wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s Marigold Grand Destiny 2025 Review
Image Credit: Marigold
Loading...Marigold Grand Destiny
October 26th, 2025 | Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 3,450
Oh, I have been waiting for this one.
Kizuna Tanaka vs. Shinno
This was dubbed a 2nd Generation Showdown. Two young wrestlers with mothers who were tag partners and they were at ringside for their daughters here. These two gave us an energetic opener where both seemed on a mission to prove something. Kizuna worked a lengthy armbar and Shinno fought hard to get free. They also both brought strong strikes, with Shinno standing out there thanks to a great bicycle knee and Buzzsaw Kick. Kamigoye, which she learned from Kota Ibushi apparently, got her a big near fall. Kizuna’s Re:Dream move came off but thankfully, that wasn’t the finish and she instead won with an impressive delayed bridging fallaway slam in 6:00. That was a fun way to start the show. Can’t ask for much more from them in six minutes. [***]
Gauntlet Tag Team Match: Chanyota & Erina Yamanaka vs. Gigaton & SHOKO Koshino vs. Hummingbird & Nao Ishikawa vs. Komomo Minami & Yuuka Yamazaki vs. Minami Yuuki & Nagisa Tachibana vs. Nagisa Nozaki & Rea Seto
Hummingbird and Ishikawa opened against Nagisa and Minami. I haven’t been able to catch every Marigold show but from what I can tell, the lower card is rather weak and they’re all over this match. Chanyota and Nozaki are among the few here who have had some standout moments when I watch. Yuuki rolled up Ishikawa to get the first win in 2:58. Next in was Komomo and Yuuka. This was slightly better match that ended with Komomo pinning Nagisa in 7:29. Chanyota and Erina were in next and they stood out as strong, athletic women. They looked impressive out there, advancing at 12:38 when Erina hit a Northern Lights Suplex. I always like seeing that move. Next in was Nagisa and Rea, representing Darkness Revolution. They used heel tactics and cunning to combat their disadvantage from a physical standpoint, leading them to advance at 19:18 when Nagisa hit a running boot on Erina. The last team in was new signee SHOKO Koshino and her mystery partner, which ended up being Gigaton. I don’t know much about either of them and wasn’t really all that impressed here as this was more ho-hum action. SHOKO got the win with a top rope splash in 25:18. That never really got good and somehow lasted 25 minutes. [**]
Megaton vs. Minoru Suzuki
Yes, you read that right. Minoru Suzuki. He was the mystery opponent for Megaton, who is a comedy wrestler. That meant this was just here for the laughs, with Megaton being terrified of Minoru but finding an opening to slap him on the head and call him bald. Ricochet is gonna sue for gimmick infringement. Megaton survived a kneebar for much longer than you’d expect. She used the crowd to fire up and get in some comedic bits like her MEGATON PRESS. Of course, Minoru got up and put her in the rear naked choke. As he went for the Gotch Style Piledriver, Megaton just gave up, losing in 6:27. Honestly, I had fun there and that finish was hilarious. [**½]
Chika Goto vs. Sareee
For the third straight match, we had a mystery opponent and it was Sareee who was revealed as Chika’s opponent. It’s her first time in the company since losing the World Title at the start of the year. Interestingly, Chika jumped her with a boot from behind during introductions. That set the tone that this was a Chika who was going to make a statement. It wasn’t long before Sareee turned the tables though and was out to put Chika in her place. Chika had to fight from beneath and she showed a ton of resilience against such a top star. Watching her trade forearms with Sareee was impressive. Her best efforts were there but Sareee always remained just a step ahead. Even when she missed a diving double stomp, she landed on her feet and rolled through right into a dropkick. A successful double stomp kept Chika down after 11:40. Really good stuff here. Chika looked strong and competed with a top star in a hard hitting match. [***½]
Marigold Twin Star Championship: Maria & Riko Kawahata [c] vs. CHIAKI and Misa Matsui
The champions are Magenta and their opponents are from the Darkness Revolution stable. The interesting bit here is that it’s heel vs. heel, which doesn’t work very often. This started awkwardly as the challengers tried a pre-match attack and it seemed like the champions stopped them but it didn’t come off well and just looked like they ran into each other and stopped. There was some brawling outside, which is to be expected with these characters. I liked the difference in these teams despite the alignments being the same. Magenta give a vibe like they don’t care, while CHIAKI and Misa brought a chaotic element to the mix. Both teams showed off some solid tandem offense for near falls. The CHIAKI powerbomb followed by the Misa double stomp made for a very good close call that I bit on. The finish was cool as Misa got hit with a Michinoku Driver but then turned a somewhat lazy pin into a European Clutch to steal the titles in 10:37. Much better than I expected given I wasn’t big on CHIAKI or Maria in the GP. They kept up a good pace, I was entertained throughout, and the finish worked. [***¼]
Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Seri Yamaoka
If all goes well, these final four matches should be, to quote Sheamus, banger after banger after banger. These two played to their strengths from the start, taking the action to the mat. That’s Seri’s wheelhouse and Hashimoto is comfortable there. Hashimoto held serve with her power and quick bursts of explosive offense like a running somersault senton. Seri fought back with tackles and I thought she really had something going when she slapped up Hashimoto, only to get caught with a sick release German suplex. She looked out of it on the outside. Seri gave it one final burst of energy before Hashimoto laid her out with a lariat and used a tight pinfall to hold her down for three in 11:34. Just what it needed to be. Hashimoto was so good as the dominant force who was always a step ahead, while Seri played a good underdog who was simply outmatched. [***¾]
Marigold United National Championship: Mai Sakurai [c] vs. Victoria Yuzuki
Mai Sakurai has been a surprise star for Marigold. She’s been so much better here than a lot of her STARDOM work I saw before she left. Yuzuki was shockingly good as a rookie a couple of years ago and has continued to grow in Marigold, with this being her biggest match. Both women came into this with an impressive level of aggression and it always felt like there was a strong desire to win. Too often do we get matches where it’s just people doing moves for the sake of it. It was clear here, from bell to bell, that both women needed to win. Mai even brought a chair into play and hit a Tombstone outside, happy to try and take a countout victory. Yuzuki was in trouble from that point on but found hope in some judo throws and a German suplex on the apron. Yuzuki ended up with a busted mouth because of how vicious parts of his were. The trading of strikes late was fantastic and when Yuzuki kicked out at one, I lost it. Yuzuki survived everything Mai threw at her, from a Tiger Suplex to several STF attempts. My favorite part was the finish though, as Yuzuki’s normal finisher wasn’t enough so she went up top and debuted a Spiral Tap to claim the gold in 20:36. A fantastic match that cements Yuzuki as a top star in Marigold. Her rise to this point has been a joy to watch, while Mai has established herself as a major player. [****¼]
Marigold World Championship: Utami Hayashishita [c] vs. Miku Aono
Miku won the Dream Star GP to earn this title shot. I always like Utami but her run as champion hasn’t been very engaging to me. Unlike the last match, this one didn’t get off to a hot start. There was more of a feeling out process, yet you can do that with a sense of urgency, which this didn’t have. It reminded me a lot of the old Okada Formula I used to complain about. The first third or even half of the match was kind of just going through the motions before deciding to ramp things up late. The only standout moment in the early goings was an apron Style Clash by Miku but I think the flow was off after that. It kind of meandered. What they did was far from bad, it just didn’t grab me the way I wanted from such a high profile match. I think Utami sold the shit out of her leg for the most part and Miku’s targeting of it was very good. Utami had her in major trouble late with a rear naked choke but she managed to survive. The avalanche reverse suplex spot looked sick as Utami seemed to land on her head. That set up a tremendous final few minutes, including a great dramatic moment where Miku grabbed the bottom rope to survive a near fall. In the end, Miku used Utami’s own BT Bomb to win the title in 26:25. A dope ending to a very good match. With a better first third, this could’ve been a classic. Miku as the top champion is cool and deserved given her efforts in Marigold. [***¾]
IYO SKY vs. Mayu Iwatani
One of my most anticipated matches of the year. The best currently in the world against the GOAT. The opening exchanges here were friendly, with the two playing into their history and the fans relishing in the nostalgia. IYO turned it up a notch with a tope suicida but spent time posing for the crowd, allowing Mayu to return the favor. That led to strikes and bigger offense as this stopped being so friendly. I popped for a body slam on the apron because that’s not something I’ve seen often. From that point on, the rest of this match really felt like two icons trying to prove who was better. It’s a simple story to tell, yet one that works so well with the right people and Mayu and IYO are indeed the right people. From German suplex to moonsaults, these two were trading big blows like only they can. The crowd hung one every spot, completely engrossed in the action. The closing stretch was something special and when Mayu did her signature Poison Rana, I really believed it was over, leading to one of the best near falls of the year. IYO’s straightjacket German suplex got the same reaction from me. IYO added a Tombstone and two moonsaults to win after an epic 26:28. As if that was gonna be anything less than spectacular. Two legendary wrestlers having a stellar main event that lived up to the hype. I can’t ask for much more. [****¾]
