbows, Yamashita knocked Hashimoto off her feet with a shoulder tackle.
Matsumoto entered and blasted Hashimoto with a lariat. Hashimoto countered with a brainbuster, but Matsumoto fired right back with an avalanche brainbuster from the ropes.
After Yamashita and Aja collided with simultaneous lariats, Aja overpowered Yamashita and leveled her with another lariat. Yamashita threw elbows while Aja answered with chops in a blistering strike exchange.
Amid the chaos, Yamashita caught Aja in a flash pin for a two-count, before Aja and Hashimoto launched Yamashita and Matsumoto across the ring with simultaneous German suplexes.
Yamashita nailed Aja right in the face with a kick. Aja retaliated with a lariat for a near-fall at two, and Yamashita followed with a diving body press off the top rope onto Aja, which also only got a two-count.
Aja and Hashimoto then sandwiched Yamashita with a front-and-back double lariat, setting up Aja to uncork her signature Uraken and score the three-count over Yamashita.
6. 30-Minute Limit, 1 Fall ○VENY (24:29, Tiger Suplex Hold) Ayako Hamada●
Ayako: “Please let me wrestle in Japan again.”
Before the bell, shouts of “Ayako, we’ve been waiting for you!” rang out from the crowd, prompting Ayako to bow deeply in gratitude. Once the bell sounded, the match opened with technical mat wrestling, and the venue erupted early on as the two traded holds back and forth.
Ayako bowled VENY over with a shoulder tackle and drove home a vicious headbutt. She followed up with a series of soccer kicks and wrenched VENY’s arm in a hammerlock submission.
When VENY countered with a dropkick, Ayako answered by blasting VENY in the side of the head with a stiff kick. The two then waged a fierce battle out on the ring apron.
The fight soon spilled to the floor for an all-out ringside brawl. Ayako hurled VENY into the crowd seating and cracked her with a steel chair. VENY retaliated by soaring from the top turnbuckle with a moonsault onto Ayako on the outside. Both beat the referee’s 10-count back into the ring only to head right back to the floor, where VENY returned the favor by throwing Ayako into the seats and unloading with a chair shot of her own.
After both made it back inside at the count of nine, VENY dove off the corner toward Ayako, only for Ayako to intercept her in mid-air with a kick.
Next, it was Ayako’s turn to hit a moonsault onto VENY on the arena floor. Once VENY was back in the ring, Ayako hit a low dropkick, igniting a blistering slap exchange between the two. Ayako went up for another moonsault, but VENY got her knees up to block it.
Both wrestlers were left laid out on the mat, but fought back to their feet to trade elbows before exchanging spinning roundhouse kicks.
Capitalizing on a split-second opening, VENY caught Ayako in a flash rollup for a two-count. Ayako answered by planting VENY with a powerbomb, which also only got a two. A grueling, high-stakes battle ensued as both fought desperately for the finish.
VENY connected with a moonsault off the top rope, yet Ayako kicked out at two once again. Finally, VENY locked in a Tiger Suplex Hold to secure the three-count over Ayako.
Victorious, VENY took the microphone.
VENY: “Did everyone enjoy VENY’s 11th Anniversary Show, BLOOM? (To loud cheers) Whoa, amazing! First of all, it took the cooperation of so many people to make this match a reality. In particular, Chairman GAMI, who gave her blessing despite having all sorts of complicated feelings about it. She’s Mama GAMI-san, the one who gave birth to me as a wrestler. I know you must have had a lot of mixed emotions, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for approving this match. Also, when it came to putting this event together and handling everything with Ayako, besides myself, there was one other person—my mother, Yoko. Even though she wasn’t used to any of this, she worked so hard selling tickets and helping out. Thank you, Yoko. And Ayako-san, facing you in a singles match for the first time in 10 years… you are ridiculously strong. You know, since the last time I saw you, Ayako-san, I’ve actually climbed pretty close to the top of the joshi wrestling world myself. Yet even for someone at my level, you left me this battered and bruised. You’re so cool, you’re incredible, and even though you’ve gotten a little bigger, you’re still gorgeous (wry smile). You are still my idol, so please don’t do anything foolish anymore. I think there are so many wrestlers in the Japanese wrestling scene today who would love to absorb everything you have to offer, so I truly hope you’ll wrestle regularly in Japan again.”
