Gape in awe at the burning sun
-Helloween
Sorry, Thomas Wolfe. You’re wrong. It appears you can go home again.
After years of underuse with WWE, Sareee has returned to Japan and done so in emphatic, eye-catching fashion.
Sareee was a rising star on the joshi independent scene when WWE came calling in 2021. In predicting how she’d fare, optimists could point to the cases other Japanese stars like Iyo Sky and Asuka getting prominent spots in the company. WWE, though, has a history of just not getting certain talents.
And that’s the story with Sareee.
WWE gave her a Sailor Moon-esque gimmick. She was booked as a low-tier fighter, losing to women like Elektra Lopez and Tiffany Stratton in under five minutes, and generally treated as far from a big deal. That’s such an odd approach for someone holding so much potential as a major-league babyface.
We’ll never know if Sareee (who worked under the name Sarray in WWE) would have eventually changed some minds in the company, or if the powers-that-be would ever treat her like a franchise cornerstone.
Instead, we are witnessing the story of a star’s rebirth. Sareee returned to her home country this spring, choosing to wander the various paths of the independent scene rather than sign with a single company.
We are all benefits of that bold choice. Sareee is absolutely tearing it up.
It began with a familiar face on the other side of the ring. Sareee battled her old rival from Sendai Girls, Chihiro Hashimoto, in the main event of a show she produced herself—Sareee-ISM.
The endearing Sareee and the powerhouse Hashimoto always had tremendous chemistry. That was on display here as their match was bursting with energy. It was a dynamic bout, a resounding way to start this post-WWE chapter.
Sareee excelled as a fighter, flyer and mat wrestler in this clash against her old enemy.
That proved to be just the beginning, though.
Soon after this opening gamut, Sareee teamed with Aja Kong against Mio Momono and Mika Iwata at the Hana Kimura Memorial show in May.
Boy did Sareee come through again. Say what you want about how many steps the legendary Kong has lost, this was among the best tag team matches of the year. The wrestler known as The Sun God was on her game; crisp and charismatic throughout.
Sareee kept rolling with another instant classic in August.
She took on Arisa Nakajima at SEAdLINNNG’s 8th Anniversary for the Beyond the Sea Championship. This was such a dream booking for joshi nerds. Nakajima is not only one of the best in-ring workers today, she’s a superb stylistic match for Sareee.
These are both women who make their living on beating the shit out of people.
Surprise, surprise, their title bout turned out to be an enthralling display of brutality. Sareee and Nakajima wrecked each other with big-time forearms. They slapped each other over and over. They gave us intensity and violence in bunches.
Sareee was compelling as the gutsy warrior having to shake off a barrage of kicks to the thigh, who had to will herself to her feet after getting hurled into the stands.
The end result: one of the absolute best joshi matches of the year.
Beyond the great in-ring action we’ve gotten from Sareee with matches like these, she has added eyes to a number of promotions. She’s creating a buzz across the scene as a whole.
She is everywhere, making small shows from little-known promotions feel like must-see events. Sareee is a nomad, a one-woman traveling wrestling circus. She starred in the Yumiko Hotta anniversary show and teamed with the hall of famer Jaguar Yokota. She’s wrestled for Diana, Sendai Girls, Strong Style Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling’s Land End, even All Japan Pro-Wrestling.
The men’s promotion put on a rare women’s match where Sareee teamed with Saori Anou against KAIRI and Unagi Sayaka. This was one of the former World of Stardom Champion’s last matches in Japan before returning to WWE. With KAIRI, Anou and Unagi in the same ring, fans were treated to a collection of some of the biggest names on the freelance scene.
As Monthly Puroresu tweeted, that clearly excited fans:
That’s been the pattern with Sareee during this run. She makes shows she’s on feel bigger.
When Sendai Girls put on BIG SHOW in Sendai in September, the company brought on Sareee (with Anou again) to fight Hashimoto and Yuu.
The Jaguar Yokota 47th Anniversary show got far more interesting once Sareee was booked against Veny and Unagi.
Sareee has proved herself to be a must-watch. She’s often the guest of honor, a spark, a selling point. And once the bell rings, damn does she deliver. She already has four matches rated 8.40 or higher on CageMatch.net this year.
Expect more big matches, more hard-hitting action, more fiery passion between the ropes. This is Sareee’s M.O. This is what she what she was waiting to unleash.
The Summer of Sareee is stretching into autumn and doesn’t look to be cooling off in the least.
Wrestle Inn 