English translation
週刊プロレス Weekly Pro-Wrestling,
2026/1/28 No. 2394, p.53
DDT's Recommended Wrestler for 2026 is... Kazuma Sumi
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
After a year of making great strides, he has confidence in his technique, and he's now aiming for victory in the DGC!
At present, Kazuma Sumi is three years and four months into his career, and until now, he has had worries every day. However, with 2025 seeing him challenging for the KO-D Openweight Championship, among other things, he made some dramatic development. Sumi has realized this, too, and as a result, he had made his aim for this year to "shake up the hierarchy".
"In DDT right now, there are young wrestlers from the D GENERATIONS era making their
way up the ranks. Ueno-san, MAO-san and Chris-san and others above us are well-established, and I want to be up there, too, so I want to shake up the hierarchy. For that reason, of course, I'm gonna win the D GENERATIONS CUP.
The key to Sumi's success is the young wrestlers' league tournament, the DGC, which started in Shinjuku on January 5th. With his momentum from last year leading him to challenge for the KO-D 6 Man Tag Championship at Korakuen Hall on January 3rd, perhaps he is a contender to win the DGC. If he can win there, then he can go for another "first challenge" by challenging for the Universal Championship. Incidentally, the 6 Man Tag Championship challenge will see him in his first main event at Korakuen Hall, aside from his Any Time Any Place Right to Challenge usage.
In the afore-mentioned days that he worried every day, he believed, "Even if I wait for my chance, it'll never come". But, it's because he thought that way that he had the motivation to throw himself into his training, so if his chance did come, he'd be ready to give it everything he had. So, it can be said that the steady stream of "firsts" that Sumi is experiencing is a testament to his growth, and proof that he has arrived. "It's linked to my "efforts", so it's proven to me that I'm not where I am now by mistake".
Naturally, as well as the generation above him, he's naturally aware of the DGS generation. Regarding this year's DGC, he says, "I'm keeping everyone in mind". To-y is currently the EXTREME Champion and a 6 Man Tag Champion, and Takeshi Masada challenged for the KO-D Openweight Championship at the end of last year in an unforgettable match. There are many wrestlers, who, like himself, made a lot of progress last year, and are looking to seize the opportunities brought about by their experiences in the DGC, as well as seeing who has made the most development.
Sumi did not get the victory in the last three tournaments, but he also feels like "I haven't "won" anything in my life. I've never been number one in anything".
Here, he will once again experience a "first". He also speaks of showing his growth in the ring through his techniques.
"When I challenged for the KO-D Openweight Championship in September, I used some new moves. Also, my biggest weapon, the Schoolboy, has been refined a lot in the last year, compared to how it was in the past, so I'm a lot more confident with using it. In the past, I was like, "If I just do this, will it be OK...?", and I was anxious about it. But, now, I really feel that I can win with it".
An ace up his sleeve is his reverse 450° splash, which he used for the first time in his match against Ueno. Advice from MAO convinced him to use it. Three years ago, in the first DGC, Sumi's participation ended in a total loss. Sumi asked MAO what he should do, saying a normal Firebird Splash isn't interesting. The answer was the reverse splash, which Sumi started practicing from then on. However, he wasn't always able to pull it off. He gave up on it for some time, but he eventually started practicing it again, and at last, it took shape. This is because he has grown as a wrestler. With three special techniques at his disposal, and his strong faith in the Schoolboy, Sumi aims to shake up the hierarchy of DDT.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
The thing he did in 2025 that left the biggest impression was... Using his Any Time Any Place (Right to Challenge) to challenge Ueno for the Openweight Championship!
On September 28th at Korakuen Hall, Yuki Ueno used his Any Time Any Place Right to Challenge and defeated Kazuki Hirata to become the KO-D Openweight Champion. Right after that, Sumi used the final Right to Challenge for his first shot at that same championship. Although Sumi was drawing close to the peak of DDT as one of their top young wrestlers, a stubborn Ueno was successful in his title defence. However, Sumi's usage of new techniques caused a stir in the venue and showed proof of his strenuous efforts.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
*Please note, this interview took place before the January 3rd Korakuen Hall show.
Written by Tomoki Ishii for Weekly Pro-Wrestling magazine (Japanese).
Translated into English by Michelle @puroresueikaiwa
Please do not use without permission and credit.
