At NJPW x STARDOM Historic X-Over, KAIRI made history when she became the first-ever IWGP Women's Champion by defeating Mayu Iwatani.
The night before NJPW x STARDOM Historic X-Over, KAIRI wrestled at STARDOM Gold Rush, going to a 30-minute draw with Wonder of STARDOM Champion Saya Kamitani.
Speaking to NJPW, KAIRI revealed she went into the double shot of matches with a sprained foot.
" I thought I was fully prepared for the two nights, mentally and physically. But then as I was training right before Osaka, I sprained my foot. My ankle was swollen up really badly, and the doctor told me not to wrestle. I got through the Osaka match which really helped me from a mental standpoint, but with Mayu the next day I was definitely worried," she said.
Discussing her clash with Mayu, and Mayu's comments about not liking KAIRI, KAIRI explained how the history between them brought out the best of them in the match.
"Back in the day, Mayu, Io Shirai and myself were called the Three Daughters of STARDOM. Things were tough then, to the point that we had so few wrestlers, it was a given that you’d wrestle twice on the same card. We were absolutely at rock bottom. After I left in 2017, I think Mayu had it in her head that she wanted to stand by STARDOM. I get that, and that’s where those words come from, but it only helped to fire me up. This is a fight, and the more stubborn minded we both were the better that fight would be. It was a long match (25 minutes, 28 seconds) but it felt in the moment like three, that was how invested I felt. We both had a lot of pressure on us, but I think that turned into a plus," she said.
KAIRI is set to defend her IWGP Women's Championship against Tam Nakano at NJPW Wrestling Kingdom 17.
Fans can check out the current lineup for the show by clicking here.
