September 9, 2026
Doors Open: 11:30 AM / Bell Time: 12:00 PM Attendance: 139 (Sold Out)
[Opening Ceremony]
Totoro Satsuki took charge of the SKIP City opening ceremony address.
“Today, I have a singles match against Shigehiro Irie. Following my match with Akira Jo last week, this is another singles bout against a male wrestler, but I consider this to be a journey to discover a new me. So, I went ahead and made a hashtag. The journey to find a new me is officially ‘#NeoTotoroQuest’! I’m not just going to collide with him; I’m going to knock him out cold, so please give me your support!” With that, she officially declared the start of the show.
◆ Match 1: Singles Match (15-Minute Time Limit) ×Ancham (12:17, Tai-Gatame) Non Toraga× Winner: Referee Atsushi Ishiguro via Crossbody Attack.
Ancham, a regular in Ice Ribbon, faced off against Non Toraga in singles action. Toraga landed three consecutive tackles, but Ancham dodged a body slam and evaded a flying hip attack when Toraga tried to pull her in near the ropes. With Toraga caught between the top and middle ropes, Ancham unleashed a flurry of middle kicks, eventually slamming Referee Atsushi Ishiguro right into Toraga. The referee went down in the corner.
The two wrestlers faced off and exchanged sharp elbows. Ancham whipped Toraga into the corner, but the referee was still positioned there, causing a collision. Ancham lunged in with a flying knee, but Toraga sidestepped, and the knee caught the referee instead. Toraga then launched a diving attack of her own, but Ancham dodged again, and the falling Toraga’s head took a direct hit to Referee Atsushi Ishiguro’s groin.
With the referee incapacitated, Toraga bit Ancham’s arm during an elbow exchange, prompting Ancham to bite her right back. This devolved into a facial clawing war. When Referee Atsushi Ishiguro finally stepped in to break it up, the two wrestlers whipped him into the ropes and delivered a double straight punch directly to his groin yet again.
Referee Atsushi Ishiguro finally snapped. He forced Ancham to sit in seiza for a severe scolding, leading Ancham to drop into a deep dogeza apology. He then moved on to scold Toraga. Toraga also offered a dogeza, but as she raised her head, the back of her skull struck the referee’s groin for a third time. Ignoring the agonizing referee, Ancham threw Toraga into the corner, stomping on her before using the ropes for an eye rake. Toraga attempted a corner charge, which Ancham dodged by climbing the turnbuckle and stepping onto the apron, but Toraga followed up with a flying hip attack that sent Ancham crashing to the floor.
After dominating the outside brawl, Ancham returned to the ring and hit a Swanton Bomb, hooking the leg—but Referee Atsushi Ishiguro was still down. Ancham unzipped the referee’s shirt, handed it to second Tanny Mouse, and abruptly appointed Tanny as the emergency official. Ancham covered again, getting a two-count. Ancham transitioned from a sleeper hold into a cross armbreaker. Toraga escaped to the ropes, dodged Ancham’s big boot, and retaliated with a lariat to the back of the head. Toraga then trapped Ancham in the corner, unleashing a running corner lariat followed by a barrage of short-range lariats. When emergency referee Tanny stepped in to stop the onslaught, Toraga threw her across the ring. Toraga made the cover, and a staggering Tanny made a slow two-count.
Ancham caught a rebounding Toraga with a flying knee, followed by a Fisherman’s Suplex hold for a two-count. Toraga countered by knocking Ancham off the top turnbuckle and covering her for two, then hit a reverse splash for another near fall. Ancham rallied with a high kick for two. Ancham went for a diving foot stomp, but Toraga evaded and hit a backdrop.
Both women dropped to their knees, trading stiff elbows. Over in the corner, a shirtless Referee Atsushi Ishiguro staggered groggily to his feet. Ancham whipped the referee toward Toraga and nailed him with a single-leg dropkick in the back, forcing Toraga to inadvertently spike the referee with a DDT. Perhaps due to the impact, Referee Atsushi Ishiguro instantly reawakened, springing up to hit back-to-back dropkicks on both Ancham and Toraga.
