One month.
That’s how long it took for a fresh-faced eighteen-year-old Mei Suruga to go from her first training session (April 15, 2018) to making her professional wrestling debut (May 27).
When some trainees were still learning how to run the ropes, Mei was locking up with a legend of the joshi industry in front of nearly 300 watching eyes.
Emi Sakura’s Darejo Project is designed to make pro wrestling accessible to anyone who wants to learn. A judgement free setting away from the rigours of other dojos. It’s not necessarily designed to unearth wrestling diamonds, but when one does come along it won’t escape Emi’s keen eye. Fresh out of high school and having moved from Kyoto, Mei emphatically told Emi that she wanted to become a pro wrestler.
It was clear early on that there was great potential to be found in that petite 4’11 frame. Five years later, that potential is being well and truly realised. Mei Suruga is now a key recognisable name in the scene, doing so without the backing of either of the major joshi promotions in Japan.
Instead Mei wrestles like a true freelancer, appearing anywhere and everywhere. Despite not being signed, both STARDOM and Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling have brought her in and booked her in notable spots (like STARDOM’s biggest ever show). She’s wrestled across the U.S.A, appearing for big independent promotions as well as a major player in AEW. She’s wrestled down in Mexico for CMLL and in England alongside EVE. She’s even joined Heat Up and wrestled in Vietnam. She’s done so both as a singles wrestler and as one half of the fantastic Best Bros alongside Baliyan Akki.
The more Mei Suruga stretches her wings, the more apparent it becomes just how big a mark she can leave on the scene. Even without the backing of a STARDOM or the steady platform of an AEW or WWE, and maybe even because of that absence, she can influence the industry in ways that might not be immediately apparent.
The Darejo Project and Gatoh Move breeds individual and creative wrestlers. To succeed in Ichigaya Square requires both finely tuned fundamentals and a keen awareness beyond the pre-formed box that wrestling fits into.
Mei Suruga uses a wrestling space in a way others can’t even imagine. Without a traditional ring to work in, the Ichigaya Square mat requires finesse. Operating within such a small space surrounded by fans is difficult, even for someone of her short stature; Mei has learned to maximise the space, and then look beyond that.
Very few people use the whole Ichigaya room quite like Mei. Whether it be spring-boarding off the window-sill and walls, hanging from the crane or being stuffed under the sink, there isn’t an inch of that space Mei hasn’t found a use for. She’ll jump out the window to hide and shock people, or use the moss covered outside wall as a weapon.
All this experience in the unique space that is Ichigaya has led to her using a traditional ring in atypical ways too, a highlight being her ability to run up the the corner pole while ringside to launch a special rebound attack. She’ll run around the ring, weaving through traffic and springboard off the ropes, everything done with a fresh style and creative energy that stands out even against other wrestlers who try to incorporate similar movements.
She doesn’t lean on these antics like a crutch though – her traditional pro wrestling skill is immediately obvious in how she carries herself in a ring. Mei will throw a variety of submission moves and flash pins while using her high speed to overwhelm opponents. However, her ability to meld the technical acumen with said ingenuity is what launches her above so many of her peers.
That creativity too extends to her character work.
The Mei Suruga persona is layered, more complex than most in the scene. At first glance she is an energetic and exuberant personality, positively beaming as she appears with her wings and a giant smile across her face. Capable of feeling like the biggest character in the room despite often being the shortest is a skill that comes naturally to her, and it instantly endears Mei to the audience.
From there, she can easily play the natural babyface by getting the crowd on board and wowing them with her skill and ingenuity. However, the real Mei lays just beyond that surface.
The reality is that underneath the friendly facade is a devilish brat willing to gnaw away at both the rules and her opponent’s arms. Mei’s not afraid to play dirty: the Apple Girl can turn rotten on a dime. She’ll arrogantly pose ‘cute on purpose’ while pinning opponents, she’ll laugh at other’s misfortunes and she’ll act shocked when her rule breaking isn’t met with the same cheers as her entrance.
