Saya Kamitani’s Goal Is To Be The First Woman To Win The Pro Wrestling Grand Prix MVP Award

By: Lewis Carlan

The Tokyo Sports Pro Wrestling Grand Prix MVP Award goes back 51 years to 1974 when Antonio Inoki was named the inaugural winner. Since then legendary names such as Giant Baba, Tiger Mask, Jumbo Tsuruta, Genichiro Tenryu, Keiji Mutoh, Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi and Kazuchika Okada have all been recipients of the now prestigious accolade. Last year Zack Sabre Jr. was named the winner of the MVP Award.

This year, the World of STARDOM Champion Saya Kamitani is looking to break the 51 year old trend of men being chosen by becoming the first ever woman to be selected for the MVP Award. The frontrunners to win the award appear to be Pro Wrestling NOAH’s OZAWA and NJPW/DDT Pro/AEW star Konosuke Takeshita but Kamitani has laid out a case on why she should be the 2025 MVP Award winner.

Kamitani spoke with Number Web recently and explained why she feels that she is the one who deserves the 2025 MVP honors. The Red Belt holder stated that when it comes to pro wrestling, she is the one who has spread the word about it the most. She mentioned that she has ceased her personal life and has been fully committed to everything revolving around pro wrestling.

From Saya Kamitani:

“Throughout the past year, I have been the one who has spread the word about pro wrestling the most, both in and out of the ring. There was also that retirement match at Yokohama Arena. I have cut off my personal life and devoted everything to pro wrestling. I believe I am the best in terms of achievements. Honestly, I think even in terms of spirit, I’m not losing to male wrestlers like OZAWA or TAKESHITA.”

Photo Credit: STARDOM

Kamitani continued speaking about how only men have won the MVP Award and feels in 2025 it has been the women, beginning with her, that has made pro wrestling more exciting. She hopes she can break down the gender barrier in pro wrestling.

From Saya Kamitani:

“Up until now, only men have won the MVP award, and I know some people say that since there’s a ‘Women’s Pro Wrestling Grand Prix’, the MVP should go to a man. But the MVP is supposed to be given to the wrestler who has performed the best in the world of pro wrestling that year, right? If that’s the case, then it’s only natural that it should be me. The reason why I’m so particular about this is that up until now, when you said, ‘pro wrestling’, it was the men who stood out. But this year, I feel like it’s been the women, starting with me, who have really made pro wrestling more exciting. This will break down the gender barrier in pro wrestling. My winning the MVP will change the stereotypes that have existed up until now. It’s time to change the image. A turning point, you could say. This will be a turning point for women to make a leap forward. In a way, it’s a reversal. And this is for making an even greater leap. My dream is to hold a STARDOM show at the Tokyo Dome. I want to connect this to that.”

Saya Kamitani has had quite an incredible 2025. As of this writing, she has been the only one to hold the World of STARDOM championship in 2025. Kamitani has held the Red Belt since Dec. 29, 2024 and has made five successful title defenses.  She was engaged in one of the most captivating feuds of 2025 against Tam Nakano.

Most importantly, with all the talent departures STARDOM endured in 2025, it had been worried that attendance would begin to decline but that was not the case. STARDOM attendance at events have actually increased in 2025 and much of that can be credited to the star power of Saya Kamitani.

Kamitani’s case that she deserves to be named the Pro Wrestling Grand Prix MVP of 2025 is rock solid. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if she is the first woman in 51 years to win that prestigious honor.