Ancham and Toraga tried to whip Referee Atsushi Ishiguro into the ropes, but the official rebounded with a flying crossbody, wiping them both out and holding them down for a double pin. Referee Tanny slammed the mat three times. Despite not being an official participant in the match, Referee Atsushi Ishiguro was declared the winner.
◆ Match 2: Akane Fujita Return Match – Tag Team Match (20-Minute Time Limit) Akane Fujita & 〇Misa Kagura (10:31, Submission) Mase Hiiro & Riko× Winning Move: Misaton Club
For her return match, Akane Fujita teamed up with her favorite, Misa Kagura, to take on the kid wrestlers. “I’ll finish this in 30 seconds!” Fujita declared as she started the match. Riko locked up, and Mase Hiiro quickly joined in, trying to push Fujita together, but the veteran wouldn’t budge an inch. Hiiro slipped around to Fujita’s back, locking in a piggyback sleeper, but Fujita simply walked forward and pressed Riko against the ropes. Riko and Hiiro attempted a double Irish whip, but Fujita caught them both with a double brain claw. Hiiro escaped and tried a crossbody, but Fujita caught her out of mid-air. Riko then delivered a dropkick from behind, finally knocking Fujita down.
Riko attempted a body slam, but Fujita easily blocked it and body slammed Riko instead, following up with a hard slap to the back. Responding to the crowd’s boos, Fujita stood near the ropes, allowing Riko to roll her up for a two-count. Riko applied a low-altitude dropkick into a figure-four leglock, which Misa Kagura broke up. Hiiro tagged in and delivered a rapid-fire series of foot stomps to Fujita.
Hiiro went for a flying headbutt accompanied by her signature “Hyu~ Hyu~” taunt, but Fujita rolled out of the way, drawing more boos from the audience. Fujita hit an elbow drop for a two-count. Kagura tagged in, whipped Hiiro into the corner, and executed a Double Inoki-style move with Fujita. Kagura charged in, but Riko caught her with a drop toe hold, allowing Hiiro to hit Fujita with a crossbody. Hiiro then nailed the grounded Fujita with another “Hyu~ Hyu~” dive, yelling, “That’s 3!”
Fujita backed Hiiro against the ropes, trapping her for a running tackle and a double chop. Kagura tagged back in, hitting a headlock takeover into a low-altitude dropkick to the back of the head for a two-count. Kagura hoisted Hiiro up, but Hiiro slipped behind, yelled “Over here!”, tripped her by clamping her knees, and delivered an eye poke. Hiiro ran the ropes but was caught in a full nelson by Fujita on the apron. They whipped Hiiro into the corner, setting up another Double Inoki move before Fujita hit a running corner lariat and Kagura followed with a running corner spear. Kagura hit a double elbow drop for a near fall. Hiiro hit a counter rolling crossbody for two.
Riko tagged in, firing off four consecutive dropkicks and a barrage of elbows. Riko went for another dropkick, but Kagura easily swatted it away, hitting a body slam and a senton. Riko dodged and rolled her up for two. Riko fired off more elbows, but Kagura caught her in the Misa Roll, which Hiiro broke up. Kagura whipped Riko, and Fujita whipped Hiiro into the ropes, but the youngsters caught them simultaneously with matching Cristo submissions.
Kagura reached the ropes, but Riko hit a 619, followed by Hiiro hitting a headscissors drop. Riko and Hiiro hit double dropkicks. Riko landed a missile dropkick for two. Kagura countered a tackle into a senton for another near fall. Kagura then locked Riko in the Misaton Club, forcing the tap out and gifting Akane Fujita a victory for her return match.
