JPN
Future of Stardom Champion HANAKO showed her true determination. In her third title defense at "STARDOM in KORAKUEN 2026 Feb." (February 28th, Korakuen Hall), she faced Tetsu Akira. From before the bell even rang, they engaged in a fierce stare-down, and a tense atmosphere filled the ring
As soon as the challenger swatted away the outstretched hand, the two went full throttle, engaging in a fierce battle outside the ring. The champion, ignited by having water splashed on him, slammed his opponent twice onto the mat outside the ring with a body slam, and then retaliated by splashing him with water from a plastic bottle
He returned to the ring at the count of 19, and then followed up with a reverse Boston crab. However, time ticked away without him being able to seize a decisive opportunity against the challenger's incredible tenacity. Nevertheless, with less than 30 seconds left in the match, he landed a lariat and finally finished him off with a powerful JP Coaster. The match time was 14 minutes and 51 seconds, with time running out with 9 seconds remaining
"You did it, that hurt so much. We've been fighting like crazy since the beginning of the year, haven't we? It was so much fun fighting against you. You're the best." After the match, when HANAKO gave him the highest praise, Tetsu bit his lip and said, "You've been watching me closely, haven't you? I know that. That's why I really wanted to take it from you."
The rules for this title state that the winner must be "less than three years old since their debut, or under 20 years old." HANAKO, who will celebrate her third anniversary since her debut on March 25th, has little time left
Turning her attention to the spring festival "Cinderella Tournament 2026" (opening on March 6th at the Chunichi Hall in Aichi), she called out, "Apparently there are a lot of players in the tournament who are qualified for the Future title. If any of them end up playing against me, wouldn't it be fun to put this Future title on the line?"
He ended by boasting, "You guys can look forward to the Cinderella Tournament and the Future Defense Road which will last another month!" before leaving the ring
Backstage, she mentioned Sareee, who was competing in the tournament that day. Suddenly remembering her loss to Sareee at last year's "5★STAR GP," she said, "I've been waiting for a chance to get revenge someday. Just put me in a match at your 15th anniversary show!" and demanded that Sareee participate in "Sareee-ISM" on March 22nd (Yokohama Budokan)