The Resurgence of Shota Umino
By: R. Faliani Windy City Riot saw Jack Perry steal the spotlight in his last New Japan Pro Wrestling match before returning
By: R. Faliani Windy City Riot saw Jack Perry steal the spotlight in his last New Japan Pro Wrestling match before returning
By: James Carlin Ever since their debuts, the “Top Kawaii of the Cosmos” and the “Dangerous Queen” have had differing and similar
By: Jeff Brown Over the course of ten days, Monthly Puroresu journeyed out to five different stage plays, all starring members of
By: Jeremy Peeples Our piece on the rise of Will Ospreay led to some interesting parallels being drawn between Ospreay and Tom
By: Jeff Brown TJPW is in a new era, and as 2023 was winding down, so too was the time of important
By: Mark Chetcuti Few people would fathom that a legend of professional wrestling could go forgotten these days with the immense proliferation
By: Lewis Carlan The New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax is widely regarded as the most prestigious tournament in professional wrestling. With its
By: Julia Drusilla The beginning of the year symbolizes many things, such as rebirth and renewal. The Romans coined the name January
Spark Joshi talks about forming a joshi puroresu company in the United States, their new dojo, and more By: James Carlin With the
By: James Carlin The Like A Dragon franchise is a unique game series that has been around since 2005, with its most
The Sun Goddess' return to Japan has only reinvigorated the joshi puroresu scene, and the scene is better off because of
STARDOM's end of year show Dream Queendom 2023 is approaching ever closer. The big match taking place that many people are
By: Ben Harris In two weeks, STARDOM’s final PPV of 2023 will take place. Dream Queendom already promises to feature plenty of matches with
By: James Carlin Last Spring, the joshi world was buzzing with hype surrounding a mystery wrestler set to grace the wondrous rings
By: Trevor Dame When someone changes employers, it often means very different things to the company they’re leaving and the company they’re
By: Ben Harris A good character can change a wrestler’s career. There have been many examples of this over the years, with
By: Jeff Brown Calligraphy can be described as beautiful writing. With a trained hand, words convey harmony and grace; a skilled brush
By: Jeff Brown Every match and every move featuring AZM sees the future inked on the canvas. A generation of wrestling is
By: Jeff Brown Photos: Richard Moses NOMADS is a different type of freelance group, and it even has crossovers with COLOR'S and the
By: Lyric Swinton “It was 1976 when I fought Antonio Inoki at the Budokan. [We] put our best efforts into making world
By: R. Faliani In one month, we will see the KO-D Openweight title match between reigning champion Chris Brookes and his challenger
By: James Carlin Twelve years ago, and five months after their first show, Stardom announced the introduction of their two major world
By: Jeremy Peeples Will Ospreay's rise over the past decade has been something that will be studied for generations to come because
By: Jeremy Peeples New Japan recently announced a third set of Three Musketeers in the form of the Reiwa Musketeers - made
MOONDOM's first event is a success at the Post di Amistad By: James Carlin It was only in the lead up to this
By: Ben Harris An exciting summer in STARDOM is set to culminate with the finals of this year’s 5★STAR GP on September
By: Mavs Gillis Now with the conclusion of the G1 CLIMAX Tetsuya Naito and New Japan Pro-Wrestling are in the enviable scenario
Looking Back at 25 Years of The Genius of the Ark I was barely 6 months old when Naomichi Marufuji debuted as
by R. Faliani It’s hard for wrestlers to keep the same level of performance as time passes. We’re seeing it with people
By: R. Faliani The Last Dance. How many times have we heard that concept in sports? Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball
By: Jeff Brown Miu Watanabe had a turbulent year. She and Rika Tatsumi, aka Daydream, came up short in a title challenge against
By: Thom Fain Managers seconding wrestlers is a lost art, some say. Then, they remember, Paul Heyman is responsible for some of
By: Jeff Brown Prominence one of the freelance groups that formed as COVID restrictions lessened in Japan. Originally from Ice Ribbon, these
Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno stood for very different things at Wrestle Peter Pan. By R. Faliani DDT Pro-Wrestling recently celebrated their biggest
By: Jeff Brown There has been an influx of freelance groups in the world of joshi over the past few years. Prominence,
How KAIRI's Return to Japan Helped Shape the Most Important Gold By: Trent Breward The eyes of the wrestling world were cast upon
By: James Carlin It was at Korakuen Hall at Jun Akiyama's 30th Anniversary show in 2022 that the Japanese audience first got
By: R. Faliani Pro-Wrestling is an art and a sport that has told a lot of stories. Stories of love, hate, life
A look at how STARDOM’s struggles in developing and completing stories where there isn’t a title on the line By: Trent Breward There's
By: Dr. Jonathan Foye The Tokyo Dome. Ryogoku. Korakuen Hall. In Japanese pro wrestling, there are a number of iconic buildings with
By: Jeff Brown The Up Up Girls is a dynamic sister wrestling group that currently competes under the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW).