Mei is able to act as both the beaming babyface and goblin heel and play both sides at a whim. Her bratty antics can still elicit cheers in the right situation, because while it’s bending and breaking the rules it’s done with an undeniable charm and cheekiness that it breaks convention. Paired with the right opponent, the same actions can work for whatever role she needs to play in that instance.
Darejo has helped craft someone as talented and entertaining as Mei Suruga, who is able to use the pantomime nature of pro wrestling to her advantage. Emi helped birth something of a monster, but she’s also helped ensure her legacy in the process.
For years Emi Sakura guided the Gatoh Move faithful through the Darejo Project, but in recent years she’s called America home. Mei had already been Emi’s right hand woman in this training process, even being credited as a teacher for the Fourth Generation – which includes many of the current regulars like Chie Koishikawa, Sayaka, Sayuri and Tokiko Kirihara. All this despite having only started wrestling herself a year prior.
The project is now very much in Mei’s hands with Emi on the other side of the world, and the first two examples of her work as a head trainer have come to fruition in the form of the sisters: Miya Yotsuba and Nonoka Seto. The first signs are incredibly positive, with both rookies showing reason to be excited about their respective futures. And it is here, behind the scenes, where Mei’s impact could be as great as her captivating in ring work.
One just has to look to her mentor for the reasons why. Emi Sakura’s fingerprints extend across the joshi landscape. Not only did she create Gatoh Move (which has influenced wrestling in both Japan and its original home of Thailand), she was also the woman originally behind Ice Ribbon. Under her guiding hand top stars like Riho, Hikaru Shida, Tsukasa Fujimoto and many more first found their feet in the industry.
Few have influenced joshi like Emi Sakura.
In an interview with Bell to Belle, Baliyan Akki even described his Best Bro tag partner as “the closest thing to a young Emi Sakura”; reverent praise if there ever was. That can be her future though. At a young age she is already training and guiding the next generation while still showcasing and growing her own skill in the ring. If Mei is “the last true prodigy of Emi Sakura” as Akki puts it, then she may have saved the best for last.
Mei Suruga has been able to learn first hand from Emi in all facets. As a performer, as a teacher and as a creator. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and put a stop to virtually all wrestling in Japan, ChocoPro formed as an offshoot of Gatoh Move. Created initially to keep the lights on, the brand quickly grew to become as recognisable as the original Gatoh Move name, staying long beyond its original purpose had run its course due to its overwhelming popularity.
Mei was at the very forefront of that success. She is the beaming face of ChocoPro. Whether it was through a record breaking run with the Asia Dream Tag Team Championships or being a constant presence in their live streams and watch-alongs, she was a catalyst for their success and growth.
Mei proved she had the charisma, the work ethic and the skill to succeed and thrive in the industry. However, it was during this time another skill really showed itself. One that will allow her to make her mark on the international scene even without the backing of a Bushiroad or CyberFight.
The language barrier is a very real thing that can sometimes hamper the connection a Japanese wrestler can make with an English speaking fanbase. Yet Mei’s English is superb, more than capable of carrying conversation with fans and commanding live stream chats. The same boldness that led to her leaving her home city of Kyoto to become a pro wrestler fresh out of school has led to Mei pushing herself to become a confident English speaker.
In the hands of a lesser wrestler, this would simply grant you an ability to connect with foreign audiences and gain fans beyond what might be typically be expected. However, when you combine that with Mei’s natural charisma and prodigal level talent, then you have something of a perfect package with which to leave a mark on the wrestling world.
The future is bright for someone like Mei Suruga. Joshi wrestling has steadily been gaining worldwide popularity and interest, and a capable English speaker has an automatic leg up in that regards. The world is Mei’s for the taking.
She has a foot in the door with AEW if she ever wanted to try her luck there full time. She has connections with both STARDOM and TJPW, which she can leverage for individual appearances or potentially a contract if she was interested. Companies around the world have interest in her and she only continues to get better, continues to make herself a more desirable piece of any company’s puzzle.
Or, she can carve out a different path. Mei can continue to grow the small but endlessly beloved Gatoh Move, help guide the next generation of wrestlers and influence the wrestling world as a trainer.
Much like Emi Sakura, Mei Suruga can help define the future of pro wrestling.
Wrestle Inn 