Vegas For All: Japan’s WrestleMania Week Takeover Serves Up Memorable Moments

By Noah Leatherland

WrestleMania festivities have expanded over recent years, growing from just the weekend, to taking up the entire week heading into WWE’s premier event on the calendar. There has always been a Japanese presence on these events. What started as a few select Japanese talent being flown in to the pro wrestling honeypot has grown into whole rosters making the trip. The 2026 edition of WrestleMania Week in Las Vegas brought an array of performers and promotions from Japan, much to the delight of those in attendance getting and those following along at home.

As well as giving fans that had made their journey a chance to see some of their favourite Japanese wrestlers for the first time, WrestleMania Week also gives the talent a chance to broaden their horizons. Wednesday afternoon saw the first Japanese involvement of the week. TJPW’s Toga making an appearance at PoderMania as part of The Collective. This was Toga’s debut in the United States, teaming with Jazzy Yang, the daughter of Jimmy Wang Yang. Toga and Yang picked up the win, adding a sweet taste of victory to Toga’s American debut. While competing for a local indie fed may be fairly routine for many wrestlers, for those from the other side of the world, it can be a memorable experience.

Meanwhile across town, Pandemonium Pro Wrestling populated their show with a trio of Japanese talent. DDT’s Daisuke Sasaki added Pandemonium to his recent North American exploits, having recently appeared for Ring of Honor and Maple Leaf Pro. Saya Iida had her first title match of the week, challenging for the promotion’s top prize in a triple threat, but ultimately coming away empty handed. Natsupoi also made her American debut on the show, picking up the win against Johnnie Robbie.

My US debut was absolutely brilliant.
‘Poi! Poi! Poi!’
— a brand new chant was born.

I have a feeling I’ll see Robbie again.

Wednesday was finished off by the week’s first full show from a Japanese promotion. Dragongate hosted The Gate of Sin City, main evented by Dragon Kid, Kzy and Yuki Yoshioka taking on ISHIN, Madoka Kikuta and Yoshiki Kato. The show was presented under the banner of DGUSA, having been resurrected last April. DGUSA is often overlooked in discussions of the American independents’ groundswell in the 2000s. Many of the today’s stars passed through DGUSA on their way to the top. As such, it was very fitting that a show like this helped to kick off the WrestleMania Week festivities.

Thursday kicked off with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Live in Las Vegas at 11AM. Off the massive success of their tours of Texas and Vancouver, TJPW presented a stacked card for the fans in Nevada. Having seen a full sweep of title changes at GRAND PRINCESS at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, TJPW’s reigning champions made their first defences. Suzume overcame the reborn Sakura Hattori. The IInspiration fended off the challenge from Shoko Nakajima and Hyper Misao. Then, in the main event, Yuki Arai withstood the might of American Gladiator J-Rod.

One of the best parts of WrestleMania Week are the unexpected and sometimes bizarre meetings. With names from all walks of pro wrestling descending onto the host city, you never know what worlds may collide.

And it wouldn’t be a TJPW tour without Wakana Uehara sampling the local cuisine.

It’s the biggest burger in Las Vegas!!!

WrestleCon gathers every aspect of the wrestling world together in one place, acting as a hub for wrestling fans across WrestleMania Week. As well as near endless merch, autographs and photo ops, WrestleCon also hosts the annual Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow. On this year’s edition, puro legend Masato Tanaka did battle with AEW’s Mark Davis. While Tanaka fell to the Aussie, other Japanese talent had better luck. Dragongate’s Ben-K and Hyo came out on top of a tag team elimination four way.

West Coast Pro has emerged as one of the top American independent promotions in recent years. Regularly booking Japanese talent on their shows, brought a number of joshi talent to their Vegas event. Aja Kong was brought in to perform one of her specialties, roughing up rookies, as she put the beating on Miko Alana. At least one Japanese talent will be heading back across the Pacific Ocean with some extra hardware in their luggage. Mio Momono claimed the West Coast Pro Women’s World Championship from Johnnie Robbie.

It’s been about two years since I last wore a singles belt!!!

On 5 May at Yokohama BUNTAI, I’ll be making my entrance as champion!!

However, another joshi was the main talking point coming out of the West Coast Pro event. Senka Akatsuki has amassed quite a following of Western fans since her debut. She was scheduled to take on Dani Luna, one of the hottest free agents on the scene following her exit from TNA. Unfortunately, Luna had to pull out of the event and it was announced that Akatsuki would compete in a five minute exhibition. In one of the most shocking surprises of the week, Akatsuki’s opponent turned out to be independent wrestling legend, Chris Hero.

West Coast Vs The World is set to release on the promotion’s YouTube channel on April 23rd.

