The VOW 30 Under 30 project was wrestling’s last, best hope to spotlight the 30 best wrestlers under the age of 30 around the world. A collective list many names long, drafted by wrestling fans around the world. A monument to wrestling history dating back to 2023. A shining beacon of hope all alone in the shadow of duopolies in a money fight.
This is the story of the latest 30 Under 30 list. The year is 2026. The name of the place is Voices of Wrestling.
As always, the scouting reports rely on the power of first impressions. So, we will watch the wrestler’s best match, as per Cagematch’s Matchguide or recommendations, and report our snap impression. (Sometimes, I might include a second match. Eat at Arby’s.)
We return to Japan to scout prospects in their final years of eligibility for the 30 Under 30 project, as well as younger wrestlers who deserve more attention. This column will cover:
- MAO
- Aya Sakura
- Ranna Yagami
- Mika Iwata
- Tatsuya Hanami
- Takuro Niki
- Yuya Aoki
- Takahiro Hirakimoto
- SUZAKU
- Genta Yubari
- IBUKI
- Ali Najima
- Casey Ferreira
- Jonny DeLuca
MAO
Name: MAO
Age: 29
Debut: 2015
# of matches as of writing: 1067
Trainer(s): Yasu Urano
Promotion(s):
- DDT Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- KO-D Tag Team Champion w/KANON (November 3, 2025 to April 5, 2026)
- KO-D Tag Team Champion w/To-y (December 28, 2024 to March 20, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- MAO vs. Shunma Katsumata
- DDT Judgement 2026 ~ 29th Anniversary 5 Hour Special ~
- March 22, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: 6.76
- You can watch the match and the show on Wrestle Universe.
Glows:
- I enjoyed MAO punching Katsumata when he stopped the match for a handshake.
- As always, MAO had a great connection with the crowd. In this case, he played the heel against the returning Katsumata.
- MAO’s kicks to the chest looked good and made a good thudding noise.
- We got some nifty footwork from MAO.
- He made Katsumata’s Blockbuster look devastating.
- Taking this flip bump on Katsumata’s lariat on his side instead of his neck was excellent. (Of course, he took the bump on Katsumata’s German Suplex right on his neck, so c’est la vie.)
Grows:
- On the one hand, I hate the idea of MAO wrestling in baggy, black cargo pants. On the other, I could accept it as a statement of the level of seriousness that MAO has for Katsumata’s return match after a long period away due to injury.
- In general, I have a hard time taking MAO completely seriously. I suppose that works well for him in DDT, but I think it also limits his ceiling.
Aya Sakura
Name: Aya Sakura
Age: 29
Debut: 2023
# of matches as of writing: 321
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- World Wonder Ring Stardom
Accomplishments:
- New Blood Tag Team Champion w/Sayaka Kurara (October 30, 2025 to present)
- Sendai Girls Junior Champion (March 19, 2025 to August 24, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- Ranna Yagami (c) vs. Aya Sakura
- Stardom New Blood 30
- March 25, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: 7.87
- You can watch the match on Stardom World.
- The last time I watched Sakura wrestle, she was trying to figure her way through a UWF rules match with Kiyoka Kotatsu. Hopefully, this is a little better than that was.
Glows:
- As one would expect, Sakura’s kicks are the highlight of her offense.
Grows:
- On the other hand, her running knee lift to Yagami in the corner looked flat and weak.
- During her section on offense, she seemed like she was rushing through her offensive set.
- It’s hard to describe Sakura’s personality because she came across rather blandly. If she had a little more meanness, a little more Syuri or Miyu Yamashita to her, it would be easier to figure out how to describe her.
Ranna Yagami
Name: Ranna Yagami
Age:
Debut: 2023
# of matches as of writing: 305
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- World Wonder Ring Stardom
Accomplishments:
- Future of Stardom Champion (March 15, 2026 to present)
Match(es) watched:
- Ranna Yagami (c) vs. Aya Sakura
- Stardom New Blood 30
- March 25, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: 7.87
- You can watch the match on Stardom World.
Glows:
- Her entrance gear (which feels like it owes a lot to both Taichi and Alucard) and her ring gear looked very striking.
- Yagami’s dropkick had a good snap to it due to the way she extended her legs in the air.
