Janai Kai has been making her mark so far in 2023 after making her first trip to Japan as part of Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW). In her second match, she had the chance to challenge Miu Watanabe for the International Princess Championship. While she came up short in the challenge, it was clear that Kai was not only built for Japan with her Taekwondo background but she was built to be a champion as well.
Kai, the current Ladies Night Out Champion, has made an impact in the independent scene in the United States, but getting to Japan was always part of what she's been striving for as a professional wrestler.
Talking with Fightful's Scott Edwards, Kai went into detail on how going to Japan has been her dream from the start so when she had the opportunity to head over to the country with TJPW, she jumped at the chance.
But how did it all come together? Matches against Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh in the United States may have done the trick.
"On their end, I don’t know how they came up with how they’re gonna bring me in and where they’re gonna put me," Kai said. "That’s one thing. Before I went over there I did have a match with Miyu Yamashita, I was also in a triple threat with her and Billie (Starkz). I was able to get a match with Maki Itoh as well. So right off the bat when I had a match with them, it felt good. I really loved working with them. It really got me thinking, ‘Okay, this could be a foot in the door to really show that I can hang with these girls. Like, I can go and the possibility of me even going to Tokyo, it can happen this year.
"So I took advantage and I was like, ‘This is my dream. This is where I want to be since day one.’ So I saw it. I saw the opportunity and I was like, we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna make it happen. These girls are coming over here and I want to make that impression, like, ‘Hey, I want to go over there. I want to be part of TJPW even.’ So I was able to do that. I was able to have the matches with them, I was able to talk to them a little bit just to get some good tips or advice to see how can I make this happen.
"As far as that went, that was before going and then when they reached out to me, I was like, ‘Oh, man.’ ‘Cause they already had Billie over there, they announced that Trish (Adora) was going over there. So I was like, ‘Now, they’re looking at me to come in.’ That made me really excited because that made me like, ‘Okay, cool. Someone at least has their eyes on me. Someone at least is interested in me and my style.’ Nowadays there’s a lot of things going on. People are being brought into a bunch of different companies and a lot of eyes are everywhere. I was just wondering, where do I fit in? Where am I gonna go? If anything, I wasn’t panicking too much about it. I was just remaining calm. My time will happen when it happens."
The excitement didn't end there for Kai, as it was her first match in TJPW where she got to team with Hikari Noa against Rika Tatsumi and Yuki Aino which really set the tone. She was able to introduce herself to the TJPW fans in what ended up being a victory, but the fact it all happened in the historic Korakuen Hall made the moment all the more special.
"But again, Japan was always at the top," Kai continued. "So I was always hoping that this would happen sometime if anything. So they hit me up. I didn’t know what my matches were until a little bit closer to date when I was going to be leaving. Once they were announced, they announced the International Princess Championship match first. Then I saw that, when they put it in the caption, that I am going to be debuting in Korakuen Hall, I was like, ‘Hold on a second. Wait.’
"Cause I was looking at the flier for the International Princess Championship match and it said it’s in Nagoya and that my debut was going to be in Korakuen Hall. I was like, ‘Holy crap.’ That’s a whole other thing. My first match ever in Tokyo is going to be there. Then they put the card up and it was a tag match, and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. This is going to be fun.’ Because if you’ve seen joshi tag matches, they’re always fun to watch. So automatically I was excited. Then the anticipation was really getting to me. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. I really, really hope I do well."
There's no doubt Janai Kai made an impact in TJPW as she is now set to appear for the promotion at their first-ever United States show in Los Angeles during WrestleMania Week.
Everyone can check out the full interview with Janai Kai in the video linked above. Also be sure to visit Fightful's YouTube channel to check out recent interviews with Keith Lee, Davey Boy Smith Jr, Masha Slamovich, and the Street Profits.
