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Catch the Wave is an annual
professional wrestling tournament On various occasions in professional wrestling, a single-elimination tournament of varying match types are held, often to determine a championship or number-one contendership therein. It has been known for promotions to use title tournament that a ...
promoted by the
Pro Wrestling Wave , is a women's professional wrestling, or Joshi Puroresu, promotion created in 2007 after the dissolution and closure of JDStar. The company was formed by Mikiko Futagami, or Gami, former JDStar wrestler Yumi Ohka, and former JDStar booker T ...
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
. It has been held since 2009 and takes place between the end of April and the beginning of August. As up until March 2013 there were no singles championships in Pro Wrestling Wave, Catch the Wave was effectively the top singles achievement in the promotion. The tournament is contested in round-robin format with the winners of each block advancing to the semifinals. From 2010 to 2012, the tournament included a "Loser Revival"
battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
, where already eliminated wrestlers battle for the fourth and final spot in the semifinals of the tournament. This system allowed the tournament to be won twice by a wrestler, who was originally eliminated in the round-robin section. From 2011 onwards, the tournament has concluded with an award ceremony. The winner of the main tournament earns the title of and ¥1,000,000. From 2014 to 2016, Wave also held a separate Catch the Wave tournament for rookie wrestlers, running concurrently with the main tournament.


List of winners

;Main tournament ;Rookie tournament


2009

The 2009 Catch the Wave took place over nine shows between May 27 and August 11. The tournament included sixteen participants split up into four blocks titled "Comical", "UK", "Visual Technical" and "Young". Matches in the UK block could only be won by knockout or submission and had a ten-minute time limit as opposed to fifteen-minute time limits in the other blocks. Outside participants in the tournament included freelancers
Apple Miyuki (born June 14, 1985) is a female professional wrestler, who currently works for Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling. She is better known under her previous ring name , under which she worked mainly for the Kaientai Dojo and Osaka Pro Wrestling promot ...
, Bullfight Sora, Kaoru and Kyoko Kimura,
JWP Joshi Puroresu , also known as or simply JWP, was a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' ( women's professional wrestling) promotion, founded in 1992 as a splinter promotion of Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the time of its folding i ...
's Pinky Mayuka and
Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling , often called , is a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. It is based in the city of Sendai, Miyagi in the Tohoku region. History Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Meiko Satomura, a female professional wrestler ...
's Ryo Mizunami.


2010

The 2010 Catch the Wave took place over ten shows between May 30 and August 11. The tournament included fifteen participants split up into three blocks titled "Rival", "Visual Technical" and "Young". Outside participants in the tournament included freelancers Asami Kawasaki,
Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions w ...
,
Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...
and
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
,
JWP Joshi Puroresu , also known as or simply JWP, was a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' ( women's professional wrestling) promotion, founded in 1992 as a splinter promotion of Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the time of its folding i ...
's Senri Kuroki and
Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling , often called , is a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. It is based in the city of Sendai, Miyagi in the Tohoku region. History Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Meiko Satomura, a female professional wrestler ...
's Ryo Mizunami. On July 4, Kuroki was sidelined with
gastroesophageal reflux disease Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is one of the upper gastrointestinal chronic diseases where stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/ ...
and was forced to forfeit the rest of her matches in the tournament. This tournament introduced the concept of the "Loser Revival"
battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
, where those that finished second and third in their blocks were allowed to compete for a spot in the semifinals of the tournament. *August 10: **Visual Technical block third place playoff match: Gami defeated Toshie Uematsu (1:22). **Loser Revival battle royal: Gami defeated Asami Kawasaki, Cherry,
Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions w ...
,
Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...
and
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
(8:15).


