JPN
The signing ceremony for "STARDOM QUEENS DYNASTY 2026 ~Tenka Fubu~," which will be held on Saturday, May 23rd at the Toyota Gosei Memorial Gymnasium (Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture), took place on the 19th at Bushiroad's headquarters in Tokyo, where reigning World of Stardom champion Sayaka Kurei and challenger Maki Ito clashed in a fierce battle for the title
Ito, who was the first to take the microphone, immediately began her grand speech. "It's been four months since I joined Stardom, and what I've realized since coming to Stardom is that I love it here." She was very thorough in her appeal
She further emphasized her achievements, saying, "As you may know, the Ito Respect Army is growing at an incredible rate. I can see so many Ito Respect Army T-shirts in the venue. Thank you so much. I love Stardom. I believe I have generated the greatest economic impact for Stardom in the past four months. And everything I have shown in the ring has also been top-notch."
He then confidently declared, "Therefore, I am well worth wearing this top-of-the-line belt."
Kurei was completely captivated by the atmosphere of the press conference, but she didn't lose this time. She began by saying, "I think the current Maki Ito is fiction," and then revealed her champion-level analysis: "She has a very expressive face, but she's always like a character. I think she's just a cowardly person wearing the mask of Maki Ito. Her face and hairstyle don't change at all, neither during nor after the match. She's truly like a fictional, hologram-like fighter."
On the other hand, she also has a firm grasp of herself. "I'm not yet a perfect, flawless champion that everyone acknowledges. I'm not even good at the mic." Nevertheless, she showed strong determination while paying respect to her challenger, saying, "I believe there are battles that only Sayaka Kurei can deliver. I think Maki Ito is a wonderful wrestler who has many things that I don't have, but I know who I won this belt from. I will carry that weight and pride with me, and with pride, I will take Stardom to even greater heights, protect the honor of Cosmic Angels, protect this red belt, and I will definitely succeed in my first title defense."
Before the match on the day of the May 23rd tournament, Ito and Kurei will engage in a battle at a portrait handover event. Kurei reveals that she has prepared a special edition portrait, to which Ito replies, "I have to aim for the best portrait sales, so I have come up with the best design." This showdown is also one to watch