SETUP Real Global Impact Full Preview

The next promotion to kick off their 2026 season is SETUP (if we disregard the Tomyum show a few weeks ago). Real Global Impact, named partially after the banner heel faction Real Global Threat as well as the promotion’s intentions for 2026, is about making a real global impact on the world of wrestling. This card is certainly going to draw attention, with wrestlers from TJPW and DDT as well as a host of SETUP’s finest battling it out alongside some special SEA Wrestling guests.

The biggest thing to celebrate is that after a few less attended shows during the rainy season, this show is the sell-out SETUP shows deserve to be. At the time of publication, it is unclear whether the show will be livestreamed or posted to YouTube shortly after. Either way, if you can’t make it like us, SETUP always ensures we get to see what happens.

Matchups

Pre-Show: Admin Oak vs Manuel

We haven’t seen Admin Oak since Doublecross last year. It’s been assumed since the loss that this wrestler has been training away, looking for another opportunity while also fulfilling referee duties. Well, now that opportunity is here, as matchmakers feel the pre-show is a chance for both competitors to test whether they can handle the pressure of a live audience. Both need experience. Both want to showcase what they can do.

The special highlight of the February 21 show is that the action begins early, with doors opening at 5:00 PM. This will also mark the first official pre-show (Dark Match) in SETUP history. The intention is for this match to serve as a genuine opportunity for rising talents to gain experience on a bigger stage. If you’re curious about where Thai wrestling is heading in the future, this is where you may catch the first glimpse. Both competitors have trained relentlessly, knowing this is their chance to take a major step toward an official debut. Get there early at 5:00 PM if you want to witness what could be part of the future of SEA Wrestling.

Inter Species Challenge: Kappa Kozou vs Dewdy (FKA Blick Drewz)

At the end of last year, regular viewers of SETUP would have noticed Drewz beginning to morph into a more flamboyant character. This man is no longer Blick Drewz but “Dewdy.” New music, new gear, new attitude, and an upgraded moveset. In December, he almost defeated Kru Pol, Kevin Weng, and Naga Nai.

However, Kappa Kozou interfered, allowing Naga Nai another victory. Now is Dewdy’s chance for revenge and to start 2026 on top. His first challenge? Ridding SETUP of one Kappa at a time. First up is Kappa Kozou, who has been told by Haru Miyako that this may be the very last time we see him in a SETUP ring should he lose.

For me personally, this would be no great loss. The Kappas have been an irritant to proceedings in SETUP and have only become worse since aligning themselves as Naga Nai’s lackeys. It may be time to show them the door, one by one.

St John Innocent College Decision Match: Kru Pol vs Kevin Weng

Tensions within the school have completely unraveled. The situation escalated so far that Pondhub was ultimately forced out of SETUP, disappearing indefinitely with no timeline for a return. Rather than calming things down, his departure only intensified the hostility, driving the feud between student Kevin Weng and mentor Kru Pol to its most volatile stage yet.

This is no longer a clash of egos. With prize money pledged by “school principal” Kru Tang, the stakes are tangible. The outcome now carries financial consequences alongside personal ones.

Kru Pol has been here before—rising to the occasion when it counted, only to see victory slip away in the closing seconds. Time and again, Jeney and Kevin Weng capitalized at exactly the right moment, using experience and timing to snatch away what seemed secured. This time, Kru Pol insists it will be different. No lapses. No last-second theft. No opportunities handed back.

For Kevin Weng, however, the motivation runs deeper than money or momentum. This bout could redefine his trajectory entirely. It may even be the catalyst that brings Pondhub back into the fold.

This is one I’m looking forward to. Kru Pol went from side character to genuinely standing out in Thai wrestling in the second half of 2025 thanks to some highly entertaining storylines with Jeney and Naga Nai. Kevin Weng has proved to be a solid wrestler after a short break, and this inter-school rivalry should be a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see if Jeney makes an appearance here as well.

P’Suchart vs Naga Nai

This is what happens when two wrestlers who started from the same point take completely different roads and come back around to collide. Whatever they once called friendship is hanging by a thread, and once that bell rings, it may not survive.

P’Suchart is trying to steady himself after dropping the IWA Japan SETUP World Tag Team Championship, following years of building his name side by side with Anont Alonzo. That chapter shaped him. Now he has to prove he can stand just as firmly without it.

Across the ring, Naga Nai — Flame Drake to many — is confronting his own past. Aligning with Terry Diesel and the demon-backed kWo hasn’t just changed his strategy; it has changed who he is in that ring.

