JPN
"High-Speed Fairy" Natsupoi's retirement road has begun. At "Sammy presents STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2026 in KORAKUEN Jul." held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 28, Natsupoi teamed up with Saori Anno and Anne Kanaya as the COSMIC ANGELS (Cozuen) trio to face Kiyoka Toraryu, Matoi Hamabe and Emma Namashima
For Natsupoi, who made a surprise announcement at a press conference on July 23rd, "Natsumi Day," that she would be ending her active career at the Yokohama Budokan event on January 3rd next year, this was her first match since announcing her retirement
Greeted by thunderous applause, Natsupoi stepped into the ring and landed dropkicks on Hamabe and Mashima. She then delivered a thrust kick to Tora Ryu, shifting the momentum in her team's favor. After Kozuen delivered a triple heel drop, Anno finished off Tora Ryu with a Tantandol
After the match, Anno took out the knee pads with the letter "P" on them that Natsupoi had left backstage after her IWGP Women's Championship match against Syuri on July 18 in Ota Ward, and quietly called out, "Natsumi, you said it." She then added, "It's not over yet. Let's have the biggest battle of the century together."
Natsupoi then replied, "There are two things I'd like to ask Saori. First, if we're going to have this battle, I don't want it to be just about making memories or anything like that. I want it to be a serious, all-out competition. And secondly, let's go to Hokkaido next weekend to eat Jingisukan together."
Anno promised, "Of course." She then asked, "It's okay if it's our final singles match, right?" designating the 5★STAR championship match to take place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on August 23rd as the venue for the showdown. Natsupoi agreed, making a one-on-one match between the two a certainty