I wanted to start a podcast to share my enthusiasm and passion but I didn't know how to record it or get it out to the public a friend of mine told me about anchor I hadn't heard of anchor but he told me it's the easiest way to make a podcast the best part about anchors it's free, which is very important for somebody starting a new Venture. There's a creation tool that allows you to record and edit your podcast from your phone or computer anchor also distributes the podcast for you, so it can be heard on Spotify Apple podcasts and many more platforms and added perk is that you can earn money from the podcasts with no minimum listenership. It really is. Everything you need to make a podcast in one place. Do what I did in download the free anchor app or go to Anchor dot f m that's ANC hor dot f m-- to get started. Give me some love for ketsu. I mean, she's just everything that you would want in a leader. I believe like she would do stuff just so flawlessly and like when you watch her, she's just like so captivating that you're just like, oh my gosh. I'm just the way she's able to like be kind and patient. With you like while you are learning like I think that is everything like you want in a leader, but she'll also like push you to your limit to where you feel like you can't do something or you can't go anymore and like you find out that you can and it's like because of her she's just so sweet and so motivating we were very lucky that or I was very lucky to have her while we were there. Ohayo! Gozaimasu. Konnichiwa konbanwa for whenever you listening to the Joshi pod your weekly podcast about all things Japanese women's wrestling Joshi wrestling. I'm your host Erick Howard coming to you from beautiful San Diego California want to start by saying I'm super jealous and super excited for all the Joshi fans in Japan right now. I love seeing pictures from the shows the two shots with the Joshi Talent makes me warm inside the read about the excitement about visiting Kirk and hall for the first time. Trying to figure out how to use Japanese toilets. It took me a while to figure that out as well. Thank you all for downloading last week's episode of the Joshi pod, which featured an interview with little swollen the coal Savoy. I sincerely appreciate all the positive feedback from everybody. If you'd like to support the show Please Subscribe rate and review on Apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcast. I also have a pro wrestling T store now. I'll put the show. I'll put a link to the porcelain Tea Store in the show now going to be honest. This is gonna be a start and heavy show this week start them is the talk of Joshi wrestling and ton of news came out after the start of your in Climax 2019. Show which will review later in the show. We do have a regular top three headlines of the week 3 is headlines like maybe a little more including another starter motor meant we look at some of the big shows this week in Japan including wave and Ice ribbon at Couric and Hall. We see where Josie performers are performing outside of Japan and in the big Main Event interview, it also has a stardom tie in Alex Gracia is going to join us and talk about her experiences almost about a year ago visiting Japan and rustling for stardom without further Ado. Let's get to the big headlines of the week. And those are brought to you by quiet white design. You need a logo for a t-shirt a podcast or anything else like a t-shirt from processing T's dot coms the Joshi pot. Please reach out to Nolan in the team at quiet white designs search for them on Facebook Q UI e TW y 8e t one word designs. You can also find their products on red bubble. I'll put a link to their Twitter account on the show notes as well. Headline number one it to could get Sue on the heels of stardom Suzuki retiring this last week could get to also now chew, but retiring her final match was start on we on January 26 Center final match overall will be on a self-produced show on January 24th. Yesterday rid of Dave Meltzer is wrestling Observer. I'm going to read directly from the Observer and the cut out a little bit here and there but I'm going to try to read it directly. It says could get su-27 who held the world of stardom title in the early part of the Year announce your retirement on Christmas. A this came after losing a power struggle and also ties into the retirement of azuki could get suborn Yuka yukari. Is she no quit high school after ninth grade and to become a wrestler with the Sendai girls promotion and debuted at 15 and was a full-timer at 16. She left Sendai girls in 2015 and joining stardom is irregular in 2016. Our last match will start on B on January 26th in her home city of Osaka and should be promoting a retirement show of her own on to 24 in Osaka hazuki retired with her last match on 12:24 Kirk and Hall gets who was in charge of training all the women in hazuki was her best student and then became a most trusted Ally in a sense azuki because of that also had significant locker room power could gets his management style as compared to that of Bill wants that doesn't fly in today's world. She was finding people when they were late and taking away personal time management step in and once told her not to do that, but she continued to do the same thing. Most of the women came to management to protest could get to being in charge. I vote was held in could get see was voted out as the head trainer and locker room boss with her out of power both to get Sue and hazuki lost interest in the company hazuki decided. Tire basically feeling wrestling at Madison Square Garden in April was her goal and she achieved that that also explains could get to constantly bad-mouthing the new owners of the since the bushiroad purchase was announced