By: Thom Fain
WAKAMANIA became a fan-favorite storyline last year, a fun substory of Club Venus as Mina Shirakawa and her group of “It” girls dreamt big, captured gold and traveled the world.
Waka Tsukiyama brings the fun and energy to everything she’s a part of, and our conversation was no different. Before we started recording she walked out to greet me in a DragonBall Z long-sleeve t shirt featuring Piccolo and we compared favorite characters from the seminal ‘90s series.
(I’m a Vegeta guy)
As a de-facto International cultural ambassador, Tsukiyama and Shirakawa traveled to Thailand as STARDOM’s Southeast Asia expansion plans begin to take shape – but an untimely injury left her unable to join Mina over in Singapore.
After being on the shelf for two months with a back injury, which Waka details below, she kindly took time to sit down with me and express her thoughts in English.
We’ll follow up with more details from Waka on the new faction and any new announcements for another MOONDOM show as details become available.
Monthly Puroresu:
You made your big return today. Can you tell our readers what you did in your time off when you were healing?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Mina said to me: “Please take a rest until you got full power.” I injured my back in one of my last of my matches. I felt so bad and I couldn’t turn when I was sleeping.
Monthly Puroresu:
So you strained your back muscle?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yes, yes. I couldn’t sit for a long time because of the pain. Now I’m fine.
Monthly Puroresu:
How long did you rest?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Two months.
Monthly Puroresu:
What did you do in that time?
Waka Tsukiyama:
I went to a sauna at Christmas. Saunas are good for healing my heart, so I went. For the first three weeks, I just slept well. [For some time prior] I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t sleep.
Monthly Puroresu:
Netflix?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Oh yeah, and Amazon Prime video.
Monthly Puroresu:
What’s your favorite movie you watched?
Waka Tsukiyama:
I watched the first three Harry Potter films on Amazon Prime. On Netflix, because I love anime, I watched Black Clover. I watched all the series.
Monthly Puroresu:
So you’re a pretty serious otaku. You like Akihabara?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah, of course, Japanese people love Akihabara.
Monthly Puroresu:
So you watched movies, rested in an onsen, and… training – when did you start training? Maybe a couple weeks ago?
Waka Tsukiyama:
One month ago.
Monthly Puroresu:
And you said you’re still getting your wind back?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. But my muscles got weak. So my first back week training, just exercise and HIIT.
Monthly Puroresu:
High intensity interval training.
Waka Tsukiyama:
That’s right. I got my stamina back.
Monthly Puroresu:
And your back feels good after your return match?
Waka Tsukiyama:
It’s okay! Maybe [laughs]
Monthly Puroresu:
Even though you didn’t get the result you wanted tonight. But it had a happy ending.
Waka Tsukiyama:
But I couldn’t win! Do you think it was a happy ending today?
Monthly Puroresu:
You made peace with your opponents.
Breaking: After Waka returned to action for #ClubVenus, Mina surprised everyone with some MAJOR reinforcements — including a returning Xena!
Maika is barely two weeks removed from leaving DDM, yet wasted little time finding a new crew. 💫 #STARDOM @we_are_stardom pic.twitter.com/U4Mcy1TCMZ
— Monthly Puroresu (@MonthlyPuroresu) January 20, 2024
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah, but I love HANAKO, I didn’t know a lot about Maika.
Monthly Puroresu:
She’s a little more closed off; a little more stoic. She’s hard to see through, hard to understand, would you say?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. There was little opportunity to talk with Maika for me. But I spoke to her and asked if we could train at the Dojo together. She said, “Oh, of course.”
Monthly Puroresu:
You’ll get even stronger after your injury by training with Maika. Do you think Maika and Mina Shirakawa will get along okay?
Waka Tsukiyama:
I think so, yeah.
Monthly Puroresu:
Do you have any aspirations or any goals to speak on… Maybe short-term goal versus long-term goal?
Waka Tsukiyama:
I’d want to win the New Blood Tag Team Championships. I don’t know if this is the short term goal or long term goal.
Monthly Puroresu:
However long it takes. One day at a time.
Waka Tsukiyama:
And also, I want to have matches all over the world.
Monthly Puroresu:
I saw you in New York [live] for the first time at Rumble on 44th Street. Would you like to wrestle in New Japan again?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Of course! I loved it.
Thank you, @we_are_stardom, for coming to America. The fans here deserve to see the best women wrestlers in the world. #STARDOM さん、アメリカに来てくれてありがとうございます。ここのファンは世界最高の女子レスラーを見る資格がある。#NJPWxSTARDOM @MinaShirakawa @Waka_Mm3 pic.twitter.com/yrdZ2gxB8x
— Monthly Puroresu (@MonthlyPuroresu) October 29, 2022
Monthly Puroresu:
And yourself and Mina Shirakawa are kind of like international ambassadors for STARDOM. Tell us about your time in Thailand and Singapore.
