In late 2020, then owner of STARDOM Rossy Ogawa started to throw around the name ‘The Golden Generation’ to refer to five young wrestlers in the promotion: Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani, Maika, Himeka, and Saya Iida. They were the five he saw that were set to lead the company forward into the future. At the time it felt like one of these weren’t like the others.
Utami had been destined for the main event since she debuted and was already the World of Stardom Champion by the time the moniker began to appear. Himeka had stormed onto the scene and made the finals of the 5 Star GP Finals mere months after debuting for the company. Maika and Kamitani would both be within months of challenging Utami for the top title while also earning main event matches or winning major tournaments around this time.
And then there was Saya Iida, standing at a diminutive 4’9” and typically featuring at the start of shows rather than the main events. That’s not to say she wasn’t good, quite the opposite. Yet amongst this collection of headline attractions that were being prepared to lead STARDOM to untold heights? Saya Iida seemed like an unusual addition.
Still, it was around this time that Iida was starting to gain some momentum. She won the Future of Stardom Title in December of 2020, beating two of the other Golden Generation members Maika and Saya Kamitani to do so. Between this and her inclusion in the Golden Generation moniker it felt like there was reason to be excited for Iida’s future.
Right as she was starting to show what she was capable of, everything came crashing to a halt when an awkward landing led to her rupturing both her ACL and LCL, putting her on the injury shelf for nearly a year. When Saya Iida returned in 2022, it felt like she was fighting for scraps. An already strong roster had grown noticeably in her absence – now she had to contend with Hazuki, Koguma, MIRAI, Ami Sourei, and Thekla, on top of everyone else who had an extra year to continue improving.
The distance between her and the rest of the Golden Generation never felt so wide. Yet Saya Iida kept fighting. It took a while, but she began to regain the momentum she had before her injury. All the while she began to redefine what Gori-Chan was as a wrestler.
When Saya Iida first debuted she had a decision to make, like any wrestler does. What kind of wrestler did she want to be? For Iida, in particular though, it was pertinent due to how short she was. Most joshi her size would accept that their best road for success would be to dedicate themselves to becoming either comedy or high speed wrestlers.
There were signs early on that maybe she could craft a comfortable niche in the former category. After she began to break out of her initially timid shell she showed some early comedic chops at the 2019 Mask Fiesta event and then again during the Tag League, doing her best Jackie Chan drunken master impression against Natsu Sumire and Session Moth Martina. Taking on that role might not leave much room for progression up the card towards major titles, but it’s generally good for job security.
Instead she took inspiration from those she looked up to. From her debut she had spoken highly of wrestlers like Katsuyori Shibata and Tomohiro Ishii. The Stone Pitbull proved to be the perfect archetype from which Saya Iida could build herself around, a similarly undersized wrestler who became a legend within the industry for his tenacity and ability between the ropes.
To tap into what made Ishii so great, Saya would need to grow not only as a wrestler, but learn how to get the crowd to invest in her. So she surrounded herself with the right people from the start. Iida immediately joined Jungle Assault Nation after her debut before then moving into STARS after that group’s dissolution – giving her time to learn under two of the company’s best pure babyfaces in Jungle Kyona and Mayu Iwatani.
Now it was all just a matter of putting it all together. Her presentation at first was simple and rather plain, but her personality and tenacity soon began to creep out. As her confidence grew she began to add pieces to her in ring work, showed more confidence in how she carried herself, and the fans responded in kind.
As good as Iida became in the ring though, where her strides really became apparent was in how she presented herself. STARDOM’s trainer at the time of Iida’s debut was Kagetsu, who preached the importance of the finely tuned physical body. This clearly had a lasting impression on Saya, who would constantly work on growing her physique from her debut, and whenever she had to take time off (be it from the COVID lockdowns or from her knee injury) it seemed she always came back noticeably bulkier.
More importantly though, Iida was developing her entire look. When she returned from injury, not only did she come back looking like she had spent the entire year lifting weights, she returned with a completely revamped image – her gear now invoked the image of a bodybuilder and her hair had been dyed with vibrant eye catching colors. Even though her return wouldn’t yield immediate success, it wasn’t through lack of effort on her part.
The important thing was she never let herself become discouraged to the point of letting her effort drop. Every night Saya went out there she made sure to put on the best show possible. She was going to outwork people on seemingly insignificant shows if it meant impressing some potential new fans in the audience. Any time the spotlight remotely came her way, Iida made sure to make it memorable. She did everything right.
Now in 2024, it finally feels like the tide is turning for Saya Iida. With the arrival of Marigold the STARDOM roster has lost some of its depth, opening up some chances for advancement up the card. The much vaunted Golden Generation has been whittled down to three as Utami has left the company and Himeka said goodbye to wrestling altogether.