- She clearly is very comfortable engaging with the crowd since she would shout at them often. She projects a very punk attitude.
- I liked that she tried to wrap up all of Sakura’s limbs in her submission attempt.
Grows:
- Her running kick to the corner on Sakura looked very soft, which was disappointing since her other kicks in the match had been stiff.
- I didn’t get a great sense of her escalation in the match. It seemed to plateau at a certain gear.
Mika Iwata
Name: Mika Iwata
Age: 29
Debut: 2015
# of matches as of writing: 472
Trainer(s): Meiko Satomura
Promotion(s):
- Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- Sendai Girls Tag Team Champion w/Miyuki Takase (February 9, 2025 to July 19, 2025)
- Sendai Girls World Champion (September 18, 2023 to July 15, 2024, September 13, 2024 to November 17, 2024)
Match(es) watched:
- Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs. Mika Iwata
- Sendai Girls BIG SHOW In Sendai 2025
- September 23, 2025
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: 8.75
- You can watch the match and the show on Wrestle Universe.
Glows:
- Iwata’s aesthetics are a strength.
- She (and Hashimoto) started the match with impressive speeds. (I didn’t think Hashimoto could move so quickly.)
- Her kicks looked and sounded terrific. They had a good snap in motion and sound.
- The armbar counter to Hashimoto’s torture rack was very cool.
Grows:
- She mistimed her forearm strike at the beginning, which led to her taking more of Hashimoto’s own forearm strike than they had probably intended. That stunned her for a few seconds and required Hashimoto to reset what they were doing.
- She projects one facial expression (angry), which worked well enough in the match because Hashimoto dominated her from the start of the match. And she showed an intense face when she rolled Hashimoto up for a pin attempt. However, I did not see that she can modulate from that emotion to vulnerability. (For comparison, Sareee is able to show intensity and mischievousness.)
Tatsuya Hanami
Name: Tatsuya Hanami
Age: 29
Debut: 2018
# of matches as of writing: 765
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- Active Advance Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- 2AW Tag Team Champion w/Takuro Niki (September 11, 2022 to April 23, 2023 and June 22, 2025 to July 21, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- Tatsuya Hanami vs. Takuro Niki
- 2AW Active Advance Tournament 2025 Day 1
- November 9, 2025
- Cagematch rating as of May 18, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match on 2AW’s YouTube page.
- Good lord, I don’t know how 2AW recorded the audio for this match, but it was completely blown out on my viewing. Since it was impossible to hear ring introductions, I have assumed that Niki wore the red tights because he came to the ring with a belt. When this match took place, he was the 2AW Openweight Champion.
- Tatsuya Hanami vs. Takuro Niki
- 2AW Grand Slam In TKP Garden City Chiba
- February 22, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match and the show on Nico Nico.
Glows:
- Sometimes, the old ways are still the best ways. Hanami attacked Niki after asking for a handshake to establish his villainous credibility. Also, stomping Niki as he released the choke hold was also a nice touch.
- He launched himself for this tope suicida with an appreciable reckless abandon.
- His forearm strikes in the corner looked appropriately heavy.
- He engaged the crowd well during his draping DDT and with his pin after the moonsault. Even throwing his elbow pad down was a good expression of emotion.
Grows:
- In the first match, I think Hanami tried to hit Niki with a Codebreaker from the top turnbuckle, but it was unclear what he intended.
- This moppish haircut is not working for him.
Takuro Niki
Name: Takuro Niki
Age: 29
Debut: 2019
# of matches as of writing: 567
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- Active Advance Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- Tenryu Project International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion w/Yusuke Kodama (December 20, 2025 to present)
- 2AW Openweight Champion (October 29, 2023 to June 23, 2024, October 12, 2025 to March 29, 2026)
- 2AW Tag Team Champion w/Takuro Niki (September 11, 2022 to April 23, 2023, June 22, 2025 to July 21, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- Tatsuya Hanami vs. Takuro Niki
- 2AW Active Advance Tournament 2025 Day 1
- November 9, 2025
- Cagematch rating as of May 18, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match on 2AW’s YouTube page.
- Tatsuya Hanami vs. Takuro Niki
- 2AW Grand Slam In TKP Garden City Chiba
- February 22, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match and the show on Nico Nico.
