JPN
The midsummer league tournament, "Summy presents STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2026," will kick off on Saturday, July 18th at EBARA WAVE Arena Ota (Ota City General Gymnasium). Following last year's tournament, 32 wrestlers will participate, and the only one aiming for a consecutive victory is Momo Watanabe. After a long absence of approximately seven months, Black Peach has positioned "revenge" as the theme for this tournament. What is her true intention? She candidly revealed her thoughts in an interview
--Since your return at Yoyogi on June 20th, what has happened on the Stardom mat?
Watanabe: I'm in great shape, but surprisingly, I haven't really faced a lot of different people yet. Oh yeah! When I faced Sayaka (at the June 28th Toyama tournament), I won. I was like, "Huh? Is the champion who beat Saya Kamitani really this weak?" It brought up a lot of emotions when I thought about how she was such a weak champion that she lost to me so easily in some local tag team match. I thought, "Kamitani lost to this girl," and "This girl took the red belt." That's how it felt.
--After winning her first 5★STAR title last summer, she challenged Kamiya, the then-World & STRONG Women's Champion, at the Ota Ward tournament on November 3rd. She was unable to win the belt and was sidelined for a long period due to injury
Watanabe: Surprisingly, I'm pretty much my own person, for better or for worse, and I don't get easily influenced by others, so I didn't really care what was going on with anyone. During that time, well, when Kamiya lost his belt, and all the members of HATE lost their belts, I did think, "Huh, are they okay?" And a bunch of other people came in too. I thought that was kind of lax. But I figured it didn't really concern me. I'm me, after all.
—But you had to leave the ring just as you were on the rise from summer to autumn. Didn't that make you feel down?
Watanabe: I'm not that kind of negative person. Hahaha. Well, I guess I was frustrated with myself for being injured. I mean, not being able to win the belt there (November 3rd in Ota Ward), and having to be out of action for a long time after that, so I was frustrated with myself.
--There have been a lot of developments on the Stardom mat during that time. Newcomers Fuwa-chan and Maki Ito have been stirring things up
the Watanabes is that they're all idiots. They're all stupid, nothing but idiots. Fuwa-chan, even her name sounds ridiculous, right? Same with Ito Maki. But when Ito Maki came back and saw her perform, I was like, "Oh, she's actually pretty capable." I realized she's not just a jokester. But I hate the ones who sing and dance when they enter!
-- Hayashishita Utami, who has ties to Watanabe, has returned after two years. She has officially joined the team
Watanabe was surprised he could come back so easily. I'm fine with him having strong opponents, but I'm amazed he was able to come back without any shame.
--In Watanabe's comeback match on June 20th in Yoyogi, there was a scene where she performed a combined move with her opponent, Utami..
Watanabe : That was kind of a coincidence. I got caught up in it by chance, and Kamiya's leg got caught around my neck and we were thrown together. So it wasn't a combined technique, it was a magic killer that used me.
--The name of the unit that Watanabe and Utami previously belonged to, "Queen's Quest (QQ)," was also mentioned
Watanabe doesn't want to dig up that dark past anymore. Now that Shimi is back, it's being said again, but it's partly his fault that QQ disbanded.
--The turning point for HATE, who had dominated the major belts since last year, came at the April 26 Yokohama Arena event
Watanabe: That's right. I think it started with the Goddess Championship where the belts began to be taken away. After it was over, the two of them (Tora Natsuko and Ruanka) looked pretty refreshed, so I was like, "Huh? They're not upset?" Well, Konami was upset, but everyone seemed to feel relieved. I was upset, and I was the only one without a belt because I was out of action, so I was proud that everyone else had one. I thought it would be even more upsetting to have it taken away all at once. Yeah. I understand that feeling though. When you've held a belt for a long time and then lose it, you feel relieved. I also held the white belt (Wonder Championship) at one point, so I understand that feeling of having a weight lifted off your shoulders, or rather, the feeling that "I can still grow from here." But to lose it in such a series of matches, well, I think it's frustrating.
--The final blow was when Kamiya lost to Kurei and lost the world championship
Watanabe: I was kind of in the middle of that match, too. I did make a mistake, though. But he was the one who lost. I think it's an even more frustrating result for him, since he lost using the move he originally used (Firebird Splash) at the end. Plus, Kurei is a rookie. I wonder if it's okay for him to lose to someone like that. And I'm wondering if Kamiya has any goals right now?
--I think you've always felt that you were the one who would take the belt from Kamiya
Watanabe had to withdraw, her last match was against Kamiya, and I'm sure she told him then, "I'm the one who's going to take the title from Kamiya," "Hold on until I get it," and "Don't lose." It must have been frustrating for her to lose, to see someone she thought was strong get defeated so easily.
