By: James Carlin
Back before she joined under the bright lights of STARDOM, Ami Sohrei, under the last name Miura, debuted for Actwres girl’Z during the pandemic in August 2020. Her height gave her an advantage over most, and her towering nature made her a fan favourite whilst she spent her time there. Additionally, she also took part in AWG’s subsidiary Action Ring Girls, playing the part of Tokiwa in Kaguya, led by Hisen (Yuka Yasukawa).
Her last show for the company would be in December 2021 at Radiant Hall in Yokohama, where she defeated the Phoenix of Osaka, Miyuki Takase. This also happened to be the last show before the new direction of Actwres girl’Z would take effect in the new year. A multitude of talents ended up leaving the company after this show to become freelancers and Miura was no different.
For the next few months, Miura would remain out of competition, but on the first day of STARDOM’s World Climax shows, she reappeared as Syuri’s second and bodyguard in Syuri’s World of Stardom championship defence against Giulia. Following the title match, Syuri would announce her desire to leave Donna del Mondo in order to form a new unit alongside the now-named Ami Sohrei, with the name later being revealed as God’s Eye.
The founding member of God’s Eye has only been wrestling for just a little over three years, but she’s shown incredible promise not only as a singles wrestler, but as a credible tag team specialist as well.
Before the end of this year’s 5 STAR GP, Sohrei took the time to speak about her beginnings as a wrestler, what makes her and MIRAI good tag team partners, and what to expect from her in the future.
Ami Sohrei makes her entrance in July 2023. c/o Masahiro Kubota / Monthly Puroresu
Monthly Puroresu: I remember that your tag team partner MIRAI spoke about discovering pro-wrestling after the Tohoku Earthquake in 2011, citing Hiroshi Tanahashi as an influence that left a lasting impression on her. For you, how did you discover pro-wrestling and how did you begin training?
Ami Sohrei:
It all started when I began performing on stage with Waka Tsukiyama. At the time, she was a trainee of Actwres girl’Z. She invited me to join in with training at AWG — sort of light-heartedly asking — and I ended up accepting her invitation to become a wrestling trainee of Actwres girl’Z.
Monthly Puroresu:
You and Tsukiyama both came to STARDOM from Actwres girl’Z, but you and MIRAI joined STARDOM from different organizations; MIRAI didn’t come from AWG like others such as yourself, Momo Kohgo and Mai Sakurai did.
MIRAI was brought in by Giulia at the beginning of 2022 with Thekla, and you were brought in by Syuri just a few months later. What was it like to find out that one of the best wrestlers in the company like Syuri had asked you to join them in the largest women’s wrestling organization?
Ami Sohrei:
Honestly, I was really happy that she invited me, and I thought it was a great responsibility. I was under a lot of pressure since I was appearing as her strongest bodyguard, and I didn’t want to disappoint her or anyone else.
Monthly Puroresu:
STARDOM has always had outside wrestlers on their shows, since their very first year to be precise, but in the last few years it’s become apparent that many wrestlers from outside of the company have expressed interest in joining full-time.
What do you think makes STARDOM so desirable for other wrestlers to want to compete in its ring?
Ami Sohrei:
I think it’s the size of the shows, the incredible production, the quality of the wrestling, as well as many other things.
I was one of the wrestlers who was attracted to those parts of STARDOM. I also thought to myself that if I wasn’t able to shine in a STARDOM ring, then I wouldn’t be able to become one of the top women’s professional wrestlers today.
Monthly Puroresu:
Since your debut, you’ve positioned yourself as a powerful wrestler with relentless attacks and intense moves in the ring. Is there a current or former wrestler who has inspired your in-ring style? Or do you prefer to make yourself unique?
Ami Sohrei:
If I had to name someone that has influenced a lot of my in-ring style, it would be Hiroyo Matsumoto. We shared the ring a few times before I became a part of STARDOM. I’m only a little taller than her, but I see a lot of myself in her when I perform, as we’re both bigger wrestlers of the same size that can do a lot of damage very easily.
Monthly Puroresu:
MIRAI calls herself the “Ash-Covered Cinderella” and used to use the nickname “Tohoku Strong Soul”. You call yourself “God’s Chosen Big Girl”. Where does that name come from?
Ami Sohrei:
Originally in Actwres girl’Z my nickname was “The Big Girl [that doesn’t know her strength]”. When I arrived in STARDOM, Rossy Ogawa came up with a nickname that incorporated the “Big Girl” part of my old nickname but made sure that it still worked with my affiliation to God’s Eye.
Monthly Puroresu:
As a team, MIRAI and yourself perform under the name “The New Eras”, which I think is a great name. Where did it originate from and who was the one that came up with it?
Ami Sohrei:
MIRAI and I came up with the name together. As the name suggests, we named it after our desire to build a “new era” together in the company.
Monthly Puroresu:
How and why do you think The New Eras are able to stand out from the other tag teams in STARDOM?
Ami Sohrei:
I think it’s because we both believe that we have a trusting relationship, not only in our individual strengths, but also in our ability to improve each other when we wrestle together as a team.
The New Eras make their entrance at Yokohama Arena. c/o Masahiro Kubota / Monthly Puroresu
Monthly Puroresu:
At Yokohama Arena, the two of you defeated Nanae Takahashi and Yuu (7Upp) at Yokohama Arena to win the Goddess of Stardom championships. It must have felt great to defeat a legendary name like Nanae Takahashi on a stage as big as that. Do you think this title win marks a change in STARDOM and that the rising and future stars of STARDOM are ready to rise to the top?