Ayako: “Allow me to take this opportunity to say congratulations to VENY on your 11th anniversary. I’ve been watching your career from afar for a long time—not just VENY’s, but everyone’s. Honestly speaking, I thought I would never again be able to step into a Japanese ring, or stand here in Korakuen Hall in front of the fans like this… (in tears). It’s all thanks to VENY. I know full well how many veterans, how many people like GAMI-san and Senmu, and how many of you fans VENY had to bow her head to on my behalf. From the bottom of my heart, I want to express my deepest gratitude for being able to stand before VENY and all of you once more. Thank you so very much. I also want to use this moment to offer a sincere apology again to the wrestlers and staff I haven’t been able to see in person, and to all of you here today. I caused so much trouble and made so many people worry back then, and I am truly sorry.
Thanks to VENY… thanks to VENY’s mom, and thanks to all of you, I was able to stand here in Korakuen Hall as VENY’s opponent in the main event. Thank you so much. Going forward, both in Mexico and in Japan… well, in Mexico too, of course, but please let me wrestle in Japan again. I want to stand in front of the fans again. Please. (To chants of ‘Ayako!’) Lastly, please don’t forget my father. Next year, or the year after, someday, please let me hold a memorial show for my father. I humbly ask for your support.”
VENY: “Ayako-san, thank you so much for steeling your resolve and coming back to Japan. I am truly happy that so many of you took time out of your busy schedules on a weekday night to come support my 11th anniversary today. I’m so glad I kept wrestling. Thank you all very, very much!”
▼ Backstage
VENY: “Somehow, after 11 years, I’ve finally become able to speak my mind this honestly. Since I’m the one who brought Ayako-san back to Japan, I know there are going to be mixed opinions about it going forward, and that applies to me as well. Eleven years… I’ve faced plenty of criticism along the way, but I kept going for 11 years and got to perform in front of over a thousand people today. I’m truly glad I stuck with it, and I want to give myself a pat on the back.
Media: Facing her for the first time in 10 years, was that a match unlike anything you’ve ever experienced?
VENY: I’ve really never experienced anything like it. There aren’t many wrestlers you can lock up with and fight purely on instinct, skin-to-skin, and among those, only a tiny handful share a similar style to mine. Between it being 10 years since we last faced off, and eight years since Ayako-san was last in Japan, there was a lot of pressure and all sorts of emotions. Above all, I couldn’t embarrass my mentor, and I had a burning desire to show her how much I’ve grown over these past eight years. I think I was able to cast all the noise aside and wrestle purely from the heart.
Media: Did you specifically want to open the show with that song?
VENY: Well, Hana Kimura is an inseparable part of my 11-year journey. And the message in ‘Born This Way’—that whether you’re gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, or straight, we’re all human beings—is the exact message I wanted to convey. For the past 11 years, I’ve been VENY, yet in a way, I felt like I hadn’t fully become VENY. Part of me was always trying to act cool or put up a aloof front. This time, though, I wanted to strip all of that away—that’s what ‘BLOOM,’ a flower opening up, represents. I chose that song to show a brand-new VENY.
Media: You mentioned considering a hiatus last year; have your feelings changed after today’s match?
VENY: Hmm, yeah, they have. I had been feeling like I’d more or less accomplished all of my goals. Spending the last six months working toward bringing Ayako-san back, I was honestly worried that once I pulled it off, I might suffer from burnout. But seeing the faces of the fans in the crowd today stirred up so many emotions in me. It made me feel like I can keep looking forward and pushing ahead.
Media: Was she still the Ayako Hamada you idolized?