タイに到着したぞーーー‼️🐘
We arrived in Thailand! ✨
#STARDOM 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/rfGY3XO1HY
— 月山 和香 Waka Tsukiyama 🌙 (@Waka_Mm3) October 20, 2023
Waka Tsukiyama:
I only went to Thailand and not Singapore because of my back. But Thailand fans are so warm. Everyone says “Waka! Waka!”
Monthly Puroresu:
Wakamania is running wild in Thailand.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yes! It was so good.
Monthly Puroresu:
And you got to eat food and take dance lessons.
Waka Tsukiyama:
It’s a peaceful country. Have you ever been to Thailand?
Monthly Puroresu:
I’ve never been. The only Asian country I’ve been to is Japan. Maybe I will travel to Seoul because I want to go Korea.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Me too.
Monthly Puroresu:
Where else do you want to wrestle around the world.
Waka Tsukiyama:
In April, they’re holding a show in Philadelphia.
Monthly Puroresu:
A big STARDOM show. The first time in five years.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. Yeah.
Monthly Puroresu:
Where else do you want to wrestle?
Waka Tsukiyama:
How about France?
Monthly Puroresu:
That sounds fun.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah, I haven’t been before. Is there wrestling in France?
Monthly Puroresu:
I know Spain does. Italy – Francesco Akira. He’s from Italy. It has a small but growing scene.
Waka Tsukiyama:
[Akira] is a good wrestler.
Monthly Puroresu:
France, I don’t know. But it’s a beautiful country.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Everyone says that, everyone loves France. But I haven’t gone.
Monthly Puroresu:
Would you want to go with Mina?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. Mina and the new members.
Masahiro Kubota | MP | Mina & Waka at STARDOM AWARDS 2023 on 1.21.24
Monthly Puroresu:
Xena is from Australia. Maybe everybody can go to Australia.
Waka Tsukiyama:
I’d love to go to Australia. In the summer, perhaps.
Monthly Puroresu:
So: New Blood Tag Team titles is a goal. Traveling is a goal. Anything else to tell our readers — how about another MOONDOM show?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Right now, I’m talking to the new President Mr. Taro Okada. I hope so, and it will still be focused on English audiences.
Monthly Puroresu:
The new President has much better communication with the wrestlers, right?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yes, and it was much needed in the STARDOM locker room. I am hopeful [about the future].
Waka Tsukiyama:
Also, I’m unable to challenge for the Future of Stardom championship anymore, but the New Blood titles I can. Until today, there were only two members of Club Venus in Japan. So we couldn’t challenge for the Artist of Stardom titles.
Monthly Puroresu:
Until now.
Waka Tsukiyama:
From now we can.
Monthly Puroresu:
Xena said she’ll be in Japan long time, so she’ll have many more matches. With Maika and HANAKO – is it still Club Venus?
Waka Tsukiyama:
It’s a new group. “I’m not Club Venus” Maika said, and we have until tomorrow to decide the new group name.
Monthly Puroresu:
It’ll be a group decision. Maika and Mina – hopefully they get along.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. Two leaders.
Monthly Puroresu:
The last thing is: Who do you think will help challenge you in STARDOM as an opponent?
Waka Tsukiyama:
Hanan is one.
Monthly Puroresu:
She lost to Abarenbo GE today in her title challenge.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. Hanan and… Ami Sohrei.
Monthly Puroresu:
She’s big. You have to be fast, a lot more training.
Waka Tsukiyama:
They’re both powerful and they have strong minds and fighting spirit. And as well, Sohrei is my friend from before I became a wrestler.
Monthly Puroresu:
She’s an otaku as well. She loves Like A Dragon.
Waka Tsukiyama:
I know. Yeah. She loves games, anime and YouTube. She loves a lot of cultural things.
Monthly Puroresu:
And the second part of this question is: You said you want to travel all over the world. Who else in the world do you want to wrestle?
Waka Tsukiyama:
It’s difficult question because there are so many wrestlers in the world, but when I wrestled in New York, I fought Kylie Rae and Tiara James. I want to wrestle them again.
Monthly Puroresu:
So you lost against them, but next time maybe you win.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah.
Monthly Puroresu:
Kylie Rae went to TNA. I think. TNA and New Japan are working together again, so maybe.
Waka Tsukiyama:
Yeah. That would be fun.
Date:
January 21, 2024
