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An idol’s leap of faith: “Genius Girl” Yuki Arai

3 days ago Peatzilla | MP
Peatzilla | MP

Peatzilla | MP

An idol’s leap of faith: “Genius Girl” Yuki Arai

By: Pep S. Caro

“Genius Girl” is a nickname that puts pressure on any rookie. This case carries even more pressure because the person labeled that way wasn’t a full-time wrestler. Was that disrespectful to the profession? Or was it an affirmation of the individual’s talent?

Yuki Arai was a 20-year-old from Kyoto, popular for her idol career in the group SKE48, when she experienced firsthand for the first time how exciting and painful profesional wrestling can be. The experience was at DDT Pro Wrestling, a promotion that has been a connecting space for pro wrestling and other types of entertainment in Japan. DDT has a championship that you probably already know by the time you read this, one that can be won anytime, anywhere, and you don’t have to be a wrestler or even a human being to win it: the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship. Kaori Matsumura, then her SKE48 teammate, was the championship holder, and Arai jumped at the chance to achieve something outside of her idol career. He took Matsumura by surprise and pinned her to become the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion.

 

 

 

A joy and perhaps a surprise, but unlike many others, Arai had a tough test defending the Championship in a match. He had to defend her Championship in a Gauntlet Battle Royal at Korakuen Hall, the most iconic pro wrestling venue in Tokyo. She faced wrestlers from TJPW, a DDT-affiliated company in which female wrestlers compete. Ultimately, for Arai, she lost the championship. The winner of the match was Maki Itoh, a former idol, who decided to end her career to dedicate herself to wrestling full-time. A tough shock, but that was the end of Arai’s professional wrestling career on October 28, 2018. Or was it just the beginning?

On May 4, 2021, Arai returned to the ring. This time under the TJPW banner, the same company that included the wrestlers she competed with two and a half years ago. In the weeks leading up to the match, Tokyo Joshi surprised her fans and those of SKE48 by announcing that Arai had decided to pursue a career in professional wrestling, but that it would be alongside her idol career. The day arrived, and Arai teamed up with Miu Watanabe, a young wrestler who had also been standing out as an idol in TJPW. Her team faced Maki Itoh, the former idol who defeated her in the past, and another young talent who had recently debuted, Arisu Endo. The match was a first glimpse of Arai’s dedication and commitment to taking wrestling seriously. In that regard, despite the loss, she closed the night with the approval of a segment of TJPW fans. She received the Tokyo Sports Rookie of the Year award for 2021 later that year, a great achievement for her early career.

 

 

Arai spent a year learning the ropes between 2021 and 2022. It wasn’t easy to compare her career as an idol with her wrestling career. However, she was starting to get hooked on professional wrestling. Until now, it had been difficult for TJPW and its agency to compare dates, but thanks to Arai, it became possible, and their first big test arrived. Arai reunited with Saki Akai, a DDT wrestler who occasionally participates in TJPW. Together, they formed a new tag team called Reiwa AA Cannon. They strengthened their teamwork, won a couple of matches, gained momentum, and earned a title opportunity against the dominant Princess Tag Team Champions Sugar Magical Rabbits, Yuka Sakazaki, and Mizuki. Against all odds, Reiwa AA Cannon dethroned the champions, and Arai showed that she was preparing herself to the fullest, even though it meant less sleep and greater physical exertion. Fourteen months after her professional debut, she was already a champion in her own right. Her reign alongside Akai wasn’t outstanding; it was rather average, partly due to her infrequent defenses and partly due to the tight schedule of her idol career. Their reign ended at Tokyo Joshi Pro ’23 after they lost to Wasteland War Party, Heidi Howitzer & Max The Impaler, at Korakuen Hall, the same venue where she lost her DDT Championship in 2018.

 

 

2023 was a similar year due to the aforementioned difficulties, but that didn’t stop Arai’s drive and desire to excel in pro wrestling. She gradually won matches until reaching a new edition of the Tokyo Princess Cup, the annual singles tournament held by TJPW. In the 2023 edition, Arai defeated Hikari Noa and Arisu Endo, reaching the semifinals for the first time. Unfortunately, she lost to Miyu Yamashita, the eventual tournament winner and TJPW Ace. That didn’t disappoint her. It showed that if she puts her mind to it, she can go far. In that sense, she closed out the year racking up victories and decided to challenge Max to a match at Tokyo Joshi Pro ’24, with the International Princess Championship on the line.

2024 began with Arai facing her toughest singles match to date against an opponent bigger, heavier, and tougher than her, but that didn’t stop her from giving her all. Once again, Korakuen Hall hosted a title change in a match involving Arai, but this time Arai defeated Max and won the Championship. As International Princess Champion, Arai became one of the most visible faces of TJPW and began participating in more shows, but still struggled to balance her idol career. Her goal was to give 120% in both endeavors. Her intention wasn’t to undermine one for the other. That was frustrating for her.