which led to her announcing her retirement putting a positive spin on it by saying stardom is in good hands with my unit on in charge for the public against you said a retirement had nothing to do with uzuki and it has sookie's retirement. Maybe may have been due to more difficult times than Pleasant ones. So that's what Dave Meltzer reported in The Observer yesterday take everything you read with a grain of salt sports news, probably especially in there with the wrestling industry. I'm sure Dave as a trusted Source providing this information. I've written for newspapers and magazines in the past and have been provided excellent information and terrible information by trusted sources. Not sure we'll ever know the full truth. I'm sure it's until I guess until I start my Joshi shoot videos will never know the truth. I'm kidding of course sure. There's kid gets his truth. There's stardom is truth and there's probably the truth somewhere in the middle it gets who has announced on Twitter that she's mentioning some people she'd like to face before. She hangs it up. How does the Prime Minister versus the lady Destroyer hero you Matsumoto sound others left stardom and their emotions. So who's to say could gets you won't do the same. I think one thing we all need to remember that is wrestling's a job for them. It's not their lives and whatever could get Sue and hazuki choose to do next which is nothing but happiness, you know headline number to stardom entering a new kingdom my iwatani who was named stardom MVP at their awards ceremony earlier this week in the race a husky will face Julia and Hannah camera in a dark match on the first night of New Japan Pro. Wrestling's wrestle Kingdom event at the Tokyo Dome. This is a definitely a bushiroad directive to explode expose stardom to a larger audience and clearly a sign of the wrestlers. They plan on featuring The coming near if guess he wasn't returning my she be in the match knows. I find putting Julia and such a high profile match. So quickly is interesting and teaming her with Hannah who she just had a blood Feud with is interesting as well. I'd much prefer to see you Tommy your mama and the match or Tam the I think they've earned it but it is commercial for stardom. They've handpick their quote unquote favorites to show off their brand. I really hope they don't run into angles during the match as I don't think many people in crowd will know how to react and I don't want to see Julie or honolulu's either. So I'm not sure how they're gonna get out of this one a time limit draw would fall flat and it was probably too long for a pro a pre-show match. The reason is a dark match is that starting a new Japan have separate TV deals with rival networks? No word yet if it's going to be on Stardom rolled at this point headline number three quick hits around the Joshi World summary Natsu has opened an international online store for her good Ed's I'll put a link in the show notes. I think it's great. I think it's thinking outside of the box and thinking bigger and Natsu's always done that and she says awesome entrepreneur. She just had a very successful self-produced show. So yeah, I can't expect anything else from Natsu but but thinking wisely and thinking very much like a businesswoman don't underestimate Natsu. She's determined along with Natsu Keturah Jamie hater and Martina to keep a widow tile live also in the around the Joshi World ceilings in an eye Takahashi will have surgery and early 2020 in her return. Not certain she's a real respected veteran. She's got a lot of miles on her tires. So, you know, she's been around she's in her 40s. So she's been around for quite a bit and seeing somebody like a gets who retiring at 27 and seeing you know, something like nanai he's in her 40s and still performing at a really high level. But I I guess there's no guarantee that she's going to be back. So let's hope she gets enough Health back to if she wants to come back to the ring come back to the ring and if not just the fat live a healthy life after wrestling and finally on the notes this week and the headlines welcome to the got to move. Since got to move is announced they will have an on-demand service starting January first 2020 called the got to move experience our got to move X in their tweet. They said their vision is to give a full show experience on VOD. Don't fear. They're just going to continue to put content out on YouTube without many plans to put out less. I've been lucky enough to see shows that each akaya chocolate square and the rest is only about half the fun if they can somehow get the feeling of being at its acai across in video. We are in for a huge tree tonight. Shibuya the show review this week is the start of the year in Climax 2019 on December 24th. They drew great crowd of Thirteen hundred and thirty four fans. Looks like some foreign fans came in a little early before wrestle Kingdom and got to catch the big startup event looking back with hindsight in the match. They booked for the Tokyo Dome. You can see why they book the show the way Did not all the show's been released yet on Stardom World. I'll provide full results in comments on the matches. I have seen so far. It was a successful show. I think the Opening match was a dark match. It was a sigh eaten sigh a comet on E and itsuki. Whorish. Oshino defeated Queens Quest Hina Leo and sake and Reena you kind of had a figure that this I is and it's Sookie would get the win there. They have big plans for for those three. Photo book just recently came out for itsuki and Comet Tony. The first match on the main card was a widow ties. Jimmy hater Martinez summary Natsu. They defeated Tokyo. Cyber squads death Yama Saint jingle queuing in raqqa. Haven't seen this one yet hasn't come out. But