Even this early on, you can see it in Konomi Hori. Inspiration. That amorphous quality surging through the the best wrestlers, putting on exclamation points on their work, spreading a layer of joy on the violence they produce.
There is something electric about her, though the voltage is not yet turned up all the way. An energy, a special something, powering her small frame.
We have seen a great influx of promising rookies in joshi wrestling over the past few years. Shinno bloodied her face as she charged onto the scene. Seri Yamaoka gave off star vibes from day one. Senka Aktasuki has fast become one of the most compelling forces on the scene. And let us not forget what Uta Takami, Big Haruka, Sora Ayame, and Yukina Uehara have been up to.
We have another name to add to that list. A raw talent working under a dimmer spotlight: Konomi Hori.
Hori is a former gravure idol who signed with Pro-Wrestling ZERO1 as the company launches its own joshi division. The now 25-year-old promotion recently formed Rose, a joshi offshoot of its main brand. ZERO1 tagged FMW legend Megumi Kudo to lead Rose and hired former Ice Ribbon champ Yuuki Mashiro to be one of its key stars.
It’s on this freshly built stage where Hori will learn the ropes of wrestling, shifting from model to fighter.
Hori debuted on February 7 against the imposing Yumiko Hotta at TOKYOSQUARE. That’s quite the first opponent. Hotta is a three-time WWWA women’s champ, a prominent figure in All Japan Women’s boom in the ‘90s, a bruiser who has battles the likes of Aja Kong, Manami Toyota, and Shinobu Kandori. She also boasts a clear size and strength advantage over the younger Hori.
But the red-clad rookie would not be intimidated.
After daintily bowing to the crowd with a smile, her bob haircut bouncing with each gentle movement, she leaped right into the fray. After a quick mix-up about which corner to stand in, of course. Hori hurled herself at the bigger Hotta and after each dismissive shove to the ground from the veteran, she hopped right back up.
She attached herself to Hotta’s neck like a spider monkey clinging to a tree branch.
The story of the match is the former champion welcoming Hori’s fury. She puffs out her chest and dares the upstart to come at her. And damn does she. Hori hammers down on Hotta’s sternum with heavy-handed forearms.
As per usual with these sort of veteran-testing-a-rookie matches, the newcomer’s offense has little effect. Those strikes look and sound hard, but Hotta shrugs them off. A barrage of dropkicks doesn’t do any clear damage, either.
But they do show off Hori’s fearlessness. Her fire. The high temperature of her passion early on.
When it was Hotta’s turn to dole out attacks, Hori exuded anguish. She squealed. She squirmed. She bunched up her spritely face.
As both attacker and prey, Hori demonstrated a strong sense of body language, emoting well, looking comfortable, being believable. Sure, she had some awkward falls where she’s clearly not used to dropping to the mat, but that’s more teachable than the more intangible side of wrestling. And it’s that side of things where Hori is showing promise thus far.
A week later, Hori teamed up with Yuuki Mashiro to take on CoCo and Tagirihime Manamu at Kendo Hall.
Again, Hori found herself faced with a larger opponent and again she dove headfirst, heedless. While she failed to slam Manamu despite all that adrenaline surging through her, she did manage to push her against the ropes and wail on her with forearms. Man, these looked good, especially for someone still counting their career match total in single digits. They had weight to them. Appropriate malice behind them.
You can see all the rough edges of Hori’s game in this match—awkward rope-running, dropkicks that lack oomph—but that’s all paired with other moments of fluidity and grace. Plus, the devil-may-care energy behind the running knee to the gut she hit.
Even in a short outing where she ended the night with her leg twisted behind her, tapping out, Hori showed flashes of potential.
To kick off March, Hori found herself in a singles clash with Kaoru Ito at the Rose Girls Pro-Wrestling debut show. Like Hotta, Ito made her name in the ‘90s, won the WWWA title, and has mixed it up with Hall of Famers. And like Hotta, Ito is a stacked powerhouse there to play Goliath to Hori’s David.
Before their match begins, you can see a fusion of focus and trepidation in Hori’s face. Either this is how she was actually feeling facing off against Ito or it’s more evidence of her dramatic skills.
Hori charges forward like a wild dog, knocking Ito over. There is spot of ungainliness here and there, but she has the right energy. She’s alive and driven, coursing with a warrior’s spirt.
On the flip side, when it’s her turn to be on the defensive, Hori did well to sell us on how afraid and hurt she was. Ito stomps and squishes her, and she responds in fearful howling. When locked in a single-leg crab, she becomes a scream queen from a horror movie.
This dynamic of the veteran pounding and toying with the young talent dominates the match. It’s a torture fest that ends with Ito landing a senton and Hori not being able to get up.
Each time out, Hori has shown signs that she has an excellent understanding of the art of being a babyface.
She’s compelling, creates pathos, has great spunk. Whether she was hurling strikes or suffering on the mat, I found myself drawn to her. Rooting for her. Curious and hungry for what’s next.
ZERO1 seems to see the same things in her. The company thrust her into prominent singles matches right away. It has given her big opportunities against big names, and there’s surely more to come.
For one, she’ll face Makoto at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring on March 20. And with Rose’s small roster, that sub-promotion is sure to lean on her. Good for her and good for us.
Konomi Hori is a rookie you should absolutely keep your eye on in 2026.
One of the most exciting aspects of joshi fandom is finding talent like her early and latching on, to establish your fandom before the masses. There’s a chance to do just that now, to get in on the ground floor of the Konomi Hori bandwagon.
It’s sure to get crowded before long.
Title Quotes ‘The Flower’ by Alfred Lord Tennyson
RESURA 