◆ Match 3: Tag Team Match (20-Minute Time Limit) Manami Katsu & ×Moe Hiiro (11:36, Gokuraku Gatame) Tsukasa Fujimoto〇 & Kirari Wakana
A highly anticipated showdown following Fujimoto’s return materialized early as she clashed with Manami Katsu. Katsu, who joined Ice Ribbon during Fujimoto’s absence, immediately showcased her overwhelming talent, skyrocketing to capture the ICE×∞ Championship. Cementing herself as an absolute champion, she then secured her second reign with the Ribbon Tag Team Championship alongside Hikari Minami at Yokohama Ribbon on August 30. How this collision affects the future landscape of Ice Ribbon is a major point of intrigue. Meanwhile, Moe Hiiro finally got her first match against Fujimoto—a wrestler she has idolized since childhood. Though tearing up during the pre-match handshake, Hiiro stepped up to start the match, demanding, “Fujimoto, get in here!”
The match opened with Fujimoto and Hiiro locking up. Hiiro aggressively went for the arm, but Fujimoto reversed it into a headlock. Hiiro countered into a grounded headscissors, and a rope break created distance. After feeling each other out, Fujimoto landed a toe kick, grabbed Hiiro by the hair, threw her, and trapped her in the corner for a double chop. Wakana tagged in and hit a body slam. Wakana trapped Hiiro on the ropes, while Fujimoto trapped Katsu, allowing them to hit simultaneous running dropkicks that sent their opponents to the floor.
On the outside, Fujimoto grabbed Katsu and dragged over Tsukushi, who was in attendance to watch the show. Tsukushi threw an elbow, but Katsu ducked, and the strike nailed Fujimoto instead. A furious Fujimoto put Tsukushi in a full nelson, and Wakana blasted Tsukushi with an elbow. Enraged, Tsukushi immediately struck back, hitting an elbow on Wakana and a swift kick and elbow on Fujimoto in retaliation.
Back in the ring, Hiiro hit Wakana with a Romero Special (Dial Gatame) for a two-count, followed by a reverse rotation Dial Gatame for another two. Hiiro hit a handstand press for a near fall. Wakana dodged Hiiro’s elbow and locked in a wakigatame (Fujiwara armbar), but Hiiro reached the ropes. Wakana hit a low-altitude running dropkick and ran the ropes again, but Katsu intercepted her with a flying knee. Hiiro capitalized with a face crusher and two hair-pull slams for a two.
Katsu tagged in, ruthlessly stomping Wakana’s face before hitting a double-arm backbreaker and locking in a single-leg Boston crab. Fujimoto tried to intervene, but Katsu trapped her in a dragon sleeper. Wakana tried to make the save, but Katsu caught her too, planting them both with a double DDT. Katsu hit a foot stomp on Wakana for a two-count. Fujimoto broke the pin with a Casadora transition into a PK. Wakana followed suit, hitting a Casadora into a foot stomp. After another standing foot stomp, Wakana proudly executed a Kamisu right in front of Tsukushi.
The cover got a two-count. Wakana hit a missile dropkick and tagged Fujimoto, who entered with a dropkick of her own. Fujimoto and Wakana took a double crouching start stance and hit synchronized low-altitude corner dropkicks. Fujimoto charged, but Katsu caught her, chaining a backflip, a stunner, and a lariat. Fujimoto shockingly kicked out at one. Fujimoto retaliated with a PK, but Katsu also kicked out at one.
The two locked foreheads in the center of the ring. After crisscrossing the ropes, Fujimoto hit a high-angle sunset flip for two. Katsu landed a thrust kick; Fujimoto hit a low dropkick. Katsu fired off an elbow and a missile dropkick, following up with a running corner elbow. Hiiro tagged in, hitting three consecutive dropkicks for a near fall. Katsu and Hiiro went for a double Irish whip, but Fujimoto countered with a ninja kick. Hiiro dodged a PK and rolled Fujimoto up for two. Hiiro went for La Magistral, getting another two. Hiiro tried another roll-up for two. Hiiro attempted a flying leg roll clutch, but Fujimoto kicked her off and locked in the Venus Clutch. Katsu broke it up with a foot stomp.