real happy to see that. Oh a that I got a big win Jaime Martinez and not see we're going to try to keep things together. I was a bit disappointed to see jungle solo on the card. The next match was the artist to stardom titles the six woman titles. Zoomy Moma Watanabe. Tommy hayashida defeated stars sucking Kashima start like kid in tamna Cano Momo pin sake after the peach Sunrise. It was a good match. He fully expected Queens quest to hold onto the titles Starlight kids going to wait a little while longer before she gets that Championship run. The first of the big matches was the retirement match. We're not Sukkot Aura defeated hazuki. I haven't seen this match yet. It's being released today. Hazuki. Oh definitely left her mark on not zucco's face. You can check that out on social media. She left her footprint. Literally on not zucco's face. I did see some of the retirement ceremony was nice to see you know, manasa and Kuma being part of it may become was going to make a return soon. Hazuki's choice of words were quite interesting. It's a bit of a slippery slope when you use Google Translate to to do some little literal translations of Japanese. She did have the best things to say about stardom. Not sure if it was you he'll character out of character want to start was allowed it on their social media. So makes me think was a little bit in character as a he with oh a totai. The next big match was Julia and Hannah camera, which I feel You minute time limit draw. I think you kind of knew going in there wasn't going to be a definitive finish in this match. There's more story to come with those two. This is a fight. It's pretty much what I expected. They fought around. Korakuen Hall. Julie had a lot more support than I thought she would I'm of the opinion they could have waited for this match for a while and built it up and made it that much bigger match and I don't understand the tag team match these two have are they ate acting they're going to be at wrestle Kingdom going from blood Feud to teammates. I don't understand that, but maybe they'll surprise me. The next match was The Wonder of stardom title match Orissa husky defeated Kona me and I was hoping for a title change here but alas it was not meant to be they had a terrific match. I can't wait for them to give Kona me real big push. Oh, Tommy is going to be written as next Challenger on January 19 that Kirk and Hall we need to get Konami pushed. We need more belts for Konami bigger push for Konami. I think she's terrific. The main event was my you itani and could get Sue of only seen highlights of this match. I haven't seen the full match yet. It was released before the time. I started recording this but by all accounts it was an Matches, I think everybody expected. I didn't really seek a gets you winning the belt heading into 2020 and with their her retirement announcement. It's even more clear that where they kept the belt on my you I would have kept it on my you also and had her be the face of stardom and Tony 20 Mama wanted I did come out and challenge my unit to be heard next opponent for the title again, I real good show for can haul big crowd. Let's hope they can keep this momentum going into 2020. Hey guys, what's going on? My name is Steve. I'm the host of The Last podcast you'd want. Do you like movies? Well, that's what we talked about. I bring a guest on maybe more than one and we talked about movies. They like movies. They don't like movies from their childhood movies. They give him nightmares just some of the few topics that we talked about on the last podcast you'd want. So if you like movies, you can find us on Apple podcast. You can find us on Google+ cast. You can find us on most major podcast. Outlets tip the feel try the staff check out the show. Let's take a quick look at the shows this week in Japan on the 27th tonight Tokyo Joshi Pro. Is that the Gita boshy greenhalgh? It's their final tune up before the big card on January 4th, which will preview next week and happy birthday to you. Kakizaki. The 28th marvelous is the Oklahoma actress girls in Osaka and Ice ribbons at the ice ribbon Dojo on the 29th waves at critical haul. It's made even by takumi. Aroha defending her weight championship against Nagisa. No sake it's a Rojas six defense Pierre Jay has a show In Hana isshiki Diana's in Kanagawa and got some moves at ichigaya chocolate Square on the 30th got two moves right back at it. I think all these shows are sold out at a chick I which is amazing on the 30th also actress girls is in shin-kiba first ring on New Year's Eve ice ribbons at Kirkwood Hall at for ribbon Mania 2019. My he defends her title for the second time and then tequila saez retirement match. We're still faced 38 wrestlers in one minute matches got to move again, isn't it? It Shekinah chocolate Square on the 31st again. I think all these are sold out. If not make your ticket plans soon on the first got to move. Is that check? I had chocolate square waves and etching key before string in YMC is at the oh gee. Oh gee basement monstar, which is a great place to go. Watch a show. I keep spouting my love for the OG basement monstar on the second. Oz academies in Okinawa and stardom. Is that shin-kiba first, right? Be brave girls of wrestling present muscle queen and three on January 11th and London mockito will face session moth Martina and you Kazakh sake will face the winner of the match between Nightshade and Lana Austin, they'll face each other. He's Battle Cry even on January fourth ticket information will be on the show notes for both shows. If you're in the area go check him out Sumi Sakai returns in Southern, California on January 10th at You Ultra anniversary show. She'll be defending her Ultra Women's Championship against true be raised again. I'll