Atsushi Onita celebrated his 69th birthday by detonating ten times the usual gunpowder and not even a torrential downpour could stop it. At the FMWE event over the weekend, Onita beat The Great Sasuke by blast pinfall. It was their first Current Blast meeting since the No-Rope Barbed-Wire Death Match in September 2003. For the birthday, the rules were stripped back: roughly ten times the normal gunpowder, no countouts outside the ring and fouls permitted. Onita wasted no time. He dragged Sasuke into the crowd, smashed him around the seats and doused him with a bucket of water. Back in the ring, Sasuke hit the switch and struck him with a Current Blast bat, then worked him over with a sleeper hold and a barrage of kicks. Onita answered with a mist spray, set up the barbed-wire board and went for a Thunder Fire Powerbomb, only for Sasuke to reverse it and leave him blasting himself. Sasuke’s Senton Atomico missed and he crashed and burned. Onita then smashed a Current Blast steel chair onto his head to trigger a massive explosion and finished with a bodyslam onto the barbed-wire board. Afterwards, Onita praised his opponent. “You’re tough as nails. Thank you.” Sasuke was just as vivid. “Today, I thought I was going to die. But I’m alive!” The fans watched in rain ponchos, and Onita summed it up. “You’re crazy. But come to think of it, we’re crazy too!” The night ended with the crowd shouting “1, 2, 3, FIRE!” @onitafire123 @the_greatsasuke

Tetsuya Naito has fired back at Kenoh and he hasn't held back. Kenoh issued a challenge and accused the champion of reckless wrestling. Naito had driven OZAWA into the mat with an avalanche reverse Frankensteiner and a high-angle Valentia, and Kenoh warned that if it continued, NOAH would run out of wrestlers. Naito said: “I don’t worry about the opponent. After all, the most important thing is for me to win.” If people find that dangerous, he asked, should wrestlers just let a three-count be taken with a mere touch? “If you think it’s fine to lose or that you don’t want to feel pain, then you shouldn’t step into the ring in the first place.” Then he turned on the man himself. Kenoh, he said, is all mouth and little in the way of results, and he doesn’t remember seeing him in the N-1 VICTORY finals. He still found it impressive that Kenoh had the nerve to step into the ring at Ryogoku. And besides, “he’s an opponent I’ve already beaten once,” a reference to their January 2023 meeting at Yokohama Arena, the first time they have met since. Their rematch takes place at Korakuen Hall on 9 November. Naito also made clear that his role in NOAH won’t change. Asked whether he will officially join the roster, he said he has no intention to. He wants to make NOAH bigger without joining, and if nobody has done it before, that’s the point. #noah_ghc

At 69, Atsushi Onita is already looking for the next generation to carry on FMW's legacy and he has named two candidates. At the past weekend's FMWE event, Onita celebrated his birthday by beating The Great Sasuke in their first Current Blast singles match in 23 years. But the match wasn’t the main talking point. Afterwards, he explained why he still believes in the format. “Japan’s GDP has dropped, and the country lacks energy.” From his generation’s perspective, he said, the next generation of children needs livening up, and the only thing he can do is shout from inside the ring. His hope is that the energy spreads across Japan. With his 70th birthday approaching, the obvious question was who might inherit these high-risk matches. His answer was unexpected: All Japan’s Saito Brothers, Jun and Rei. They have a history with it, having fought Onita in Current Blast deathmatches in both the FMWE and All Japan rings in 2023, finishing with a record of one win and one loss each. Onita’s respect for the pair goes beyond the ring. On a recent trip to Sendai, he appeared on Miyagi TV’s OH! Bandes, where they have a regular segment and saw their popularity first-hand as shop after shop greeted them. He believes mainstream recognition won’t grow without appearing on general television and says their TV exposure helps fill their Sendai shows. Creating buzz, in his words, is a necessary part of the business. Even so, Onita insists this isn’t really about teaching anyone. He says he’d rather just fight them one more time in a Current Blast match. @onitafire123

Mayu Iwatani won three titles at once and used the moment to announce who she believes Marigold’s top wrestler is. The 33-year-old won the Triple Crown Match, taking the World, United National and Super Flyweight Championships. Marigold has faced harsh criticism and plenty of empty seats lately, but Iwatani thanked the crowd for turning up regardless. She also addressed the generational shift head-on. With so many young wrestlers giving their all, she admitted to worries about her stamina and physical shape, but “Mayu Iwatani is still doing just fine!” She also made time for the woman she had just beaten. She called Miku Aono back to the ring, thanked her for protecting the promotion without missing a show in three years and named her Marigold’s number one ace. Then she offered a one-on-one World Championship match. Aono, trembling with frustration, took it. “I want to stand in this ring as Marigold’s ace!” The match is set for 3 January. Backstage, Iwatani carried the weight of three belts and three trophies and described it as the heaviest and happiest moment of her career. She admitted she had spent much of her time in Marigold focused on developing young talent and building the foundation instead of becoming the top herself. That has now changed. “I can proudly say from now on that the true top of Marigold is Mayu Iwatani.” As champion, she will take on anyone, from young talent to veterans to challengers from other organisations. @MayuIwatani #pw_mg