The Japanese deathmatch has been a massive influence on many extreme American promotions over the years. This year, El Desperado hosted NJPW’s Death Vegas Invitacional. Talent from New Japan, Dragongate, DDT, AEW, GCW, FREEDOMS and STARDOM were all involved in one of the biggest crossovers of the week. The show saw technical spectacles, high risks, broken furniture, shattered glass and plenty of blood. The array of styles and match-ups demonstrated the magic of this time of year. Where else but WrestleMania Week would fans be able to see Nick Gage in a New Japan ring?

Back across town, Marvelous hosted their own WrestleMania Week event for the second year running. Heading into the show, Sareee was in a race against time. Earlier that day, Sareee competed in Korakuen Hall for Kenta Kobashi’s produce show, Fortune Dream 11. Sareee competed in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, a triple threat featuring some of the biggest names on the joshi scene. Sareee did battle with Chihiro Hashimoto and Saya Kamitani, with the match reaching its 30 minute time limit. From there, Sareee sped to the airport and made the journey to Las Vegas. She made it to the show on time, earning herself the distinction of wrestling two matches on two different continents on the same calendar day.

I’ve arrived safely!
I made it just in time!

I’m going to go wild!!!

Senka Akatsuki made even more headlines at the Marvelous event, just a few hours removed from wrestling Chris Hero. In a rematch from last year, Akatsuki went face-to-face with Aja Kong. Last year, Akatsuki put up a good fight, but lost to Kong in a little over five minutes. This time, Akatsuki pulled off a huge upset and defeated the legend. Kong has only lost a handful of singles matches over the past several years, making this a landmark victory for Akatsuki.

Game Changer Wrestling’s MDK Fight Club burned the midnight oil on Thursday, entering the early hours of Friday with some ultraviolence. The event saw a Japanese legend inducted into the Deathmatch Hall of Fame, the Extreme Queen, Megumi Kudo. Kudo was a staple of FMW throughout the 90s, where she cemented herself as the promotion’s top female star. She immortalised herself with memorable deathmatches, forging her legacy with blood, explosions and barbed wire. The presentation was followed by a triple threat between Vipress, Rina Yamashita and Charli Evans, a match that added another step to the path that Kudo pioneered.

I am honoured to have been inducted
into the Hall of Fame.
I am overwhelmed with emotions
that words cannot fully express.

This induction would not have been possible
without the wrestlers who stood
in the ring with me and fought
alongside me in those deathmatches.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The view from the ring today.
My most precious treasure.

Friday morning kicked off with ACTION Wrestling’s We Gambled Away The Graphix Budget event. After facing off at Death Vegas Invitacional, Zack Sabre Jr. stood across the ring from Fuminori Abe once again. Sabre Jr. joined ranks with Erick Stevens and Jonathan Gresham. Meanwhile, Abe teamed with Adam Priest and a man that has been bringing puro styles to WrestleMania Week for years, Minoru Suzuki. Suzuki continues to represent Japanese wrestling all over the world. So far in 2026, Suzuki has already competed in Taiwan, Germany, France, Singapore and the Philippines.

Japanese wrestling, as well as being forever connected to the American scene, has historic ties to the world of lucha libre. GCW’s The Wrld on Lucha brought together American, Mexican and Japanese talent to share lucha libre with the fans in Las Vegas. Hyo, Kzy and Yuki Yoshioka competed in a high flying affair against Gringo Loco, Arez and Vengador. Though Team Dragongate came out on the losing side, another Japanese presence helped to make up for it. Still showing the wounds from the night before, El Desperado succeeded in the Lucha Extrema Deathmatch against Vipress in the main event.

The afternoon saw STARDOM take the spotlight, hosting their AMERICAN DREAM event in the Pearl Theater. Even when enjoying the sights of Las Vegas and its surroundings, the STARDOM roster made sure to keep themselves in fighting form.

I was practising my elbow strikes in the mountains when an American grandma got worried about me

STARDOM’s event proved both their Western popularity and the potency of their partnerships. Fans were packed into the venue to see the top joshi promotion’s offerings, with the travelling members of the roster receiving very warm welcomes. Much of the card featured talent from All Elite Wrestling, some with history in STARDOM and some making their first appearances for them. Mina Shirakawa reunited with Maika and HANAKO, reviving Empress Nexus Venus for the night. Athena, who was branded as ‘The American Joshi’ in her earlier days, duked it out with Rina, making the H.A.T.E. member tap out to the Koji Clutch. The New Japan STRONG Women’s Championship was also on the line, with Saya Iida challenging Alex Windsor. Failing to claim gold at the start of the week, Iida once again stumbled, with the purple belt remaining around Windsor’s waist. Starlight Kid, AZM and Mei Seira drew one back on the scoreboard, defeating Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale in the main event.

