Sareee Takes on Stardom with Marigold Title in Hand
Sareee to face Stardom wrestlers at her independent event after capturing the Marigold World Championship
In a unique role, Sareee is the only figure to navigate between Stardom and Marigold. On 13 July, in Ryogoku, she achieved a significant milestone by defeating Giulia and becoming the inaugural Marigold World Champion. This victory sets the stage for her appearance at her independent event, “Sareee-ISM Chapter 4,” at Shinjuku FACE on 29 July, where she will engage with Stardom wrestlers while wearing Marigold's top belt.
At a press conference on 25 June, Sareee announced the main event: a tag team match featuring Sareee and Natsupoi against Takumi Iroha and AZM. Natsupoi and AZM are, of course, rivals within Stardom. For Sareee, Natsupoi is a close friend, while this match marks her first significant encounter with AZM.
This dream match materialised through Sareee’s direct offer to Natsupoi. Their friendship began in 2016 when their first singles match was arranged, leading to a deep personal and professional bond. Despite their long-standing friendship, they have only faced each other eight times in the ring. This makes their upcoming match particularly exciting.
Reflecting on their first meeting, Natsupoi shared, “The year after my debut, Actwres girl’Z arranged a singles match between me and Sareee. Kaoru Ito told me, ‘If you really want to have a match, come train with us.’ That’s when I started training at Diana, where Sareee was also training. We began interacting regularly during those sessions.”
Their first singles match took place at Actwres girl’Z Shinkiba on 19 September 2016. Although Natsupoi, then known as Natsumi Maki, lost decisively, they started spending more time together outside the ring, becoming close friends.
Around that time, they also began teaming up. On 12 November, they faced Hanako Nakamori and Saori Anou, and on 12 February 2017, they competed against Makoto and Anou, followed by Miyuki Takase and Kakeru Sekiguchi on 25 February (all at Actwres girl’Z Shinkiba events).
Later, Natsupoi shifted her main focus to Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, leading to a period of separation in the ring. However, when Natsupoi, sidelined by an injury, chose Sareee as her return opponent, they had their second singles match on 4 January 2020 at Korakuen Hall.
“Sareee encouraged me when I was injured and at the hospital. She was also there for my surgery. I wanted my return match to be with Sareee, and the company agreed,” Natsupoi recalled.
Though she lost again, the duo reunited at Diana's Kawasaki event on 2 February, facing Ito and Tomoko Watanabe, and at Sendai Girls’ Shinkiba event on 16 February, where they battled Meiko Satomura and DASH Chisako.
“Every time we team up, we say, ‘This feels like our youth!’ It feels like two best friends excitedly running around in the ring. At the same time, there’s a sense of me chasing after Sareee as she fights,” Natsupoi said.
Natsupoi continued to grow as a wrestler while enjoying her partnership with Sareee. However, when she joined Stardom, and Sareee signed with WWE, their paths diverged. Despite this, they remained in close contact.
“Even with the time difference between Japan and America, we would talk on the phone. We always felt like we were together. So, when I returned to Stardom after my injury, it didn’t feel like a long time had passed, though I was very nervous,” Natsupoi admitted.
On 9 March 2024, at Yokohama Budokan, Natsupoi returned after a five-month absence, choosing Sareee as her partner. The match, Natsupoi and Anou versus Sareee and Chihiro Hashimoto, was a tough challenge for the recovering Natsupoi.
“I wanted Sareee to say, ‘Natsupoi in Stardom is amazing.’ I didn’t want to be seen as just glitter. I didn’t want to disappoint her, which made me very nervous,” Natsupoi said. “Watching Sareee’s entrance from the monitor backstage, I almost cried. Sareee said she almost cried during my entrance too, but neither of us did.”
Thanks to Natsupoi’s choice, Sareee’s participation in Stardom, which had been on hold for several years, was finally set in motion. Sareee even challenged Mayu Iwatani for the IWGP Women’s Championship, fulfilling a long-promised singles match. Natsupoi reopened a door that had once been closed.