 

 

The second half of the year brought another edition of the Tokyo Princess Cup. Arai again reached the semifinals, this time defeating Kaya Toribami, Wakana Uehara, and Suzume. She had one more match than last year and seemed to be on the right track, however, she lost in the semifinals to Ryo Mizunami, the eventual tournament winner. This was a tough match for Arai and, for many, was Arai’s best singles match to date. This proved that she had a future in wrestling. It was a turning point for her future.

After the tournament, she had to turn the page and move on, because she couldn’t let another defeat get her down, as she was still a TJPW Champion. She successfully defended her Championship six times between February and November. She defeated Juria Nagano, Yuki Kamifuku, LA Taylor, Arisu Endo, Moka Miyamoto, and Shazza McKenzie. Just as we were wondering who the next challenger would be, following her most recent defense, Suzume, the wrestler she defeated at the Tokyo Princess Cup, appeared and challenged her to a title match at Tokyo Joshi Pro ’25. Poetic, isn’t it?

 

 

Arai was already in love with pro wrestling and made a decision. After 10 years as an idol, she decided she’d had enough. She announced at the end of 2024 that she would graduate from the idol group SKE48 to dedicate herself full-time to pro wrestling. This news shocked fans of both industries in which Arai works, but they were filled with hope for the possibilities it meant for her pro wrestling career.

2025 began with Arai facing the opponent she needed to prove she was ready to give her all in pro wrestling. The match was wonderful. It was a testament to Arai’s feelings for pro wrestling. She was focused and committed to making a name for herself on her own merits. She didn’t win the match; she lost the Championship, but she set the record for the longest reign in history at 366 days and, more importantly, that she could headline in TJPW.

 

 

After Arai lost the Championship, she had to finish her obligations with SKE48. It was a very emotional few months for her, but she wanted to say goodbye to this stage of her life with a smile and no regrets. In the midst of that, she had the most important match of her career: she was chosen to face professional wrestling legend Meiko Satomura in her last match in TJPW before retiring. A tough test in which she was defeated by Satomura, but in which she demonstrated her ardent spirit for pro wrestling. She lost the match, but earned the respect of the legendary Satomura, who even broke character to hug and comfort Arai while she cried.

Weeks later, her idol graduation ceremony arrived, accompanied by her fellow SKE48 members, ending 10 years of her life, where she experienced a wide range of emotions that made her who she is today: an energetic, committed person who wants to shine and be a force to be reckoned with for her fans.

 

 

This month, she fulfilled another dream and participated in her first international tour with TJPW. She competed in two matches in Las Vegas, Nevada, during WrestleMania Week 2025. Her fans in the United States were very happy to see her, and she was the person on the roster with the most Meet & Greet sessions that weekend. To celebrate this first tour and the start of her career as a full-time professional wrestler, she unveiled a new wardrobe. It was freer, more provocative, more true to what she wants to be at this stage: a wrestler who takes risks, who goes at her own pace, and does pro wrestling her way.

 

 

Arai took a leap of faith, some might say. She’s not the first idol to decide to end her career in that field to enter professional wrestling full-time. I’m sure she won’t be the last. But Arai has something some of us call “Angel.” That innate charisma, that magnetism that provokes viewers of any gender, whether they’re die-hard fans or casual fans, to turn their gaze and focus on her. To closely observe her movements, her expressions. That’s why she took a leap of faith. Now that she’s devoting herself full-time to professional wrestling, after having faced Satomura and participated in her first international tour, the next step is the Princess of Princess Championship. She also has to win the Tokyo Princess Cup, something she hasn’t been able to do yet and could be a step closer to winning the top TJPW Championship. Whatever happens in the coming months, I’m sure it will be a great year for Arai. Tokyo Joshi Pro ’26 will be an event I’m already looking forward to, and I’m sure, given her track record, Arai’s fans will too.

By
Features, Tokyo Joshi

Written by:

Born and raised in Lima, Peru. I have live some periods of my life in New Hampshire, USA and in Madrid, Spain. I'm a Master in Cultural Management and also a Graduate in Audiovisual Communication. I'm the Interview Coordinator for Planeta Wrestling in Europe and Latin America. Also, I'm a Collaborator for Lucha Libre Online, the biggest Spanish Speaking Media Outlet. I have been watching pro wrestling since I'm 3 years old. I have over 10 years of experience covering professional wrestling all around the world, and over 8 years of experience covering sports and entertainment. I have done over 100 interview with talent from all around the world, especially from Japan, England and Spain. Some of my exclusive interviews: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji, NOZAWA Rongai, Zack Sabre Jr., Takumi Iroha, Mina Shirakawa, Utami Hayashishita, Syuri, Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe, El Phantasmo, Francesco Akira, Kaito Kiyomiya, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Hiromu Takahashi, DOUKI, Mascara Dorada, Galeno del Mal.