Though perhaps the most notable moment of the night didn’t happen during any of the matches. STARDOM President Taro Okada spoke to the fans during an intermission and was attacked by the AEW Women’s World Champion, Thekla. With Forbidden Door on the horizon, there is bound to be more clashes between AEW and STARDOM talent in the future.

While STARDOM’s event celebrated the modern, flourishing joshi scene, another event relished in the stylings of shoot-style that was birthed in Japan decades ago. Bloodsport hosted a number of Japanese competitors on their hard-hitting card. Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Ulka Sasaki recently began an excursion in the US, using the pathway made by NOAH’s relationship with the WWE. At Bloodsport, he dipped into his MMA experience, catching Joe Dashou with a rising knee to the jaw for the KO. Miyu Yamashita has been a staple of Bloodsport, and proved how dangerous she is in Las Vegas. Her patented Skull Kick laid out Janai Kai, and in a post shared to her socials, she proved that anyone really can show up at Bloodsport.

Masashi Takeda made his return to Bloodsport after seven years. He faced off against WWE’s Pete Dunne, with Takeda being forced to submit to a joint triangle choke-armbar combo. Fuminori Abe was back in action, doing battle with a fired up Erick Stevens. Abe emerged from the battle bloody mouthed and victorious, finishing Stevens with full mount headbutts. The main event saw a dose of Blue Justice doled out, as Yuji Nagata faced Josh Barnett in a rematch of their 2003 IWGP Heavyweight Championship bout. Barnett was the victor this time, the referee stopping the match after a spinning heel kick and mounted strikes.

To close the show, Barnett announced that Bloodsport would be going away. Just like the shoot-style promotions that inspired it, Bloodsport burned bright, but could not last forever. Nevertheless, just like the UWF and the like, Bloodsport’s lasting impact will continue to influence and inspire future generations.

Barnett was not the only flash from Nagata’s past at WrestleMania Week. With WrestleCon assembling so many pro wrestling legends, Nagata also got to have a reunion with another of his Tokyo Dome opponents, Kurt Angle.

During the signing session at WrestleCon, a member of staff told me, ‘Kurt Angle is holding a signing session over there; he seems keen to meet you, so why don’t you go and see him?’ So I went to meet Kurt.

We met and hugged, and the very first thing he said was, ‘I told them that my match against Yuji was the best bout ever.’ I replied, ‘I watched it on YouTube.’

We parted ways after wishing each other good health.

It felt as though joy was welling up from the very depths of my heart.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)

Joey Janela’s Spring Break has been responsible for so many memorable moments in WrestleMania Weeks of the past. This year, it saw Hayabusa challenge Atticus Cogar for the GCW World Championship. This version of Hayabusa made his American debut hours before at the late MDK Fight Club event, teaming with Masato Tanaka. The original Hayabusa was a favourite amongst tape-traders across the United States. The circulation of his compilations undoubtedly influenced many of the high-flyers that emerged in the US in the 2000s. Thanks to wrestling preservationists and historians, the original Hayabusa’s work still wows fans today. So, Hayabusa’s appearance at WrestleMania Week this year was a momentous occasion for many Western fans. While the audience got to see some Hayabusa trademarks, they did not get to see him win the title.

Appearing for perhaps the strangest promotion yet in his career, KENTA competed at Juggalo Championship Wrestling late on Friday night. Teaming with Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, the trios match put KENTA in the ring with Rob Van Dam for the very first time. With both men known for their hard strikes, it was a right hand from RVD and bloodied KENTA’s nose just seconds into their first interaction.

Saturday was quiet on the Japanese wrestling front, with SPARK Joshi picking things back up on Sunday afternoon. Several STARDOM members appeared at the event. Aya Sakura took part in a triple threat with Vipress and Brittany Blake. A late minute replacement for Rina resulted in members of Neo Genesis facing each other. Mei Seira stepped in to team with Alexis Lee and did battle with AZM and Aleah James. Natsupoi was triumphant in a four way that included Starlight Kid, Dani Mo and AEW’s Maya World. SAKI retained her SPARK Joshi Atlantic Title over Jazmin Allure, maintaining her 900+ day reign with the belt. Hazuki defended the promotion’s world title in the main event. Hazuki has proudly carried the belt into STARDOM events for the past year. She retained her belt over TNA’s Jada Stone and managed to make it to Allegiant Stadium in time for WrestleMania.

With that, rings were torn down, merch tables were cleared and wrestlers packed their bags to either head home or to their next bookings. Though WrestleMania 42 broke an 8-year streak of having at least one Japanese wrestler on the card, the shows surrounding WWE’s biggest event of the year brought plenty of puro and joshi action. With WrestleMania set to take place in Saudi Arabia next year, wrestling fans may have to wait a little longer to see so much talent converge onto one city like this. But, at least this WrestleMania Week delivered on providing memorable moments, stellar matches and valuable experiences (both inside and outside the ring) for a number of Japanese talents.