By: Jeff Brown SKE48 Idols and Wrestling SKE48 is a renowned idol group based in Sakae, Nagoya, that has been active since 2008.
By: Jeff Brown Special Thanks to Sean Bradley for question translations and Yumi Agawa for coordination In less than one year, the 29-year-old
By: Sonal Lad One of the most famous factions in the world is the Bullet Club. Since it was created, it has
Crafting a Legacy for New Japan’s Newest Championship By: Jeremy Peeples New Japan Pro Wrestling started 2023 with a strong mix of the
A Paradigm Shift in Pro-Wrestling NOAH By: R. Faliani Jake Lee’s GHC Heavyweight Championship match against Kaito Kiyomiya was truly a great bout,
By: Jeff Brown Featured image photography by Masahiro Kubota Special thanks to Nagisa Shiotsuki for translation assistance The Arche Asagaya, where the Red Frame
By: Jeff Brown, with photography by Masahiro Kubota In addition to appearing in rings for both Actwres girl'Z, Action Ring Girl'z and
By: Sonal Lad One of the most important parts of New Japan Pro Wrestling is the factions. Each wrestler belongs to a
By: Mavs Gillis Great ticket sales for the Tokyo Dome for both Wrestle Kingdom 17 and NOAH Keiji Muto Grand Final. Sell
By: Sonal Lad Professional wrestling might seem like a cutthroat business. Yet, there are actually more alliances than would be expected. In
By: Jeremy Peeples On August 6, 2022, one year to the day after being released from WWE, JONAH defeated the most iconic
Introduction by Thom Fain In this feature, we want you to hear from the wrestlers competing in the independent, off-radar, and somewhat
By: Ilias A. Joshi wrestling, despite its growing popularity, is still a niche area of wrestling. Deathmatch wrestling is controversial among the
By: James Carlin Two months after Kairi Hojo had left Stardom to become a part of WWE, Tam Nakano made her debut
By: James Carlin and Abid Chowdhury Ribbon Mania is one of Ice Ribbon's biggest shows of the year that has traditionally taken
Let's See Pro-Wrestling NOAH Back at the Top of its Game by R. Faliani Wrestling, like the human race, has to evolve constantly
By: Mavs Gillis As the autumn comes and passes, so does the direct leaf on the tree that connected Rikidozanʼs teaching to
By: James Carlin One of the things that defines Tokyo Joshi, for better or for worse, is the main event scene. Looking at
By: Jessie T When Koji Iwamoto exited All Japan Pro Wrestling in December 2021, he left a massive hole in the junior
The Cosmic Angel is no stranger to being overlooked but, above all things, she won’t lose hope. By: J. Curbelo In an era
As Konosuke Takeshita hits the stratosphere abroad, a new kingpin has commanded reverance back home, proving DDT is more than just
By: Nathan Sartain Nowadays, New Japan’s Jr. Heavyweight division is in a healthy place: El Desperado and Hiromu Takahashi are two genuine
By: Carlos Toro April 5, 2019. On that day, KUSHIDA, one of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s top junior heavyweights joined WWE, after
By: James Carlin When Kenny Omega left New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2019, there were two people lined up to take his place: One
... and the first ever cage match in STARDOM history By: James Carlin Why a Steel Cage Match? Steel cage matches have had somewhat
By: Mitchell Adams If you were a women’s pro-wrestling fan watching wrestleUNIVERSE on August 28th of this year, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling seemed
By: Karen Peterson Making NJPW’s N.A. Legacy Worth its Weight in Gold The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was unveiled by New Japan
In recent years the GHC Tag Team Championships have been curiously cursed by illfated title changes, short reigns, and wrestling misfortune.
Monthly Puroresu's picks for cult classic wrestling matches from the first half of 2022.
Zack Sabre Jr. is the fine wine of puroesu. Maybe not something Zack will put on a t-shirt, but true nonetheless.