Glows:
- His Superman Punch in the first match looked pretty good.
Grows:
- For the first match, between the bleached blond hair and the red tights, the thought that El Hijo del Vikingo : Mini Vikingo :: Kento Miyahara : Takuro Niki would not leave my mind.
- Niki’s selling in the first match was very heads down and inwardly focused. He could have sold more outwardly to engage the 64 fans in attendance at the 2AW Square for this match.
- His offense (the slingshot plancha, missile dropkick, German Suplex, Tornado DDT, piledriver, the Falcon Arrow, and the Frogsplash) is very much the standard junior heavyweight set, so it was hard for him to stand out.
- Good lord, he used the Big Show’s Final Cut as a signature move in the first match.
Yuya Aoki
Name: Yuya Aoki
Age: 29
Debut: 2017
# of matches as of writing: 1273
Trainer(s): Yuji Okabayashi
Promotion(s):
- Big Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling ZERO1
- Active Advance Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- UWA World Tag Team Champion w/Masaki Morihiro (February 23, 2026 to present)
- BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion (May 4, 2023 to October 14, 2024)
Match(es) watched:
- Daichi Hashimoto vs. Yuya Aoki
- ZERO1 25th Anniversary
- April 3, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: 6.62
- You can watch the match and the show on ZERO1’s ZERO1 BASE neo app.
Glows:
- Aoki showed great energy and intensity throughout the match. This energy was great particularly during the slap fight on the mat and when he sat down and dared Hashimoto to kick him again. (I also liked that Hashimoto looked like he was having a great time slapping Aoki around.)
- Aoki’s color choices on his gear complemented each other very well.
- I grudgingly appreciated how he engaged the crowd directly and with his goofy Super Mario run.
Grows:
- It felt like Aoki was wrestling as a junior heavyweight at times against Hashimoto, even though Aoki moved up to heavyweight and has been the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Champion. In particular, after his Super Mario run, he hit Aoki with a running slap when something more impactful might have been better for the match.
Takahiro Hirakimoto
Name: Takahiro Hirakimoto
Age: 29
Debut: 2023
# of matches as of writing: 142
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- Dove Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
Match(es) watched:
- Takahiro Hirakimoto vs. Shinya Ishida
Glows:
- He engaged the crowd throughout the match.
Grows:
- He could stand to get leaner in his chest.
- Though Hirakimoto was taller than Ishida by one inch and was heavier by seven pounds, it felt like Hirakimoto was wrestling as the smaller wrestler in the match. It created a lot of cognitive dissonance to see the ostensibly larger man get manhandled by the slimmer Ishida at different points in the match.
Possible comp: Matt Stryker or John Walter
SUZAKU
Name: SUZAKU (aka Oji Shiiba)
Age: 29
Debut: 2017
# of matches as of writing: 257
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- Osaka Pro Wrestling
- Tenryu Project
Accomplishments:
- Independent Junior Heavyweight Champion (May 31, 2023 to August 30, 2023)
Match(es) watched:
- Ultimate Spider Jr. vs. SUZAKU
- Osaka Pro 4th Light Heavyweight Tournament Day 1
- May 24, 2025
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: 7.3
- You can watch the match and the show on Osaka Pro’s YouTube page.
- The Azalea Taisho is one of the coolest venues that any company runs.
Glows:
- His baggy pants and sash belt evoke Sabu.
- His exaggerated sell on Ultimate Spider Jr.’s DDT fit the exaggerated aesthetics of Osaka Pro.
- His execution was consistently clean and precise.
Grows:
- It’s likely because this was a first round match in Osaka Pro’s Light Heavyweight Tournament, but SUZAKU did nothing that amazed me. He had a better performance in the tag match against Tigers Mask and Aran Sano.
Possible comp: Matt Sydal
Genta Yubari
Name: Genta Yubari
Age: 26
Debut: 2021
# of matches as of writing: 175
Trainer(s): TAKA Michinoku
Promotion(s):
- JTO
Accomplishments:
- JTO Tag Team Champion w/MIYAMASA (December 28, 2025 to present)
- JTO Openweight Champion (August 31, 2024 to October 4, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- Genta Yubari (c) vs. IBUKI
- JTO Special
- October 4, 2025
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match and the show on JTO’s YouTube page.
