Konami is one of my favorite wrestlers and one of the best workers on the Stardom roster. With the announcement of her “retirement” or indefinite hiatus as the company has put it at the end of 2021, it’s time to take a look back at the career of one of the most underrated women of Stardom. And as we all know, a retirement in this industry doesn’t always mean someone is done, as Konami has already proven this year.
The Start of a Budding Career
Trained by Kana, now known as Asuka in WWE, and Minoru Tanaka, Konami was bound to achieve stardom in her own right with such a pedigree of talent shaping her early in-ring style. At just 18 years old, she would make her in-ring debut in February 2015 going on to wrestle for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Wave, Reina, and JWP.
Her first contract would be with Reina where she competed in deathmatches, while there she also appeared alongside Hikaru Shida, Syuri, and mentor Kana at a show in 2015, with all four women going on to have pivotal roles within women’s wrestling as of 2022. While Shida, Syuri, and Kana have all gone on to hold the top championships in their current promotions Konami has lowkey been one of the best in-ring workers Stardom has to offer as well as being a fan favorite. She would sign a full-time contract with Stardom in May 2018 and has been a critical member of three of their top factions, Queens Quest, Tokyo Cyber Squad, and Oedo Tai.
Her time in Tokyo Cyber Squad allowed her to truly blossom as she teamed up with Hana Kimura and Jungle Kyona. After the passing of Kimura, Konami would betray her TCS teammates and join Oedo Tai, this allowed her to continue making a name for herself within the tag division and winning championships.
Konami Announces her “retirement” from Wrestling
After three years of being a full-time roster member in STARDOM, Konami announced that she would be taking an indefinite hiatus to deal with lingering injuries and her personal well-being. Her contract will be terminated at the end of the year and this will mark the second hiatus the 25-year-old has taken from professional wrestling during her seven-year career. Her first hiatus took place in the latter half of 2016 due to injury but she was back by December appearing for Stardom.
Her last match, as a full-time member of the Stardom roster, took place on 29th December 2021 at Stardom Dream Queendom facing off against a returning Giulia, who herself has just returned after a three-month absence due to a neck injury. Giulia was the one to put herself forward for the bout with Konami accepting the challenge. During her time in Stardom, she has been a two-time Artist of Stardom champion and a two-time Goddess of Stardom champion.
Brief Retuns to Stardom
Konami has returned since her hiatus, if only briefly, during the Stardom Golden Week Fight Tour events during the first week of May 2022. Konami’s time with Oedo Tai ended with her hiatus in 2021, upon her return Konami allied herself with Syuri and her God’s Eye unit. On the 5th of May Konami would once again face off against Giulia, the woman she had her last match as a full-time comparator with, as God’s Eye, [Syuri, Ami Sourei, and Mirai] faced off against Donna Del Mondo [Giulia, Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai].
Konami will return on 3rd November, six months after her last appearance, to once again team with God’s Eye, this time just Ami Sourei and Mirai, to yet again take on Donna Del Mondo’s Mai Sakurai, Giulia, and Thekla. This will take place during Stardom’s Hiroshima Goddess Festival event.
7 Must Watch Matches of Konami in and out of Stardom
- Hikaru Shida & Syuri Vs. Kana & Konami at Kana Produce on 8th March 2015. [Wrestling In Japan]
- Jun Kasai & Kagetsu Vs. Konami & Yuko Miyamoto in a Fluorescent Light Tube Deathmatch on 21st July 2016. [Rina]
- Hana Kimura Vs. Jungle Kyona Vs. Kagetsu Vs. Konami on 24th December 2018 [STARDOM]
- Artist of Stardom Championship match: Tokyo Cyber Squad [ Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona & Konami] Vs. STARS [Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano] at Stardom Gold May 2019 [STARDOM]
- Artist of Stardom Championship match: Tokyo Cyber Squad [ Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona & Konami] Vs. STARS [Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano] at Stardom Saki Kashima’s Homecoming on 23rd June 2019 [STARDOM]
- Konami Vs Starlight Kid on 12th September 2020 [STARDOM]
- Konami [Oedo Tai] Vs. Giulia [Donna del Mondo] at Stardom Dream Queendom 29th December 2021. [STARDOM]
Look out for our next installment of Stardom revisited where we take an in-depth look at the best matches of Konami’s career in STARDOM.