>Why IYO SKY praised Mayu Iwatani’s move to Marigold: “There was a time when she seemed like a girl who couldn’t decide on anything”

>【Behind the Scenes – Field Notes】
>WWE Superstar IYO SKY defeated the “Icon of Women’s Wrestling” Mayu Iwatani (32) in a historic battle at Marigold’s Ryogoku Kokugikan event in October.
>The family-like bond between the two dates back to their Stardom days, when IYO—then known as Io Shirai—shared countless highs and lows with Iwatani.

>IYO recalled: “For those who only know today’s Stardom, it might be hard to believe, but there was a time when there were so few wrestlers that KAIRI (Kairi Sane), Io, and Mayu would each wrestle twice in one day.”
>During their May 2016 European tour, the two shared a room and lived side-by-side while sleeping only two or three hours a night.
>“She’s more than a friend—she’s family. We’ve gone through so much together that words can’t capture it.”

>Still, there was a time when IYO—thinking about Stardom’s future and that of women’s wrestling—found Iwatani’s indecision frustrating.
>“She once said, ‘I’m going to become a pet groomer!’ and stopped coming to matches. Looking back, that’s just a normal part of a young woman’s life, but back then I’d go to her apartment and drag her out, saying, ‘Come on, we’re going!’”
>“There was a period when she couldn’t even make it to the ring, yet couldn’t bring herself to quit wrestling either. To me, she looked like a girl who couldn’t make any decision at all,” IYO said, her eyes distant.