SHOW PREVIEW: Marigold Shine Forever 2025 ~A Glorious Celebration~ (24/05/2025)

When & Where?

• When?: Saturday 24th May 2025
• Where?: Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo
• Time?: 2:30pm JST 🇯🇵/1:30am EST 🇺🇸/10:30pm PT (Fri) 🇺🇸/6:30am GMT 🇬🇧

The Press Conference

What is the Full Card?

• Nanae Takahashi Retirement Match: Nanae Takahashi vs. Miku Aono
• Marigold World Championship Match: Utami Hayashishita vs. MIRAI
• Marigold Superfly Championship Match: Victoria Yuzuki (c) vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Seri Yamaoka vs. Takumi Iroha
• Marigold vs. Marvelous 5-on-5 Elimination Tag Team Match: Marigold (Natsumi Showzuki, Nao Ishikawa, Hummingbird, Rea Seto & Komomo Minami) vs. Marvelous (Riko Kawahata, Maria, Senka Akatsuki, Sora Ayame & Ai Houzan)
• Kouki Amarei Return Match: Kouki Amarei & Kizuna Tanaka vs. Chika Goto & Minami Yuki
• Erina Yamanaka, Nagisa Tachibana, Chanyota & Ryoko Sakimura vs. Darkness Revolution (Misa Matsui, Nagisa Nozaki, CHIAKI & Megaton)
• Shinno Debut Match: Shinno vs. Mai Sakurai

What do I Need to Know?

• This will be Nanae Takahashi’s last match of her 28-year career. She will have wrestled 2333 matches, with 988 singles matches
• Her and Miku Aono have previously only faced off once before in singles action, with the match going to a time-limit draw in the 2024 Dream Star Grand Prix.
• This will also mark the first time that either Miku Aono or Nanae Takahashi have main-evented a Marigold PPV.
• 2nd Marigold World Champion Utami Hayashishita has been champion for 141 days – in her first reign. This will be the third title defence of her reign.
• Utami Hayashishita and MIRAI have faced each other twice previously in singles action, with the current record sitting at 1 win apiece. The most recent singles match saw MIRAI take the victory during the 2024 Dream Star Grand Prix.
• This will be the first time MIRAI has challenged for the Marigold World Championship, and will be the first time she’s challenged for the top belt in a promotion since losing to Syuri for the World of Stardom Championship in January 2022.
• 2nd Marigold Superfly Champion Victoria Yuzuki has been champion for 141 days – in her first reign. This will be the fourth title defence of her reign.
• A win will see Victoria Yuzuki draw level with Natsumi Showzuki on four successful title defences as the most successful Superfly champion in terms of defences.
• This will be Mayu’s first title match in Marigold, and her first singles match against Yuzuki since 20th March 2024. Iwatani currently holds the winning record in singles matches between the pair with that victory.
• Both Mayu Iwatani and Yuzuki were in the same faction in Stardom (STARS).
• Mayu Iwatani is the inspiration behind Victoria Yuzuki wanted to be a wrestler, and therefore wants to prove to her how much she has developed since her time in Stardom.
• Seri Yamaoka and Takumi Iroha have never faced each other in a singles match, though they did briefly face each other in the Twinstar Championships match back on the 30th March.
• Natsumi Showzuki and Rea Seto are the only remaining members of the previous 5-on-5 elimination match on the 25th April. Both women faced Maria – now one half of the Twinstar Champions alongside Riko Kawahata as Magenta – with her eliminating Rea and going to a 10-minute time-limit draw against Natsumi.
• Kouki Amarei makes her return to a Marigold ring for the first time since January 3rd 2025 when she tore her ACL against Chika Goto.
• Kouki and Chika were previously a tag team called the tWin toWers, but had fractured somewhat before Kouki’s injury, with Chika taking time off to recover from a sternum injury and telling Kouki that she was free to do what she wanted.
• At the previous Korakuen Hall event (4th May 2025), Chika Goto demanded that she be a part of Kouki Amarei’s return match, with the Amethyst Butterfly agreeing.
• Shinno – daughter of former Queen of ARSION Champion Michiko Omukai – will make her pro-wrestling debut at Shine Forever at 16 years old. Though she is taking on Mai Sakurai, this match will not be for the Marigold United National Championship.

How do I Watch the Show?

The show will air as a PPV LIVE on WRESTLE UNIVERSE, complete with English commentary from Stu Fulton and Sonny Gutierrez. You can sign-up to the service with a seven-day free trial from this link and purchase the PPV.

Rob & Matt’s Predictions

Stay up-to-date with all things Marigold through their Japanese (@DSF_Marigold) and English (@Marigold_Joshi) accounts on X. Stay tuned to The Marigold Standard Podcast for all the happenings in the world of Marigold.