For Chieri Sakimori, who had always taken an interest in and attended a wide variety of events such as idol shows, musicals, and comedy live performances, last December’s “Ocha Pro” was the perfect opportunity. That event was a collaboration show between the idol group OCHA NORMA and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling; not only did she want to see the idols perform live, but it also allowed her to experience pro wrestling for the very first time—something she had been curious about yet rarely had the chance to see. “By the time it ended, I had already bought a ticket for the following week. Before I knew it, I was going to watch almost every week from that point on. I have a bit of an otaku temperament, so once I get hooked on something, I dive right in immediately. I subscribed to WRESTLE UNIVERSE right away, rewatched all the matches, and came to think about how fascinating pro wrestling really is.”
While she was buying tickets nearly every week like that, she learned about the “Women’s Pro-Wrestling Camp” on the Tokyo Joshi website. Having always enjoyed staying active and participating in trial classes for things like dance and yoga, Sakimori was intrigued, thinking, “Wait, you can actually be taught by active wrestlers? Is something like that really possible?” and promptly joined the camp three months after that initial show. At the time, a recruitment notice for the April trainee class also caught her eye, and she recalls thinking, “If I actually try it out and feel like I can move well enough, maybe applying could be an option too.” That spontaneous mindset of “living life on momentum” is what opened the path for her to become a trainee.
Having spent about a year performing as a regional local idol during high school and dancing in rhythmic gymnastics, she already had experience being in front of an audience. Because of that, she rarely gets nervous for matches, so there were never any worries on that front from the beginning. However, she currently runs her own eye salon, and even on the day of this interview (October 14 in Itabashi), she had spent the morning lifting eyelashes and shaping eyebrows for clients before coming to the venue. Even so, regarding balancing both careers, she says, “It’s busy, but it’s fun. Nobody is forcing me to do it—it’s something I genuinely want to do myself.”
Graduating from beauty school, earning her cosmetology license, going independent, and owning her own shop had been her dream since childhood. In that sense, she has already fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams. Yet because her personality leads her to take an interest in all sorts of things, she explains, “After running my business independently for a few years, right when I was thinking I wanted a fresh breeze in my life… I stumbled upon pro wrestling.” Going independent with her salon had been fairly reckless in itself, too, yet she launched into that on a wave of enthusiasm thinking, “Just go for it.” “With pro wrestling, too, once I reached out to them and training started, it became a situation where I just had to see it through. Even when I know something is reckless, once an idea pops into my head, I act on it immediately (laughs wryly).”
At Korakuen Hall on November 8, active idol Shiori Futaba as well as fellow trainee Yui (tentative), who joined at the same time as Sakimori, are also scheduled to make their debuts. Shion Kanzaki and Momo Sato, with whom she teamed in her own debut match, also debuted in ’26, meaning there are currently plenty of peers keeping her on her toes.
However, rather than viewing them with hostility, she compares working hard together in training to “getting to experience youth all over again.” Working alongside the wrestlers who debuted in the same year to push and improve one another, she wants to become someone who helps fire up Tokyo Joshi. Speaking about her future goals, she also shared her desire to become a driving force in helping Tokyo Joshi hold events at even bigger venues. That being said, having just made her debut, her mind is currently focused entirely on giving her all to what is right in front of her—so everything starts there.
Incidentally, she admits to having a tiny bit of regret about becoming a pro wrestler over the fact that her facial expressions during matches are so desperate that, from her own perspective, she ends up looking terrible in photos. “Realizing that I had never objectively seen myself making such a desperate face before was quite a discovery…”
Even so, because the fun of it wins out right now, she has no intention of holding back that desperate expression.
Her creed is to act immediately the moment an idea strikes. Because of that, she may very well develop an interest in something else down the line. Still, she says, “Inside myself, I’m simply living my own life as ‘me’. Rather than calling it working two jobs, it feels more like I just want to live doing the things I love. You have to enjoy life. Sorry for being such an optimist, though…”
Regarding her catchphrase, “Eternal Cherry Story,” just like the movie it references, she says, “I want it to mean that all of this only comes into existence because everyone is watching my story unfold.” Having a clear, unwavering core running right through her, Chieri Sakimori’s story begins here.
Translation Notes:
- Column Context: This piece is an installment of Weekly Pro-Wrestling’s “From the Editorial Department: Eye Column” (Henshubu-hatsu Eye Column), a weekly rotating relay column written by magazine staff writers. This entry was penned by staff writer Ishii.
- “Ocha Pro” (「おちゃプロ」): Refers to the December collaboration event between the idol group OCHA NORMA and Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, which served as Sakimori’s first live exposure to professional wrestling.
- “Otaku Temperament” (オタク気質 – Otaku kishitsu): Translated directly as “otaku temperament” to preserve the nuance of her self-described tendency to immerse herself completely and obsessively once something catches her interest—immediately buying tickets for the following week, attending weekly, and subscribing to WRESTLE UNIVERSE to rewatch every match.
- “Living Life on Momentum” (「人生勢いで生きてる」 – “Jinsei ikioi de ikiteru”): Captures her spontaneous, action-first philosophy. The accompanying narrative describes this quality as toppyoushi no nasa (突拍子のなさ), referring to her impulsive, unpredictable nature that led her from attending a trial “Women’s Pro-Wrestling Camp” straight into applying for the April trainee class.
- Eye Salon & Cosmetology Background (アイサロン / 美容師免許): In Japan, performing eyelash extensions or perm/lift treatments requires a national cosmetology license (biyoushi menkyo) obtained after graduating from beauty school (biyou senmon gakkou). The text notes that even on the morning of the October 14 Itabashi show, she was working at her own independent salon lifting eyelashes and shaping eyebrows for clients before heading to the venue.
- The ’26 Rookie Class & Upcoming Debuts: The article highlights the influx of peers in Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s 2026 rookie class. Specifically, it notes her debut tag partners Shion Kanzaki and Momo Sato (who also debuted in ’26), alongside active idol Shiori Futaba and Sakimori’s fellow dojo classmate Yui (tentative ring name, denoted as ゆい（仮）), both of whom are set to debut at Korakuen Hall on November 8.
- Friendly Rivalry (切磋琢磨 – Sessa takuma): A four-character idiom meaning to cultivate one’s character or skills by working hard together with peers and pushing each other to improve. Rather than viewing her fellow ’26 rookies with hostility, she likens their shared training to experiencing her youth all over again.
- Unflattering Match Photos (ブサイクに写ってしまう): Literally translates to “ending up photographed looking ugly/unflattering”. Sakimori jokes that her only slight regret about becoming a wrestler is discovering how desperate her facial expressions (hisshi na kao) look objectively in match photos, though she enjoys wrestling too much to hold back.
- “Eternal Cherry Story” (「エターナルチェリーストーリー」): Sakimori’s personal catchphrase (referred to in Japanese wrestling terminology as a catchcopy). As noted in the text, it draws inspiration from a film (moto-neta no eiga) to convey the idea that her story only exists and comes to life because the audience is watching it unfold.
- “Next Generation Tournament ’26” (「ねくじぇねトーナメント’26」): Abbreviated in Japanese as NekuJene Tournament ’26, referenced in the photo caption covering her first career singles match against Shion Kanzaki on October 14 in Itabashi.