2011

The 2011 Catch the Wave took place over eight shows between May 2 and July 24. The tournament included fourteen participants split up into three blocks titled "Technical", "Visual" and "Young". Outside participants in the tournament included freelancer Nagisa Nozaki, Kagetsu and Ryo Mizunami from
Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling , often called , is a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. It is based in the city of Sendai, Miyagi in the Tohoku region. History Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Meiko Satomura, a female professional wrestler ...
and Nao Komatsu from Oz Academy. This was the first tournament, where all wrestlers eliminated after the round-robin portion of the tournament were allowed to enter the "Loser Revival"
battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
. *July 24: **Loser Revival battle royal:
Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...
defeated
Ayumi Kurihara (born July 13, 1984) is a retired '' joshi puroresu '' wrestler. Professional wrestling career Kurihara entered training with the women's pro wrestling promotion AtoZ and then transferred to M's Style, where she learned the craft from well-kno ...
, Mika Iida,
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
, Nagisa Nozaki, Nao Komatsu, Ryo Mizunami, Sawako Shimono,
Tomoka Nakagawa is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. After being trained by Taka Michinoku, she started her career in his Kaientai Dojo promotion in September 2004. After leaving Kaientai Dojo in 2007, Nakagawa briefly joined Ibuki, where she underw ...
and
Yumi Ohka , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Originally trained by the now defunct JDStar promotion, Ohka now works for Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. She is a former two-time Wave Single Champion, while also be ...
(8:28). *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award:
Ayumi Kurihara (born July 13, 1984) is a retired '' joshi puroresu '' wrestler. Professional wrestling career Kurihara entered training with the women's pro wrestling promotion AtoZ and then transferred to M's Style, where she learned the craft from well-kno ...
vs.
Yumi Ohka , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Originally trained by the now defunct JDStar promotion, Ohka now works for Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. She is a former two-time Wave Single Champion, while also be ...
, May 29 **Best Performance Award: Nao Komatsu cheering squad **Fighting Spirit Award: Mika Iida **Outstanding Performance Award:
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
**Technique Award:
Tomoka Nakagawa is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. After being trained by Taka Michinoku, she started her career in his Kaientai Dojo promotion in September 2004. After leaving Kaientai Dojo in 2007, Nakagawa briefly joined Ibuki, where she underw ...


2012

The 2012 Catch the Wave took place over nine shows between April 30 and July 16. The tournament included fifteen participants split up into three blocks titled "Black Dahlia", "Power" and "White Tails", with two of the blocks made up of members of the Black Dahlia and White Tails
stables A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
. Outside participants in the tournament included
Hamuko Hoshi is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Ice Ribbon promotion. She is also a former two-time ICE×∞ Champion and a four-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion. She also makes regular appearances for the World Wo ...
and
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...
from
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
and
Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is th ...
from
Wrestling New Classic was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling promotion, founded in April 2012 by Yoshihiro Tajiri. WNC was the follow-up promotion to Smash, which folded in March 2012. History On April 5, 2012, Tajiri held a press conference to anno ...
(WNC). The tournament featured a title change, when on June 8,
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
defeated
Ayumi Kurihara (born July 13, 1984) is a retired '' joshi puroresu '' wrestler. Professional wrestling career Kurihara entered training with the women's pro wrestling promotion AtoZ and then transferred to M's Style, where she learned the craft from well-kno ...
to win
DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...
's
Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended "24/7", as ...
. *July 1: **Loser Revival battle royal:
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
defeated
Ayako Hamada is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Libr ...
, Aya Yuki, Cherry,
Hamuko Hoshi is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Ice Ribbon promotion. She is also a former two-time ICE×∞ Champion and a four-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion. She also makes regular appearances for the World Wo ...
, Hanako Nakamori,
Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...
,
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
, Sawako Shimono, Shuu Shibutani,
Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is th ...
and
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...
(13:20). *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award:
Ayumi Kurihara (born July 13, 1984) is a retired '' joshi puroresu '' wrestler. Professional wrestling career Kurihara entered training with the women's pro wrestling promotion AtoZ and then transferred to M's Style, where she learned the craft from well-kno ...
vs.
Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is th ...
, June 24 **Best Performance Award:
Hamuko Hoshi is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Ice Ribbon promotion. She is also a former two-time ICE×∞ Champion and a four-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion. She also makes regular appearances for the World Wo ...
**Fighting Spirit Award:
Hamuko Hoshi is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Ice Ribbon promotion. She is also a former two-time ICE×∞ Champion and a four-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion. She also makes regular appearances for the World Wo ...
**Outstanding Performance Award: Sawako Shimono **Technique Award:
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...