put a link for the tickets and and then show on the show notes and Tokyo Joshi Pro WrestleMania weekend Friday April 3rd at Russell con still waiting on for it on sale date for tickets. I reached out to wrestle Khan and have not heard back yet to it as to win. Those will go first on sale. Hey guys, this is Zoe sky and you're listening to the Joshi pod before I get into the big Main Event interview with Alex grassy. I wanted to thank you all again for downloading listening this The Joshi pod if you'd like to follow the show on Twitter, you can follow us at the Joshi pot. You can follow me at Eric San Diego. Please remember to visit promising T's.com from January 1st to January 5th and get 20 percent off everything on the site using the new the code New Year. One word support past guests like Kikyo and Nicole Savoy, I'll put a link for all the Joshi wrestlers that have promising T stores on the show notes. It's a great way to support those women. I will talk to you guys next week. I got the gozaimasu. She traded the Texas Wrestling Academy in 2018. She made her professional wrestling debut later in 2018. She made her debut for both rise and Shimmer. She was a regular of Texas Independent scene. She's a Barbie Enthusiast. She's a familiar foe with a previous study Joshi podcast high-end. I'm super excited to see her rustled live for the first time next month on January 18th, and One for the crash and about a year ago. She made a trip over to Japan to tour with stardom. This is where I like to bring onto the show The Pink Dream Alex Gracia. How you doing Alex? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing very well. Thank you. So my pleasure. So it's been about a year that you you went over to Japan. Yes. It is. So crazy. I was talking about that the other day because I left New Year's Eve last year. So I spent New Year's. New Year's like in the plane heading to Japan so it's so crazy that I was getting ready to leave a year ago at this time. So how did you find it or what connection did you have to get over to stardom in Japan? They just reached out to me one day and I honestly thought it was spam because I was like there is no way they're reaching out to me right now because I had only about five months wrestling experience like from my debut. And they emailed me and they said that they were interested in bringing me over for a tour the beginning of the following year and I was just kind of like hmm. This doesn't sound right. I don't believe like this is actually happening but then like their official Twitter account followed me on Twitter and they like started following me on things like food. Maybe this is happening. So then I like replied back and I was like, oh, yes, I'm there. I'm a hundred percent in so who is Dale wasn't? Cheerleader Melissa was somebody else who reached out to you. Yes, so it was sunny. So I know he works over there in Japan a lot with the international girls. Good good good. So was going to Japan a dream of yours when you before you started wrestling it honestly was something that just seems so Out Of Reach like at the time like when I started wrestling I was just trying to get through like the the next match just because I'm just like taking things day by day and it's like you have all these dreams and all these goals and just knowing like how amazing the wrestling is over there. Like I just it literally wasn't even in my thinking process because it just didn't seem like anything that was going to happen anytime soon. So I am super thankful that I was able to go as soon as I went. So you land on New Year's who greets you Airport Rossi Rossi himself was he wearing a really cool suit or anything like that? Oh, yeah yours is like trench coat with his hat. So he picked me up and then we took our ride back to the apartment and everything. So it was it was really cool. We had our little one-on-one time together as soon as I got there. I was that wasn't awkward at all or is it kind of comfortable or how was it Ross? He's the best. He's so funny. His English is good enough or he can speak pretty clear with you. Yes, he could speak English escaping all of us. Yes, I believe so. I really think so. I've talked to him like three or four times in Japan. He kind of like acted like he didn't know what I was saying to him. What a jerk. So who are your roommates at the apartment? Well, my tour I was there with Bobby Tyler Jamie hater be Priestly and Viper and Sadie Gibbs. So you had a pretty good group of foreigners with you there. I had a great group. I loved every single one of them. I was the only American so that was kind of an adjustment for me too. I was like, this is different bunch of British girls, I guess right? Yeah. I was like the Oddball out. I was like This has never happened to me before but also, I mean that's some pretty experienced women you're living with as well who have been in the industry for a bit. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, it was it was amazing. So have you traveled internationally anywhere before you went to this this trip to Japan for wrestling? No. I hadn't like I had taken vacations and stuff like with my family but for wrestling internationally. No, that was my first place. So was there any like culture shock when you out there when you first started walking down the street or going to stores or what have you? Oh, there's so much culture shock just it is so clean over there. Just clean and organized and everybody's just so well behaved like I was like, this is like so different than a lot of places in America. I feel like I mean even like the the trash room in the apartment like everything was like squeaky clean and like everything was separated like glass and plastic and paper and I was like, whoa Like they have like a trash cans outside. Yes, and you know, you're just like getting anxiety like what we're doing. Did is it clear as a colored glass? What is this? So I'm guessing when you and Viper and be Priestly and Jamie hate her walking down the street you guys draw some attention, don't you? Yeah, I think you definitely. It will definitely know like oh, they're probably wrestlers because I mean I have pink hair and then like Bobby had green hair and like it's like where we stand out. We definitely stand out. They think foreigners are crazy and we kind of are yeah, I know even if we aren't crazy, it's crazy to them. Yeah. We look a little crazy at least So I asked everybody about this tell me about your convenience stores experiences in Japan. So, I mean we walk there probably every single day multiple times a day just because that's like they have everything there. But so something I became obsessed with there was you know, how you can go to like a convenience store in like get ice cream. So there was sweet potato ice cream and every single day I would like I like mmm. Hmm. Should I get it? And then as soon as I got it, I was getting it every single day. And then I think it was like Sadie got hooked on like the sweet potato ice cream to like it was so good. Like I became obsessed. So was it kind of like a sorority house where you guys lived at together you had fun and parties and all kinds of good stuff. Oh, I mean like it was just the Time of Our Lives. It's like going to summer camp and meeting your best friends and we just did everything together and like we're all trying to figure this out on our own I mean Most of the girls had already had a tour there before but it was Bobby and Sadie and mine first torso. I mean, it's just going on this like experience and this big adventure and just doing it together. So it was awesome. It kind of you kind of have a tie together down between the group of you, right? Oh, yeah. I feel like I made like friends for life. Like we still keep in contact even with the time changes. I know like even from UK to us. The time change is huge. But um, When we we all went to New York like for Mania week and everything and so we all got to like catch up there and I've like ran into like Sadie recently because of like aw stuff. So it's just it's just been amazing and just like getting the ketchup. It's like you never you never liked left each other. That's awesome. Okay, so you're living in the house talked about the dojo experience you did you have to go through the whole Dojo trainings and things like that. Yes, we had Dojo every week and that was just awesome to like I'm I love training. Like I'm like that person that it's like oh she's weird. Like I'm like, I love school like I love training. So that one thing I'm going to hang up this cause I don't like you anymore. That was like one of my like that was just so awesome. Like it teaches you so much and it makes you have to like grow in wrestling so fast because I mean getting going to train with the girls that they have in stardom for wine, but then to a lot of them don't speak English. So you're just getting pushed to like your limits and I think I agree more in those two months. I was there probably than like all the time. I had spent like before like the five six months or whatever. So I mean like getting to go back. I'm just like, okay, I would like know what to expect and Yeah, it's just like some of the best things you can do for yourself as far as wrestling. I believe who was running the trading's when you were there. Could get Sue mostly and then like my you was there but she was hurt at the time but they were like the two leaders for sure. So talking being I don't know if you heard or not could get to announce your retirement. I know what what what tell me a little about could get sued. Give me some love for could get Sue. I mean, she's just everything that you would want in a leader. I believe like she would do stuff just so flawlessly and like when you watch her she's just like so captivating that you're just like oh my gosh and just the way she's able to like be kind and patient with you like while you are learning like I think that is everything like you want in a leader, but she'll also like push you to your limit to where you feel like you can't do something or you can't go anymore and like you find out that you can and it's like because of her she's just so sweet and so motivating we were very lucky that or I was very lucky to have her while we Were there that's great to hear 26:27 retiring 27 is awfully young to retire. I know it's crazy over there, but they start so young. I think she started when she was 15 or 16. Yeah. Yeah. Alright, so there's not like a million Hindu squats or anything like that. You have to do it at the dojo training. I mean, it depends on the day. It definitely depends on the day different like different days would be different for training. So it might be like hard core conditioning or might be like working with your factions on like different stuff for show. So I mean it just varied. How did your dropkick improve while you were there? People always told me there dropkick and proves. Oh, yeah. I had so many dropkick drills, but like I came back with like a stellar dropkick, so I was like almost like to where they're like, okay, calm down Alex. So how long were you there before Jack? You actually had your first match. a day So do we pretty jet-lagged going into the match? I was so jet-lagged and I was terrified because I think it was January 2nd what the first show and I was the first match. So I'm there in a different country be just totally new to everyone and everything because like most of even like the foreign girls like they all knew each other because they're from like the same country and like I'm just By myself. I had no one to watch go on before me like I'm just like what I'm first. Okay, just throw me a ride in so your first met was at shin-kiba first ring. What do you think about shin-kiba? Oh, it was so cool. It was just so cool. I mean just I mean just even getting to be like in a starter ring. Like it just didn't even hit me like that. Everything was even happening because like I said, I mean we land in Japan Anne and you're already like doing a show and then it was like after all that you finally get to like be like whoa, I just I actually just did a match there like it's everything was just surreal. Like I feel like it didn't matter like where we were over there everything like made me so emotional but I think it's kind of cool though should keep is like a building just for wrestling only. