She just worked two shows in her home country, during which IYO SKY even had CM Punk put her over as the best wrestler in the world today. But as Punk’s presence on those Tokyo shows tell you, they were
WWE events. After her current co-workers headed back to the States, SKY remained in Japan and yesterday (Oct. 26) worked her second-ever match for her old boss Rossy Ogawa’s new joshi (what the Japanese call women’s wrestling) promotion, Marigold.
Last July IYO defeated Utami Hayashishita at Summer Destiny — her first match in Japan since signing with WWE in 2018, on one of Marigold’s early events. Her return came against her old Thunder Rock tag partner, Mayu Iwatani. At Saturday’s presser promoting Sunday’s Grand Destiny show, former Stardom & New Japan titleholder Iwatani broke down after the Genius of the Sky entered and took her seat:
Those emotions continued after the match, a 26-minute affair won by SKY by pinfall after twice hitting her moonsault finisher.
The match, which is available for streaming with English commentary on Wrestle Universe here, is being praised by fans who’ve already watched the PPV. One of those fans is an old rival of Mayu’s from Stardom, and a potential rival for SKY in WWE, Giulia. Instagram’s translation of the reigning Women’s United States champion’s Instagram Story read:
It’s been a while since I watched pro wrestling and I cried. Don’t laugh, I have a heart too.
Elsewhere on the Grand Destiny card, Hayashishita lost Marigold’s top belt…
and Minoru Suzuki debuted and defeated hoss Megaton in intergender action.
Full results:
- Kizuna Tanaka def. Shinno
- Gigaton & Shoko Koshino def. Chanyota & Erina Yamanaka, and Darkness Revolution (Nagisa Nozaki & Rea Seto), and Hummingbird & Nao Ishikawa, and Komomo Minami & Yuuka Yamazaki, and Minami Yuuki & Nagisa Tachibana in a Gauntlet Match
- Minoru Suzuki def. Megaton
- Sareee def. Chika Goto
- Darkness Revolution (CHIAKI & Misa Matsui) def. Magenta (Maria & Riko Kawahata) to become the NEW Marigold Twin Star champs
- Chihiro Hashimoto def. Seri Yamaoka
- Victoria Yuzuki def. Mai Sakurai to become the NEW Marigold United National champion
- Miku Aono def. Utami Hayashishita to become the NEW Marigold World champion
- IYO SKY def. Mayu Iwatani
