JPN
Saki Kashima, whose final road to success has been decided, stepped into the ring in Osaka for the last time in her active career
At "STARDOM in OSAKA 2026 Apr." (April 4th, Osaka Herbis Hall), he will face off against his former ally from the legendary tag team "Tokyo Sports Daisuki!", Fukigen Desu★, in a singles match
Kashima extended his left hand and said, "Please take care of me!" but was met with a grumpy "Yes, sir." He then tried to turn the tables, but this too was reversed, and he was caught off guard
Nevertheless, he managed to knock Fukigen out of the ring and riled up the crowd. But the moment he tried to run to the ropes, his leg was grabbed and he was dragged out of the ring
During the brawl outside the stadium, he was beaten with cheering fans and choked with cheering towels, among other things. Kashima then used a child from the stands as a shield, which temporarily stopped Fukigen's movements
After that, Fukigen wandered the venue looking for a towel to use as a weapon, and five minutes passed in the match. Then Fukigen brought Kashima to the main table where President Taro Okada was sitting. Just as he was about to attempt a brainbuster on the table, a panicked President Okada called out to the referee, "Watch out! Stop, stop!" At 5 minutes and 51 seconds, the match was ruled a draw by what was probably an unprecedented "President's Stop."
The crowd erupted in boos. Kashima, who grabbed the microphone, demanded, "Wait a minute! I was so close to winning! Why did you stop it? What's this about the president? I don't understand. This is the last match in Osaka. It should be a rematch." The gong was then sounded again
However, Fukigen's anger at having the match stopped did not subside. He brought President Okada, who was still in a suit, into the ring and unleashed a combined attack with Kashima. Kashima then delivered a barrage of stomps
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fukigen attempted a side-entry spinning prawn hold, but President Okada intervened and rescued Kashima. The venue erupted in loud chants of "Okada."
This only amplified Fukigen's anger, and he attempted to gouge out President Okada's eyes before going for a brainbuster. However, President Okada countered with a brainbuster of his own, a brilliant one, as one would expect from someone with a background in student wrestling. Kashima, unexpectedly aided by this, immediately turned the tide and secured the victory. The rematch lasted 59 seconds
After the match, Kashima extended his right hand and said, "Fukigen, thank you for having a singles match with me in my last Osaka match." Fukigen then handed Kashima a copy of Tokyo Sports, the newspaper that gave their team its name, and left the ring
Kashima, holding the microphone again, greeted the audience by saying, "And to everyone in Osaka, this is the venue I went to after Tokyo, and I have a lot of fond memories of it, so Arashita!" She then left the ring amidst chants of "Saki."
Kashima recently held a retirement press conference, and it was decided that his retirement ceremony will take place at the Yokohama Arena on April 26th. He will have four remaining matches to compete in: April 5th in Hamamatsu, April 8th at Korakuen, April 11th at Korakuen, and April 23rd at Korakuen