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>Will a new star be born? Maika has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in women's pro wrestling 'Stardom', which has had a turbulent year with a string of injuries and a change at the top. Maika was narrowly defeated by Suzu Suzuki (21) in the "5STAR GP" singles league tournament and finished as runner-up, but she will face Suzu again for the vacant world title at the final event of the year (December 29, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo). What is the source of her mental toughness and physical strength that defies the hard schedule that has caused so many wrestlers to scream?
>-Why did you come to the Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama?
>Maika: The first time I came was after I interrupted a Stardom event in Shinkiba and asked Utami Hayashishita to give me a match. Unlike now, Stardom at that time had no interaction with other organisations, so the Stardom fans criticised me a lot, saying that I wasn't worthy of fighting Utami. It was frustrating to be overwhelmed by that feeling of being away from home.
>--3 August 2019.
>Maika So I wanted to see new scenery that I didn't know, and I found myself at the Red Brick Warehouse. I think I wanted to see the sea because even when I was in Fukuoka, when I was depressed I used to drive to the sea even in the middle of the night. Then, when I had problems, I would go to Yokohama. I wanted to talk about the important matches between the two countries here.
>-She won the organisation's highest title four and a half years after her debut.
>Maika It all started when my master (TAKA Michinoku) contacted me via Instagram DM asking if I wanted to become a wrestler. Two years later, Utami Hayashishita's wrestling debut was covered extensively, and for some reason I felt like I was ahead of her, so I contacted my master. My judo teacher said, "No. You're really thinking of something stupid", but my mother said, "It's fine. It's your life." That month I quit my job at a business association and went to Tokyo with a suitcase.