Tetsuya Naito has just admitted defeat at the box office and he has responded by setting his sights on the Tokyo Dome. “I’m not saying I’ll make NOAH number one in the industry just as a joke.” The GHC Heavyweight Champion’s minimum target is a Tokyo Dome show, something only New Japan can currently stage. He reminded fans that NOAH once drew even bigger crowds there. His goal is specific. The February 2023 show doesn’t count in his eyes, because it was Keiji Muto’s retirement event and, in Naito’s words, “kind of a special gimmick.” He wants a pure NOAH Dome show - the first since July 2005. The timing makes it a bold claim. NOAH drew 4,253 at Ryogoku on the 25th, well short of New Japan’s 6,422 earlier this month and Naito called it a complete defeat. Yet he insists the two promotions are closer than people think. New Japan once went through similar spells, and he credits its consecutive Dome shows to brand power. Having competed in both, he doesn’t believe the gap is huge, and he thinks it could be bridged by “a single catalyst or a shift in everyone’s mindset.” He also showed a willingness to look outwards. “I don’t like relying on other promotions, but then again, I myself am an outsider here.” #njpw #noah_ghc

Shinobu Kandori’s 40th anniversary celebration will have a live soundtrack. Keiko Terada, lead vocalist of all-female rock band Show-Ya, has been announced as a special guest for the event on 2 November at Kanadevia Hall in Tokyo. She will perform her signature hit “Genkai Lovers”, a fitting choice for a woman who has spent four decades pushing beyond her limits. There is more music to come. LLPW-X’s Takako Inoue, who has a history of singing, will unveil a new song for the first time at the event. @takacoinoue

Tetsuya Naito set out to beat NJPW at the box office and he has admitted he lost. At Ryogoku Kokugikan, NOAH drew 4,253. New Japan had drawn 6,422 at the same venue earlier this month, a gap of 2,169. Naito had made the attendance battle part of the build-up, and the result was clear. He didn’t make excuses. “It was a complete and utter defeat... a total loss.” But he wasn’t discouraged. “Isn’t that okay? Let’s take a proper look at this gap, and from here on, let’s aim even higher with NOAH.” His vision is bold. He wants NOAH at a height where Ryogoku sells out in an instant and he intends to stand at the front and lead it there. Fresh from a title defence over OZAWA, and with Kenoh next at Korakuen Hall on 9 November, the champion has plenty to prove.

Tetsuya Naito had barely finished celebrating his first successful defence when Kenoh walked out with a warning. Naito had just beaten OZAWA at Ryogoku Kokugikan on the 25th, but Kenoh wasn’t there to congratulate him. He declared his challenge for the GHC Heavyweight Championship, setting up a title match at Korakuen Hall on 9 November. The anger came from what he had just watched. Naito dropped OZAWA headfirst on the mat with high-risk moves, including an avalanche reverse Frankensteiner and the Valencia. For Kenoh, a wrestler absorbs their opponent’s moves before finishing them off, not injures someone who is trying to take them. “If you keep doing things like that, injuries will pile up and there won’t be any NOAH wrestlers left!” He also questioned Naito’s commitment. “It’s only been about 10 months for you. I’ve been here for 10 years. I care about NOAH ten times more than you do!” Yet there was no fear. “Against me, you can do whatever you want.” #noah_ghc

Tetsuya Naito wanted revenge on OZAWA and he got it by the narrowest of margins. At Ryogoku Kokugikan, the GHC Heavyweight Champion made his first successful defence against the N-1 VICTORY winner. OZAWA had beaten him in May and had spent the build-up mocking him, so the stakes were as personal as they come. The match spilled into a brawl, with both sides’ seconds in the thick of it. Naito’s Destino looked decisive until Yoshitatsu of TEAM 2000X pulled the referee’s leg to break the count. OZAWA then struck with the TIME BOMB and the Real Rebel, only for BUSHI to do exactly the same in reverse and save the champion. With the interferers finally ejected, the end came fast. OZAWA countered a Destino attempt with a reverse roll-up, one so quick he later described it as so fast it almost looks slow. It was a neat twist after he had spent weeks accusing Naito of moving slowly. Naito kicked out at the last possible moment, reversed the Big Ben Edge into a counter-Destino, and then hit the real one for the win. The champion got his revenge and he heads into his reign with a hard-earned victory. #noah_ghc