Fujimoto and Wakana hit Katsu with a double dropkick. Katsu blasted Wakana with an elbow smash. “Enough already!” Fujimoto yelled, hitting Katsu with the Infinity. Hiiro grabbed Fujimoto for a Cutie Special, getting a massive near fall. Hiiro looked for a double-arm suplex, but Fujimoto blocked it, hitting a rolling sobat, an enzuigiri, and a PK for a two-count. Fujimoto followed up with a missile dropkick for two, before securely locking in the Gokuraku Gatame to force Hiiro to submit.
Post-match, Wakana directly appealed to Fujimoto to continue their tag team. Fujimoto replied, “I feel like Wakana and I can come up with some pretty good tandem offense. Let’s keep teaming up for a bit and see how it goes. No need to rush things.”
Fujimoto then turned to Hiiro, saying, “Moe-chan—no, Moe-senshu. The person I knew was an elementary schooler, just a tiny little girl. Being able to face off in the ring like this makes me realize that if you stick with pro-wrestling long enough, some truly beautiful things can happen. Let’s team up, or fight again.”
Hiiro responded, “Being able to stand in the ring and fight Tsukka-san, someone I’ve admired and cheered for since I was little, makes me incredibly happy, even though losing is frustrating. Thank you very much. Tsukka-san, I have a request! I’m having my birthday event on October 24th, and I want to have a match against Tsukasa Fujimoto. Please!”
Fujimoto smiled and shook her hand, replying, “Let’s do a singles match!”
◆ Match 4: Singles Match (15-Minute Time Limit) 〇Shigehiro Irie (12:21, Kata-Ebi Gatame) Totoro Satsuki× Winning Move: Beast Bomber
Following her head-on collision with Akira Jo at Yokohama Ribbon on August 30, Totoro Satsuki’s second high-impact intergender battle against a heavyweight male wrestler pitted her against Shigehiro Irie. The match began with a fierce lock-up transitioning into a brutal tackle exchange. Totoro sent Irie flying with a massive shoulder block. Totoro took the fight into the storage area, sparking a chaotic brawl outside the ring.
They traded heavy elbows, and Irie slid back into the ring first. As Totoro sat on the apron, Irie launched a lateral tope suicide dive, knocking her to the floor. After more brawling on the outside, they returned to the ring to trade stiff elbows once again. Irie trapped Totoro in the corner, hit a body slam, and followed with a diving elbow drop for a two-count. Totoro fired back with a flurry of elbows, backing Irie into the corner, and unleashed a barrage of lariats. Irie reversed the momentum, trapping her in the corner with elbows of his own. Returning to the center, they collided with dual lariats, but Totoro managed to execute a brainbuster.
The cover yielded a two-count. Totoro hit three consecutive sentons for another near fall. She attempted a fireman’s carry, but Irie blocked it and hit an elbow smash. Following another elbow exchange, Totoro successfully hit a Kamikaze for a two-count. Totoro went for a diving senton, but Irie rolled out of the way, capitalized with a cannonball, and hit a diving body press for a two-count.
Irie set up for a piledriver, but Totoro shifted her weight, crushing him with a reverse press for a near fall. Totoro hit a lariat for two. Totoro hoisted Irie off the top rope and attempted his own Move Like a Thunderbolt, but the drop lacked depth, resulting in a two-count. Totoro followed up with a diving senton for another near fall. Irie dropped Totoro with a stiff elbow, and as she sat on her knees, he blasted her in the back of the head with a back elbow, immediately following up with a Beast Bomber. The cover got a two-count. Irie then unleashed a second, definitive Beast Bomber to secure the three-count.
Post-match, Umino—the producer behind this ‘male wrestlers vs. Totoro’ series—appeared at ringside. “Match two was super intense! Let’s get right to match three. September 22, Yokohama Radiant Hall: Ken Ohka!” she announced.
Totoro grabbed the microphone. “A truly passionate guy is coming, huh? Actually, Umino, I remember asking you before, ‘My next opponent is Ken Ohka, isn’t it?!’ I’ve always wanted that level of burning passion, that fire that I feel I’m just one step away from reaching. So, this is the perfect opportunity. I’m going to become a passionate woman, Totoro Satsuki, who surpasses even that passionate man, and I will absolutely conquer him!”
