Kira Summer and her journey to wrestling fame

In the world of pro wrestling, Kira Summer stands out in more ways than one. A self-professed anime fan, she moved to Japan five years ago to pursue a career as an artist and animator, and is now the first-ever internally trained foreign member of Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, while also enjoying the joys of motherhood.

Image by Daryl Harding

Wrestling is in her blood

Wrestling is in Summer’s blood. Back home in Adelaide, her sister and brother-in-law are both professional wrestlers. From a young age, she watched American promotions like WWE with 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 remembers it being an amazing experience. She got to sit backstage with wrestlers and get to know them intimately.

“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 pro wrestler, I was treated like the kid in the family. The atmosphere was fun and the theatrics were fun,” Summer said.

Summer then spent over a year working as a staff member for Riot City. She also completed a year of training with Snakepit Pro Wrestling (now Pro Wrestling South Australia). However, she did not debut. After moving to Japan, she was ready to put wrestling aside and pursue other things, but a chance meeting during the COVID pandemic brought her back to her passion.

Image via Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling

A fateful event

The return to Summers’ roots came at a time when she needed it most.

“After COVID hit, I started getting depressed because I was stuck inside all the time and couldn’t see anyone. Then one of my friends came to Japan and he’s really into wrestling. I went with him to a live women’s wrestling event and when I walked in, I was immediately overwhelmed with emotions. When I saw how all the wrestlers interacted with each other and worked as a team, I thought I missed out,” Summer recalled.

Summer still isn’t sure if her friend planned it somehow, but that same show also happened to be advertising auditions. With only two weeks to go until the deadline, Summer went home and, without really thinking about it, sent the promotion an email. The rest is history.

Kira Summer prepares a powerful slam on her opponent. Image via Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling

Training to become a Joshi Pro

Much of what goes into professional wrestling training is industry secret. However, Summer was able to share that one of the first things you learn at a reputable academy is how to fall safely. Falling is, of course, a huge part of wrestling, and aspiring wrestlers need to learn how to take as little damage as possible to protect themselves.

“In my first session at the school I was studying in Australia, a coach asked me to sit on a box. Without warning, he pushed me backwards off. Luckily, there were mats behind it, but he did it to see how I would react,” Summer recalls.

Summer recalls another session where if you couldn’t fall properly on a mat, you had to fall on a concrete floor the next time. For training in Japan, Summer says basic fitness is the next most important thing after safety. After that, it’s all about professionalism.

“The people you end up working with have to be able to trust that you’re not going to pick fights with fans or provoke people in the locker room,” she says.

Summers’ day to day fluctuates depending on her schedule, as not all of her training occurs at the same time every day. Her waking time is actually determined by her son, but it’s usually between 5 and 7 in the morning, when she’ll make breakfast and a packed lunch for him to take to school. After that, she’ll head to morning training or, if it’s an evening session, she’ll spend a few hours working on illustration assignments or doing household chores.

“One of the biggest challenges for me since becoming a wrestler is balancing my role as a wife and mother,” Summer admits.

Training sessions can last two to four hours and are very intense. She usually gets home late, eats, and goes straight to bed. During June, Summer also upped the ante on her schedule by incorporating a push-up challenge into her workout.

The Road to Becoming a Princess

It’s been a little over four months since Summer made her debut and she’s already achieved a number of career highlights. One of them was competing 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 following her everywhere she went. It was then broadcasted live internationally on one of the biggest 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 that felt like.”

As for new milestones, Summer has already checked off another goal. On July 20, she competed in Summer Sun Princess 2024 at Tokyo Korakuen Hall, where she went head-to-head against one of her mates, Chika Nanase.

“We spent most of our time together and a singles match between us is something we always wanted to do. There is no bad blood. Besides Uta Takami, all three of us started together and reached the same milestones together,” says Summer.

At some point, Summer also wants to compete for the International Princess Championship belt.

“When challenging for the title, it’s not just about the title itself, but also about who holds it,” Summer explains. “For example, if Rika Tatsumi or Yuki Kamifuku hold the title, those are two people I really want to challenge.”

Summers’ career as a female pro wrestler is still in its early stages, but the fact that she’s already managed to carve out a niche for herself is a significant accomplishment. She’s grateful 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 of the Japanese wrestling industry.

When her son is asked if he would be concerned if he saw her wrestle, Summer laughs and says he’s watched livestreams of her matches.

“I don’t think I’d take him to a live match because if he saw me he might come running after me. But he’d think it was hilarious to see me being tossed around in real life,” she says.

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