JPN
In the second round of the spring festival "Cinderella Tournament" (held on the 8th at Korakuen Hall), Mitsuyoshi Amasaki achieved a remarkable victory over Saya Iida
In the main event, a highly anticipated match, Iida delivered 66 consecutive reverse horizontal chops, leaving his chest bright red. Despite this, he fought back with a full-body DDT and a plancha. However, his swinging DDT, using the apron as a springboard, was caught, and he was slammed onto the mat outside the ring with a brainbuster
Despite this, he desperately got back up and engaged in an elbow exchange while kneeling. He struggled against Iida's power moves until the very end, but his spirit never broke. Just after the 9-minute mark, as Iida tried to lift him up, he switched positions and landed a counter DDT. He then followed up with a lightning-fast Amanohashidate to secure the 3-count
After the match, Tensaki took the microphone and said, "It's been five years since I became a trainee. I was finally able to defeat you. Over these five years, there have been many frustrating, painful, and sad moments, but I believe that I am here today because I persevered and never gave up. Throughout all of that, you have always watched over me and supported me. You've been a great senior, and I'm so grateful."
She continued, "But I'm not the kind of person who will just let it end with mere admiration."
Coincidentally, the WBC is currently being held at the neighboring Tokyo Dome. These words are reminiscent of what pitcher Shohei Ohtani said to his teammates before the 2023 WBC final against the United States: "Let's stop being so idealistic."
Iida, acknowledging his junior's feelings, replied, "Ah, I've finally lost. Do you want to be like some other player next door? You don't want it to end as just admiration, do you want to be a two-way player like someone else? You've had a tough time with all the expectations placed on you since your debut. I'm completely different from you."
He then added, "You defeated Rina Yamashita in the first round. And you defeated me too. You're the only one who can become this Cinderella, aren't you? I'm expecting you to win and become a two-way player."
After receiving an inspiring message from her senior, Tensaki boldly declared, "I'll become the Shohei Ohtani of Stardom!" Her quarter-final match (on the 11th at Korakuen Hall) is scheduled to be against Hinami. "I won't let it end as just admiration. I'll earn the title of Cinderella with my own strength and bloom at the top!" The time for her to fully bloom is finally approaching