There’s still a gap between Iida and the two remaining Golden Generation members – with Maika having held the Red Belt for much of the year and Saya Kamitani just last year setting the defense record for the White Belt – but that gap is narrowing. Never has that been more apparent than at the 2024 5 Star Grand Prix.
Through the first half of the tournament Saya Iida has been one of the true standout performers, and importantly she’s been given the opportunity to shine. On back to back nights, she had the chance to main event: on a Sunday against Mayu Iwatani and then the next night against Tam Nakano – the two biggest names in the company – and Iida proceeded to deliver eye-catching performances both times.
She followed that up by getting a sold-out Korakuen Hall to chant her name on a show where her match could easily have been lost in the shuffle. During the most exciting part of the STARDOM calendar, it’s Saya Iida who’s standing out as much as anyone on the roster. Where once Gori-chan was the hidden gem of the undercard, now there’s no denying her.
It’s important to point out: Saya Iida is a 4’9” (1.44m) woman who has managed to craft such an aura and strength around her that she has fans feeling sympathetic for her opponents. It’s an earned reputation too, forged through thunderous chops and receipts shared on social media displaying the torn and tattered red chests of her victims. She is able to go toe to toe with legitimate powerhouses that tower over her like Xena and Maika and believably match them.
The early form of Saya Iida was that of a female Tomohiro Ishii, but recently she really has begun to amalgamate her two inspirations. The undersized resilience of Ishii has now morphed with the overwhelming offensive brutality of Katsuyori Shibata. She’s more inclined to go on the offensive now and fans are no longer just excited to see what Iida can endure, but what she can dish out. More importantly, Saya Iida has taken what was initially a weakness in her short stature, and turned it into an asbolute strength.
Perhaps the most obvious proof to Saya Iida’s greatness came from those who would know better than anyone: fellow wrestlers. They saw the signs before anyone, as Iida has seemingly commanded a certain level of respect and popularity among her own kind from the very beginning.
She’s been singled out and praised by industry legends like Akira Hokuto. When Iida was barely out of her rookie year she was given a special singles match against Kagetsu at their retirement show. Mayu Iwatani always seems to go out of her way to make her look extra strong when they wrestle. When Utami Hayashishita was leaving for Marigold, she made a point to put Iida over clean in her last proper match, something that felt particularly purposeful.
Even the way Tam Nakano reacted to her loss to Saya Iida in the main event of their recent 5 Star GP match – you could feel a sense of joy in her seeing Gori-chan getting her moment. The reason why she and others are so appreciative of someone like Iida may be highlighted in her post match words:
“Iida, you’ve gotten really strong. Today’s loss wasn’t because my leg was hurt or anything like that. It was a genuine victory for Iida. Her strength, dedication and hard work has allowed her to get that win. I really believe that. There’s times where it feels like the world doesn’t reward you for your effort. Only those who truly work hard can get the results they the deserve. I always believed that Saya Iida was the embodiment of that philosophy. That makes me glad I got to face her today.”
- Tam Nakano – Post Match comments, August 12, 2024
These don’t feel words spoken strictly in kayfabe, even though Saya Iida the character has definitely had to work hard to get to this moment. It goes deeper than that, as if there are truths being spoken from behind the curtain. Iida earned her main event victory, both as a wrestler and as a performer.
To have this kind of respect across the board; ranging from long retired legends, trainers, veterans and peers, speaks to Iida as a person. Pro wrestling can be a selfish business, but clearly Saya Iida has proven herself among those that understand what it takes. Similarly, the fans seem to show that same kind of appreciation whenever Iida does get the spotlight.
It’s easy to look at Iida and see the fruits of that labor, both in the physical transformation she has made since her debut but also in her growth as a performer. Taking herself from a rather timid and bland rookie with an undeniable physical limitation and becoming a phenom with an undeniable presence; a true larger than life act who carries herself as if she were thrice the size.
Becoming a better wrestler in the STARDOM system is almost the easiest part of the equation she had to solve. There’s access to phenomenal wrestlers on a near daily basis and plenty of chances to grow in a variety of matches against different opponents each week. Her growth in the ring was one of the first things that could be seen in her progression throughout the years.
Not only has her in ring work grown to the point that she can handle the main event spotlight and hold her own against stars like Mayu and Tam and not feel out of place, but she’s been able to elevate every other part of what it means to be a pro wrestler. She embodies what it means to be a larger-than-life character and is fulfilling whatever role is being asked of her.
Saya Iida might not be immediately thrust into the main event scene at the conclusion of the 5 Star Grand Prix, but it has become apparent that Saya Iida has well and truly outgrown the position she has been inhabiting over past couple of years.
It’s become well and truly clear that the fifth member of the Golden Generation belonged after all.
RESURA 