The timing couldn’t be sharper. The history is there. The tension is there. Now they finally have no choice but to face it.

I’m a huge fan of the P’Suchart motodop driver character. It’s relevant and unique to the Thai context and should gain Suchart more regular bookings than he currently gets. Naga Nai has become one of the most intriguing gimmicks since switching from Flame Drake. Previously, Drake was someone I felt lacked direction and could be easily replaceable, but this demonic character shift is something fans can genuinely engage with.

DEXCON World Championship Eliminator: Jonathan Johnson vs Isaiah Valencia

Stakes don’t get much bigger than this for Jonathan Johnson. He knows his opponent and where he comes from all too well. Both men have met before in Valencia’s home base, The Brawlpit Bulusan in Manila (a triple threat with Miles Karu at DEXCON Peksman). On that night, Johnson retained the IWA SETUP World Championship. This time, however, Valencia is more dangerous, and Johnson is more fueled by vengeance.

Despite Johnson’s ongoing war with Real Global Threat, the man who betrayed him has managed to duck and dodge him for months. If he can defeat Hy/Op’s Lion, he will earn an opportunity at De Leon and the DEXCON World Championship at a date to be confirmed.

Johnson cannot afford to underestimate the aggressive new Isaiah Valencia. Following a brutal collision with Jake De Leon last year, Valencia is a changed man. Focused, dedicated, and dangerous.

This could easily be one of the matches of the night. It has serious competition from the main event, but I expect people will be talking about these two after the show. Johnson has gained significant experience in Japan over the past six months, while Valencia will relish the chance to prove himself during his first excursion. He wants to reach that travelling SEA wrestler status that so few have achieved, including his faction leader.

SETUP Tag Team Championship: Team TJPW vs Matcha and Monomoth

Do tag team matches get more all-star and unusual than this one? SETUP made it official, and it immediately caught attention. A genuine dream match, pairing champions from Thailand’s men’s and women’s divisions, both standing on the edge of major international breakthroughs.

Monomoth is heading to GCW during WrestleMania Weekend. Matcha is set for TJPW Grand Princess 2026, becoming the first Southeast Asian wrestler to compete at Ryogoku Kokugikan. That alone speaks to the level involved. This isn’t simply a showcase — it’s a benchmark for Thai wrestling and an opportunity to see how local talent measures up against opponents with proven global credentials.

Miyu Yamashita and Kaya Toribami have represented IWA | SETUP with authority. Since defending the titles at TJPW LIVE in Bangkok last December, they have carried the championships across Japan and Europe, helping introduce Thai wrestling to a broader international audience. The IWA | SETUP World Tag Team Championship carries real history, previously held by “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, “Cactus Jack” Mick Foley, and The Headhunters.

IWA SETUP World Championship: Shivam vs Chris Brookes

After Shivam took the title from Jonathan Johnson at SETUP EP.25, he didn’t waste momentum. His first defense came at Tokyo Comic Con on December 6, 2025, inside Makuhari Messe, in front of a packed crowd. That performance confirmed what had been building throughout the year: Real Global Threat had positioned itself at the center of the conversation.

To open 2026, Shivam set the tone again. His second defense would be against his own stablemate, Chris Brookes. Brookes had just competed at the Tokyo Dome and brings with him a résumé that includes two KO-D Openweight Championship reigns. The announcement immediately raised a question: what exactly is RGT trying to prove?

Shivam has been direct. In his view, the standard at the top and the standard beneath it are no longer aligned. If the scene is going to progress, the benchmark must be raised from within. If that means stablemates competing against each other to establish that level, so be it.

Brookes versus Shivam is not a routine defense. It is two internationally tested wrestlers sharing the same platform, meeting one-on-one for the first time with the IWA Japan World Championship on the line.

This main event is genuinely intriguing. The quality alone suggests something significant, but the unpredictability adds another layer. You never quite know who might get involved. And beyond that, there is the simple question of outcome. If Shivam wins, it’s handshakes and raised arms. But if Brookes takes the title, can the volatile Shivam respond the same way?

Real Global Impact feels like a statement show. There is development across the card — rising prospects on the pre-show, personal rivalries reaching key points, inter-promotional stakes, and a world title match that questions internal loyalty. It reflects where SETUP currently stands: locally rooted but increasingly internationally connected. February 21 won’t just begin their 2026 season — it will clarify the direction they intend to take it.