2013

The 2013 Catch the Wave took take place over ten shows between May 6 and July 15. The tournament format, which for the first time featured only two round-robin blocks, and the participants were announced on April 26. Outside participants included
Arisa Nakajima is a Japanese professional wrestler. Trained by the Major Girl's Fighting AtoZ promotion, Nakajima made her debut in January 2006, but when the promotion folded the following May, she transferred over to JWP Joshi Puroresu, where she became a ...
from
JWP Joshi Puroresu , also known as or simply JWP, was a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' ( women's professional wrestling) promotion, founded in 1992 as a splinter promotion of Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the time of its folding i ...
, Hikaru Shida from
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
, Kagetsu from
Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling , often called , is a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. It is based in the city of Sendai, Miyagi in the Tohoku region. History Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Meiko Satomura, a female professional wrestler ...
and
Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is th ...
from
Wrestling New Classic was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling promotion, founded in April 2012 by Yoshihiro Tajiri. WNC was the follow-up promotion to Smash, which folded in March 2012. History On April 5, 2012, Tajiri held a press conference to anno ...
(WNC). The top three wrestlers from each block advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament. The winners of the blocks earned spots in the semifinals, while numbers two and three were entered into the first round of the knockout tournament. The two block system resulted in the elimination of the "Loser Revival" battle royal. The tournament featured the first Catch the Wave match to take place outside of Pro Wrestling Wave, when Shuu Shibutani and Syuri faced each other on June 8 in Wave's sister promotion, Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. The winner of the tournament became the number one contender to the Wave Single Championship. *June 28: **Glamorous block third place playoff match:
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
defeated Kagetsu and Ryo Mizunami (11:28). **Slender block third place playoff match: Shuu Shibutani defeated Cherry, Hikaru Shida and
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
(10:37). *July 15: **Third place four-way elimination match: Shuu Shibutani defeated
Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is th ...
,
Tomoka Nakagawa is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. After being trained by Taka Michinoku, she started her career in his Kaientai Dojo promotion in September 2004. After leaving Kaientai Dojo in 2007, Nakagawa briefly joined Ibuki, where she underw ...
and Yuu Yamagata (3:58). *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award:
Ayako Hamada is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Libr ...
vs. Ryo Mizunami, May 26 **Best Performance Award: Shuu Shibutani **Fighting Spirit Award: Kagetsu **Outstanding Performance Award:
Mio Shirai is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current professional wrestling referee. She started her career in March 2007, working alongside her sister Io Shirai on the Japanese independent circuit for promotions such as Ice Ribbon, JWP J ...
**Technique Award: Yuu Yamagata


2014

The 2014 Catch the Wave took place between May 5 and July 27. The tournament once again featured two round-robin blocks of seven wrestlers, divided by their age. Block "Adeyaka" ("Elegant") featured wrestlers in their thirties and block "Tsuyayaka" ("Glossy") wrestlers in their twenties. Outside participants included
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...
from
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
and freelancers Hikaru Shida,
Hiroyo Matsumoto (born November 6, 1985) is Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other w ...
, Kyoko Kimura and Kyusei Sakura Hirota. *July 13: **Adeyaka block second and third place playoff three-way match:
Kyoko Kimura vs.
Tomoka Nakagawa is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. After being trained by Taka Michinoku, she started her career in his Kaientai Dojo promotion in September 2004. After leaving Kaientai Dojo in 2007, Nakagawa briefly joined Ibuki, where she underw ...
vs.
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...

Fujimoto defeated Nakagawa (12:34),
Nakagawa defeated Kimura (17:37). *July 27: **Third place four-way match:
Tomoka Nakagawa defeated Hiroyo Matsumoto, Tsukasa Fujimoto and Yumi Ohka (6:17). *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award: Kyoko Kimura vs. Kyusei Sakura Hirota, May 13 **Best Performance Award:
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...
led
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
**Fighting Spirit Award: Kyusei Sakura Hirota **Outstanding Performance Award: Mika Iida **Technique Award: Kyusei Sakura Hirota


Catch the Young Wave

Concurrently to the 2014 Catch the Wave tournament, Pro Wrestling Wave also held the first Catch the Young Wave tournament, where six rookie wrestlers competed for a ¥500,000 main prize. Outside participants in the tournament included Risa Sera and Shiori Akiba from
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
and Kaho Kobayashi from
Wrestling New Classic was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling promotion, founded in April 2012 by Yoshihiro Tajiri. WNC was the follow-up promotion to Smash, which folded in March 2012. History On April 5, 2012, Tajiri held a press conference to anno ...
(WNC)/Reina Joshi Puroresu. Akiba was forced to pull out of the tournament and forfeit her final two matches, after being sidelined as a result of headaches and memory impairment on June 18. The block ended in a four-way tie on June 27, leading to Wave announcing a
single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...
between the four to determine the winner.


