As air horns blared and luchadores collided on a mat adorned with an ad for Mexican beer, lucky fans saw a glimpse of the future. They saw Syuri shine before she was a megastar, got a taste of the killer she’d become.
The wrestler who would later lead the God’s Eye faction in STARDOM and reign as World of Stardom champ traveled to Mexico in 2014 and 2015, wrestling for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).
At this point in her career, Syuri was a wrestling nomad, competing for a whole slew of smaller joshi promotions. Much of her early experience was with HUSTLE, Wrestling New Classic (WNC), and SMASH. The former MMA fighter showed great promise early on in collisions with Kana (Asuka) and Meiko Satomura.
But Syuri had not yet reached her final form.
An excursion to Mexico would help her grow and draw her closer to the big-match beast we know today. In 2011 and 2012, Syuri had two matches in Mexico for Toryumon Mexico, but it wasn’t until 2014 that she got the full Mexican experience with CMLL. As Fernando Ibarra detailed on RESURA, there is a long history of joshi wrestlers competing in the land of lucha libre, and Syuri now joined followed in that tradition.
After a few six-woman tags in Mexico’s capital city, Syuri clashed with La Amapola in a 2-out-of-3 Falls title match in the famed Arena Mexico.
Having defeated La Commandante in Tokyo the December prior, Syuri carried the CMLL REINA International Championship on her shoulder into this battle against an accomplished vet. The rugged Amapola had previously been CMLL REINA international champ and held the CMLL World Women’s Championship for more than 1442 days.
Early in the bout, Amapola outwrestled Syuri, managing to stifle Syuri’s striking. But you cannot hold down a force like her for long. Syuri tackled the Mexican star, snaked her limbs around her, and got her to tap out.
The second fall coursed with more adrenaline. This was a faster fight, but also one where Syuri took more punishment. Amapola slammed and speared her, an emphatic nastiness to all her offense. And despite Syuri dishing out her trademark kicks, she fell to the luchadora after taking a facebuster.
Fans then saw the level of ferocity kick up. Syuri overwhelmed her with a flurry of kicks to her torso. She cranked down on an armbar. She dove out onto the floor with a crossbody.
Amapola, though, withstood it all, responded with bombs of her own, and eventually nailing a Codebreaker to win and take the title back.
Just one day later, Syuri had a shot at payback when she faced La Amapola in a six-woman tag. The Japanese fighter teamed with Sarah Stock from Canada and Estrelilita against Amapola, La Comandante, and Tiffany in Arena Puebla for a televised CMLL show.
The most intriguing moments came when Syuri and La Amapola clashed again. They traded strikes. Their animosity filled the ring.
As is true for many a lucha libre match, the pace stayed chaotic. Wrestlers dashed in and out of the action. It was a blur of athletic moves.
While Syuri was fun to watch when called upon here, she was not yet as dominant, didn’t exude as commanding a presence as she does today. She was in the midst of growth. She was evolving on the spot.
After Syuri, Stock, and Estrelilita teamed up to take fall one, things didn’t go as well for their squad. Syuri took a beating for a lot of the bout, getting spun by Comandante, fending off all three opponents at once. She ended up taking a pin after suffering a big splash from Comandante.
Syuri’s heart was on display as she fended off the luchadoras and fought on. In the turbulent final moments, she rolled up Amapola, taking a measure of revenge against the woman who dethroned her.
More trios action followed as Syuri teamed up with women like La Vaquerita and Princesa Sugehit. She later won the CMLL World Women’s Championship in Japan against Mexico City native, Marcela. The partnership between joshi promotion REINA and CMLL had two worlds overlapping, a Japanese woman fighting to keep a Mexican title in her grasp in Tokyo against La Silueta.
It wasn’t until April of 2015 that Syuri would defend that crown in its home country.
Marcela was a three-time CMLL women’s champ whose last reign lasted well over two years. She challenged the joshi star in the Arena Mexico at an event airing on Fox Sports Mexico. For the second time during her time with CMLL, Syuri was facing one of the company’s biggest names with gold on the line. Center stage suited her well.
This was one of Syuri’s best matches in The Land of the Sun.
At first, Marcela frustrated her with smooth, precise mat wrestling. But Syuri got into her groove and started kicking her foe in the spine.
This was a bout that saw both women dish out heavy blows. Marcela hit a nasty lariat across Syuri’s chest. Syuri used her now-famous boots to respond.
The first fall went to Syuri thanks to an armbar submission. Then, in a sight you do not often see, Marcela got Syuri to tap with a submission of her own.
An entertaining battle ended when Marcela dropped the champion on her head from the top rope. The CMLL title was going back home.
And soon Syuri would, too. She wrestled some more trios bouts in November to wrap her time in Mexico. Amapola fired the last shot in their rivalry, her team defeating Syuri, Estrelilita, and Princesa Sujei.
Syuri, though, earned something bigger than a W. She elevated her game during this stretch. She increased her star power. She gained invaluable experience that would help her become the marquee talent she is today.
The Karate Girl would go on to travel the joshi scene, wrestling everywhere from Sendai Girls to Apple Star Pro Wrestling. She’d sign with STARDOM in early 2020, kicking ass and taking names as a key player in the Donna Del Mundo faction.
All the reps, all the bumps, all the experiences in all those corners of the joshi world boosted her. As did her time in Mexico. An unfamiliar landscape with the richest of histories was well worth traveling to. Syuri evolved in those clashes with Amapola and Marcela and the like. Now, in her current form, a magnetic, mammoth force, an embodiment of her varied experience.
Article title quotes the poem Azure and Gold by Amy Lowell
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RESURA 