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Saya Kamitani Is First Woman To Win Tokyo Sports MVP; Takeshita, Sareee Also Honored

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI  |  By Lyric Swinton  |  Last updated Dec 16, 2025 9:30 PM ET

Bow once again to your Phenex Queen.

After months of presenting her case on why she is the undisputed top draw of Japanese wrestling regardless of gender, World of STARDOM and NJPW Strong Women's Champion Saya Kamitani made history today as the first woman to win the Tokyo Sports MVP award.

Past Tokyo Sports MVP winners include Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Zack Sabre Jr. Kamitani also won the Women's Wrestling MVP award.

With her historic win, Kamitani adds another feather to her cap in what has been a monumental year for her and for STARDOM. She headlined the company's largest-attended show ever at April's All-Star Grand Queendom, where she defeated Tam Nakano in a career vs. career match that ended up being rated 5.25 stars by Wrestling Observer Newsletter.


"For 52 years of the Pro-Wrestling Awards, the focus has always been on the men. But the fact that Saya-sama won the MVP award has shattered all preconceived notions. From here on out, Saya-sama will elevate pro-wrestling to the mainstream and take it to places no one has even imagined.”Saya Kamitani, H/T @meraWRESTLING on X

Kamitani ranked at number three on the 2025 PWI Women's 250 list, and her match with Hanan in September became the first women's match in 23 years to be broadcast on Japanese network television, greatly attributed to the Phenex Queen's mainstream popularity.

Her next steps are already clear. On December 29th, Kamitani will headline STARDOM's Dream Queendom, defending the World of STARDOM Championship against Saori Anou in Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Days later, on January 4th, she'll make her Tokyo Dome debut at Wrestle Kingdom 20 and put her NJPW Strong Women's Championship on the line in a title vs. title match against IWGP Women's Champion Syuri.

The complete list of 2025 Tokyo Sports Puroresu Award winners

Tokyo Sports is one of Japan's leading sports outlets. Since 1974, the Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards have honored the best and brightest of Japanese wrestling in multiple categories.

This year's winners include:

  • MVP: Saya Kamitani - STARDOM
  • Best Bout: Kaito Kiyomiya vs. OZAWA - NOAH The New Year - January 1, 2025
  • Outstanding Performance Award: Konosuke Takeshita - AEW/NJPW/DDT
  • Fighting Spirit Award: Sareee - Freelance
  • Technique Award: Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW
  • Best Newcomer: Kaisei Takechi - DDT
  • Women's Pro Wrestling MVP: Saya Kamitani - STARDOM

Among the winners, former IWGP Women's Champion Sareee made some history of her own as the first woman to win the Fighting Spirit Award. Former winners include Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuyori Shibata, and Konosuke Takeshita.

Speaking of Konosuke Takeshita, he capped his monumental year by winning the Outstanding Performance Award. As the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and G1 Climax winner, Takeshita was a star attraction in NJPW and DDT in Japan, as well as in AEW.

He'll defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji at Wrestle Kingdom 20 in a double gold dash.

Headlining Wrestle Kingdom 20 is Hiroshi Tanahashi's retirement match against his longtime rival, AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada. Tanahashi won the Tokyo Sports Technique Award in his final full-time year as an active wrestler. Over his iconic 27-year career, he also won the MVP, Fighting Spirit, Best Bout, and Outstanding Performance awards.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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