2015

The 2015 Catch the Wave took place between May 3 and July 20. The tournament featured a single round-robin block with ten wrestlers. The four previous still active winners;
Yumi Ohka , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Originally trained by the now defunct JDStar promotion, Ohka now works for Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. She is a former two-time Wave Single Champion, while also be ...
,
Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...
,
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
and Hikaru Shida as well as the reigning Catch the Young Wave winner Kaho Kobayashi, earned automatic spots in the tournament. Gami picked one wrestler to enter the tournament, while the remaining four were decided in qualifying matches on April 4. Cherry, Kyusei Sakura Hirota, Mika Iida and
Ryo Mizunami , better known by her ring name Ryo Mizunami, is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in Pro Wrestling Wave. She is also known for her appearances in other Japanese promotions such as Big Ja ...
ended up earning their spots in the tournament in a nine-woman
battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
, while
Rina Yamashita is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her time in Pro Wrestling Wave. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2013-present) Yamashita began working for other promotions such as Pr ...
was chosen by Gami as the final entrant. In the tournament, instead of points, rankings were based on winning percentages or simply the number of wins. Two matches in the tournament took place at an Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling event. *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award: Ryo Mizunami vs.
Yumi Ohka , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Originally trained by the now defunct JDStar promotion, Ohka now works for Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. She is a former two-time Wave Single Champion, while also be ...
, June 10 **Best Performance Award: Wonderful World Fairy Family (
Ayako Hamada is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Libr ...
, Chikayo Nagashima, Fairy Nipponbashi,
Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress, who is currently wrestling for Ice Ribbon, where she also works behind the scenes as the co-head trainer. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Team ...
, Yumi Ohka and Yuu Yamagata) **Fighting Spirit Award: Ryo Mizunami **Outstanding Performance Award: Mika Iida **Technique Award: Mika Iida **Raspberry Award: Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kyusei Sakura Hirota, June 14


Young Block Oh! Oh! 2015

The rookie version of Catch the Wave started on May 29 with six participants, including five outsiders; Konami from Office Kana/Reina Joshi Puroresu, Maya Yukihi and Yuka from
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
, Meiko Tanaka from World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana and Yako Fujigasaki from
JWP Joshi Puroresu , also known as or simply JWP, was a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' ( women's professional wrestling) promotion, founded in 1992 as a splinter promotion of Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the time of its folding i ...
. The tournament took place in a
single-elimination A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...
format with Konami and Yuka earning automatic spots to in the semifinals. Matches had a ten-minute time limit in the tournament. In case of a time limit draw, the match would enter a five-minute overtime, where the match can be won with only a two-count. If the match again ended in a time limit draw, it would be restarted with no time limit in a match that can be won with only a one-count. The winner of the tournament would receive ¥500,000 and a shot at the JWP Junior and Princess of Pro-Wrestling Championships. Both of the tournament's finalists were injured before the final match with Meiko Tanaka dislocating her right elbow and Yuka suffering a cervical spinal cord contusion and
subarachnoid hemorrhage Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the brain. Symptoms may include a severe headache of rapid onset, vomiting, decreased level of cons ...
. As Yuka was injured first, Wave originally awarded Tanaka the final with a bye, declaring her the winner of the tournament. However, on the final day of the tournament, Gami instead announced that they were postponing the final match until both wrestlers were able to return to the ring. The final eventually took place on October 30.


2016

The 2016 Catch the Wave took place between April 10 and June 5. The tournament featured 32 wrestlers in eight blocks of four, making it the largest Catch the Wave tournament in history. In the tournament a win was worth two points and a loss none. In case of a draw, the wrestler who debuted at a later date would be awarded one point. The winners from each block would advance to a single-elimination tournament. If a block ended in a tie, a playoff match would determine the advancer. ;Playoff matches *
Ryo Mizunami , better known by her ring name Ryo Mizunami, is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in Pro Wrestling Wave. She is also known for her appearances in other Japanese promotions such as Big Ja ...
defeated Chikayo Nagashima (12:50) *Mika Iida defeated Melanie Cruise and Tsukushi (6:53) *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award: Mika Iida vs. Tsukushi, May 3 **Best Performance Award: Referee Ishiguro and Mayumi Ozaki **Fighting Spirit Award: Rabbit Miu **Outstanding Performance Award: Hiroe Nagahama


Young Block Oh! Oh! 2016

The 2016 rookie version of Catch the Wave took place between February 6 and March 13 with eight participants in two blocks. Outside participants included Akane Fujita, Maruko Nagasaki and Yuka from
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
, Konami from Reina Joshi Puroresu, Mari An from Sportiva and Yako Fujigasaki from
JWP Joshi Puroresu , also known as or simply JWP, was a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' ( women's professional wrestling) promotion, founded in 1992 as a splinter promotion of Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the time of its folding i ...
. For the first time, the tournament ran before the main tournament. The winner of the tournament earned a spot in the 2016 Catch the Wave tournament. In the tournament, wins were worth two points and losses zero. In case of a time limit draw, the wrestler who debuted at a later date would be awarded one point. One of the matches in the tournament took place at an event held by Wave's sister promotion Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling.