Glows:
- His taunting of IBUKI was highly reminiscent of TAKA Michinoku.
- His beatdown of IBUKI in the corner felt violent and mean.
- His punch looked and sounded good, though it was hard to tell exactly from the camera angle.
Grows:
- His running boot to IBUKI in the corner looked awful. His foot didn’t reach high enough, and it seemed to make no impact.
- His one-footed dropkick to IBUKI also looked bad.
IBUKI
Name: IBUKI
Age: 29
Debut: 2022
# of matches as of writing: 115
Trainer(s): TAKA Michinoku
Promotion(s):
- JTO
Accomplishments:
- King of JTO Champion (March 6, 2026 to present)
- JTO Openweight Champion (October 4, 2025 to January 4, 2026)
Match(es) watched:
- Genta Yubari (c) vs. IBUKI
- JTO Special
- October 4, 2025
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match and the show on JTO’s YouTube page.
Glows:
- Throwing a middle finger at Yubari during the opening lock-up was entertaining.
- He ran the ropes at high speeds and with confidence.
- He threw two very good dropkicks without a lot of down time between them.
- His taunting of Yubari was also highly reminiscent of TAKA Michinoku. It’s clear that he was trained by Michinoku.
- He got incredible distance on his front dropkick.
Grows:
- He’s very slender, and he needs to bulk up.
- Some of his punches looked like they whiffed completely, and they only looked fine because the hard camera was shooting from a distance.
Ali Najima
Name: Ali Najima
Age: 25
Debut: 2024
# of matches as of writing: 217
Trainer(s): NOAH Dojo, Sportiva Dojo
Promotion:
- Sportiva Entertainment
Accomplishments:
- DEP Tag Team Championship with Daisuke Masaoka (March 8, 2026 to present)
Match watched:
- Ali Najima vs. Kotaro Sawada
- Sportiva Wednesday Curry Pro Wrestling
- April 29, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 16, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match and the show on Sportiva’s YouTube page.
- Ali Najima vs. Yu Shimizu
- Sportiva Wednesday Curry Pro Wrestling
- April 29, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 16, 2026: N/A
- It’s the same show, so the link above works here too.
Glows:
- Using his head to press down on Sawada’s shoulder to try to pin him multiple times in the exhibition match was a nice touch. Sawada is a rookie, and this was just an exhibition match, so Najima calibrated for the right level of intensity and competition. He beat Sawada up as a big brother might to a little brother without bullying him, which is a fine line to ride. It felt like Najima was encouraging Sawada to fight and to rise every time he fell.
- It is admirable that he had a second match against Yu Shimizu at this event after working hard to initiate Sawada into pro wrestling.
- Against both Sawada and Shimizu, he showed great intensity and focus.
- His selling is solid and engaged my sympathy.
Grows:
- He could stand to get leaner in his chest.
- It’s hard to imagine him outside of the small Sportiva environment.
- The thudding direct headbutt was absolutely unnecessary to the match with Shimizu.
Possible comp: Daniel Makabe or Hideyoshi Kamitani
Casey Ferreira
Name: Casey Ferreira
Age: 22
Debut: 2022
# of matches as of writing: 169
Trainer(s): Lions Gate Dojo (Artemis Spencer, Nicole Matthews, Tony Baroni, Billy Suede), KUSHIDA, Fred Rosser
Promotion(s):
- BOOM! Pro Wrestling
- 365 Pro Wrestling
- Love Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- C4 Tag Team Champion with Elliot Tyler (March 13, 2026 to present)
- NEW Intercity Champion (February 21, 2026 to present)
- LPW Scramble Champion (March 28, 2025 to April 25, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- Casey Ferreira vs. Jonny DeLuca
- NEW Pay Your Dues
- February 21, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match on Nation Extreme Wrestling’s YouTube page.
- Oof, the handheld camera at ringside is not color-balanced and aligned with the hard cameras on the balcony. The hard cameras are also shooting at a much lower resolution than the handheld camera.
Glows:
- Ferreira is cut, and he just looks cool.
- Ferreira is very agile, and his headscissors takedown had a good snap.