◆ Match 5: Tag Team Match (20-Minute Time Limit) Yuuka & 〇Kaho Matsushita (13:48, Tai-Gatame) Yappy & Arisa Shinose× Winning Move: Fanfare
Yuuka had set a personal condition: her team must win seven consecutive matches to earn a shot at the Ribbon Tag Team Championship. Her partner, Matsushita, was initially hesitant, but after securing their second win at the previous Dojo show, she has started to align slightly more with Yuuka’s vision. Their opponents for the third match of this trial were Yappy and Shinose.
The match started with Yuuka and Shinose. Following a lock-up, they traded wrist locks. Shinose clamped on a headlock, but Yuuka hoisted her up and slammed her forward. As Yuuka ran the ropes, Yappy kicked her from the apron, but when Yappy entered for a sandwich attack, Yuuka dodged, causing Yappy and Shinose to collide. Yuuka hit a dropkick on Shinose while Matsushita simultaneously hit one on Yappy.
Yuuka tried to lift Shinose, but Shinose blocked it with a foot stomp. Shinose hit a tackle and went for a cover, but Yuuka reversed it. Shinose reversed the reversal for a two-count. Both women tagged out. Yappy hit a tackle and went for a leg drop, but Matsushita dodged and hit a PK. Yappy caught Matsushita’s kicking leg and threw an elbow to the knee. Backing Matsushita into the corner, Yappy hit a running hip attack, Shinose followed with a running body attack, and Yappy hit another body attack into a leg drop for a two-count.
Matsushita hit an STO, followed by a PK and a missile dropkick for two. Yuuka tagged in, and she and Matsushita whipped Yappy into the corner. Matsushita hit a running corner elbow, and Yuuka followed with a sliding elbow. The cover got a two. Yuuka locked in a cobra twist, but Yappy unhooked her leg and dropped backward, crushing Yuuka. Yappy tagged in Shinose for a sandwich body attack. Yappy hit the Katsudon and a spinning body press for a two-count, then executed a Wasteland for another two.
Shinose tagged back in, hitting two consecutive tackles for a two-count. An elbow exchange ensued. Shinose took Yuuka down with a wakigatame, transitioning into a straight jacket hold, but Yuuka reached the ropes. With their backs against each other, Yuuka rolled Shinose into a schoolgirl pin via a backslide motion for a two-count. As Yuuka ran the ropes, Shinose intercepted her with a flying knee, followed by a low-altitude crossbody. Shinose’s diving body attack yielded a two-count. Yuuka fired back with a flurry of elbows, knocking Shinose to her knees before hitting a dropkick to the face for two.
Matsushita tagged in, and she and Yuuka whipped Shinose into the ropes. Yuuka tripped her, and Matsushita hit a buzzsaw kick. They followed up with synchronized dropkicks to the kneeling Shinose’s face. Matsushita covered for two, then locked in a crossface, but Shinose reached the ropes. Shinose dodged Matsushita’s rope-rebound attack, allowing Yappy to hit a flying split-legged hip drop, and Shinose followed with a low-altitude crossbody for a two-count. Shinose locked in the Infinity Lock, but Matsushita escaped to the ropes.
Matsushita hit a counter inazuma leg lariat, backed Shinose into the corner, and landed a high kick. As Matsushita ran the ropes, Yappy leveled her with an Axe Bomber. Yappy then hit a Gory Bomb on Shinose, slamming her partner down directly onto Matsushita for a splash. Yuuka broke up the pin. Yuuka cornered Shinose on the ropes, hitting a sliding elbow and a missile dropkick. Matsushita covered for two.
