Mayu Iwatani Reflects on Marigold’s Future Ahead of Ryogoku Showdown
Mayu Iwatani, 33, has shared her thoughts on her current career and the state of Marigold ahead of the promotion’s October 24 event at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
At the event, Marigold’s three singles champions — Miku Aono, Yuzuki, and Iwatani — will put their respective titles on the line in a three-way survival match. The championships at stake are the Marigold World Championship, the United National Championship, and the Super Flyweight Championship.
The match will eventually come down to a one-on-one survival battle between the final two competitors. The last wrestler standing will walk away as a triple champion.
Returning from Injury and Going All Out
Iwatani suffered a broken toe at an event in Osaka in April and was sidelined until August.
“I never imagined I would break my own bone with a moonsault. I also feel bad that I broke my opponent’s bone. I’ve used that move so many times before. People often say that wrestlers who use moonsaults end up damaging their knees, but I never really knew what to make of that. I’d done it so many times, so I just went for it as usual without thinking about it.
“It was my big toe, so I thought it would heal quickly. I’d been working hard for about a year, so I actually thought it might be a good chance to rest. I figured that if I was told it would take two months to heal, I might be able to return in a month and a half. But it just wouldn’t heal, and it ended up taking four months.”
The bone failed to heal as expected.
“Even when I had X-rays, there was no change. The doctor and I kept wondering why. Maybe it’s my age? I’ve had things like broken ribs before, but I haven’t had many proper fractures. If this had happened when I first debuted, perhaps I would have recovered much faster.”
As her recovery stalled, the intervals between X-rays gradually increased.
“When there was no change, the interval between X-rays went from two weeks to three weeks, and then the doctor said we should wait until the following month. Since it wasn’t healing properly, I underwent electrical stimulation therapy to promote recovery, and it finally started to show a little progress.
“By then, four months had already passed. If I waited until it was completely healed, I would end up being out for six months. It wasn’t fully healed, but I couldn’t afford to keep sitting out. The doctor had given me the go-ahead, but ultimately, I made the decision to return myself. I was specifically warned, ‘Just don’t kick anyone.’”
Iwatani returned on August 9 at Ota City General Gymnasium, teaming with Yuzuki, who had also been sidelined with a knee ligament injury. Their opponents were formidable: Sareee and Takumi Iroha.
“When they put together a match like that, how could I not switch into high gear? I kicked Sareee in the back. I kicked her really hard. Then I thought, ‘Oh, I actually kicked her!’”
Iwatani delivered a hard-hitting performance that hardly looked like the comeback match of a wrestler returning from a lengthy injury absence. She felt pain throughout her body after stepping into the ring again, but fortunately, her foot held up.
“After that, I was kicking in every match, and it didn’t hurt. But I never did rehabilitation, so my big toe still hurts when it takes on too much load. There must still be something wrong with it. I haven’t had another X-ray since then.”
“Everything Gets Criticized”: Iwatani’s Honest Assessment of Marigold
What went through Iwatani’s mind while she was away from the ring?
“I’ve devoted everything to professional wrestling throughout my career, even before leaving my previous promotion, STARDOM, and back when I held the IWGP Women’s Championship. I always put so much passion into my matches, so perhaps this was a good opportunity to take a step back.
“I was able to travel overseas and take a breather. There was something else that made me realize taking time off had been worthwhile, too. Watching the shows objectively, I came to feel that this promotion was going to be okay.
“I only managed to attend shows in Tokyo and Osaka, but I watched every match on the days I went. If the quality of the wrestlers in a promotion I belong to is poor, then the promotion itself has a problem. But I found myself thinking, ‘Everyone has their own personality, and they’re entertaining.’
“If people come and see Marigold live, they might be surprised by how enjoyable it is. Right now, everything gets criticized, and that makes things difficult. Compared with other promotions, there are still plenty of areas where we have a long way to go. But this is a promotion in its third year. If you look at where we started, we didn’t have this many capable wrestlers back then.
“I think fans have become too discerning. We want more people to come to our shows, but honestly, I don’t know exactly how to make that happen. Ideally, we would appear on terrestrial television, get coverage in various media outlets, and have our wrestlers appear in other promotions. People who discover us that way might then decide to come to a Marigold show.”
Iwatani recently appeared on the cover of FLASH, in its October 20 issue. She has also received prominent coverage in major newspapers, including The Asahi Shimbun and The Nikkei.
