Saya Kamitani, shaken by the departure of her sister, Utami Hayashishita, from Stardom: "We are going our separate ways, but...
Saya Kamitani (27), a.k.a. the phoenix of women's professional wrestling "Stardom," has made a vow to her "sister" Utami Hayashishita (25), with whom she shares a common base. Utami, Giulia, MIRAI, Mai Sakurai, and Yuzuki will be leaving Stardom on March 31, when their contracts expire, and Utami, the leader of Queen's Quest (QQ), will have her last match for Stardom on April 12 at Korakuen. Both partners hold the Goddess title, and the phoenix was--.
Saya could not hide her upset: at the Kyoto event on March 24, she teamed up with QQ's AZM and Lady C to clash with the villainous unit "Oedo-tai"'s Natsuko Tora & Momo Watanabe & Ruaka. They fell prey to the enemy forces, and in the end Saya lost to Watanabe with a peach sunrise (a variant of the fierce tiger atomic bomb) for a 3-count.
I just thought I had to lead (QQ) after Utami-san decided to leave, so I'm really pathetic...," she said, her voice dropping, "No matter what happens, I want to protect QQ with the remaining members and make it the strongest unit. I will never give up." She looked desperately forward.
She joined QQ in February 2020, having followed her admirer, Utami, since her debut in August 2019. Saya, who has looked up to her as an older sister since they started working together, encourages her, saying, "Honestly, I'm sad, but I want to respect what Utami has decided.
They are close both publicly and privately, and their tag team "Aphrodite" has twice won the Goddess Title. They are still the reigning champions, and have risen to become one of the most famous duos in the organization, so their debt to her is immeasurable. When I first joined QQ, I was extremely shy, and for two years I kept turning down invitations to go out to eat from people other than Utami. But thanks to Utami's efforts, I was able to communicate with the other QQ members.
