Who Are NOMADS?

By: Jeff Brown
Photos: Richard Moses

NOMADS is a different type of freelance group, and it even has crossovers with COLOR’S and the freelancers associated with them who were previously spotlighted.

As with groups such as COLOR’S and Prominence, a lot of this situation is a result of the sea change after 2020, when many companies restructured and talent, in many cases, found themselves as freelancers after COVID restrictions were lifted. While the scene benefited from all these new names available, it was a brand new world for a lot of people who previously had a home base. Their slogan is “No home …Yes ambitious!”

While COLOR’S and Prominence are groups of freelancers going from place to place, NOMADS’ and their Summits are more of a place for freelancers to gather. That is part of their criteria for participants: that they are freelancers and not contracted wrestlers on loan from promotions. In their initial press conference, they mention how different it is for a freelancer to visit a promotion and not be given a sustained storyline or program, being treated more like a guest star. Character development and audience investment for a performer seen sporadically make it more difficult for long-term arcs.

Their logo resembles a chain or chemical structure horizontally to represent the chain when standing side by side and holding hands. As these shows are called summits, NOMADS does not see themselves as a traditional promotion, and keeping with the all-freelancer spirit, no one is signed to any long-term contracts. While each show has a different cast of characters, the core group is essentially the following:

Rina Yamashita

Debut: 11.04.2013

Her nickname is “Deathmatch Amazones.” As a freelancer, she wrestles for Ice Ribbon, Oz Academy, in the US scene for GCW, DPW, and Spark Joshi, often associated with FREEDOMS, and has been part of the Unchain stable with wrestlers such as Jun Kasai and Masashi Takeda. She is also a member of the RebelxEnemy faction with Ram Kaichow, Maika Ozaki, and fellow NOMADS member Maya Yukihi. Yamashita has had some of the most brutal hardcore and deathmatches during her career, but she is quite versatile. While she is a very hard-hitting brawler, she can definitely hold her own with technical moves and submissions if the match calls for it. Yamashita has held nearly a dozen different titles in her career, often as a tag wrestler. These include Oz Academy, Beyond The Sea Tag titles, the FantastICE title, DDT Iron Man Heavymetaweight title, and a year-plus run as the GCW Ultraviolent Champion and a winner of the GCW Tournament of Survival.

Miyuki Takase

Debut: 01.15.2017

Miyuki Takase is a dominant force in the freelance scene. She can be seen in Pro Wrestling WAVE, SEAdLINNNG, and even stateside in DPW. She goes by the name “Naniwa no Fushichou” (lit. Phoenix of Osaka) and to say she is fiery would be an understatement. She debuted in AWG but got her start in JWP, which has then became PURE-J, with Leon as her initial trainer. She had guidance from Ricky Fuji, who gave her permission to use the Kamikaze and gave her spiral brainbuster the name Rolling Stone. Takase has some of the hardest-hitting matches with lariats, chops, and Jackhammer. She is known to use a diving leg drop or submissions if necessary, so she has a well-rounded main event attack plan. Ryo Mizunami had helped train her as well, which is likely the source of the hard strikes and leg drops. She also has a long history with Wave, and her career has been shaped by her time there. Takase had an impressive title reign as the AWG champion, taking on Nagisa Nozaki, Maika Ozaki, Michiko Miyagi, Kakeru Sekiguchi, and Akane Fujita and holding it for 515 days. That still stands as the longest in AWG history. She has even won the round-robin “Catch the Wave” tournament put on annually by Pro Wrestling WAVE. She was very active on YouTube a few years ago, with gaming and parrot-themed videos.

Maya Yukihi

Debut: 11.24.2014

A former member of Ice Ribbon who is now a freelancer and a stalwart of Oz Academy. Even during her Ice Ribbon tenure, she was seemingly everywhere, from Diana to WAVE, AWG, Marvelous, and even a recent stint in Stardom. She was part of the Azure Revolution tag team with Risa Sera. Part of the previously mentioned Rebel X Enemy faction that used to primarily frequent Ice Ribbon and 666 cards but has done Oz Academy, P.P.P. Tokyo, and Stardom shows the last few years. In Oz Academy, she is a member of the infamous Ozaki-gun faction with talents such as Mayumi Ozaki, Saori Anou, and the newer addition Kakeru Sekiguchi. Yukihi is a very hard-hitting striker with a style similar to Syuri in that she can be very versatile in various types of matches, such as tag team, singles, serious, or comedy, and fits in as a strong opener for a show or is capable of big main events.

The best example is her title match against Giulia in Stardom and then, days later, facing Chris Brookes on a BAKA GAIJIN show, delivering the same intensity for both outings. Yukihi has held the majority of titles in Ice Ribbon, along with reigns in Oz Academy, 666, and Total Triumph Team.

 

Natsu Sumire

Debut: 10.30.2013
A charisma machine who was always a bright spot on Stardom cards. Someone who owns the room when she wrestles, and while she often does comedy, she can be quite vicious when the situation demands it. She is often seen with a whip that she is not afraid to use in matches, even if her opponents end up with it. She was formerly of the Oedo-Tai faction in Stardom. Sumire has an Artist of Stardom Title run as her sole championship; however, she is not the type of performer that requires belts. Sumire’s entrances and larger-than-life persona are what make her stand out in the Joshi world. She also has a bar, which is fitting with her persona. After taking roughly 18 months off from wrestling from late 2020 to early 2022, she was in an advisory role for the first Summit (she had a pre-show exhibition match with Takase) but has become active in the freelance world.