KAIRI Looks Ahead To Massive NJPW Match At The Tokyo Dome

IWGP Women's Champion KAIRI is well aware of the significance of her Wrestle Kingdom 17 title defense against Tam Nakano. The two will collide inside the Tokyo Dome on January 4 and will mark the first time, since winning the inaugural title, that KAIRI puts the IWGP Women's Championship on the line. This will also be the first Stardom singles match in the history of Wrestle Kingdom. During an interview with NJPW, KAIRI discussed the pressure of being in that spot.

"Yeah, that's a huge responsibility. I'm happy to be in that spot, but it's a serious situation for sure," she said.

KAIRI was never able to cross paths with Nakano until her second run with Stardom. Nakano made her debut in the promotion one month after KAIRI initially left for WWE back in 2017. Here, KAIRI revealed how Nakano was able to get her attention.

"Tam came into Stardom just as I left, and we hadn't had any contact. But when Io [Shirai] came over to WWE I asked her about Tam and she said 'she's a lot like you'. That put her on my radar." Back in March, KAIRI teamed with Mayu Iwatani to defeat Nakano and Unagi Sayaka. KAIRI touched upon what it was like to share the ring with Nakano for the first time.

"I kind of got a sense of what Io meant when she said we were similar. She really wears her heart on her sleeve. She has this cute, pop idol-like look, but a really violent fight style, and that contrast is what makes her really appealing," explained KAIRI. "She certainly had the guts to come out and challenge me right away like she did, and I think she's the ideal person for the spot."