Tenshin Nasukawa will no longer compete in the planned DDT Pro-Wrestling collaboration at the TEAM TENSHIN festival on October 31 at Matsudo Central Park in Chiba, Japan.

The event had advertised Nasukawa for a “street pro wrestling” six-man tag team match. He was scheduled to join three-time KO-D Openweight Champion Yuki Ueno and Shinya Aoki. However, the Japan Boxing Commission issued a statement after news of the appearance circulated, and Nasukawa’s participation was subsequently canceled.

The reason is tied to Nasukawa’s current status as a professional boxer. Japan Boxing Commission regulations prevent licensed professional boxers from taking part in other combat sports, matches, or events. While the planned DDT attraction was positioned as a special street wrestling collaboration rather than a conventional boxing contest, the commission’s rules ruled out Nasukawa competing.

Planned Match Pulled From TEAM TENSHIN Festival

TEAM TENSHIN, the organization supporting Nasukawa, is staging its festival at Matsudo Central Park on October 31. The advertised partnership with DDT Pro-Wrestling brought together names with considerably different backgrounds from across Japan’s combat sports and wrestling landscape.

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Nasukawa was set to team with Ueno, one of DDT’s most accomplished active stars, and Aoki, a prominent combat sports competitor who has also appeared in professional wrestling settings. Their six-man match was promoted under the “street pro wrestling” banner, an appropriate fit for a festival taking place in a public-park setting rather than a standard arena wrestling card.

That lineup will now change, as Nasukawa cannot take part. No replacement competitor, revised match configuration, or further card adjustment was specified in the information surrounding the cancellation.

The development is significant because Nasukawa’s appearance was a major crossover element for the event. He has remained one of Japan’s most recognizable striking-sports personalities through multiple phases of his career, first becoming widely known in kickboxing before moving into professional boxing. A pro wrestling appearance alongside Ueno and Aoki would have added another unusual chapter to that crossover history, but his boxing obligations take precedence.

Boxing Regulations Decide the Issue

The Japan Boxing Commission’s position centers on the restrictions that apply to active pro boxers. Its regulations do not allow them to participate in other combat sports, matches, or events. As a result, Nasukawa’s involvement in a pro wrestling match could not proceed while he remains active under the commission’s jurisdiction.

Professional wrestling has a distinct format and presentation from regulated boxing, but the commission’s stated restriction is broader than simply barring a boxer from entering another boxing ring. The rule covers participation in other combat sports, matches, and events, which brought the advertised DDT collaboration within its scope.

For Nasukawa, the decision removes a one-off promotional appearance rather than signaling a change to his boxing career. The available information does not indicate any injury, disciplinary matter, contractual dispute, or issue involving DDT itself. The cancellation stems from the applicable boxing regulations.

It is also a reminder of the limitations that can accompany crossover appearances. Wrestlers and combat sports athletes frequently share promotional spaces, appear at one another’s events, and take part in special attractions. Yet athletes competing under formal commissions can face restrictions that do not apply to performers working exclusively in professional wrestling. In this case, Nasukawa’s status as an active boxer determined the outcome.

Nasukawa’s Combat Sports Background

Before concentrating on boxing, Nasukawa built an extraordinary kickboxing record. He retired from kickboxing in 2022 with a 42-0 record, ending that portion of his career unbeaten.

His move into professional boxing kept him in the striking world while placing him under a different regulatory structure. Nasukawa currently holds an 8-2 boxing record. That active career is the key factor in the Japan Boxing Commission’s ruling on the DDT-associated match.

Nasukawa also has a background as a former MMA fighter, giving the scheduled attraction additional appeal as a meeting point between wrestling and combat sports. The originally advertised trio reflected that blend: Nasukawa as the active boxer and retired unbeaten kickboxer, Aoki as an established figure in combat sports, and Ueno as a leading DDT competitor and three-time KO-D Openweight Champion.

Instead, the festival will proceed without Nasukawa in action. The cancellation does not erase the interest created by the collaboration, but it does underline that an athlete’s current professional commitments can sharply limit even a novelty or exhibition-style appearance.

What It Means for DDT and the Festival

DDT has long operated in a corner of professional wrestling where conventional bouts can sit alongside unconventional concepts, special-event attractions, and appearances that pull from the wider world of entertainment and athletics. A street pro wrestling match at a festival naturally fits that willingness to present wrestling outside a traditional venue.

The initially announced match also had the potential to draw attention beyond DDT’s regular audience. Nasukawa’s name carries recognition from kickboxing and boxing, while Aoki brings his own combat sports following. Ueno, meanwhile, offered a direct connection to DDT’s championship history as a three-time KO-D Openweight Champion.

With Nasukawa removed, the focus shifts to how the event’s organizers and DDT choose to adapt the attraction. The match had been announced as a six-man tag, but no confirmed new opponent, substitute partner, or altered format was included with the news of Nasukawa’s withdrawal. Fans will need to await any official update on the final presentation of the street wrestling portion of the festival.

The important point is that Nasukawa’s absence is not being framed as a creative decision or an athletic inability to perform. It is a regulatory matter. The Japan Boxing Commission’s standards prevent him from participating, and the event has acted accordingly.

A Crossover Appearance Put on Hold

Nasukawa’s planned involvement showed why crossover appearances continue to attract interest in Japan. Combat sports and professional wrestling have long had overlapping audiences, and special events can create compelling combinations of athletes from otherwise separate disciplines. The prospect of Nasukawa, Ueno, and Aoki standing together in a street wrestling match was built around exactly that kind of curiosity.

Still, active boxing carries responsibilities that differ from those of a retired combat athlete or a full-time wrestler. Nasukawa’s unbeaten 42-0 kickboxing retirement record is part of his established legacy, but he has not stepped away from combat competition altogether. His ongoing 8-2 boxing career means he remains subject to rules that prohibit this kind of participation.

For now, Nasukawa’s pro wrestling debut or special appearance will have to wait. The October 31 TEAM TENSHIN festival at Matsudo Central Park will go forward without him in the advertised DDT street pro wrestling match, while Ueno, Aoki, DDT, and the event organizers await clarity on the revised card.

The episode ultimately emphasizes the distinction between interest in a crossover and permission to carry it out. Nasukawa was announced for a unique festival attraction with two notable names from wrestling and combat sports. But as an active professional boxer, he cannot enter the match under Japan Boxing Commission regulations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.