**The Irresistible Rise of Kyushu Pro**  


Before starting the recaps proper, I saw stats gathered by F.G.C. ([https://x.com/FGC648948974342/status/1940307839060426897](https://x.com/FGC648948974342/status/1940307839060426897)) on puro company attendances through the first half of 2025. Kyushu Pro comes out very well: in terms of total attendance (30,434), it is the fifth-biggest men’s company (behind NJPW, Dragongate, NOAH, and AJPW) and eighth-biggest overall (adding in Stardom, Marigold, and TJPW). That’s respectable – but the average attendance is even better, where Kyushu Pro is third-highest ***overall*** (910 average attendees per show) only behind NJPW (2130 average attendees per show) and AJPW (1014 average attendees per show). Of course there are lies, damned lies, and even worse, statistics; there is a selectivity to this, because Kyushu Pro has also run the fewest shows out of 13 companies covered, with (therefore) more regular “big shows”, and with the added benefit of the big Mentai Kid retirement show this year. Additionally, as FGC notes in the thread, something like 8 events aren’t included due to no attendance being announced – but I think it’s fair to exclude these, as these tend to be one- or two-match “events” that are part of something larger (Boat Club celebrations, Avispa Wrestling Festival, etc) and aren’t normal public shows. Whatever the case, it is still a remarkable achievement.

 

Also, during the break after the Mentai Kid show, Batten put up pictures of himself planting rice at his family farm. Nice.

 

***Kyushu Pro Ya O Genki Ni Suddo! 21/06/2025***

Held at Kagoshima Hotel Satsukien 1^(st) Floor Large Hall with an announced attendance of 462, a smallish attendance for the number of wrestlers working this one, but it looks moderately busy. More significantly, this is just patently a bad space for a wrestling show: it is a hotel function room, and the side of the room which holds the ring has a notably low ceiling, the sort with polystyrene ceiling tiles covering the electrics. Note this for later.

 

Still, the crowd is good. We have two guests, both from PWS Korea, tag champion SHIHO’s company (yes, that’s your TRUE! KOREAN! IDOL!). Ha Da On (or Hadaon) is a former PWS champion, and was involved in a previous Korean company, PWF, which shut in 2021, basically due to the pandemic. Starlight Naru (Starlight Fortress in PWS) debuted in 2024.

 

**Hitamaru Sasaki vs Jet Wei**

Sasaki is getting singles matches because he’s the (temporary?) face of the company ahead of his title challenge against Shuji Ishikawa in August. It’s a chance to build credibility. Jet Wei is the sacrificial victim here. He’s been the junior of the whole company, and is usually in moderately decent tags.

 

This is something different. I’ll say up front that it involves a wild botch: two-thirds through, Jet goes to the turnbuckle for a Missile Dropkick…and promptly hits his head on the ceiling, barely connects with Sasaki, and then is briefly out of action on the mat.

 

Either side of that, he works comfortably his best match that I’ve seen to date, setting aside a few timing issues. Sasaki doesn’t steamroll him; in fact, Jet takes control and fights back multiple times, and hits new moves, notably a Northern Light Suplex. He looks good, crisp, aggressive, hard-hitting. He still has one or two odd moments of timing but this is a big step up in performance. He is obviously being pushed here, and the recovery from the botch is really impressive.

 

*Hitamaru Sasaki defeats Jet Wei in 10:50.*

 

**Asosan vs Batten Blabla vs STAR LIGHT NARU**

An inferior entry in the Batten Files, though it’s perfectly pleasant time for the sub-eight minutes it takes. Asosan can’t really work anymore, most days, and NARU – a skinny energetic guy – doesn’t get given much to do. This follows a basic Batten triple threat match pattern, with alliances and betrayals and Batten running away, and he performs all this with verve and energy, but there’s just not much here.

 

Asosan wins. Interesting that the guest doesn’t get the win, but that may be a function of seniority; NARU – who moves well and is entertaining enough – is a real rookie.

 

*Asosan defeats Batten Blabla and STAR LIGHT NARU in 7:51.*

 

**Genkai & Ha Da On & TAJIRI vs Kodai Nozaki & Naoki Sakurajima & Shigeno Shima**

Ha Da On wears a one-shouldered singlet, which feels more than retro. This is a pretty energetic match, enabled by the six-man format. It takes just a little time to get going, but everyone seems to be in a hard-hitting mood. They brawl down on the floor early, which is always amusing in Kyushu Pro because you have the stewards desperately chasing them to move the spectators away. The heels build some good heat on Naoki – and Ha Da On does well at this, he’s naturally a bit unbearable. Naoki turns round a three-on-one by dodging Ha Da On in the corner and then dancing round Genkai and Tadgers before double-dropkicking them. His teammates return to complete the save, and we even see Shima do his Railgun Driver as a pin set-up – this is the first time he’s ever done a finisher in the Kyushu Pro I’ve watched! Naoki with the heavy Bridging German for the pin on Ha Da On.

 

An interesting thing about the dangerous ceiling: it definitely helps the acoustics, as anyone who’s tried to chat to someone else in that sort of room knows. The background buzz is amplified massively. Here, we realize just how over Naoki is with the crowd (especially the children). Massive Naoki chants. He’s more over than Sasaki, so I wonder what things will look like in six months or a year.