“Appearing in a magazine that everyone knows can be an entry point for new fans. Someone might think, ‘There’s a woman like this doing combat sports. Maybe I’ll check it out.’ Then they watch YouTube, come to a show, and the audience gradually grows.
“That’s the kind of exposure I want, rather than the negative way attention spreads now, with people thinking, ‘Marigold is a dangerous promotion.’ Botched moves and mistakes happen in every promotion, but Marigold gets clipped and shared like that so frequently.
“When that image takes hold, it’s understandable that people assume that’s what the whole promotion is like. But I think that if they actually watched us, they would realize, ‘They’re better than I expected.’”
Iwatani also addressed the number of wrestlers who have left Marigold.
“I think the wrestlers genuinely love professional wrestling. But it’s a fact that many have left the promotion. At some point, perhaps their spirits break. There are good things that can happen if you stay, and while I can’t tell people not to leave, I do want them to keep going.
“The wrestlers who transferred here and those who joined us later must have made those decisions with a certain level of commitment. It’s difficult for me to understand how that commitment can be abandoned so easily. It makes me wonder whether they were really as determined as I thought. But everyone is different, so it’s complicated.”
Iwatani was particularly firm when discussing her own future.
“I moved to this promotion with a strong sense of commitment. I absolutely cannot just walk away without accomplishing anything and say, ‘Well, I guess I’m quitting after all.’ I don’t want to live a life that looks that pathetic.
“Maybe saying this will rub some people the wrong way, but these are my honest feelings. At my previous promotion, I served as its icon and grew alongside the company. I had a career I could be proud of. But I don’t think the way I’m living right now is particularly impressive, and I imagine some of my fans are frustrated watching me.
“Whatever I say, I’ll probably get criticized anyway. The Icon hasn’t accomplished anything here yet. But I want to keep working hard with the people who are here now.
“I’m not leaving. I’m not going to quit.”
Impressed by the Progress of Yuzuki and Rea Seto
Iwatani was unable to win the DREAM STAR GP league tournament this year, continuing a frustrating pattern.
“Every year, it’s the same. I’ve won tournaments before, but in league competition, I sometimes lose right from the first match and find myself thinking, ‘I got beaten.’ People have expectations of me, but I just can’t seem to win the whole thing. Maybe I’m not good at league tournaments. But I’m a singles wrestler, so you’d think I should be good at them.”
On September 20 at Korakuen Hall, Iwatani lost to Rea Seto in the quarterfinals.
Nevertheless, watching Seto and Yuzuki compete in the final changed her perspective.
“Watching Yuzuki and Rea in the final made me feel that things had worked out for the best. I watched from ringside, and the crowd was really into it. It was a match either wrestler could have won.
“Rea has improved tremendously. She can focus on one part of her opponent’s body and systematically attack it, which is something you don’t see done that well in this era. When you watch a submission hold being applied properly, you get drawn into it. She doesn’t waste time with those sequences.
“People might think Rea is the type who cries easily, but I think she genuinely cries because she feels things so deeply.”
Iwatani then recalled seeing an older match featuring Rea Seto and Komomo Minami.
“I once watched footage of Rea wrestling Komomo, and it was honestly terrible. Now look at how much she has developed.
“As for Yuzuki, I think she has the sharpest movements in Marigold. Her speed when she gets to her feet is seriously impressive.”
A Chance to Become a Triple Champion
Attention then returned to the October 24 main event at Ryogoku Kokugikan. One wrestler will leave with all three singles championships, while the other two will inevitably finish the match without their titles.
“A three-way elimination match is completely unfamiliar territory for me. Three-way matches are difficult enough as it is, and this one features three singles champions. I have no idea how it will unfold.
“I’m not particularly good at three-way matches. I always stay focused, but I have to be even more alert than usual, and it exhausts me mentally and physically.
“But winning all three titles at once is incredibly appealing. I’m also aiming to complete the Grand Slam in Marigold. If I win these three singles championships, I’ll only have the tag team and trios titles left to win.
“I can see a path to winning the 3D Trios Championship with Icon Peach Arrow, the team consisting of me, Komomo Minami, and Yuzuki. For the tag team championship, I’ll need to find a partner. I can’t imagine the entire journey yet, but winning all three singles titles would bring me much closer to that goal.”
Iwatani spoke enthusiastically about her team, Icon Peach Arrow.
