Mayu Iwatani Recovering From Injuries To Left & Right Ankles, Says She’ll Be Fine For Match Against IYO SKY
Iwatani chats about IYO ahead of their match.
On the marquee for Dream Star Fighting Marigold’s ‘Grand Destiny’ event on October 26th is a singles match between Mayu Iwatani and WWE’s IYO SKY. The last time SKY and Iwatani faced each other in a singles match was in April 2018.
There’s a feature piece on Iwatani that was published by Sports Graphic Number. The article noted that both of Iwatani’s ankles are injured. She twisted her right ankle in a match on 10/4. She taped that ankle up and wrestled the next day, but ended up injuring her left ankle.
Iwatani got through a Marigold Superfly Title defense on 10/13, but she has missed three shows since then. She told the outlet that she’s sure she’ll be fine for the match against IYO.
“Korakuen was a no-go, but I’m sure Ryogoku will be fine!”
Elsewhere in the piece, Iwatani opened up about facing SKY:
“It’s a heavy burden for me. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m not confident. Still, I have no choice but to do it. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to, but even though I’ve always had insomnia, lately it’s gotten worse. I guess I can’t let my guard down. It’s my first time headlining at Ryogoku. The pressure is intense. Can we really pull this off ourselves…? I should be proud that we’ve been entrusted with this, and I have no choice but to do it. Honestly, it’s incredibly emotional.”
Their match is going to be the main event of Grand Destiny. Iwatani shared that she did not want that slot and does not like being in the main event in general. Iwatani learned through social media that they would be headlining.
“I had always thought it would be nice if I could fight IYO again someday. There was a possibility… Saying this might get me in trouble with other wrestlers, but even after Ryogoku was decided, I didn’t absolutely want the main event. I found out that ‘maybe’ had become reality from X. I woke up at 1:30 PM, so I found out later than the fans… I don’t like being the main event. The pressure is too much. I’m joining (Marigold) midway, and IYO-san is from another organization.”
It was in May that Iwatani joined Marigold following her departure from STARDOM. She recounted speaking to IYO in January and telling her that she was considering leaving STARDOM.
“Back in January, when I was in the U.S. and told her I was considering leaving the company, she said, ‘Isn’t this the first time Mayu’s making a decision for herself? Whether you stay or move, I’ll cook red rice to celebrate.’”
Fightful will have coverage of Marigold Grand Destiny. Elsewhere on the bill for the show is Utami Hayashishita defending her Marigold World Championship against Miku Aono. The card is also going to feature Chika Goto versus a mystery opponent.