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's a it's a really cool set up. It's very intimate to it's pretty it's pretty nice. Yeah, so it like it's packed and so it's just I love seeing like looking around and just seeing like people everywhere. How did fans take to hear from from the get-go? I think I mean, I think they took pretty well. Like I I got like pink streamers and Roses. Oh you got screams right away or to take a look like first match. Yeah, even Sunny came up to me and he's like, did you give streamers? I was like yeah pink ones. So you wrestled atsuko Torah and carry only Jama ATS a pretty good first match to have. Oh, yeah again, it's like I was terrified. So the next thing you have a battle royal and then later on you have a match with sake Kashima and Tam against Azumi Konami and Momo. Yes, talk about wrestling against izumi-kun Ami and Momo the I think there. Just wonderful. Oh, they are and like that was one of my one of the matches that was one of my favorites like while I was over there. I think just because like just like my team and like my faction. I'm just like yeah stars. Like I was just so happy and like it just did it again. You're just like letting it all sink in and then like getting to wrestle with who you're wrestling with and wrestling who you're wrestling against like, Again, it's like it's been a year and I'm still like did that really happen? Like that's freaking awesome. But how good are they? How good is Konami? How good is Momo everyone is as good as what you hear? And you being so new to the industry as mellow as well. I mean, it's must have been mind-blowing almost right? Yeah, no definitely and it it just it's just such an honor like getting to wrestle like in the same ring as some of those girls and her all those girls. And yeah, I was just so new. I just had no idea what I was doing like doing best out there. So with the language barrier And I want to give him a trade secrets away or anything like that. But how do they how do they walk you through the match? I mean I feel like wrestling is a universal language to all wrestlers and when you are like a wrestler and and all that like I feel like every that's when you finally like cannot you understand everybody and I think that's like what's so special about it is like even if we didn't speak the same language like we all understood like what we'd met or what we were trying to do. And so like that was really cool and that was made wrestling even more special to me, honestly. That's great. And then you had a Stars versus Stars matches. Well where you're against ariccia Hoshi who's one of the top wrestlers right now over in stardom? Yes. She was kind of just coming back not too long. After that. I think she just came back from from her Hiatus, I guess. Yeah, how was she would work with? I mean everyone was great like everyone's amazing and they just want to teach you and you just learn so much from them and she's like the sweetest human being like ever like she has the sweetest smile. You just wonder if but she's she's a killer though to you know, she gave me like after the match. She brought me this little present and it was like this little whistle. It was like a little key chain and she told me she was just like present for you because You bring happiness and I was like, I might start crying right now. Because that is the sweetest thing ever and then she kicked your head off right now. Yeah. I don't think it was mine. It was someone else's because I remember how out of it whoever got kicked was your lucky. Yeah. Yeah. I'm glad I was not me somebody else. That's a big people are big fans of a Starlight kid. You work through her quite a bit. She seems like a sweet heart as well. Yeah. She I mean she's just freaking athletic and just even for her age and how long she's done it. It's like whoa. It's mind-blowing. Yeah, she's getting real good hurt. Her body is maturing me. She's becoming a woman her body is maturing as well. And she's getting better and better and better. Hmm. She also she already is amazing. So it's it's going to be really exciting to see like how much she grows like in in the future. So you had some of the big matches, you know, you wrestled against somebody always I want I always ask everybody about I have to ask you about she's different than anybody else summary Natsu tell me about wrestling summary Natsu. It's like a gay like everything is just like your I was so terrified going to every single map because I'm just like, oh my gosh, but it's like it makes you grow so much because you're like I'm about this is who I'm about to get in the ring with like. Okay, and so like once you're there and like you're in it like everything 18? I don't know. It's just like I can't every single girl. There is just amazing. She's more of Comedy wrestler than she is in ring mean. She's good at what she does but she's yeah. So how was it to wrestle like a