Armed with a bright smile and a hellish chop, Yuu is equal parts earnest and hard-hitting. As one of the premier powerhouses in the joshi puroresu scene, she has carved a name for herself in relatively short order. Whether in England, Germany, the United States, or her home country of Japan, the aspirations of the “Dream Fighter” have become a reality. Yuu has amassed considerable popularity in just a few short years, but her path to the present day wasn’t traveled without hard work and skill.
Yuu began her professional wrestling career in the mid-2010s. The future powerhouse of the joshi scene was trained under Cherry, who achieved fame in Pro Wrestling WAVE and Dramatic Dream Team, just to name a few organizations. Yuu made her debut in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling in December of 2015, defeating fellow newcomer Shio in a short exhibition match. 2016 saw Yuu continue her efforts in TJPW, picking up wins over the likes of Hyper Misao and Yuka Sakazaki. She quickly established herself as an irresistible force apt to exert dominance. She also made multiple appearances for DDT, primarily in dark and tag team matches.
Yuu’s Early Success
Later that July, Yuu competed in that year’s Tokyo Princess Cup, TJPW’s annual tournament that was established in 2014. The winner would receive a future TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship match. Yuu defeated Nodoka-Oneesan in the first round, Azusa Takigawa in the second round, and Akane Miura in the semifinals. In the finals, Yuu faced Shoko Nakajima, who won the Tokyo Princess Cup back in 2015. However, Nakajima was unable to defeat the relative newcomer. Yuu won the 2016 Tokyo Princess Cup, achieving her first major accolade in the process.
The following September, Yuu received her TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship match against then-titleholder Miyu Yamashita. During the match, Yuu knocked out her opponent. As a result, she won her first championship in her career. She would hold the title throughout the rest of 2016, successfully defending it against Rika Tatsumi before the year closed. Needless to say, Yuu’s first full year in wrestling was a success.
Yuu in DDT and Beyond
Yuu entered 2017 as the reigning TOKYO Princess of Princess Champion. Following successful defenses against Nakajima, Takigawa, and Reika Saiki in separate matches, her reign came to an end on June 4th. On this night, Yuu lost the title to Sakazaki; Yuu’s reign lasted 255 days. As the months went on, Yuu became more prominent in DDT. In August, during a dark match battle royal, she bested all other participants for the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship. Given the hectic nature of the title in question, Yuu was a formidable competitor in the scene, winning the title twice throughout her career.
Following an unsuccessful attempt at the TOKYO Princess Tag Team Championship, alongside Nodoka-Oneesan, in March of 2018, Yuu found herself back in familiar territory during the summer. In June, Yuu entered that year’s Tokyo Princess Cup. Keep in mind that she didn’t even make it past the second round in 2017. This year, she was looking for redemption. This time, Yuu was incredibly successful, ultimately defeating Sakazaki in the finals. This led to a TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship match in August against then-champion Yamashita. Unlike 2016, Yuu was unable to claim the prize.
Yuu Goes Worldwide
Toward the end of 2018, Yuu’s wrestling career took her abroad. In December, she departed TJPW, becoming a freelancer. She went on to debut for the German wrestling promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling. She was successful in wXw, even picking up a win at the promotion’s 18th anniversary event against Killer Kelly and Alpha Female. Later that month, Yuu traveled to the United Kingdom for Preston City Wrestling, where she faced Jordynne Grace. Yuu credits Grace for inspiring her to become a freelancer, citing her as a “heroine.” The wrestling world at large was becoming aware of the mighty “Dream Fighter.”
The early months of Yuu’s career in 2019 can best be described as a globetrotting experience. She achieved greater international popularity in Pro Wrestling: EVE, testing her mettle against UK stars including Zoe Lucas and Viper, the latter of whom would go on to become Piper Niven in World Wrestling Entertainment. She also challenged for multiple titles in the UK. It was in wXw where Yuu was most prominent, however, finding formidable foes in Kelly, Grace, and others. After a brief run in the United States, specifically in the northeast, Yuu returned to Japan in April.
Yuu’s Freelance Endeavors
Due to her new freelancer status, Yuu found popularity in several Japanese promotions. These included, but weren’t limited to, WAVE and Sendai Girls. She even competed in the Catch the WAVE 2019 tournament, earning 3 points in the Power Block. Yuu returned to the UK later that June, continuing her work in EVE and debuting for such promotions as PROGRESS Wrestling. Her work in Japan remained paramount, however. Later that November, she competed in Sendai Girls’ Royal Tag Tournament alongside Chihiro Hashimoto. The duo made it to the finals, where they ultimately fell to Hiroyo Matsumoto and DASH Chisako.
At the start of 2020, Yuu entered a tournament to determine the new number one contender for the OZ Academy Openweight Championship. Ultimately, this status would be claimed by Matsumoto. Yuu also set her sights on the Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship with Hashimoto; once again, the “Dream Fighter” came up short. It wasn’t until March when the professional wrestling world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, most promotions around the world ceased activities. Yuu’s final match prior to the closure of various promotions was on March 28th.
Returning to the Wrestling World
As the weeks went on, companies began to reopen their doors, albeit with new safety guidelines in place. Yuu returned to the ring in May, debuting for Ice Ribbon where she bested Ibuki Hoshi. From there, Yuu became a prominent competitor in promotions including WAVE and SEAdLINNNG. She also made her Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling debut in August, appearing on the forty-first episode of ChocoPro, where she faced Mei Suruga in a competitive fifteen-minute draw.
Yuu is among the stars in the joshi scene with potential yet to be truly realized. She possesses a unique fighting style, utilizing sheer power and surprising quickness against a variety of foes. Though she may not be the tallest fighter in any promotion she wrestles for, her physical strength is difficult to rival. Whether it’s in SEAdLINNNG or any other promotion, expect the “Dream Fighter” to claim championship gold once again before long.
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