Text and photos exclusively by Tokio Tsukada / Copyright & Courtesy: ALL Japan PRO WRESTLING
All Japan Pro Wrestling is a prestigious pro wrestling organization founded in 1972 by the late Giant Baba. It has invited successive NWA World Champions and staged numerous legendary matches in both Japan and the United States. Under the motto “Bright, Fun, and Intense,” on July 11, All Japan Pro Wrestling’s Summer Action Series 2026 was held at Radiant Hall in the port city of Yokohama, about an hour from Tokyo, drawing a sellout crowd.
The venue was an intimate hall with a capacity of just over 300 spectators, creating a close connection between the fans and the wrestlers. Looking around the packed arena, it was striking that roughly 70 percent of the audience was female. In particular, the front row at ringside was almost entirely occupied by women enthusiastically cheering on their favorite wrestlers.
The highlight of the day was the face-off between Kento Miyahara and his next challenger, the 2-meter-tall Ren Ayabe. With his eighth title defense scheduled for the 25th in Kobe, Miyahara teamed up with Shota Kofuji and Yuma Anzai that day to face off against a team of Ren Ayabe, Rising HAYATO, and Atsuki Aoyagi in a six-man tag team match.
From the very start, Miyahara clashed fiercely with Ayabe, engaging in intense back-and-forth action even outside the ring.
Unable to contain his rage, Miyahara went on a rampage, even unleashing a Big Boot on Ayabe over the ropes while in the middle of his match against HAYATO. He even brought Ayabe to the brink of submission with a rule-breaking Iron Maiden (Chicken Wing-style Dragon Sleeper).
The match continued with the momentum swinging back and forth at a dizzying pace. Later, Kofuji hit Aoyagi with two consecutive Fisherman’s Suplexes. He fended off HAYATO’s interference with a Styles Clash, but in that split second, Aoyagi pinned him with La Mahistral, securing a legitimate three-count.
However, the winning team of Hayato and Aoyagi were so groggy they couldn’t get to their feet—looking almost as if they were the losers.
In fact, Kofuji and Anzai were the ones who closed out this main event. The next match is set for the 19th at Korakuen Hall, where both teams will compete for the Asia Tag Team Championship, and Daisuke Sekimoto and Kengo Mashimo will challenge the Saito Brothers for the World tag championship.
The Saito Brothers made an appeal over the microphone, saying
“Korakuen Hall on the 19th is already packed—all tickets are sold out. It’s all thanks to the fans here today. Anyone who missed out on tickets should subscribe to Zenhon Pro-Wrestling TV. You get unlimited access to all matches for just 900 yen (US$5.56 at current exchange rates) a month. That’s a bargain, right?”
— drawing laughter from the crowd.
As mentioned earlier, All Japan Pro Wrestling enjoys overwhelming support from female fans. Back in its heyday—the 1980s and 1990s—there was a certain number of young female fans, who cheered for late Jumbo Tsuruta and lateTerry Funk, but the atmosphere was quite different from today.
Today, adult female fans in Japan are engaged in what is colloquially known as “Oshikatsu” (supporting their favorite wrestlers or star), a lifestyle in which they spend money on their favorite wrestlers—attending matches, buying merchandise in bulk, and participating in autograph sessions. Supported by such passionate fans, the future of All Japan Pro Wrestling looks bright.
And then, after the match, Miyahara pointed out,
“Ren Ayabe. I’ve got all your moves memorized. I’ll go ahead and reveal your signature moves for you. Your finishing moves are Death Roulette and Iron Maiden. That’s it.”
Boasting that he could predict his move patterns, he added,
“You’ve used up all your moves. I’m not that dumb,”
confident of his victory.
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