- He really committed to selling the leg through the middle and the end of the match, which is admirable since it worked directly against his high flying.
- If I were mounting a Canadian indie with a contract with TSN to show my company’s shows, I’d consider adding both DeLuca and Ferreira to the roster.
Grows:
- The Spanish Fly from the top turnbuckle took a long time to set up, even if we take his supposed leg injury into account.
- The Frog Splash was sloppy and loose in form.
Jonny DeLuca
Name: Jonny DeLuca
Age: 24
Debut: 2018
# of matches as of writing: 160
Trainer(s):
Promotion(s):
- Smash Wrestling
- Pro Wrestling Ontario
- New School Wrestling
Accomplishments:
- Demand Lucha Openweight Champion (September 25, 2025 to present)
- PWO Openweight Champion (November 25, 2023 to June 1, 2024 and December 14, 2024 to May 31, 2025)
Match(es) watched:
- Casey Ferreira vs. Jonny DeLuca
- NEW Pay Your Dues
- February 21, 2026
- Cagematch rating as of May 1, 2026: N/A
- You can watch the match on Nation Extreme Wrestling’s YouTube page.
Glows:
- DeLuca’s physique and gear look great. He looks like a pro wrestler.
- He jaw-jacked with the crowd to keep them engaged and make clear that he was the heel.
- DeLuca is very agile for his size; his missile dropkick from the second turnbuckle was a good variation of the move.
- He runs the ropes with high intensity and speed.
- Stomping Ferreira’s foot and chopping his thigh to cut off Ferreira’s offense was a great touch and different from what other wrestlers would have done there.
- I enjoy cool moves, and DeLuca’s move here was both very cool and fitting in the staged fight that he and Ferreira were having.
- Another unique attack from DeLuca, this time a twisting setup into a leg submission.
- Again, if I were mounting a Canadian indie with a contract with TSN to show my company’s shows, I’d consider adding both DeLuca and Ferreira to the roster.
Grows:
- For all of DeLuca’s control, the pace of the finish was too fast. DeLuca had dominated the match, and then Ferreira won with an Asai moonsault and a 2.5 star frog splash.
With all that said, let’s update our list of wrestlers under the age of 30.
1. Miu Watanabe
2. Daiki Odashima
3. MIRAI
4. Saya Kamitani
5. Starlight Kid
6. Senka Akatsuki
7. Yuma Anzai
8. Mio Momono
9. Rina
10. Miku Kanae
11. VENY
12. Suzume
13. Mei Seira
14. MAO (*NEW*)
15. Arisu Endo
16. Johnnie Robbie
17. Hazuki
18. Konami
19. Kaisei Takechi
20. Chanyota
21. Andrew Cass
22. Danny Orion
23. Shimbashi
24. Jet Wei
25. Kodai Nozaki
26. Takeshi Masada
27. SUZAKU
28. Kohei Kinoshita
29. Jarvis
30. Randy Chambers
Wrestlers considered but not ranked at this time:
1: Dragon Dia, Riiita, Jacky Kamei, Kazuma Sumi, Honori Hana, KANON, Jiah Jewell, Chi Chi, Toxin, Jesse Funaki, Saya Iida, Aran Sano, Ryan Clancy, Mika Iwata
2: Titus Alexander, Emman Asman, YuuRI, Rhio, Ricky Sosa, Kuro, Koshiro Asakura, Zoltan, Ali Najima, Yuya Aoki, Casey Ferreira, Jonny DeLuca
3: Spider Fly, Noisy Boy, Peter Tihanyi, Yutani, Isaiah Moore, Joe Alonzo, Jordan Cruz, Kouga, Echika Miyabi, JJ Furno, IBUKI, Ranna Yagami, Tatsuya Hanami
4: Junta Miyawaki, Jessica Troy, Cory Zero, JGU, Hollie Barlow, NORI, Hanan, Shay Kassidy, Aysha, Joe Lando, Danny Black, Eli Theseus, Gabriel Aeros, Alexxis Falcon, Kasai, Towa Iwasaki, Takahiro Hirakimoto, Genta Yubari, Aya Sakura, Takuro Niki
?: Ai Houzan
Next time: Surely, Syuri, you jest.
