Quoted By:
>Himeka of the women's pro wrestling organization Stardom had a retirement match with Maika at Yokohama Arena on April 23, and will leave the ring in a retirement ceremony at Korakuen Hall on May 14.
>I don't think I'll ever stop retiring," she said. I'm the type of person who, once I've made up my mind, won't change it. I don't waver in my feelings. I decided to retire without consulting anyone. I did not consult Maika, Rossy Ogawa, or President Katsuhiko Harada. I talked to Mr. Ogawa last October, but he didn't think I was going to ask him about it, and he said, "It's too soon. But my feelings were firm, so Mr. Ogawa said, 'No one can stop you. I'm glad he didn't stop me. I couldn't respond to that."
>The catalyst for her retirement was the sudden death of her father last summer.
>She had been talking with her family for some time about "deciding whether or not to retire at age 25." Last April, she challenged for the red belt (World of Stardom title) that Syuri held. Although she did not win the crown, Himeka felt a positive response, saying, "I now have the confidence that I can do it by leaps and bounds.
>At that point, Himeka's mind was toward continuing to wrestle.
>But the shock of her father's death in July was too much.
>My father, who was fine until the day before, didn't return the next day. He didn't have any chronic illness or disease. If I went to bed today, I might not be alive tomorrow. When I think about that, I ......"
>Himeka, in her grief, was thinking.
>I don't want to end my life as just Himeka, a professional wrestler."
>The only thing she had not accomplished in Stardom was to win the belt.
>'I'm mentally weak, so I'm probably not the right person to hold the belt. The timing of everything came together now. Of course, it would be even better if I had taken the belt and found what I was going to do next. ......"