 

There are some Kyushu Pro house style habits on display which don’t always jive for me: big tag clearouts, or chasing the other team off, or whatever, often look super slow and choreographed. It’s strange, and may slightly be caused by the physical condition of some workers, but it’s on display here.

 

*Kodai Nozaki & Naoki Sakurajima & Shigeno Shima defeat Genkai & Ha Da On & TAJIRI in 15:47.*

 

**Event Summary**

The Sasaki/Jet match, despite the botch, is very much match of the night. A new Jet Wei seems to have turned up for work, presumably slightly unleashed by the change in seniority. That felt like a legit “serious” match. The comedy match was an inferior edition of its kind, and the six-man was fun but nothing remarkable; the Jet match shows us that the company has another genuinely credible upper-midcarder, if they want one.

 

***Kyushu Pro Kagoshima O Genki Ni Suddo!***

Held at the Kagoshima Nishihara Shokai Arena Sub-Arena – a classic prefecture gymnasium-like space – with an announced attendance of 616. Decent but not enormous crowd.

 

The most important matter this show: Ringboy is debuting! His ring name will be Koyo Ume.

 

**Hitamaru Sasaki vs Koyo Ume**

Ume’s skinny, with an expressive face. He’s young. He’s technically fodder for Sasaki – Sasaki getting singles matches against regular guests and low-ranking in-house juniors to build credibility – but this is obviously more about his debut.

 

This hits the rookie match notes you’d expect. Ume gets stretched out a lot. He’s marvellously expressive when being worked over, and he sells consistently. In this regard, I’d say he’s a precocious rookie; he has a natural instinct for the crowd, who back him, and he knows how to put offence over.

 

His own offence is, as you’d expect, limited. Strikes, dropkicks. The strikes look a bit weak, though he works up to some nice-sounding chops. He does get in a Camel Clutch, which is nice to show a bit of range. It’s rookie offence, and it’s all fine. He really is skinny, and that can cause credibility issues, but as he develops his offence, he will probably find options that fit.

 

I genuinely really enjoyed this.

 

*Hitamaru Sasaki defeats Koyo Ume in 8:31.*

 

**Batten Blabla & Shigeno Shima & STAR LIGHT NARU vs Genkai & Ha Da On & TAJIRI**

On paper, this looks like the easy-pace match which gets by on being a six-man. In reality, it slaps.

 

Batten obviously doesn’t want to wrestle and forces Shima and NARU to do nearly all of the work. Shima actually doesn’t do much, relatively speaking; NARU, the Korean rookie, runs his side’s match. He takes pretty obvious cues at points, which may be partly a language barrier issue (I don’t know).

 

But the thing he – he’s genuinely excellent. He flies around, he’s enormously charismatic, and people bump for him: Genkai goes flying off the apron! NARU will end up taking the pin – I’m surprised it’s not Batten, but NARU is junior – but he’s the star here.

 

But everyone else works too! Tadgers hits a Vertical Suplex! Genkai bumps and runs around! Ha Da On continues to be obviously a solid hand! This is genuinely not the normal six-man, which is fun but chill; whether it’s NARU’s energy or everyone having decided beforehand that they’re going to put together something really energetic and fun, this one is a genuine success.

 

*Genkai & Ha Da On & TAJIRI defeat Batten Blabla & Shigeno Shima & STAR LIGHT NARU in 13:10.*

 

**Asosan & Naoki Sakurajima vs Jet Wei & Kodai Nozaki**

The best tag match I’ve watched in Kyushu Pro. I actually watched this before the Jet Wei singles match from the previous night, due to their YouTube posting schedule, and was legitimately startled at how Jet was booked. Nozaki is the ace, and of course he gets to knock people around – but Jet gets big hits and nearfalls on both of his much senior opponents. This is REALLY well-paced, really good workrate, and Asosan HITS A DROPKICK. This is a man with no knees who normally walks around the ring waiting to hit his one remaining move, and he just explodes here (no pun intended).

 

Nozaki and Jet should – as I’ve said before – be the ones to go for the tag titles. In a sense the booking here stymies that: the former tag champs beat two of the three young guns, one of whom just debuted. We know Nozaki is of quality, so we’re left (in booking terms) having to conclude that Jet just isn’t there yet, especially as he took the pin. Now, two very strong, very powerful performances over two days do shift our view of him, but he needs a pin on a senior name to make the step up.

 

Anyway, very fun.

 

*Asosan & Naoki Sakurajima defeat Jet Wei & Kodai Nozaki in 18:44.*

 

**Event Summary**

A much more consistently good event than the Mentai Kid Retirement Event, even if that included a real MOTYC. Koyo is really promising, with good athleticism matched with strong selling, and NARU and Jet both had standout performances. Asosan, Genkai, and TAJIRI all brought their working boots. I’ve seen most of their shows this year, and this is the best so far.

 

[Full matchguide and links here.](https://open.substack.com/pub/undercardwonders/p/kyushu-pro-7-a-new-era-dawns?r=2lyy3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true)

[Kyushu Pro #7] A New Era Dawns - 21/06 and 22/06 Recaps + Attendance Analysis