“Icon Peach Arrow is genuinely fun. I get so much youth and energy from the other two. I never used to be this bubbly and energetic.
“Komomo’s fighting style is starting to resemble mine. She’s trying to learn from the things I do well.
“Individually, each of us has a darker side. I certainly do, and I’m sure the others do, too. But when the three of us talk, whether we’re in the ring or spending time together privately, the atmosphere is always positive.
“We respect one another, and when someone makes a mistake, the others support them. It reminds me of how Hiroyo Matsumoto and Miho Wakizawa taught me to enjoy professional wrestling when I was part of Tawashīzu.”
“The Winner Has to Be Someone Who Can Lead the Promotion”
As the three-way championship survival match approaches, Iwatani is preparing herself for the challenge.
“I can’t imagine how the match will unfold. Normally, when my opponent is announced, I can think, ‘This person is dangerous. They’re going to beat me up, so I’ll approach the match this way.’
“But this time, no matter how much I think about it, I can’t picture what’s going to happen.
“There’s pressure. People are questioning whether these three wrestlers are the right choices for the main event at Ryogoku, and I want to live up to the trust the company has placed in us.
“I want to fight fiercely, overcome the challenge the company has given us, and be the one who survives. Most of all, I want the fans who come to the show to leave thinking, ‘I’m glad I came to Ryogoku.’”
Iwatani also made it clear that she believes she is the right person to emerge victorious.
“Yuzuki has only been wrestling for three years. Isn’t it a little too soon for her? Aono has worked incredibly hard up to this point.
“But would it be boring if I won? And if Mayu lost, there would be so many people who would be sad.
“The winner has to be someone who can sit at the top of this promotion going forward. There’s only one choice: me. Mayu Iwatani needs to win and lead the promotion.
“I want to bring my 15th anniversary to a triumphant conclusion.”
Bringing Wrestling Home to Her Hometown
Iwatani, who serves as a hometown ambassador for Mine City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, is scheduled to compete at a special event at a local roadside station on November 22.
The event was organized through crowdfunding and received more financial support than its original target.
“It might be the last time I wrestle in the place where I was born and raised, but I’m really happy about it. All 219 of the hometown tax donation gifts sold out, and people have supported this event, too. It makes me realize how loved Mayu really is.
“Once Ryogoku is over, I’ll have to get started on the preparations. The venue is a roadside station, with a road right beside it, so fans won’t be able to throw paper streamers. What can we do instead? What about flower stands and banners? And what happens if it rains?
“I’ve never wrestled in the rain before, but more than anything, I feel sorry for the fans if they get wet. I really hope it doesn’t rain.”
She also hopes her grandmother will attend.
“My grandmother is scared when she sees me getting beaten up, so she still hasn’t been able to watch one of my matches. I really want her to come. She came when I served as a one-day police chief.
“She lives only 20 or 30 minutes from the venue, so I’d love for her to see me wrestle. The railway has also been disrupted twice because the tracks were flooded, so I know getting there can be difficult.
“For the fans who do come, I think it will be a good opportunity to understand where Mayu grew up and why I turned out the way I did. I want everyone to enjoy it.
“Marigold is a promotion where fans can feel close to the wrestlers. After a match, you can tell us what you thought at the autograph session and share your feelings with us. You can also take a two-shot photo to preserve the memory.”
“I’m Glad I Chose Marigold as My Final Home”
Throughout the interview, Iwatani kept sniffing. Despite being allergic to dogs and cats, she currently lives with three dogs and two cats.
“Pochi was such a good dog that he was no trouble at all. Then Bob, my second dog, came along. He was quite a handful, but I figured that if I could manage with two, then having three wouldn’t make much difference.
“Then I made eye contact with another mischievous dog, Pupe, and things became much harder than I expected. Having two troublemakers in the house is really difficult. I’m definitely not getting any more.”
She explained how Pupe got his name.
“When Pupe was a baby, I initially called him ‘Babu,’ like a little baby. But whenever I called either Bob or Babu, both of them would react. I also tend to stumble over my words, so I kept getting their names mixed up. That’s how he became Pupe.”
The name was inspired by Poupelle of Chimney Town, one of Iwatani’s favorite films.
As the interview came to an end, Iwatani reflected on her decision to join Marigold.
“Lately, I’ve really come to feel that I’m glad I chose this place, Marigold, as my final home. Well, maybe it won’t actually be my final home…”
She laughed mischievously before heading home to her beloved dogs.