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>How to Create Stars, Part 2
>Hokuto (Akira) had a completely different style from the Crush Gals. She struck a chord with male pro wrestling fans. In men's pro wrestling, there has always been the idea of a "dream match," but in women's wrestling, it was only All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling for a long time, so there weren't any such matches. However, when other promotions started appearing and inter-promotional matches began, the term "dream match" started to be used. Hokuto and Kandori Shinobu took advantage of that.
>That's why being a star isn't something that can be achieved just by following a specific formula. Hokuto changed her image significantly since her debut. It was self-produced, in a way. Back then, I thought that in order to become successful, one approach was to go in the exact opposite direction of your unsuccessful self.
>The reason I'm so focused on stars is because what we’re doing is entertainment, and if we can't draw an audience, there's no point. So, I emphasize the importance of stars. Without stars, we can't sustain ourselves. But even when we talk about stars, there are different kinds—some are immensely popular, while others are just moderately so. They can't all be the same.
>These days, we don't see absolute stars like Baba or Inoki anymore. We do see localized stars, though. But we need to make sure that this promotion—right now, Marigold—thrives. And we just have to keep going with that. It would be great if a major star emerged from this. Speaking of recent examples, Yuzuki Aikawa (Yuzupon) was a star from the start. She was originally a gravure idol and lived up to that name with her wrestling. So even if someone comes from a different industry, they can still succeed in women's wrestling.