Shinose hit a Teacup Roll for a two-count. Matsushita responded with a buzzsaw kick for two. Shinose landed two counter elbow smashes and a running double knee attack, both resulting in near falls. Yuuka took Shinose over with a backdrop, dropped Yappy with an elbow, and hit the Angel Thunder. Matsushita blasted Shinose with another buzzsaw kick and hit a modified blockbuster for a near fall. Yuuka executed the Angel’s Trumpet on Shinose, allowing Matsushita to deliver the Fanfare and secure the three-count.
◆ Match 6: ICE×∞ Championship Match (30-Minute Time Limit) [Champion] 〇Sumika Yanagawa (14:16, Kugel) Hikari Minami× [Challenger] The 42nd Champion makes her first successful title defense.
At Yokohama Ribbon on August 30, Hikari Minami captured the Ribbon Tag Team Championship alongside Manami Katsu, becoming a double champion alongside her Triangle Ribbon Championship. The very moment she secured the tag belts, Minami instantly laid out a challenge for Sumika Yanagawa’s ICE×∞ Championship. Having been directly pinned by Minami during that tag title match, Yanagawa accepted the challenge on the spot. Bypassing any preview tag matches, the title bout was fast-tracked directly to this SKIP City event, with only a single Dojo show in between.
Before the match, Minami offered a handshake. As Yanagawa obliged, Minami yanked her arm and rolled her into an inside cradle for a quick two-count. They shook hands again, tying up in a knuckle lock before trading arm wringers. Yanagawa secured a headlock, but Minami pushed her to the ropes, slid under the bottom rope to the outside, and taunted Yanagawa to follow. On the floor, Minami hit a Kamikaze and leaped off a spectator’s chair to deliver a fierce kick.
Yanagawa fought back, throwing Minami into the seating area. Back in the ring, Minami hit a springboard body attack from the corner for a two-count. Yanagawa hit a running jumping knee in the corner. Minami caught Yanagawa’s leg during a kick and locked in a kneebar, but Yanagawa reached the ropes. Minami bit Yanagawa’s thigh. Yanagawa fired back with a contemporary kick and a back kick for a two-count, then locked in a straight jacket hold.
Minami escaped to the ropes. Yanagawa went for a flying knee, but Minami dodged, hitting a flying big boot, a Kamikaze, and a reverse foot stomp while holding the top rope, netting a two-count. Minami climbed the turnbuckle, but Yanagawa pursued her. Minami slipped underneath and launched Yanagawa off the top with a massive German Suplex for a near fall. Yanagawa answered with a counter high kick for two, then landed a second high kick, leaving both women down on the mat.
They traded elbows, escalating into a brutal slap exchange. Yanagawa hit a Fisherman’s Suplex, her signature 1010, and a running double knee attack to the back of the head for a two-count. Minami dodged Yanagawa’s knee strike and locked in a bridging German Suplex for two. Yanagawa escaped Minami’s blockbuster attempt and executed a release blockbuster of her own, getting a two-count.
Minami finally hit her blockbuster hold, but Yanagawa got her foot on the rope. Yanagawa countered with a thrust kick, a high kick, and a contemporary kick for a two-count. Minami dodged another 1010 attempt and went for a leg roll clutch, but Yanagawa rolled through with a half-turn. From the side, Yanagawa pulled Minami’s arm while wrapping her right leg around Minami’s neck in a twisting motion, dropping into the Kugel to secure the three-count and successfully defend the ICE×∞ Championship.
Yanagawa took the microphone. “I beat the formidable Minahika, and I defended the belt! Holding the belt when you aren’t sure if you can make your first defense or not is the most nerve-wracking moment, so first of all, I am so incredibly happy that I successfully made my first defense! My goal this year was to achieve an Ice Ribbon championship Grand Slam, and I have been pushing forward every day to reach that goal. Right now, the only belt I have is this ICE×∞ singles belt, but up until last week, I was also the champion of the tag belts you hold right now.”