Ami Sohrei:
I don’t think anyone could have imagined that we would take the Goddess of Stardom Tag Team championships from Nanae Takahashi and Yuu. We were happy to have been able to defy everyone’s expectations, and to meet the expectations of those that support us. I know we’ve only been wrestling for a short time, but we are still young, and we always want to be able to lead the future of STARDOM.
Monthly Puroresu:
Now that the New Eras are former Goddess of Stardom champions, let’s think about if you’re able to win back the tag team titles again: Is there anything that you’d like to do as champions that you couldn’t do previously, and are there any teams you would like to defend the titles against?
Ami Sohrei:
I’d like for us to defend the titles in a match against BMI2000 (Natsuko Tora & Ruaka). I’d also love to defend them against AphroditE (Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani) and meltear (Tam Nakano and Natsupoi) – they’re both teams that used to hold those titles. It would also be nice to get a proper pinfall victory over 7Upp, as we defeated them by count-out last time to win the belts.
Monthly Puroresu:
I previously brought up that yourself and MIRAI came to STARDOM from different companies, you both also came to STARDOM and joined separate units to begin with. Do you think it was a challenge getting used to each other as a team in the ring? Beforehand, MIRAI had teamed with Donna del Mondo for three months prior to asking to join you and Syuri in God’s Eye.
Ami Sohrei:
There were a lot of opportunities to work together as a team since she first became a member of God’s Eye, so I think I got used to teaming with her cohesively pretty quickly.
Monthly Puroresu:
Looking at MIRAI, she’s the second wrestler in STARDOM history after Mayu Iwatani to win the Cinderella Tournament twice. That is quite an incredible feat. How does it feel to know that both of you have made such a big impact in a very short period of time within STARDOM?
Ami Sohrei:
It feels amazing, and I want to be someone who still continues to make an impact in STARDOM in the future.
Monthly Puroresu:
Outside of being tag team partners, you and MIRAI have only met twice in singles matches. First in the 5★STAR GP in 2022, and again during this year’s Cinderella Tournament. Does wrestling your partner in a competitive environment help you bond and understand each other better? Is there anything you don’t like about wrestling your tag team partner?
Ami Sohrei:
I don’t mind being opposite sides of the ring from MIRAI because, like you said, we can bond and understand each other better. But… I don’t want to be hit by MIRAI’s lariat, because she hits very hard.
Ami Sohrei and MIRAI face-off in the 2022 5★STAR GP. c/o STARDOM
Monthly Puroresu:
Looking back at your accomplishments so far, you’re also a former Future of Stardom Champion. The title has a pretty amazing list of former champion, including inaugural champion Starlight Kid, as well as Utami Hayashitshita, Maika, Mina Shirakawa, and of course, yourself. Which singles championship do you think is next for you to win? Are you more interested in the Red Belt, held by Tam Nakano, or the White Belt, held by your tag team partner MIRAI? Do you think you can achieve becoming a double champion again?
Ami Sohrei:
The World of Stardom championship is my goal. When I became Future of Stardom champion, my goal was to become double champion, and I achieved it by becoming Future of Stardom champion and Goddess of Stardom champion at the same time. That is still my goal today, but now I want to achieve it as the World of Stardom champion.
Monthly Puroresu:
Recently, SEGA announced two new Like A Dragon (Ryu ga Gotoku) games, which I saw you post that you were excited for. Do you play a lot of video games, and what do you think of the new Like A Dragon game announcements?
Ami Sohrei:
Of course I love playing a lot of games, especially the Like A Dragon series. But the Yakuza: Like A Dragon (Like A Dragon 7) spin-off game, The Man Who Erased His Name has really interested me the most.
Kazuma Kiryu, who had been the protagonist of the last six games, was no longer the protagonist in Like A Dragon 7, and instead someone named Ichiban Kasuga took his place as the main character of the series.
At the end of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Like A Dragon 6), Kiryu disappears after the events of the game, but he surprisingly appears again Like A Dragon 7 – but without the name Kiryu.
The Man Who Erased His Name takes place between Yakuza 6 and Like A Dragon, so I’m really excited to see what Kiryu’s life was like after he disappeared!
Monthly Puroresu:
Do you think you have a “soulmate” in terms of opponents in STARDOM? For example, Mayu Iwatani had Kagetsu (Yuu Ishino), Starlight Kid has AZM, Giulia has Tam Nakano, and so on.
Ami Sohrei:
I think that Waka Tsukiyama would be the closest that I have to a soulmate in wrestling. She has something that I don’t have, and she was the one that introduced me to professional wrestling, so I think that no matter what, we’ll always have a strong connection to each other.
Monthly Puroresu:
How do you hope to leave your mark and legacy in STARDOM? You’ve already accomplished a lot in a short period of time, having only made your debut last year. Looking to the future, what can we expect from you, both as a tag team wrestler and as a singles competitor?
Ami Sohrei:
I want to hold all of the star-shaped belts of STARDOM! The ones I haven’t won yet are the Red Belt, White Belt, and Artist of Stardom Championship. I want to wear them all — but I am still developing and improving, so I can only go up from here. I will continue to grow as a tag team wrestler and as a singles wrestler. I hope everyone reading can cheer for me and root for me as I aspire for greatness as a member of STARDOM.
Date:
September 13, 2023
