Having worked numerous part-time jobs before her pro wrestling debut, Saya-sama shares her personal philosophy on part-time work, while also discussing the pay for Stardom rookies and her own salary.

“Working hard is an amazing thing! Even two years ago, I almost took on a part-time job…”

Saya-sama

Servant #38 (hereafter Servant): The other day, a post by Keiji Muto on X went viral when he mentioned ordering Uber Eats and having pro wrestler Tatsuhito Takaiwa show up as his delivery driver.

Saya-sama: That post popped up on my social media timeline, so I saw it. It seems like it sparked a lot of mixed opinions, but you need money to live, and working your hardest at any job is an amazing thing. To all the people running their mouths about it, I just feel like saying, “Stay out of other people’s lives and shut up!” (laughs).

Servant: You have experience working part-time jobs yourself, right, Saya-sama?

Saya-sama: Before I discovered pro wrestling, I was doing idol and talent work, and since my career wasn’t taking off at all, I spent a long time paying my dues at the bottom. Over the years, I worked at McDonald’s, Nakau, Kura Sushi, a clothing store, Onyasai, as a supermarket cashier, at a convenience store, doing temp work… and I even did idol activities through “Baito AKB,” so my life has been deeply connected to part-time jobs. My interpersonal relationships never went well anywhere I worked, so I could never last more than a year at any of them. Plenty of times, I would apply for an interview feeling super motivated, only to start dreading it as the date got closer and just not show up. Total social misfit behavior, right? (laughs).

Servant: Since you’ve stuck with pro wrestling for over seven years now, it really is your true calling, Saya-sama!

Saya-sama: I wonder what kind of work I’d be doing right now if I hadn’t found pro wrestling. Just thinking about it gives me so much anxiety… Come to think of it, I actually thought about getting a part-time job two years ago.

Servant: Two years ago?! What brought that on?

Saya-sama: I think it was around the winter of two years ago, right after I joined HATE … I just remembered that I actually applied for a part-time job plating side dishes for bento boxes (laughs). The reason I wanted to work part-time wasn’t because I was struggling for money or anything, but because I wanted to interact with people outside of pro wrestling. However, the timing coincided with my schedule getting really busy, so I ended up having to give up on the idea.

Servant: That’s a really interesting reason.

Saya-sama: When you do this job, every single day is so overstimulating that your sense of reality starts to glitch out. That’s why I wanted to interact with regular people and experience different perspectives and values. In the end, I didn’t have the time to go through with it, though…

Servant: So that’s what happened. I don’t really picture Stardom wrestlers working part-time jobs.

Saya-sama: Thankfully, in Stardom today, even rookies are paid a high enough salary to live on their own without needing a part-time job. Compared to other promotions, I think that’s pretty incredible. When freelance wrestlers get injured and can’t compete, their income completely stops, whereas Stardom guarantees our pay even while we’re out of action. Plus, we can have peace of mind knowing they provide comprehensive support for hospital visits and medical care!

Servant: That means it’s an ethical, employee-friendly company!

Saya-sama: Stardom is a company I highly recommend (laughs).

Servant: I would love to know about your own salary situation, Saya-sama.

Saya-sama: Hey, Servant!! How insolent of you to ask about Saya-sama’s salary situation…! Well, I suppose I can’t blame you… I don’t know the exact numbers for everyone around me, but going by my own gut feeling, among all pro wrestlers in Japan—both men and women combined—I think I’m making the most!! Ahem!!

Servant: That is incredible!! Expect nothing less from Saya-sama!!

Saya-sama: I have to keep proving from here on out that women’s pro wrestling is a place of big dreams! Listen up, Servants—make sure you keep spending plenty of your money on Saya-sama! ♡

Translator’s Notes

  • Column Title & Wordplay (Misete yaru yo): In the title of the column (Saya-sama ga Shijō Saidai no Akumu wo Misete Yaru yo!), the verb miseru (“to show”) is written with the kanji for “to enchant, fascinate, or captivate” rather than the standard kanji for “to look/show.” This is a classic puroresu journalistic and promotional trope that implies putting on a captivating spectacle rather than merely displaying something.
  • Character Persona (Saya-sama & Shimobe): Ever since turning heel and joining the faction HATE in July 2024, Saya Kamitani has referred to herself in the third person with the grandiose, aristocratic honorific Saya-sama (Lady Saya / Mistress Saya). Correspondingly, she refers to her fans—as well as the Weekly Pro Wrestling interviewer assigned to this column—as Shimobe (“Servants” or “Minions”). The interviewer is designated as Shimobe 38-gō (“Servant #38”), a playful nod to how evil organizations in Japanese tokusatsu (live-action superhero shows) and anime number their foot soldiers.
  • Keiji Muto & Tatsuhito Takaiwa Viral Story: The opening question references a real-life viral post on X (formerly Twitter) where puroresu legend Keiji Muto shared a photo with veteran junior heavyweight powerhouse Tatsuhito Takaiwa, who happened to deliver Muto’s Uber Eats order. In Japan, where veteran wrestlers outside of major corporate promotions often supplement their income with side jobs, the post ignited a heated debate on social media about the financial realities of independent wrestlers versus the dignity of regular labor.
  • Japanese Restaurant Chains & “Baito AKB”:
    • baito (short for arubaito, from the German Arbeit) is the standard Japanese word for a part-time job.
    • Kamitani lists several famous Japanese food chains where she worked: Nakau (a fast-food chain specializing in donburi rice bowls and udon), Kura Sushi (a major conveyor-belt sushi chain), and Onyasai (short for Shabu-Shabu Onyasai, a popular hot pot chain).
    • Baito AKB: A real 2014–2015 promotional project by the mega-idol group AKB48 in collaboration with the job-hunting site Baitoru, where girls were hired on temporary, part-time contracts to perform as back-up and trainee idols. Kamitani was famously a member of Baito AKB before transitioning to dance and eventually pro wrestling.
  • Slang (Kankaku ga bagutte kuru): When explaining why she wanted to pack bento boxes after turning heel, Kamitani says kankaku ga bagutte kuru—literally “my senses start to bug out” (from the English computer term “bug”). Localizing this as “your sense of reality starts to glitch out” preserves her modern, conversational slang while clearly conveying how the high-adrenaline lifestyle of a top star distorts her everyday perspective.
  • “White Company” (Howaito Kigyō): When the interviewer praises Stardom’s injury pay and medical coverage, they use the term howaito kigyō (“white company”). In Japanese labor culture, a burakku kigyō (“black company”) is a notorious term for an exploitative sweatshop employer with unpaid overtime and abusive conditions. Conversely, a howaito kigyō is an ethical, employee-friendly company with strong benefits, fair pay, and good welfare—reflecting the corporate stability brought to Stardom under parent company Bushiroad.
  • Boastful Interjection (Ehen!!): At the end of her boast about being the highest-paid wrestler in Japan across both men’s and women’s divisions, Kamitani uses Ehen!!, a classic Japanese onomatopoeia for clearing one’s throat to puff out one’s chest in pride. It is rendered here as “Ahem!!” to match her playful, arrogant heel persona.
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