Yanagawa continued, “And Minahika-san, you returned in February of this year, right? In just about half a year, you took the Triangle belt, the Tag belts, and now you’ve even challenged for this belt. Seriously, you are an absolute ball of greed. But it seems my greed was just a little bit stronger, and today, the wrestling gods smiled upon me. Still, you have such an intense desire for championships, and I realized we actually share a lot of common ground. Putting this belt on the line today, I could feel your intense passion through our bodies colliding. I’m not an official Ice Ribbon roster member, so this might sound presumptuous, but please listen to this as the champion speaking. Minahika-san, thank you so much for coming back to Ice Ribbon. I’m just a junior wrestler, and I wondered if I should even say this, but as the champion today, I needed to say it. Minahika-san, let’s keep aiming for the top together with everyone in Ice Ribbon!” Yanagawa then extended her hand for a handshake.
Minami accepted the handshake, but instantly tried to roll Yanagawa up for another pin before swiftly rolling out of the ring and retreating to the locker room. A bewildered Yanagawa muttered, “Somehow I won today, but I feel like Minahika just completely played me…” before beginning her lap around the ring to shake hands with the fans.
After the handshake tour, the wrestlers returned to the ring. Yanagawa took the mic one last time. “On a personal note, starting this week, I’ll be participating in a world championship tournament in Germany as a representative for Japan in my role as a sauna Neppashi. I’ll be back in three weeks, returning in name and reality as the global Yanaga-World. I won’t be able to see you all until then, but I plan to bring back great results and use that momentum for my next title defense.” Yanagawa closed the show with the traditional call: “Pro-Wrestling makes you Happy! Ice Ribbon!”
— Congratulations on your first title defense. “First of all, I’m just relieved that I made the defense. I won this belt from Kaho on August 15, and then last week I put the tag belts on the line against Minahika and Katsu and lost. Then, the very next week, I had to put this singles belt on the line. It’s been quite a grueling month, but I am truly so happy that this belt came back into my hands.”
— Having lost the tag belts last time, and with this being your first singles defense, there must have been quite a lot of pressure. “That’s right. As the singles champion, I am the champion, but I also had the loss from last week hanging over me. If I had lost this belt, I would have had nothing left. So, I went into this match feeling almost like a challenger, fighting with my back against the wall.”
— Your opponent, Minami, showed her veteran instincts, throwing all sorts of tricks at you. “She really played mind games with me. Honestly, I panicked a bit at first because I just couldn’t find my pace. But from the mid-point onward, I was gradually able to get my rhythm back. Having wrestled for so long, Minahika just has so many tools in her arsenal. That was my main impression today.”
— After the match, you called her a “formidable enemy.” “She is a formidable enemy. Fighting her today made me realize that all over again.”
— Your next challenge isn’t a wrestling title match, but a world tournament for sauna Neppashi. “I fly out to Germany this week to compete as a representative of Japan. I’m going to become a world champion over there too, and truly embody ‘Yanaga-World’ in both name and reality. I want to shine even brighter, so I hope everyone will support me in that endeavor as well.”
Translator’s Notes:
- Neppashi (熱波師): A Japanese term for a sauna master or “Aufgussmeister”—the person who ceremonially pours water on hot sauna stones and uses a towel to circulate the intense steam and heat around the room. Sumika Yanagawa works as a professional Neppashi and actively competes in international Aufguss tournaments.
- Hyu~ Hyu~: A rhythmic verbal chant/taunt used by Mase Hiiro during her diving maneuvers to pop the crowd.
- Double Inoki Move: A reference to legendary wrestler Antonio Inoki, indicating a signature sequence or pose patterned after his style.
- Cristo (クリスト): A complex headscissors/armbar submission hold famous in joshi puroresu.
- Kamisu (神栖): A rolling submission/pinning maneuver innovated by Tsukushi. Kirari Wakana deliberately hit the move while staring down Tsukushi, who was in the audience.
- Cutie Special: A bridging wrist-clutch belly-to-back suplex innovated by 90s joshi star Cutie Suzuki.
- Move Like a Thunderbolt (動くこと雷霆の如し): Shigehiro Irie’s signature lifting piledriver/powerbomb hybrid, originating from a famous passage in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.