4 months ago
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IYO SKY had high praise for her opponent Utami Hayashishita following their dream match at Marigold Summer Destiny 2024.
IYO and Utami’s history in Queen’s Quest
Both women represented different eras of STARDOM’s Queen’s Quest faction. IYO SKY founded the group and nurtured the next generation of joshi wrestlers within the faction. These included the likes of AZM, Hazuki, and Utami Hayashishita.
IYO had left Japan for WWE just as Utami began her pro-wrestling training. Utami then went on to major success becoming the leader of Queen’s Quest herself and capturing the World of Stardom Championship. Since then, Utami has been vocal about wanting the opportunity to wrestle IYO SKY one-on-one now that she has grown into a top wrestling star.
Former WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY spoke to the backstage press following her victory over Utami Hayashishita. Per ENCOUNT, she explained how she had to dig deep into the Japanese wrestling style to defeat Utami.
“Today, I fought not as a WWE superstar IYO SKY, but in a Japanese style,” she said. “I felt that Hayashishita is determined to carry the weight of this industry on her shoulders. Her personality is different from mine, but I think we have the same feelings.”
During the match, IYO pulled out nostalgic moves from her arsenal dating back to her days in STARDOM. She hit a Tombstone Piledriver followed by her signature Asai Moonsault to pick up the victory. After the match, IYO and Utami gave each other a bow backstage, signifying their respect for each another as competitors.
IYO SKY then expressed her gratitude to WWE and Marigold for giving her this opportunity to compete in her home country once again. She left Utami with words of advice, saying that how she moves forward with this opportunity is fully in her hands.
