Mayu Iwatani Opens Up On Marigold Criticism, Feels People Tend To Nitpick Over Every Little Thing

By: Lewis Carlan 

On Aug. 9th, Marigold will present its next big event “SUMMER DESTINY 2026” at the Ota City General Gymnasium.

One of the featured matches will see Mayu Iwatani return from injury after 4 months as she teams with Victoria Yuzuki, who is also returning from injury. The two superstars will face the Spark Rush duo of Sareee & Takumi Iroha.

Photo Credit: Marigold

Marigold has been plagued by injuries to many of their top stars in 2026. Due to this unfortunate occurrence, many fans have been critical of Marigold events throughout 2026.

In addition, attendance for Marigold events have been on a steady decline in 2026 which could be the direct result of the lack of star power due to the injury bug.

In a recent interview with BBM Japan, Iwatani who was joined by Yuzuki, discussed the criticism aimed at Marigold by fans and she didn’t mince her words. While she stated people tend to nitpick over every little thing, she admits that sometimes there are matches in Marigold that are not very good.

From Mayu Iwatani:

“While I was sidelined, I watched every match at the venue, and Marigold is seriously entertaining. It’s a promotion that gets a lot of criticism—for having low attendance and all sorts of other things. Yeah. There’s criticism that’s downright scary, and people nitpicking over every little thing. It’s amazing how much this promotion is hated. I wonder what it’s all about, but the action in the ring is solid and entertaining. Though there are some matches that aren’t that great sometimes.”

When it suggested that matches are hit or miss, Iwatani had this response:

From Mayu Iwatani:

“Exactly. Getting injured is never a good thing, but realizing how interesting Marigold is was one of the silver linings of my time off. As I watched the wrestlers’ personalities and such, I found myself thinking, “Oh, Marigold actually has a future.” I think that was a positive outcome. However, no matter how exciting the matches are, if there’s no reason or way for people to watch them, they won’t even catch their attention. In that sense, I feel like the return of Ms. Iwatani and Ms. Yuzuki could serve as a catalyst for people to think, ‘Maybe I’ll give Marigold a try.’”

One thing is certain for Marigold, getting Mayu Iwatani and Victoria Yuzuki back from injury is massive for the promotion. The two are expected to have a tremendous match against Sareee & Takumi Iroha.

(English quote translations via Deepl.com)