comedy magic over in Japan? Yeah. I mean it's it's interesting. Like I remember that match like I think it was with sake and she kept telling me to like say these words like I'm like, I really like cuss a lot. Are you like Ogre language and like sakis just telling me to say these words and I'm like screaming them and they're like all these like derogatory words over there. And so everyone's like laughing I was like, oh they like this. I'm like, that's cool. No, she is just like she's a Who She seems like fun. I mean by white Watcher interviews with the English subtitles and stuff. She just seems like such a character. Yeah. Yeah. She's a firecracker. Okay. So another place I want to ask you about is the KBS Hall in Kyoto with a big stain glass windows behind you is that's you wrestle do Tommy. They're correct. Yes for in a title match title match. Yes. So it was Tommy's I mean we're going to sound like a broken. Record, she's pretty amazing as well. What was it like to challenge for a championship in a building like that? Okay. So first of all when I heard about that match I found out on Twitter. So I was like is this is this real like I had no idea I was gonna wrestle then all of a sudden it said it was like, um, I was going to be wrestling her for a title match and then on top of it like there I was like, oh, okay. Okay like this in I remember like telling someone their I was like, you can't just give put that information on Twitter. Like I need time to like let it sink in. Stephen it was like a few days before something like that. But um that is like one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. Like when I show my parents like pictures from matches, like I show them there and I was like just imagine like standing in that ring and like looking up like the um, the wall just goes so high and you just feel like so small and I think that's like another one of those moments where You just like wow, I'm here. Like I'm here in this is happening. And yeah to have like that type of atmosphere and just all that like beautiful art was just so surreal. I've been Japan a few times. I've not gone there yet. So it's on my bucket list to go tomorrow. You have to like it you it's like breathtaking. So traveling in Japan for you go from location to location. How do you how did was it an in the bus? How did you guys get around? Yeah, we have a starting van. So that's how we got to most places. How are those rides was kind of team building was already falling asleep in the bus. You're mostly sleeping because they might be like six hours or or however long but um, yeah, it's definitely like we're we're all just like talking and I think all of us, they're just got along so well, so it was like it was cool. We're either doing our own thing or we're all talking or whatever, but they are so fun. Which of the Japanese women did you you become closest with you think? Sake probably most definitely like we'll still message each other. Like she's like I miss you come back and I'm like I miss you too will just randomly like send each other Hearts like she she's the cutest. I love her so much. I'm like, we were the Pink Dream Team. So I'm like bring it back. Bring bring her over here to let her come wrestle over here for you. I'm like you need to bring her back. I was like, I don't have a tag partner. That'd be cool be a tag with her. So you guys team together at Kirk and Hall versus Bobby Tyler and Hannah camera. Yes, Hannah's another super-duper star in the making. How was she to work within your How is she? Yeah, I honestly like in my opinion I think was one of the best matches I had while I was in Japan. I think just I felt like a lot more comfortable with like sake being there for me and that match just was fun. And I felt like everyone just brought their a game and like to be where we were I was like, oh, this is great. This is so great. I mean that they're just like, oh they were really fun team and then sake and I had just started like being a team and so I think that was just like a really cool match to have and to fun teams. I think to what do you think makes Hannah stand out a little bit from from some of the other woman over there? Why do you think she's getting the what he thinks she's so popular. I don't really like just her vibe and her energy like that girl has so much Charisma. Like she's just one of those people to that just draws you in and like she's so fun to watch and I feel like she's super confident and people love to to see confidence and she's just so fun and like she brings it every single time and she loves what she does and that reflects on how she performs and so I think people get drawn to that. So your first match was against not Sukkot Aura in your last match. I think was also against not Sukkot Aura. Yeah, it was a fatal four-way with Jamie and Sue music. I was in the match as well. Yes. So you knew this is your last match. What do you think it is you go ahead into your last match in Osaka. I just told myself I was like I notice a difference where it's like I'm going into this match like more confident than I have this entire trip and Even like afterwards like just even like the girls room like stardom. They're just saying like how much like I improved in the like that that is honestly like more than I could have asked for that's that's all you want. It's like I just want to be able to like grow in like be the best player that I can and so having a fatal four-way with with all those women like I think was super cool because again, it's like someone from my first match and then someone that I hadn't Wrestled the entire trip and then you have Jamie who's another like International girl who is one of the top and the game I believe and so I was like, okay like this is this is