Sareee continues to lead the world of Joshi and pro wrestling.
"The Sun God" has been among the best wrestlers in the world in 2024, and she has not stopped adding the hardware to prove it. Sareee defeated Giulia at Marigold's Summer Destiny event to become the inaugural Marigold World Champion and then recently defeated Commander Nakajima at Sukeban's London event to become the Sukeban World Champion. That makes three championships for Sareee, who also currently holds the Beyond The Sea Championship -- a reign that has lasted over a year.
On Thursday, she was able to defend her Marigold World Championship for the first time in a grueling match against Bozilla. The match saw "The Sun God" get busted open, but she still successfully defeated Bozilla to defend her championship for the first time.
Ahead of the world championship match, Fightful's Scott Edwards had another chance to interview Sareee to talk about her past few months of action. Sareee shared her thoughts on becoming the first Marigold World Champion and what it means to her, how she prepped for the big Bozilla match, teaming with Mayu Iwatani at Sareee-ISM Chapter V in what is one of the best matches of the year, and so much more.
Here's what Sareee had to say.
Edwards: Looking back at Sareee-ISM Chapter V, you got teamed alongside Mayu Iwatani to take on Chihiro Hashimoto & VENY in what people across the globe have called one of the best matches of the year. Did you feel as though that match was special while you were competing in it, looking back at it now, nearly two months after it took place, how do you feel about that match?
Sareee: "Looking back at it now, it was special. I know what Iwatani can do after I had a match with her. We both debuted in 2011 and are the only pro wrestlers from that year in Joshi pro wrestling. So teaming up with her and going against an opponent of Hashimoto & Veny who are one of the strongest Joshi pro wrestlers. That was special."
Edwards: Would you like to team again with Mayu Iwatani in the future after forming a dream tag team? Do you feel you two meshed well together as a first-time team?
Sareee: "Yes, if there is another opportunity, yes definitely. As a tag team yes and no. No from her kicking me in the middle of the match. But yes because we won at the end and I think through the match, we were able to become into a great tag team."
Edwards: On October 24th, you’ll defend the Marigold World Championship for the first time since winning the championship against Bozilla. This comes after she defeated you in the DREAM STAR GP, your first and only loss in Marigold. You’ve said you are studying the matches of Antonio Inoki against Andrew The Giant as preparation for the match. How are you feeling going into the big rematch against Bozilla? What have you learned from watching Inoki’s old matches that will help you in the rematch against such a difficult opponent?
Sareee: "I feel very confident defending my title this time. I will never make the same mistake. Taking it positively, that defeat was a good wake-up call for me. From watching Andre the Giant vs Mr. Inoki's match, I learned many interesting moves that size doesn't matter. There were many hints from watching the match. Being prepared this time makes me very confident."
Edwards: In our last interview, you talked about your match with Giulia as you were heading into the battle to become the first Marigold World Champion. You emerged victorious from that match, winning the championship and defeating Giulia. First off, becoming the first Marigold World Champion is a huge deal as you get to see the standard for the championship. What’d it mean to you to be the first to dawn the Crimson Championship?
Sareee: "It's a great honor. It means a lot to me. Because you are the first on the list and making history. I have to try my best to become a better pro wrestler to shine that belt and keep it as long as I can."
Edwards: Second, you and Giulia main evented Summer Destiny. Now that Giulia has moved onto WWE in recent months, what did you think of the match against her? Do you still view her as a rival of yours? And did you say anything to her prior to her leaving for America, something that you’ve already done in your career?
Sareee: "Looking back that was a special match and moment. Not knowing if she can even have a match because of her injured hand. After the match and the ceremony ended, we were in the ring together talking and we hugged before exiting. I really didn't realize but the famous Marigold song by Aimyon was playing in the background too like a movie endroll. It was special.
"I did talk about things before leaving to America. I remember saying because she is my rival, let's promise to have a match someday, somewhere again, and see who has improved more. We will be checking each other out until then because we are rivals. Wish her the best."
Edwards: Speaking of the DREAM STAR GP, you faced seven different opponents — some you’ve faced before and others you went against for the first time. Since you consider yourself the ace of Marigold and are the world champion, can you give us your opinion on each competitor you faced?
Sareee: Nanae Takahashi -- "We have known each other throughout the years. I had to win that match. But it was a draw. I need to have a rematch with her and win before she retires."
Bozilla -- "My first loss in Marigold. She is definitely my new rival. I still can't believe she is that strong and very young. I am upset about my loss but at the same time, I am a little excited to have myself be in a challenging situation which I haven't felt in a while."
Miku Aono -- "She has improved a lot in a very short period of time. She truly is a champion. If I had another second more I think I would of won but a draw is a draw. I am sure we will be facing each other in the future."
CHIAKI -- "She has developed into an original character. She is making improvements in all areas. Looking forward to see what kind of a pro wrestler she will develop into in the future."
Misa Matsui -- "She has speed but lacks in power and is still thin. If she can become tougher, I think she can become a great pro wrestler."
Kizuna Tanaka -- "I knew her from childhood and she has told me that she was my fan. She is still very young and I look forward to seeing her develop into a great pro wrestler in the future."
Mai Sakurai -- "In a short period of time, she has improved a lot. You can see how she is exploring and trying to find herself and improving into a better pro wrestler. I think she has great potential to develop into a true leader in the future."
