Sareee spoke openly about her challenging time in NXT while promoting her fifteenth anniversary show this weekend.
The Joshi star sat down with Tokyo Sports before her self-promoted anniversary card at Yokohama Budokan this Sunday. The conversation included the performer’s experience moving to the U.S. in 2020 after signing with WWE:
That was the most difficult period in my professional wrestling career. WWE has a huge number of members, so it was difficult to even get selected for a match, and then the pandemic hit, so I couldn’t have matches as I wanted. And then I ended up playing a high school girl character. I went there intending to bring the strength of women’s professional wrestling from Japan, but what was required in reality was different, and it was tough. The stress made me love sweets, and there were times when I would eat an American-sized parfait after lunch, then devour a huge Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and my face would be covered in acne. But even so, I did my best. Looking back now, I realize that everything was an experience that has become a valuable lesson for me, so nothing was wasted.
Her contract expired in March 2023, and she questioned whether she would be welcomed back in Japan, feeling she didn’t accomplish anything in the U.S. during her time away.
The 29-year-old has been a freelancer and has been promoting her own shows, and appearing for top women’s groups, Stardom and Marvelous, among the many groups she wrestles for. Sareee has become one of the top wrestlers in the world and has been recognized as the top female star by Tokyo Sports in 2024, earning its Fighting Spirit Award last year.
She will team with Takumi Iroha on Sunday against Syuri & Chihiro Hashimoto on her anniversary show. She debuted for Diana in April 2011.