Marigold had a triple champion, a farewell and a crowd of 2,100 at Ryogoku, and Rossy Ogawa was candid about all three. Mayu Iwatani won the Triple Crown Match to capture the World, United National and Super Flyweight Championships at once. It was also Mai Sakurai’s final Marigold match. But in a venue of this size, the empty seats were hard to miss. Ogawa didn’t hide from it. The attendance was better than he expected, he said, and the show isn’t in the red. As long as Marigold isn’t losing money, the promotion will keep running these venues. He admitted that bigger crowds would be welcome but called this the “current reality” the company must accept. It was a third Kokugikan show in three years, and he wants to continue next year. Marigold also confirmed three events at EBARA WAVE Arena Ota on 3 January, 22 May and 21 August. His words on Sakurai were more personal. “I wished she would retire here, but this is the path she chose.” He thanked her for her hard work and said she should take a good, long rest. #pw_mg

OZAWA says he didn’t copy Hiromu Takahashi... he just happens to look exactly like him on the eve of facing Tetsuya Naito. At the pre-event press conference, the challenger arrived with his hair tied back, explaining he had asked a stylist for something “super cool” fit for a title match. When he let it down, the tips were dyed red. Combined with the wavy locks and sunglasses, he was the image of Naito’s prized pupil. Naturally, OZAWA called it destiny and “a message from God”, denied any admiration for Takahashi, then flipped the table and sprawled across the floor, demanding more from the champion. He even claimed that he hadn’t just got closer to Naito’s speed but had surpassed it. OZAWA’s preparation had been unconventional too. He claimed his training consisted of five days at the slot machines, slamming the lever with everything he had. #noah_ghc

Vince McMahon built the modern wrestling industry but he may also be its most troubling figure. For 53 years, he reshaped the business beyond recognition. He bought his father's company for $1 million, killed the territories and staked everything on the first WrestleMania. It made Hulk Hogan a global star, beat WCW in the Monday Night Wars and turned WWE into a billion-dollar giant. Furthermore, countless wrestlers owe their careers, and their fortunes, to him. But the other side is just as real. A generation of wrestlers paid with their health, the 1990s steroid trial left lasting questions, and in 2022 he left amid inquiries into $14.6 million in payments to women. Then, in January 2024, came Janel Grant's lawsuit alleging sexual assault, trafficking and emotional abuse. McMahon denies the allegations. He later settled with the SEC and his representatives say the federal investigation produced no indictment. The case itself has not been resolved in court. So where do you stand on McMahon?

Kento Miyahara has tied Toshiaki Kawada's record. Now he's chasing Mitsuharu Misawa and he has already given himself a title. At Korakuen Hall the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion completed his 10th consecutive defence, matching the mark set by "Super Legend" Kawada. Ōdō Tournament winner Ryuki Honda. Draped in all three belts, he told the crowd they should be glad to take "living legend Kento Miyahara" for granted and thank him. Backstage, he explained that he is now "one level above a superstar" and that this is only the first step. His plan is clear: first, break the tie with Kawada. Then break Misawa's record for the longest combined reign, 705 days. Miyahara is already looking beyond Kawada and aiming at Misawa himself. Yuma Aoyagi has other ideas and will challenge him on New Year's Eve. #ajpw

Masakatsu Funaki fought legendary Roberto Durán in April 1992, but there might have been another boxing great standing across from him. The second UWF was starting to break apart by December 1990 and Funaki's departure was already decided. It was then that President Shinji Jin let slip a fascinating what-if: "If you had stayed, we were considering a mixed martial arts match against Leonard at the next Tokyo Dome." That Leonard was Sugar Ray, a five-division world champion and one of Durán's fellow Four Kings. The appeal for Funaki is easy to understand. "I really wanted to do a mixed martial arts match," he recalled on his YouTube channel. "After all, I wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr Inoki and Maeda." A Tokyo Dome showdown with one of boxing's greatest ever legends would have been the ultimate way to do it. You can already see the psyche of Funaki and Nobuhiko Takada, too. Funaki is the first to admit the story is hard to verify. "I don't know how true that story really is." (referring to Jin's claim). However, Leonard only fought twice more around this time - once in early 1991 and the final time much later in 1997. The rift between Maeda and Jin proved irreparable and the UWF split into three splinter groups after the Nagano-Matsumoto event on 1 December.

