JPN
It has been confirmed that the "Rookie of Stardom" tournament, which will determine the strongest newcomer, will be held in April. Matoi Hamabe and Emma Namashima, who had been absent due to injury treatment, will return at "NEW BLOOD 30" on the 25th (Tokyo, Shinkiba 1stRING). This will be Hamabe's first match since the Shinjuku tournament on January 3rd, and Namashima's first match since the Ryogoku tournament on December 29th of last year. In a six-person tag team match, the trio of Hamabe, Anne Kanaya, and Namashima faced off against STARS' Hana, Saya Iida, and Yuria Hime
When Shima, who started the match, landed nine consecutive chops on Iida, Hamabe was not to be outdone. She fearlessly delivered a series of dropkicks to Hanan, the winner of the Cinderella Tournament. In the end, Hamabe was defeated by Hanan's blockbuster hold, but her movements showed no signs of her long absence, proving that she had made a full comeback
After the match, Hanan suggested, "Congratulations on your return! This generation is finally all together. Now that we're all together, how about a Rookie of the Year tournament?" President Taro Okada also promised, "Let's do it starting on April 4th!", agreeing to hold a tournament to kick off the event at the Osaka Herbis Hall
With the return of Hamabe and Mashima, the 2024 & 2025 debut group, consisting of Hime Yuria, Furusawa Kian, Kanaya, and Tetsu Akira, are all together. The six lined up in the ring and each spoke about their aspirations
Hime: "I think Yuria will be the first to rise up among us. So, Yuria will be the Rookie of the Year!"
Tetsu: "I've been waiting. We can finally stand in the ring as a group of six, but you guys are so late! You guys are so lucky. You took selfies while you were out and people said you were cute. You even got portraits bought for you. The five of you are sparkling. I'm jealous of you all. This ring is all I have! So I'm going to be Rookie of the Year!"
Kanaya: "I'm the only one among my同期 (fellow trainees) who hasn't won a single race. I have to win here to become Rookie of the Year. I'll prove that I'm the strongest of the six of us who have gone from being winless to champion. Bring it on, Anne!"
Shimajima: "First of all, I'm back! I'm sorry for making everyone wait while I was absent. Now that I'm back today and all six of us are finally together, I think we can decide the champion. I'm absolutely not going to lose."
Hamabe: "I'm sorry for missing the competition twice and making you wait twice. And I'm back! Akira was saying earlier that I wasn't shining, but he was the one who was shining the brightest. He's got some nerve. I'll make up for missing the competition twice and making you wait by being the brightest."
Furusawa: "Kian is the second cutest girl in the world. She's going to be the Rookie of the Year!"
The draw for the match pairings is scheduled to take place at the Korakuen Hall event on March 31st