Edwards: Your DREAM STAR GP appearance was the first time since the 2017 Catch The Wave that you've competed in a Round-Robin tournament. Was it difficult adapting to this challenging format after such a long time? How’d you feel about your overall performance?
Sareee: "I am very glad that I participated. I am upset that I couldn't win. But it has opened up new challenges for me that I haven't experienced in a while. Overall I think the loss might have helped me improve myself even more than maybe if I had won."
Edwards: On September 23rd, you competed in a grueling 15-minute draw against Nanae Takahashi at Korakuen Hall for Marigold before heading to Kawasaki to defend the Beyond The Sea Championship against Unagi Sayaka in SEAdLINNNG. Both of the matches were highly competitive, especially with the title defense being the second match of your day. Can you tell me a bit about what that day was like and how you felt when it was all over? How was it facing two opponents with such different styles?
Sareee: "It was a long day. I was very concentrated on each match. If the schedule was capable of having two matches, I wanted to do it. even though it will be tough. On that day, I had adrenaline going so didn't feel the damage to my body that much that day but the next day, I was really in great pain. They are both opposite ends in style. I expected the match vs Nanae would be tough but thought I could still win. I didn't want to hold myself for the title match with Unagi though. I wanted to give it all vs. Nanae and still give my 100% to Unagi that day as well. There were some fans who came to both events and I really thank them all for doing that."
Edwards: Over this year, you’ve continuously had incredible matches with the goal of bringing back the Zenjo spirit. Your mission and matches in the ring have brought fans back to wrestling. What does it mean to you to be a reason fans have started to watch wrestling again?
Sareee: "I am so glad. I wanted to trust and do the pro wrestling that I believed in and love and this is a result from that. I am so happy."
Edwards: You’ve had the opportunity to face a lot of different wrestlers since coming back to Japan. Who are you hoping to face in a rematch in the future?
Sareee: "Definitely (Mayu) Iwatani. I want to have a rematch with her and against for the IWGP title belt again."
Edwards: You have said in previous interviews that Takumi Iroha is someone that you’re aiming to face in the future. What makes her such an interesting opponent to you at this stage of your career?
Sareee: "She has been my rival for many years. I don't want to lose against my rival. She has taken her path and I have taken mine. I want to prove for myself that my path was correct."
Edwards: October 14th was a special day for you, as you got to team alongside Kaoru Ito and Natsupoi in Ito’s 35th-anniversary match against Aja Kong, Jaguar Yokota, and Tomoko Watanabe. What did it mean to you to stand next to Ito in such an important match that celebrated her career as well as being with your best friend?
Sareee: "I really respect her for her to be in this business for 35 years. That fight card had her teachers, rival, and her students all in that match. It has rich history. It made me want to carry on this torch and inherit this to the next generation so that the DNA of Zenjo won't disappear and the history will continue on."
Edwards: You’ve added another championship after heading to London. At Sukeban’s latest show, you defeated Arisa Nakajima to win the Sukeban World Championship. With the uniqueness of Sukeban, how do you feel winning another belt? Were you happy to have a chance to face Nakajima one last time even after her official retirement?
Sareee: "I am glad that Bull-san was able to invite me to Sukeban and give me this new opportunity. I know the styles are different and so I try to keep Sareee Bomb separate in a way from Sareee. Like another part in me. But I do want to make sure that Sareee Bomb will be as excited to watch. I am glad about Sareee Bomb winning the title against Commander Nakajima. But I am sure Nakajima also has herself separated between Commander Nakajima and Arisa Nakajima too. It's like both having a match in a different world or dimension."
You’ll be competing at Marvelous’ Big Show on October 27th, as you’ll be the debut opponent for Senka Akatsuki. You’ve talked about how matches against the likes of Jaguar Yokota and other legends when you were new in your career helped you in a major way. What’s your mindset heading into a debut match like that? Is it your goal to be that for Senka as she steps into the ring for the first time as a pro wrestler?
Sareee: "It's a tremendous honor to be the opponent for a debuting pro wrestler. It's becoming a history of another pro wrestler's career. For her sake though, I won't go easy on her. She needs to experience the Zenjo spirit which hopefully will stay in her and carry the torch of great pro wrestlers that will make her into a great pro wrestler one day."
Edwards: You have had a number of rivals in your career. Who do you consider to be your top rival right now? Why?
Sareee: "I think (Takumi) Iroha, (Chihiro) Hashimoto, and (Mayu) Iwatani. All three are totally different but they are all great pro wrestlers and very tough. They all have something that I don't have. The rivalry makes us all improve each other. Always wanting to be above the other."
I'd like to thank both Sareee and her team for helping put this interview together. It's the fifth interview that I've had the chance to have with Sareee, and she continues to give such insightful and exciting answers about her career and wrestling mindset. Keep an eye out for more in the future.
If you'd like to check out more of what Sareee is up to, make sure to follow her YouTube channel "Sareee Channel." She also shares a YouTube channel with her best friend Natsupoi, which you can check out here.
You can see Sareee's Marigold World Championship defense against Bozilla on WRESTLE UNIVERSE.
Sareee-ISM Chapter VI will take place next year on January 23rd. Follow the official Sareee-ISM X account to stay up to date on all announcements in the lead-up to the show.
For more from Sareee, you can check out her store at sareee-mania.com
For more exclusives from Fightful, check them out here.