—Was that April 26th Yokohama Arena performance a driving force behind your return?
Watanabe: Yeah, that's right. HATE thought it would all end if I didn't come back. I definitely thought that. Did you feel the most sense of crisis? Maybe because I was the only one who didn't have a belt. Well, I guess because I didn't have a belt, I could say whatever I wanted.
--Since Watanabe's return, things have been strained between him and Kamitani
Watanabe and I are a bit awkward, well, yeah, haha. We're both from the same group, HATE, so we're not the kind of unit that's all buddy and buddy. As for Yokohama Arena, after the accidental attack, she dropped the red belt, and then at Yoyogi she lost to the person she least wanted to lose to, so I guess it's understandable that she'd be angry. But I thought Kamitani wasn't that weak. If she brings out a weapon, I think everyone should be prepared to get hit, and I go up there prepared for that too. And then (at Korakuen Hall on June 30th) Kamitani also made a mistake and her teammate lost, and she was like, "Huh, is it my fault?" That kind of attitude is a bit annoying, though. Yeah. Take responsibility, both of you. For losing, and for making a mistake and losing. Well, it's not my fault that I made a mistake and Kamitani lost, though.
--At 5★STAR, you're entered in the same BLUE STARS-B as Kamiya. You'll clash in an official match at the Korakuen Hall event on August 3rd
For Watanabe , that was the toughest part of the schedule. Three consecutive matches, with Kamiya on the final day
--The fight against Sorei Ami (August 1, Sendai), the fight against Starlight Kid (August 2, Utsunomiya), and the fight against Kamiya
Watanabe is in for a tough fight. Well, I'm not being careless before that either, but I think I'll be focusing my sights on him. I consider that to be the most important official match for me. No matter what the score is, no matter how far behind I am, I don't want to lose to Kamiya. I have a lot of feelings, so I feel like I just have to put them all out there.
--But this tournament is about winning for the second consecutive year
Watanabe winning two years in a row, hehe. No one has ever done that before. Being the first in history is quite appealing, isn't it? If he wins two years in a row, I think I'll let myself set the rules for next year's 5★STAR. Rules that I will decide. What kind of rules? Eliminate all the weaklings! I want to have a league tournament with only truly strong players. I don't want to have any unnecessary official matches. There are crappy rookies and crappy weaklings participating.
—Which opponents in this block are you interested in, or which ones are you wary of?
Watanabe: Well, the biggest threat is Kamiya, and the next one to watch out for is probably Hanan. I haven't fought Hanan yet since she won the white belt, so I'm curious to see what she's like. Plus, I'm interested in the fact that she won it from Konami.
--Kid, who has a lot of history and rivalries with us, is also in the same block
Watanabe: That's right. I don't really have any particular feelings about Kid, but I wish he'd stop attacking my legs. Yeah. I think that's the only thing he needs to be careful about.
-- Are there any players in other blocks that you're interested in?
Watanabe : Hmm, well, I'd like to see Rinami advance. In last year's semi-finals, my opponent was either AZM or Rinami. I thought it would be interesting no matter which one advanced, so this time I really want Rinami to make it. Rinami is in the red (RED STARS-A) team, right? I think we'll meet in the final, so I'd like to see that. I think Rinami is the most formidable team.
-- For Momoko Watanabe, this year's 5★STAR is
Watanabe : Well, I guess it's revenge for various things. It's for myself, and also for Kamiya. I want to win two years in a row, and I have a lot of feelings, but I guess it's revenge.
-- Are you looking forward to the opening of the season?
Watanabe : Yeah. I'm looking forward to it. Who was it again? I don't even remember the opening match. I only remember Kamiya's schedule. On July 18th in Ota Ward, my opponent is Mizumori Yuna? I have no idea what she's up to. Oh, is she the champion? The High Speed champion? Wow, High Speed has really gone downhill. I'm not going to have a High Speed match against her, though. I'm curious to see what she's like. Hehehe.
--lastly
Watanabe: Now that this Watanabe Momo is back, we're aiming for the first-ever two-peat and a summer of revenge, you bastards, get ready!
Momo Watanabe was born on March 22nd in Kanagawa Prefecture. She made her debut at the age of 14 on November 16, 2014, at the Shin-Kiba tournament (against Takumi Iroha). She joined Io Shirai's (now Iyo Sky) Queen's Quest (QQ) and rapidly rose through the ranks. In May 2018, she defeated Io to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship for the first time. As the leader of QQ, she led the unit and, with Utami Hayashishita and Saya Kamitani as her partners, won the Goddess of Stardom Championship. In December 2021, she moved to Oedo Tai, the predecessor of HATE, and wreaked havoc as "Black Peach." In 2025, in her ninth appearance at the "5★STAR GP," she achieved her long-awaited first victory.