When a sabre-wielding legend legit sent a fan to hospital, Sareee made sure the story didn't end there. At the Megumi Kudo 40th Anniversary Event, Tiger Jeet Singh (82) charged into the crowd with a sabre and struck a male spectator on the forehead - he was rushed to hospital. He was also a devoted fan of Spark Rush and he had to leave before he could watch Sareee and Takumi Iroha in the main event. Sareee wasn't going to let that stand. At SSPW's Korakuen Hall show, she presented him with tickets to her Sareee-ISM Chapter XIII event on 28 December and a three-shot photograph of herself, Singh and Tiger Ali Singh, signed by all three. Then she went to work, teaming with Iroha to beat Tsukasa Fujimoto and Yuuka, and finishing Yuuka with a double foot stomp. Her message for him was simple: "I really hope he doesn't come to dislike pro wrestling." @Sareee_official

40 years after he helped launch MMA in Japan, the First Tiger Mask has watched it earn a place at the Asian Games and he hasn't forgotten where it began. At SSPW's Korakuen Hall show, Satoru Sayama (68) declined the folding chair prepared for him and addressed the crowd standing, mic in hand. He noted that MMA became an official event at September's Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, and that if it reaches the Olympics, a combat sport to follow judo will have been born in Japan. Exactly 40 years earlier, at that very venue, Shooto, the organisation he founded, held the first MMA match. Sayama's story goes back further. 48 years ago, he proposed what we now know as MMA under the NJPW banner and the late Antonio Inoki personally named him the first fighter. "Its predecessor was professional wrestling," he said, urging the crowd to remember it and keep supporting the wrestlers.

Hirooki Goto is planning to break up a marriage's tag team and he insists it's for love. The "cupid" who helped push Shingo Takagi and Natsupoi towards marriage at Osaka-jo Hall in June 2025 promised them a "cupid-style trial". At Stardom's Ota City General Gymnasium show on the 29th, Goto and Yuna Mizumori will take on the married couple. The timing is hard to ignore. A public workout session reportedly caused a rift between the pair, with Natsupoi frustrated by joint techniques that placed the heavy burden on her. Takagi naming Stephanie Vaquer as his favourite female wrestler added fuel. A later video on Natsupoi's YouTube channel showed they had reconciled, but Goto remains concerned. In his view, teamwork tailored to one partner cannot sustain a tag team or a household. His advice to the stubborn Takagi was sincere. "Apologizing within a marriage isn't losing," he told Tokyo Sports. "By apologizing, you actually become stronger." Preparations are well underway. Goto and Mizumori prayed for victory at Akasaka Hikawa Shrine and spent the day planning joint attacks, including a possible double Sumo Headbutt, inspired by Goto's appearance as E. Honda in Street Fighter: The Movie. Can Takagi and Natsupoi overcome the lesson from their own cupid? #NJPW #STARDOM @510njpw @Mizm0ri

On 21 May 1986, Antonio Inoki arrived at a show in Hitachi City wearing a cap. That alone was enough to stop everyone in their tracks - nobody had ever seen Inoki wear a cap. When he took it off and revealed a completely shaved head, the NJPW dressing room was stunned. After the event, Inoki finally explained. He had been caught by FOCUS - one of Japan's most feared photo weekly magazines of the era, notorious for capturing celebrities in compromising private moments. Getting "FF-ed" by FOCUS or its rival FRIDAY was a very public, very humiliating experience, with a readership of two million people finding out about your private life whether you liked it or not. Inoki had been photographed leaving the Roppongi apartment of a hostess three days earlier. Shaving one's head in Japanese culture - especially at the time - was a visible, public act of taking responsibility and accepting shame. For a man of Inoki's standing in 1986, with celebrity scandals carrying enormous social consequences, it was the expected gesture of a man owning his mistake before the world could define it for him. Inoki put it plainly: "I shaved my head as a way of taking responsibility as a man. Because of this, I ended up causing trouble for the people around me. I messed up." He told reporters his wife Mitsuko Baisho didn't mind too much, but the couple divorced the following year. Whatever the personal fallout, the shaved head didn't slow Inoki down. Weeks later, he made André the Giant submit to an armbar - the first time in history - and then captured the IWGP tournament at Sumo Hall. Inoki's response to scandal was to go out and do something nobody had ever done before.

Tiger Jeet Singh spent his final morning in Japan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside Megumi Kudo, meeting Parliamentary Vice-Minister Koki Ozora - a self-declared pro wrestling fan. Singh spoke about his motivation for visiting Japan, his friendship with Kudo and the social welfare work carried out by his Canadian foundation, before presenting Ozora with his saber - the weapon that represents his very soul - and pledging to continue serving as a bridge between Japan and Canada. That evening at Narita Airport, he had one final message: "For us, there is no such thing as 'never'! If it is for my dear legend Megumi-san, the living legend Tiger Jeet Singh will return to Japan again!" @megumi_kudome