JPN
New World of Stardom champion Suzu Suzuki revealed her plans for the future. The Crimson Mad Girl, who became the 22nd champion after defeating Sayaka Kurei at the June 20 Yoyogi event, attended a press conference held at Bushiroad's headquarters in Tokyo on June 22
"After I won the belt, I entrusted it to the company, and they kept it safe here. That's great! Well, the World Championship match against Kurei the other day was quite an intense battle, or rather, it was very exciting, so I'm just overjoyed. It's been a very long road to get this belt, so I'm truly overjoyed. Yay!" she exclaimed, bursting with joy
The champion, in high spirits, was talkative during the Q&A session with various media outlets, saying, "Bring it on! I'll answer anything!"
--You probably wanted to sleep in the same bed with it on the night you won, right?
Suzuki: Of course I wanted to, but so many people were telling me things like, "Don't lose the belt," and "Is the belt okay?" And then, after the match and I gave my comments backstage, Akira (Tetsu) from Mi Vida Loca said to me, "Suzu-san, I'll hold onto the belt for you." So I thought it would be better to leave it with them, and I did. I wanted to take it home, though. Well, I'll leave it with the company until I can attach the air tag.
--You've become the top wrestler in Stardom, the top women's professional wrestling organization in Japan
happy . I am happy. I am happy, and I think I've been saying for a long time that I'm going to become the face of the professional wrestling world since I came to Stardom. I think this World belt is like a belt for becoming the face of the professional wrestling world, so I feel like I can finally put my words into action.
--Speaking of the red belt, last year Saya Kamitani had a great year, and I think she was so successful that everyone in the world knows about it. I think you might compare your performance to hers, or will you compare yourself to hers in the future. What are your thoughts on that?
Suzuki Well, yes. Kamitani is really amazing. As a wrestler, she's really incredible, and I respect her. But there's no point in doing the same thing. I'm thinking of stirring things up in my own way, or disrupting things, and causing all sorts of incidents. You'll have to wait and see what that entails. If I announce it now it'll be like a spoiler. Of course, I have a lot of things in mind. Please look forward to it.
--How do you envision your future title defenses,
Suzuki ? Who would you like to defend the title against? There are quite a few wrestlers I'd like to fight. In fact, I think there were a few wrestlers who said, "If Suzu wins this red belt, let me fight her." I definitely want to fight against those kinds of people, and I think it's a waste not to act on any ideas that come to mind. I'm going to act before I think. That's the motto I'll use to defend this red belt.
--What was the audience's reaction after you won the title?
Suzuki It was amazing. I got a lot of "congratulations" LINE messages from people I didn't even remember. I got messages from people I didn't even know, people who watch pro wrestling all the time, and even people who don't, saying "congratulations," and it made me realize how much influence this belt has on the public. I was happy.
--You mentioned that you couldn't participate in the preliminary match on June 14th because of your sister's wedding. What was the reaction like, like the promise you made to your sister and the blessings from your family?
Suzuki , the wedding was really great. You were radiating such happiness. At weddings, there's the bouquet toss, right? I was really looking forward to that, but there was no bouquet toss at my sister's wedding. I was thinking, "I'm going to grab it with all my might and seize happiness." But the day before, I was sad when I heard there wouldn't be a bouquet toss, and then my sister surprised me during the wedding by giving me a beautiful bouquet of lilacs. At that time, she said, "Suzu-chan, do your best, and be happy," and I became happy. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. I'm happy.
--Suzuki won the belt soon after her debut in her previous organization. What do you think of Kurei, who has held the belt at the current stage of her career?
Suzuki: When I think back to when I won the belt early in my career, it was incredibly tough at the time, so I think I had suppressed some of those memories. But it was Kurei who helped me open that lid. I felt a connection to Kurei's past self when I saw how much pressure she felt when she held the belt, and how she felt she had to do something amazing like the previous champion now that she had the belt. What's different about Kurei compared to me back then is that she's strong, mentally. I felt while fighting her that she has something that keeps her core unwavering. I have a feeling that if Kurei continues to pursue the kind of pro wrestling she wants to do, she's going to achieve something amazing.
--After the match, the members of Mi Vida Loca celebrated with you. Bojila also came to support you,
Suzuki . That's right! I didn't think Bojila would come back. I was so happy. I thought there was a really big guy in my corner, and it was Bojila. Bojila has come back, and although we don't know the extent of his injury yet, the fact that he showed up in Japan means that he's recovering well. I hope everyone is looking forward to seeing the full Mi Vida Loca lineup compete.
--Last year, Bojira joined the team. A year later, at Yoyogi, it was a big turning point for both Mi Vida Loca and Suzuki,
a Suzuki turning point. The day before the title match at Yoyogi, I drew a fortune slip in Ueno, and it said, "Now is your turning point." And under the lucky item section, it said, "Eat a banana." I did drink banana juice that day. I drank banana juice, challenged at Yoyogi, and won the belt. So I think this is truly a turning point in my life, and I'll try not to let my guard down. I won't get carried away, and I'll stay focused and do my best.
Afterward, he interrupted Utami Hayashishita's signing press conference, nominated her as his next challenger, and an emergency V1 match was scheduled for June 30th at Korakuen Hall
