In the world of pro-wrestling, Kira Summer stands out in more ways than one. A self-professed fan of anime, she moved to Japan five years ago to pursue a career as an artist and animator, and is now the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s very first in-house trained foreign member, while also embracing the joys of motherhood.
Image by Daryl Harding
Wrestling Is in Her Blood
Wrestling is in Summer’s blood. Back home in Adelaide, both her sister and brother-in-law are professional wrestlers. From a young age, she grew up watching American promotions such as WWE alongside her parents and the rest of her family. On her 14th birthday, her sister took her to Riot City Wrestling, a local wrestling promotion and academy. Summer recalls it being an amazing experience. She sat backstage with wrestlers and got to know them up close.
“It wasn’t necessarily the sport itself that got me interested, it was the people I was able to meet within the industry. As the younger sister of a professional wrestler, I was treated like the kid of the family. The atmosphere was nice, and the theatrics were fun,” shares Summer.
Summer went on to work as a staff member for Riot City for over a year. She also completed a year of training at Snakepit Pro Wrestling (now Pro Wrestling South Australia). However, she didn’t debut. After moving to Japan, she was prepared to put wrestling to one side and pursue other things, but a serendipitous encounter during the COVID pandemic brought her back to her passion.
Image via Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
A Fateful Event
The return to Summer’s roots came at a time when she needed it the most.
“After COVID happened, I started to get depressed from staying inside all the time and not being able to see anyone. Then, one of my friends came to Japan, and he’s super into wrestling. I went with him to a live women’s wrestling event and walking in, I was immediately hit with a wave of emotions. Seeing all the wrestlers interact and work as a team just made me think that I missed it,” recalls Summer.
Summer still isn’t sure if her friend had planned it somehow, but that very show also happened to be advertising for auditions. With just two weeks to go before the deadline, Summer went home and, without really thinking, sent the promotion an email. The rest is history.
Kira Summer readies a powerful slam on her opponent. Image via Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
Training to Be a Joshi Pro
Much of what goes into pro-wrestling training is an industry secret. However, Summer was able to share that one of the first things you learn at any reputable academy is how to fall safely. Falling is naturally a huge part of wrestling and aspiring wrestlers must learn how to take the least amount of damage possible to protect themselves.
“In my first session at the school I studied in Australia, a coach asked me to sit on a box. Without warning, he pushed me off backwards. Luckily, there were mats behind, but he did this to see how I would react,” remembers Summer.
Summer recalls another session where if you weren’t able to take a fall on a mat correctly, the next time they’d make you do it on a concrete floor. For training in Japan, Summer says that having a base level of fitness is next in line of importance, after safety. After that, it’s all about professionalism.
“The people you will end up working with need to trust that you aren’t going to go out picking fights with fans, or go around challenging people in a locker room,” she says.
Summer’s day to day fluctuates depending on her schedule, as not all of her training is at the same time each day. The time she wakes up is actually dictated by her son, but it is usually between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., when she’ll prepare breakfast and a lunchbox for him to take to school. She then heads to morning training or, if it’s an evening session, she’ll spend a few hours working on illustration commissions or doing house chores.
“One of the biggest challenges for me since becoming a wrestler is juggling that with my role as a wife and mother,” admits Summer.
Training sessions can run from two to four hours and are very intense. She usually gets home late, has dinner and goes straight to bed. In the month of June, Summer also upped the ante of her schedule by incorporating a push-up challenge into her workout.
The Road to Becoming a Princess
It’s been just over four months since Summer debuted, and she’s already achieved some career highs. One of them was participating in Grand Princess at Ryogoku Stadium, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s biggest show of the year. It was a surreal experience for her to have a camera crew follow her around. It was then broadcast live internationally through one of the largest wrestling streaming platforms.
“It really feels like a dream,” she says. “Sometimes I watch the videos again, and I see myself in the ring. It’s hard to remember what the feeling was like.”
As for new milestones, Summer has already ticked off another goal. On July 20, she participated in Summer Sun Princess 2024 at Tokyo Korakuen Hall, going head to head against one of her mates, Chika Nanase.
“We spent the most time together and having a singles match between us is something we’ve always wanted to do. There’s no bad blood. Alongside Uta Takami, the three of us started together and reached the same milestones together,” says Summer.
At some point, Summer would also like to challenge for the International Princess Championship belt.
“Challenging for the belt isn’t just about the title itself but also who is holding it,” explains Summer. “If Rika Tatsumi or Yuki Kamifuku are holders of the belt, for example, those are two people I really want to challenge.”
Summer’s career as a female pro-wrestler is only just beginning, but the fact that she has already managed to carve out her own space is a significant feat. She’s thankful to her family, especially her sister, for all their support and to the Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling staff who tirelessly help her navigate the language, culture and nuances within the Japanese wrestling industry.
When asked if her son would be worried seeing her wrestle, Summer laughs, saying he’s watched live-streams of her matches.
“I don’t think I’ll bring him to a live match because he might come running after me if he sees me. But he would find it hilarious to see me getting thrown around in real life,” she says.