VENY: She really was. Ayako-san is so cool. Make no mistake, she is still the Ayako Hamada I idolized—but today, I think the VENY who has been grinding in Japan for 11 years surpassed her. It was my way of saying, ‘While you were away from Japan, look how far I’ve grown.'”
Translation Notes
- Ayako Hamada’s 8-Year Absence & Apology (“Please don’t do anything foolish anymore” / “I caused so much trouble back then”): Both VENY’s tongue-in-cheek admonition and Hamada’s tearful apology refer to May 2018, when Hamada—then a top star affiliated with Pro Wrestling WAVE—was arrested in Japan for stimulant possession. Following a suspended prison sentence and her release from WAVE, she retired briefly before relocating to Mexico, where she lived and worked as an independent wrestler and interpreter for eight years.
- Chairman GAMI, “Mama GAMI-san,” & “Senmu”: VENY debuted in Pro Wrestling WAVE in August 2015 under the ring name ASUKA. WAVE president Mikiko Futagami (
GAMI) was the promoter who trained and debuted her (“Mama GAMI-san”), while Ayako Hamada served as her direct mentor (shishō). When Hamada apologizes to “GAMI-san and Senmu,” Senmu (Senior Managing Director) refers to WAVE co-founder and executive Kazuo Sakagami. Because Hamada was under contract with WAVE at the time of her 2018 arrest, GAMI and Sakagami had to hold public press conferences bowing in apology to fans and sponsors and reorganizing major upcoming cards. - Gran Hamada (“Lastly, please don’t forget my father”): Ayako’s father, Gran Hamada—the legendary pioneer who bridged Mexican lucha libre and Japanese pro wrestling (lucharesu)—passed away in February 2025 at the age of 74. Because of her exile from the Japanese wrestling scene, Ayako had been unable to organize a proper tribute event for him in Japan.
- Hana Kimura, “Born This Way,” and “BLOOM”: VENY opened the show dancing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” In her backstage comments, she connects the song both to its LGBTQ+ message—central to VENY’s identity as Japan’s first openly genderless/transgender pro wrestler—and to her late friend and rival Hana Kimura (who passed away in May 2020 and famously used “Born This Way” as an entrance theme earlier in her career). Furthermore, hana (花) means “flower” in Japanese; VENY notes a double meaning in naming the show BLOOM (“花が開く” — hana ga hiraku, a flower blooming), honoring Hana Kimura while symbolizing VENY shedding her guarded persona.
- Match 1 — “Aniki!” Chants: Ryo Mizunami’s nickname is Aniki (“Big Bro”), an affectionate title reflecting her brash, hard-hitting, hyper-charismatic persona.
- Match 2 — “Regent!” Chants: A regent is the classic Japanese rockabilly/delinquent pompadour hairstyle. In matches featuring Hyo Ogawa and Ikuto Hidaka, fans frequently chant “Regent!” during sequences where hair-pulling or pompadour pride comes into play.
- Match 3 — “Las Ego” & “Oshare Kick”: Las Ego is the Japanese shorthand for Las Egoistas, the veteran heel unit consisting of Mima Shimoda, Makoto, and Nagisa Nozaki. Nozaki’s Oshare Kick (“Stylish/Fashionable Kick”) is her signature maneuver where she drapes her long leg high over the top rope to boot a cornered opponent in the face.
- Match 5 & 6 — Move & Slang Localization:
- Body Press Pin (体固め / Karada-gatame) & Single-Leg Crab Pin (片エビ固め / Kata-ebi-gatame): Official Japanese referee/record-keeping terminology for a standard flat-body pinfall cover versus a pinfall where the wrestler hooks one of the opponent’s legs.
- Uraken (裏拳): Aja Kong’s trademark lethal spinning backfist.
- Got her knees up (剣山 / Kenzan): Literally a spiked metal base (“flower frog”) used in traditional Japanese ikebana flower arrangement. In puroresu journalism, kenzan is standard slang for a downed wrestler raising both knees like spikes to impale an opponent attempting a moonsault or diving splash.