2017

The 2017 Catch the Wave took place between April 19 and June 4. The tournament featured eight wrestlers in two blocks of four, making it the smallest Catch the Wave tournament in history. The participants wrestled in a single block, but in point standings were divided into two blocks by their affiliation. Wrestlers signed to Pro Wrestling Wave, wrestled in the "Zabun" block, while outsiders wrestled in the "Other Than" block, which included
Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and F ...
representative Mochi Miyagi, Marvelous representative Rin Kadokura, Seadlinnng representative Sareee and freelancer Saki. In the tournament a win was worth two points, a draw one point and a loss none. The top two wrestlers from each block advanced to the semifinals. *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award: Hiroe Nagahama vs.
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
, May 23 **Fighting Spirit Award: Rin Kadokura **Outstanding Performance Award: Hiroe Nagahama **Technique Award: Mochi Miyagi


2018

The 2018 Catch the Wave took place between March 11 and May 4. The tournament featured twelve wrestlers in two blocks of six, the Crazy Block and the Violence Block. In the tournament a win was worth two points, a draw one point and a loss none. On April 7, Hikaru Shida announced she would be dropping out to receive surgery on a distal tibia fracture, forfeiting the rest of her matches. The top wrestler from each block was to advance to the finals, however both blocks ended in ties. Because Violence Block ended in a three-way tie, the tiebreaker was determined to be a gauntlet match where the first woman to win two consecutive falls would advance. *Post-tournament awards: **Best Bout Award:
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
vs. Hikaru Shida, March 23 **Fighting Spirit Award: Mio Momono &
Miyuki Takase is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions Pro Wrestling Wave and Pure-J. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2017-present) Takase made ...
(Reason: Teamed with the competitors during multi-person tag matches.) **Outstanding Performance Award: Yuki Miyazaki &
Sakura Hirota is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions Pro Wrestling Wave and Oz Academy. Hirota's later career is characterized by being a comedy wrestler who oft a ...
(Reason: Did their best in a tough block without getting injured.) **Technique Award: Asuka (Reason: Worked through a broken ankle for the entire tournament.) **Special Prize: Hiroe Nagahama (Reason: Defeated the Regina di WAVE Champion Misaki Ohata in a surprise upset.)


2019

The 2019 Catch the Wave took place between May 5 and July 15. The tournament featured sixteen wrestlers in four blocks of four, the Power Block, the Technical Block, the Visual Block and the Young Block. With the Wave Single Championship being vacated due to the last champion
Misaki Ohata is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by her maiden name . She is best known for her work while signed to the Zabun production company and its two promotions; Pro Wrestling Wave and Osaka Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is a former o ...
's retirement from professional wrestling, the winner of the tournament would win the vacant title as well. The Young Block competed independently of the main tournament. Mika Iwata was injured on June, therefore, was out of the tournament. In the finals,
Takumi Iroha is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She also competes in Seadlinnng, where she is a former Beyond the Sea Champion. Iroha was trained by Fuka Kakimoto and made her debut in April 2013 f ...
defeated Nagisa Nozaki and Ryo Mizunami in a
three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
to win the tournament and the title.


2021

The 2021 Catch the Wave took place between June 1 and July 1. The tournament featured sixteen wrestlers in four blocks of four, the Compliance Block, the Gatling Block, the Jealousy Block and the Potential Block. The winner will be given an opportunity to challenge for the Wave Single Championship. * Post-tournament awards: ** Best Bout Award: Tomoko Watanabe vs. Yako, June 8 ** Distinguished Service Award: Mio Momono ** Fighting Spirit Award: Mio Momono ** Outstanding Performance Award: Hibiscus Mii


Young Block Oh! Oh! 2021

The 2021 Young Block tournament took place beginning with May 18 and culminated on May 28.


2022

The 2022 edition of the tournament will take place between May 5 and July 17, 2022.


Qualifier Blocks

Due to certain point ties from the qualifier blocks, there have been a couple of decision matches which took place on June 22 to determine the wrestlers who have further qualified in the final blocks.


Winner Blocks

Due to Nagisa Nozaki being one of the finalists of the tournament, the final match will also be for her Wave Single Championship and will take place on July 17.


Notes


See also

* Dual Shock Wave *
Pro Wrestling Wave , is a women's professional wrestling, or Joshi Puroresu, promotion created in 2007 after the dissolution and closure of JDStar. The company was formed by Mikiko Futagami, or Gami, former JDStar wrestler Yumi Ohka, and former JDStar booker T ...


References


External links


The official Pro Wrestling Wave website
{{Pro Wrestling Wave Pro Wrestling Wave Women's professional wrestling tournaments