I thought that this belt (IWGP Women's Championship) would be my last mission, and I was prepared to raise its value and announce my retirement on the spot if I lost. Unfortunately, contrary to my wish, I was only able to defend the belt once, but even so, the main event with Mayu, the defense at Tokyo Dome, and the time I spent with Moné in the U.S. were all rich and precious moments for me.
I was so determined to take on the challenge that I felt a sense of loss, a sense of not being able to sort out my feelings, a sense of incompleteness, and a sense of what to do from here on out. At that time, I received offers from various organizations in Japan and from many countries overseas. I had made up my mind to retire at one point, but I was happy to know that there were people somewhere in the world who wanted to see me compete.
When I received several offers from overseas, I felt like I was told by the wrestling gods that I could still do it. I was also talking with my husband about it, as retirement is an important thing, and he said to me, "You can still do it, don't regret it."
