Hiromu Takahashi has revealed his first partner for NJPW Battle in the Valley 2025.
At the January 11 event, Takahashi and Sumie Sakai will be facing off in a six-person tag team bout. It’s Sakai’s retirement match and will feature her teaming with one male partner and one female partner against Takahashi and two female partners. He announced last night that Stardom ace Mayu Iwatani will be one of the members of Team Hiromu.
Sakai, 53, is stepping away from in-ring competition after a nearly three-decade international career. She’s best known for the time she spent in ROH, where she was involved in the promotion’s first-ever women’s match in 2002 and later became the inaugural ROH Women of Honor Champion in 2018.
This match was set up following NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved event last weekend. Sakai approached Takahashi and asked him to be the opponent for her retirement bout. Takahashi said he’d be delighted, but he suggested a six-person tag instead of a singles match so more people could be involved. The other members of Team Sumie have not been confirmed yet.
Battle in the Valley is being held in San Jose, California and will include fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 19 and Wrestle Dynasty. Two matches are now official for the show:
NJPW Battle in the Valley (Saturday, January 11) —
- Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Tomohiro Ishii
- Sumie Sakai’s retirement match: Team Sumie (Sumie Sakai, TBD & TBD) vs. Team Hiromu (Hiromu Takahashi, Mayu Iwatani & TBD)