By: Mavs Gillis Weʼre coming into our third year as a publication, three years and weʼve seen our sport through iterations we
How Stardom's biggest feud evolved over the course of five matches and fifteen months By: Trent Breward For 409 days, Utami Hayashishita stood
By Zack Heydorn It’s early 2022 and a lot feels wrong out there in the world. Omicron, the Chicago Bulls being in
By: Richard Edwards The art of Joshi wrestling is as strong as ever, breathlessly driving. It can be credited largely to Rossy
By Nathan Sartain At one point, Roppongi 3K was at the apex of the Junior Heavyweight Tag Division. With tournament wins, consistent
How a Descent into Darkness Liberated Oedo Tai’s Marvel By Trent Breward It’s been an astonishing year for Stardom’s performers, and none more
Recounting NOAH x NJPW's Wounded Relationship By: Jeremy Peeples Pro Wrestling NOAH is getting ready to embark on a new voyage for 2022
Words: Mitchell Adams Photos: Jacob McGonigle Special Thanks: Mr. Koda The story of Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh delivered fans their payoff for some
By: James Carlin Starting with an incredible return to the world of professional wrestling outside of WWE at All Out in September
How the outlaw samurai of Japan's past helped define one of Stardom's present By: Trent Breward World Wonder Ring Stardom's roster is filled
By: Jamie Johnson Katsuhiko Nakajima’s NOAH N-1 Victory glory. How he got here, why it matters …and a taste of what’s to
By: Sam Gladen It seemed to have come out of nowhere, except to all but the diehard fans. AJPW has seen a
Dylan Kyle Cox Shares How Katsuyori Shibata’s LA Dojo is Creating Something Special By: Nathan Sartain Katsuyori Shibata’s legacy needs no introduction. The
A hungry roster looks to prove they can outwrestle Will Ospreay and Jay White By: Jeremy Peeples No major wrestling company has been
The Living Legend Proves Why He’s The Right Vet, For Right Now By: Jamie Johnson Naomichi Marufuji’s career path is unparalleled – he
By: Nicholas Gerts As factions come and go from puroresu and new ones come into prominence, it’s worth taking a look at
By: Colin McNeil The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. It’s a cliche. Especially in professional wrestling, where the phrase has been dog-eared
By: Mitchell Adams Unlike men’s wrestling in Japan, the unique world of joshi never had figures like Rikidōzan, The Giant Baba, or
By: Mavs Gillis Raise your hand if you saw NJPW and AEW collaborating? Raise your hand if you saw IMPACT being in
It was the fax heard around the world that signaled the return of Michael Jordan to the Chicago Bulls in 1995.
Like Yakuza, groups dominate in japanese wrestling. The most powerful are at their peak for a reason. Starting with our Spring
Joshi puroresu is almost as rich and prestigious in Japan as men's wrestling. It’s so hot that some of America’s biggest
Just 24 hours after the New Japan Cup semi-finals were interrupted by a 7.2 earthquake that rocked the entire island nation,
Everyone can feel it: Pro-Wrestling NOAH is on the cusp of something special. Their breakout 2020 campaign saw the headwinds of
Since he aligned with CHAOS in 2016, Will Ospreay’s journey to climb the ladder to NJPW Ace level has been tireless. The
By: Steven R. Jackson New Japan Pro-Wrestling is a truly international promotion, and that can be credited to the distinct talent signed
Captivating, long story arcs have proven successful in various mediums of entertainment. In novels, TV, film, or video games – an
It wasn’t long ago a socially distanced crowd at Sendai Sun Plaza Hall witnessed history, a peremptory passing of the torch
By: Richard Edwards It’s no secret by now that the Great-O-Khan made headlines in NJPW on October 16, 2020, by teaming up
By: Michael Cervino While wrestling fans with international taste tend to focus on the two big wrestling promotions in Japan, AJPW and
By: Zack Heydorn It’s the hair. Remember Wrestle Kingdom 15? This year, how could you forget it, right? Not only was it the
By: Jeffrey Andrews Kota Ibushi won double gold at the Tokyo Dome on January 5th in the longest match in Wrestle Kingdom
Are you new to Japanese wrestling, looking to branch out from New Japan and dive deeper into the world of puro,
When Harold George Meij was first introduced to the NJPW masses in the spring of 2018 as the promotion’s new president,
By: Walter Yeates New Japan Pro-Wrestling's G1 Climax has gained a reputation as the most prestigious tournament in the world of puroresu,
New Japan’s nucleus of lethal, five-tool bad boys like Jay White and “The Holy Emperor” Taichi owe a debt to numerous
By: Richard Edwards So who is this fleet-footed phenomenon planning to overtake the squared circles of Japan? When he left the scene
