The Torture Tax in Saga
If you walked into the Saga Arena yesterday expecting a clean wrestling clinic, you clearly haven't been paying attention to New Japan for the last three years. The House of Torture crew rolled into town and did exactly what they always do: turned a perfectly good wrestling match into a chaotic mess that makes a middle school cafeteria food fight look organized. The 8-man tag was the usual suspects—Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens, and Sho—taking on the babyface squad of Taishi Nakahara, Shota Umino, Master Wato, and Yoh.
As reported by BodySlam.net, the match ended with the villains standing tall in front of 1,058 fans. It is the same old story for Shota Umino, who continues to be the guy that everyone says is the future, yet he keeps finding himself on the wrong end of these numbers games. The internet reaction was exactly the split-screen chaos you'd expect from the NJPW faithful.
"I'm convinced Gedo is just trolling us now. Putting Shota in there to lose to Yujiro and the boys in 2026 is like watching your favorite quarterback get sacked by a guy who should be selling insurance." — @RoughshodPuro
On the flip side, the contrarians are out in force, arguing that House of Torture is the only thing keeping the mid-card interesting. Look, I get it. In a world of silent wrestlers who just want to trade forearms until their chests look like raw hamburger, having a bunch of guys who just want to cheat is a change of pace. But at some point, you have to wonder if Shota is ever actually going to win the big one or if he's just destined to be the guy who gets hit with a wrench for the rest of his career.
Unagi Sayaka and the Joshi Takeover
While NJPW was busy being annoying in Saga, the Joshi scene was setting Korakuen Hall on fire last Sunday. Oz Academy put on a show that proved Unagi Sayaka is effectively the main character of pro wrestling right now. She went 14:55 with Saori Anou and ended it with the Taigideatta. If you haven't seen Unagi lately, she's wrestling with the kind of confidence that suggests she owns every building she walks into. She isn't just a personality anymore; she's a legitimate problem for anyone standing across from her.
The attendance of 880 fans in Tokyo felt higher because of how loud that crowd was for the main event. Saori Anou is one of the smoothest operators in the game, but Unagi's chaotic energy is just too much to handle. The skeptics will say Unagi is all flash and no substance, but you don't beat Anou in a fifteen-minute war if you can't go.
"Unagi winning in Oz is the right call. The scene needs a disruptor and she is basically a human hurricane in a pink outfit. Saori sold like a champ, but the era of Gyan is here." — @JoshiJunkie99
We also saw Titus Alexander making waves over at Marvelous in Shinkiba. He put away Yosuke Santa Maria with the Big Ugly after twelve minutes of high-speed insanity. It is wild to see how well Alexander has integrated into the Japanese style. Most Westerners go over there and try to be too 'strong style,' but Titus just brings his own brand of arrogance that fits perfectly. Sendai Girls also kept the momentum going in Osaka, where Dash Chisako and Miyuki Takase used a Diving Foot Stomp to remind everyone why they're the gold standard of tag team wrestling.
Rainmakers and Tournament Chaos
The most hilarious trend of the week has to be the sudden proliferation of the Rainmaker. On April 27, Beyond Wrestling aired the 49th episode of Wrestling Open RI from Cranston, Rhode Island. Rain Conway made short work of AZ using—you guessed it—a Rainmaker. Then, just two days later at Ganbare Pro in Tokyo, Ram Kaichow beat Moeka Haruhi with the same move. If Kazuchika Okada is watching this from his mansion, he's probably wondering where his royalty checks are.
Beyond's Wrestling Open Title Tournament is actually turning into a must-watch affair. Bryce Donovan advanced after hitting the Blackout on Ichiban. It was a physical match that saw Ichiban land a massive Bossman Slam that almost ended the night early. Donovan is one of those guys who has been grinding on the indies for years, and seeing him finally get this kind of spotlight in Cranston is a cool moment for the New England scene.
"Ichiban losing is a crime against humanity. The Bossman Slam was clean as hell. Donovan better win the whole thing now or I'm throwing my chair at the screen." — @IndieInstigator
Down in North Carolina, AML Wrestling had their Ram House Rumble at Starmount High School. Diego Hill kept his Prestige Title against BLK Mike in a match that was reportedly a total car wreck in the best way possible. Hill is a guy who probably deserves a look from the bigger companies sooner rather than later. He has the size and the athleticism that makes you wonder why he's still fighting in high school gyms in Boonville, though the atmosphere at those AML shows is always electric.
The Low Points and the Weirdness
It wasn't all five-star classics and hot crowds this week. We have to talk about Ganbare Pro. They ran Korakuen Hall for their Mad Max show on April 29 and only drew 588 fans. That is a rough number for such a historic venue. You could hear a pin drop during some of the undercard matches, and while Ram Kaichow's win was a bright spot, the promotion feels like it's spinning its wheels. Running Korakuen is expensive, and if you aren't pulling at least seven or eight hundred, you're bleeding money.
Then there's TNA Xplosion. Look, I love that TNA is still around, but the Xplosion format is just depressing. It's a one-match show taped ahead of Impact that feels like an afterthought. Mr Elegance beating Simon Philips on the April 28th episode was fine for what it was, but in 2026, fans expect more than a single filler match on a digital platform. It feels like a relic of the Spike TV era that they just forgot to cancel.
Overall, the week showed that wrestling is in a weird, transitional spot. The big stars are taking breathers after the spring rush, leaving the workhorses to fill the gaps. Whether it's Yuna winning with a Victory Kneebar in Osaka or Yurika Oka spinning people around with an Airplane Spin, the depth of talent is insane. But the business side—the attendance in Tokyo and the stale presentation in TNA—shows that being a great wrestler isn't always enough to put butts in seats. You need a story, and right now, Unagi Sayaka and House of Torture are the only ones really telling one people care about.
