T- Hearts
T-HEARTS Runaway Queen Yumiko Hotta 41st Anniversary
June 5, 2026
Shinjuku FACE
Tokyo, Japan
Watch: Yumikohotta.shop.JP
Yumiko Hotta, followed by Sareee, came out and cut promos to hype up the card and thank the audience for showing up. Sareee especially put over the main event and Chihiro Hashimoto, rightfully so, as we would soon find out.
Kaoru Ito def. Chika
The entrance VT for Chika was hilariously simple, like something you would see in your 9-year-old nephew’s first PPT. Neither woman is especially mobile, so they smartly built the match around legwork, with Ito, the veteran, using various submissions on Chika.
A funny bit was when Ito grabbed Chika’s hair for leverage with one hand, waited until the ref counted to four, then did it again with the other hand. The audience audibly laughed.
This match was nothing extraordinary, but it was solid for Ito’s age and mobility, and it played to both women’s strengths. To Chika’s credit, she sold well, but her offense, especially the front rolls on top of Ito, was hilarious, particularly when she got stuck for a second during the second roll.
Chika got in two crisp judo throws, and I briefly thought, wow, is she beating the veteran in the opener?
A few minutes later, I got my answer when Chika missed a splash from the second rope and got thrown with a genuinely impressive over-the-shoulder suplex by Ito.
Ito finished her off with a diving footstomp from the second rope, a far cry from the brutal version she used to finish opponents with in the late 90s and early 00s. ***
Cohaku & Mika Iwata def. VENY & Misa Kagura
Misa is the current JTO Tag Team Champion with Sumika Yanagawa. VENY got a good reception when she made her entrance with a black veil over her head.
Mika Iwata has a great look and looks like a killer.
We got a hot start with Cohaku and Misa opening things up at a frantic pace. Cohaku has really good, very snug striking. She repeatedly taunted VENY as she kicked the snot out of Misa.
Iwata tagged in, and we immediately stepped up the intensity. Her kicks looked nasty.
VENY got in with Cohaku first, and while she had the height advantage over both women, it was more pronounced against Cohaku.
It might sound like I am repeating myself, but the striking in this match was genuinely that good.
Cohaku hit a really impressive top-rope hurricanrana on VENY. We finally got VENY in with Iwata, which was the combination I was most looking forward to once the match started, since both women have similar strengths and physical attributes, and it did not disappoint.
The kicks, elbows, and slaps alone would have been worth the price of admission. VENY missed a moonsault, which looked great considering her height. The match kicked into another gear after that, with Misa and Iwata in. Misa got in some good offense before it turned into a striking battle, which seemed like a bad idea for Misa.
Misa absorbed a lot of kicks, but was eventually put away by Iwata. Really good match. ***¾
Saori Anou & Yumiko Hotta def. Aya Sakura & Takako Inoue
Great receptions for everyone, especially Hotta. We got Inoue in with Anou first, and the opening sequence was really crisp. You get a glimpse of how good Anou is when she works with a veteran, because she makes Inoue’s offense look even better. We got some crowd brawling with Hotta throwing Sakura around with complete disdain.
Anou in with Aya Sakura was really good. These two know each other well, and it shows. There was a quick photo-op moment with Anou and Hotta both putting the boot to Sakura as she dangled in the ropes.
I absolutely loved how Hotta answered Sakura’s weak elbows with a careless, disdainful slap. Perfect.
Anou got a figure-four transitioned into a figure-eight on Sakura. We got the veterans, the old rivals, in with each other. Nothing too special there, but they looked fine. Hotta got Sakura in a sleeper choke until Sakura broke it up.
When Sakura was in with Hotta, you could tell she was going a bit lighter on her because of Hotta’s veteran status, but Hotta scoffed and demanded more from her.
The finish came when Hotta folded Sakura in half with her powerbomb finisher. Good match, and it didn’t overstay its welcome. ***¼
Hotta praised Anou in her promo after the match and thanked everyone for showing up.
Syuri def. Sayaka Toyota
We got a hot start as Sayaka rushed Syuri and unloaded a barrage of elbows. No feel-out, no grappling, just straight to strikes, which Syuri handled easily. It did not take long for her to take control and kick the ever-loving shit out of the young Toyota.
Did I mention that Syuri kicks hard? The sound her shin makes on contact with Toyota is horrifying and awesome at the same time. She put her MMA experience and skill set to use, moving from submission to submission and strike to strike.
We eventually got a Toyota comeback with a series of lariats and a casadora into a footstomp. One of those stomps that does not look great and probably sucked to take.
Syuri’s snapmare-to-brutal-kick sequence is probably the best in the business. When she transitioned from an armbar to a leg muffler, you could hear the crowd gasp as she kept working on Toyota’s leg for what felt like the nth time in the match.
Toyota hit a rolling clutch pin that looked great. She unleashed a barrage of slaps as Syuri egged her on, only to get blasted with a brutal front high kick from Syuri. Syuri finished her shortly after.
Very good match. This show was a breeze. ***¾
Chihiro Hashimoto & MIRAI def. Miku Kanae & Rina
We got to the main event of the show, and the reception for everyone was strong. MIRAI and Kanae started us off, and we quickly got Rina in, turning it into a grappling battle.
Both are technically sound and buttery smooth in transitions, so this was a treat to watch.
You could tell everyone was motivated and ready to put on a show just from the way they carried themselves. When Chihiro Hashimoto got in with Kanae and answered a few relatively weak elbows with a thunderous one of her own, you knew this match was going to be a banger.
Honestly, from just reading the card, it was obvious this one was going to rock. Hashimoto manhandling Kanae was awesome, especially with the difference in their frames making such a great visual.
As MIRAI and Hashimoto got the heat on Kanae, she sold really well and showed great babyface fire. She eventually tagged in Rina, who answered the hot tag with a serious of kicks to the kneeling MIRAI that would rival Syuri’s in snugness. Rina traded suplexes and running lariats with MIRAI.
They had an elbow battle while holding each other by the hair. That was the point where the match kicked into another gear.
Hashimoto and Rina was the combination I was waiting for. Hashimoto has been on a tear this year and is very high on my Wrestler of the Year list. She is an absolute workhorse who puts insane effort and care into her matches. Even little details like shoving Kanae completely off her as she covered her for a pin while she was kicking out show how much she cares. She just does not miss.
Take nothing away from Kanae, though. She had her working boots on and did this awesome reversal when Hashimoto tried to buckle bomb her out of an armbar. Kanae latched on and did the Minoru Suzuki-style armbar while hanging upside down off the ropes.
Hashimoto’s comeback? She just stood there like a wall and Kanae bounced off her like a rubber ball. That was one of several moments where Hashimoto used her size advantage to turn the match around.
Another came immediately after, when Hashimoto delivered a single decisive forearm shot that flung Kanae across the ring, giving us a great visual of Kanae almost in tears as she absorbed the shot, with Rina encouraging her to keep fighting.
This match was a war, one you need to see to really understand how great it was.
I could write another three paragraphs about Rina and Kanae’s comeback and the eventual finish.
Instead, I will just say this was one of the best matches of the year. Go out of your way to see this one. ****¾
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was such a fun show to watch. It absolutely flew by, and it was capped by a Match of the Year contender in the main event.
