GLEAT (pronounced like “Great” but with an L) is a relatively new promotion in Japan. Founded in spring 2020 by Hiroyuki Suzuki on cooperation with veteran wrestler/martial artist Kiyoshi Tamura and Lidet Entertainment, the name GLEAT combines “GREAT” with the initial “L” of Lidet. Designed as a 50-50 hybrid of pro wrestling & martial arts and paying homage to the original UWF, the promotion was first built around wrestlers Tamura trained and was later expanded by a number of wrestlers coming from Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling, led by CIMA and his #STRONGHEARTS faction. The stated goal of GLEAT is “All for a ring that will make you enthusiastic and intoxicated”. The promotion’s official launch event came in summer 2021 in Tokyo.
In addition to Suzuki, Japanese wrestling icon Riki Choshu and former Dragon Gate star Masato Yoshino serve in corporate roles on the promotion’s front office (Choshu is Chairman of GLEAT, Yoshino is Commissioner of G PROWRESTLING, Tamura is the Executive Director of GLEAT) and the promotion has a handful of female wrestlers too. Women also participate in Lidet UWF bouts as well as G PROWRESTLING, and there is frequent outsider participation including wrestlers from All-Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH as well as independents. The promotion is owned by Lidet Entertainment.
GLEAT events currently fall under 3 brands: The signature GLEAT label, usually reserved for major events and a hybrid of its two sub-brands: G PROWRESTLING, the primary brand which features pro wrestling-focused events, and Lidet UWF, based on Akira Maeda’s original 1980s wrestling/shootfighting hybrid promotion that incorporates elements of martial arts and wrestling (but not exactly like MMA). Currently about 95% of events are under the G PROWRESTLING label with a handful of GLEAT events each year.
GLEAT currently has 3 titles: G REX Championship & G INFINITY Championship in G PROWRESTLING and Lidet UWF Championship.
Current roster:
CIMA
El Lindaman
T-Hawk
Minoru Tanaka
Kaz Hayashi
Takanori Ito
Soma Watanabe
Jun Tonsho
Tetsuya Izuchi
KAZMA SAKAMOTO
Check Shimatani
Ryuichi Kawakami
Hayato Tamura
Quiet Storm
Yu Iizuka
Issei Onitsuka
Takehiro Yamamura
MICHIKO (Michiko Miyagi)
Yukari Hosokawa (Retired)
Maya Fukuda
Sayaka Unagi (Independent/Freelancer)
Titles & History:
G-REX Championship
G INFINITY Championship
Lidet UWF Championship
How to watch:
YouTube-Currently all events except PPVs are available FOR FREE on YouTube. Some events-usually those in Tokyo-are streamed live while those that are not usually are made available on demand within 2-3 days (but it can take up to 1 week for some events). PPVs usually are available on demand on the channel 3-6 months after the event.
Official website (in Japanese):
https://ent.lidet.co.jp/
