Former Women's Wrestling World Champion's Journey from the Ring to Faith

The Miwa Project Production Committee is pleased to announce the worldwide YouTube premiere of the short documentary "The Bible × Women's Pro Wrestling" on July 1, 2026.

The film follows the remarkable life of Miwa Sato, a former WWA Women's World Champion and one of Japan's most memorable professional wrestlers of the 1990s.

The project was made possible through a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised more than ¥1.5 million (approximately US$10,000). The funds were primarily used to film at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo's legendary venue widely regarded as the birthplace of Japanese professional wrestling. After receiving overwhelming support from backers, the documentary is now ready for its public release.

Poster

A Champion's Search for the Meaning of True Strength

During the 1990s, Miwa Sato became one of the founding stars of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), an influential Japanese professional wrestling promotion famous for its intense and innovative style. She rose to become the WWA Women's World Champion, earning popularity first as a bright young babyface idol wrestler before reinventing herself as the feared villain known as "The Fallen Angel."

Behind the applause and championship success, however, she struggled with loneliness, pressure, and questions about her identity.

After losing her championship and suffering a serious injury, she embraced the role of a heel wrestler. While captivating audiences with her dark persona, she gradually lost sight of what "strength" truly meant.

Everything changed when she encountered a single book—the Bible.

The values she discovered were radically different from everything she had pursued inside the wrestling ring.

Rather than believing strength meant defeating others, inspiring fear, or hiding weakness, she came to understand another kind of strength: one rooted in love, forgiveness, humility, and hope.

Today, Miwa Sato serves as a Christian evangelist, sharing the message of the Bible with people throughout Japan.

More than the story of a former wrestling champion, this documentary invites viewers to reflect on a universal question:

What does it really mean to be strong?

Miwa Sato in Her Champion Days

Highlights

1. Filmed at Korakuen Hall

The documentary returns Miwa Sato to Korakuen Hall, where she wrestled her retirement match. Standing once again inside the ring, she reflects on the journey of her life.

2. Rare FMW Match Footage and Photographs

The film includes never-before-seen archival match footage and photographs from Miwa's career during the early years of FMW, offering a nostalgic look at one of Japan's most influential wrestling promotions.

3. Footage of the Legendary Beauty Pair

The documentary also features archival footage of Beauty Pair, the iconic women's wrestling tag team that helped spark the boom of women's professional wrestling in Japan during the 1970s, providing historical context for the generations that followed.

4. A Real Story Behind Japan's Women's Wrestling Boom

Interest in Japan's women's wrestling has recently grown internationally through Netflix's drama series "The Queen of Villains," which dramatizes the golden era of Japanese women's wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s.

This documentary offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the wrestlers who actually lived through that remarkable period.

Miwa Sato during her “idol wrestler” days

■ Work Overview

Title: “The Bible × Women’s Pro-Wrestling”

Main Character: Miwa Sato

Runtime: Approx. 18 minutes

Genre: Short Documentary

Theme: “What Is True Strength?”

Release Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Distribution: Free streaming on YouTube

Miwa Sato during her days as a heel wrestler

Behind-the-scenes footage from Korakuen Hall 01

Behind-the-scenes footage from Korakuen Hall, Part 02

Director's Statement

We did not set out to make just another documentary about a professional wrestler.

Instead, we wanted to tell a story that challenges our understanding of strength. 

Strength is not only about winning.

It is also about rising after failure.

Accepting our weaknesses.

And continuing to love others despite life's hardships.

We hope that Miwa Satomi's remarkable journey will inspire hope in people around the world.

Shuichi Azuma

Director

■ About the Filmmaker

Shuichi Azuma is a Japanese filmmaker with more than 20 years of experience producing television news features and documentaries.

He previously worked on the nationally acclaimed news program Hodo Station, contributing to a feature that received the 2015 Galaxy Award Grand Prize, one of Japan's highest honors in broadcast journalism.

■ Website

https://miwa-film.com

■ Social Media

X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/miwa_project101

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miwa_project/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCbuuGrdpoR351o1gapchNGA?si=IXsQFvZtn2rtJ1n6