Japanese actress Sumire Uesaka surprised her fanbase when she entered the 29th Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling Grand Princess event. On Mar. 29, she faced 11 challengers in the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Championship. At the end of the final match of her Heavy Metal debut, she successfully took home the Champion’s belt. But what inspired Miss Nagatoro’s lead actress to compete in the heavyweight class?
Sumire Uesaka is a Pro-Wrestling Admirer
In an exclusive interview with Tokyo Sports, Uesaka revealed that she has a deep fondness for wrestling, specifically the Showa Era.
She’s heavily inspired by retired Canadian wrestling legend Jagjeet Singh Hans. Uesaka gushed about the foreign fighter, “[Tiger Jeet Singh] is the reason why I fell in love with professional wrestling. His entrance song, ‘Saber Tiger’, is really cool. When I first heard it, I adored Showa Era wrestling ever since.”
Uesaka also shares her admiration for Shin Nihon Pro-Wrestling personas. “At first, I was drawn to the Shin characters. I fell in love with villain-like players like Antonio Inoki. Also, the foreign players of this era had cool identities.”
During recording sessions in February, she and her senior, sentai voice actor Tetsu Inada, watched professional wrestling matches. He was one of the first to learn about his co-star’s desire to participate in the 29th DTT Ironman Heavy Metal Championship. According to sources, Inada helped create her dynamic wrestling entrance. The finalized version had him accompanying the saber mistress.
The Tokusatsu Actress was a Former DTT Champion
Uesaka made her official announcement on X (Twitter) on Mar. 10. She wielded her saber at DTT Representative Tetsuya Koda and wore an Indian-style red dress in honor of Tiger Jeet Singh. Japanese streaming service Abema translated her commentary, “I-I did it! When I got my hands on this mysterious saber, a fighting spirit suddenly welled up inside me!”
The Ultraman actress then stated, “I am the former Ironman Heavyweight Champion!” Abema further explained that Uesaka previously debuted in the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Championship back in Apr. 20, 2025. At the time, she participated in the Las Vegas series, facing off against then-champion Kazuki Hirata in the final match.
She did get a little help from the DTT’s mischievous seal mascot, Pokotan, who attacked Hirata with a wrench. By pinning the champ to the ground, Uesaka took home the title. However, after the match, Pokoton betrayed her by using its head to trap her in darkness. She tapped out, and the seal claimed her Champion’s belt.
Miss Nagatoro Conquered in Japan Debut
The saber warrior faced off against 11 challengers, including Japanese wrestling idol Raku and Antonio Inoki’s successor, Antonio Honda. In the opening match of the Ironman Heavy Metal Championship, Raku robbed Honda of his title for falling asleep backstage. Fightful reported that the battle royal match was delayed, so this showman stunt bought time for the event crew to organize.
Raku defended her honor, then stumbled when the Great Wakabayashi-kun, played by Rika Tatsumi, arrived. She pinned the prideful idol with her signature move, the Neck Hanging Bomb, forcing her to forfeit her champion status.
Uesaka treaded through the crowd with her saber in the second half. Her opponent, the awakened Honda, uniquely replicated the spirit of the Mad Tiger’s rivalry with Inoki. He accidentally attacked Tatsumi with his Shining Gongitsune. While she was down, Mahiro Kiryu rolled her off the arena, swiping her title away.
Then, Honda turned his attention to Uesaka. During the match, she lost her saber and tripped. As he was going for the kill, the Umamusume voice actress countered with a Gongitsune joke. He eventually laughed and tumbled from his own move out of the arena. With only Kiryu remaining, Uesaka ended the match with a Victor-style Knee Lock. She held the Ironman Heavy Metal Championship belt in the air, winning her Japanese debut.