freaking cool. Like this is being like in this matches of privilege. I felt like That's awesome. So you were about two months in Japan. What do you what do you think you take away the most from your trip to Japan? I don't know. I think probably just I don't know. I just I was just so humbled afterwards because I know. How much like some other wrestlers and stuff try to get over there or they might not have the opportunity to go Russell for stardom and like stardom just again seemed like such a dream that was like so far Out Of Reach and Beyond privilege for being being able to go there like when I got to and I think that everyone was just so amazing. They're like knowing that it's like I didn't have I mean Celebrated my one-year anniversary in Japan like not a lot of people can get to say that and not a lot of people can even say that they've gotten to go wrestle in Japan. And so nothing that I did over there was taken for granted. I like try to work my butt off as much as I could take in as much as I could. I have kept good relationships with all the girls and I mean it just it still doesn't doesn't seem real and to be able able to say that like I've like gone they're like even saying it out loud like it's like I haven't even hit my like because the end of February will be like my two year anniversary and so like to say I've already been able to go to stardom like who gets to say that you know, You should be at your very thankful. That's awesome that you're very thankful for all for what you've gotten so far what you've learned so far. I'll say what you've earned. Thank you. So what did you take in ring from Japan that you brought back in ring to the United States definitely confidence and aggressiveness. I mean just even like my demeanor and the ring like I just felt like you know, what like I did this in another country with other girls. Who didn't speak the same language and who played the game a lot harder than what I had probably come from and so like when I came back, it was just like I can do this. And so it's like even I always know my level and coming back. It was just like I just my confidence like skyrocketed like I just felt like okay, like I know I can do this or I know that I still have things to work on and I know that I'm Going to be constantly learning and I'm always need to get better. We always all of us need to get better all the time, but I just felt so much more confident in myself. And I think that helped me so much Arnie Japan trips planned in the future at all yet. We are trying we are too. I know there's like a bunch of changes right now because of like the new ownership and all that. So the girls will like message me all the time. So we're working on some stuff but I have some like other countries lined up in the future, of course like you, you know, like with the crash so those will be like cool experiences. Also. Yeah. I've been to korakuen Hall. I've been to the auditorium in Tijuana, they're very different but they're there but they're both so much fun. You're going to have a blast down there. Oh, I'm so excited like this. This is Mexico with one of my goals for this year. So when they when the crash finally contacted me and then told me it was going to be in January. I was like, yes, do you speak Spanish? Not really. I'm gonna say how well they'll teach you some bad words to say that the ground down there if you want. Oh, I'm sure that's a Spanish. You know, huh? Yeah, that's a Spanish. We all know exactly. Alex where can we find you on social media on Twitter and Instagram? You can find me at Alex Gracia 3 everything's the same across the board. So I try to stay up with all those and communicate with everyone and be active on there as much as possible. And you also have merchandise at Alex gracias Big Cartel.com. Yes, it have a new t-shirt everybody her purse. Her calendars are sold out. You can still buy our t-shirts. Yes. I know the calendars. I feel so bad. People have been messaging me and I'm like Oh my heart sir, Prince some more do a second run. Yeah, great. All right. I want to thank you so much for joining the show. I sincerely appreciate it, and I'll see you next month in Tijuana. Awesome. Well, thank you. Can't wait to meet you. All right. Thank you so much. Take care. Thank you.
Stardom’s Alex Gracia, "The Pink Dream," joins the show this week to share her experiences while working for Stardom in 2019. She shares her opinions on the recent retirement Kagetsu. Gracia speaks openly about Kagetsu's style of training at the Stardom dojo. She goes into what she did day-to-day while working in Japan for two months. Alex also shares her opinion on Stardom favorites like Hana Kimura, Arisa Hoshiki, Natsuko Tora, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid and more. Also on the show: We look at the 3-count headlines of the week, including another Stardom retirement. The Joshi show of the week is the December 24th Stardom Year-End Climax 2019. We look ahead to the calendar for shows this week in Japan. We also see where Joshi wrestlers are performing outside of Japan. Joshi Pro Wrestling Tee’s Stores (From January 1-5 use promo code NEWYEAR to save 20%): Nicole Savoy Kikyo Gatoh Move Tokyo Joshi Pro Hiroyo Matsumoto Aja Kong Riho Hikaru Shida For tickets: See Maki Itoh and Yuka Sakazaki at WrestleQueendom 3 See Sumi Sakai PCW Ultra Our Sponsors This Week: QuietWyatt Designs The Last Podcast You’d Want Social Media: Alex Gracia: Twitter Instagram Merchandise Friends of the Show: No Particular Angle Podcast Joshi Results on Twitter DDT English Update on Twitter Joshi Show Schedule The Joshi Pod: Twitter Facebook Instagram Pro Wrestling Tees Music by: Yume O Yume (Dream your Dream) by reiswerk (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. 