Evolution's Debut: New Women's Professional Wrestling Promotion Takes Flight in Tokyo
SUNNY, ZONES, and Chi Chi, who were revealed as the wrestlers for the inaugural event of "Evolution."
Written by: Stacy T
At Tokyo's Shin-Kiba 1stRING on the 22nd, Evolution made its debut as a new women's professional wrestling promotion. At a press conference attended by the CEO of Evolution, Koji Nakanishi, and the organization's producer, Shuji Ishikawa, three wrestlers were revealed: SUNNY, ZONES, and Chi Chi.
Evolution is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Status Co., Ltd., which partnered with All Japan Pro Wrestling last October. Although Evolution and All Japan Pro Wrestling are in business partnership, they have no capital relationship. Evolution was born out of the "women's professional wrestler development project" announced in May of last year. The project aimed to recruit healthy women who had graduated from junior high school or above and discover new women wrestlers not bound by their sports background. The ultimate goal was to hold their own events.
The inaugural matches will feature SUNNY vs. Miyuki Takase, ZONES vs. Rina Yamashita, and Chi Chi vs. Yuu. Producer Ishikawa expressed his excitement and hope for these wrestlers, "This is still the starting point, so I want both ourselves and these girls to spread their wings and become a presence that resounds throughout the women's wrestling and wrestling world."
Each wrestler shared their stories and aspirations. SUNNY, who has been doing swimming, gymnastics, classical ballet, and yoga for years, said that she decided to challenge herself to debut in pro wrestling because she was originally a fan. Regarding her debut match with Takase, SUNNY said she felt excited and nervous but honored to fight someone so lively and powerful.
ZONES, who has experience in various sports including Muay Thai and bodybuilding competitions, chose professional wrestling to express both strength and beauty. She wants to become a wrestler known as the "symbol of women's professional wrestling." Regarding her debut match against Yamashita, she expressed her determination to show many Amazon-like qualities and fight hard.
Chi Chi, with over 20 years of experience in classical ballet starting at age 3, chose professional wrestling to express herself, be herself, and have fun. She wants to become a wrestler recognized by professional wrestling fans as someone who is doing it right. Regarding her debut match against Yuu, she saw her play with Ishikawa and said the game was powerful, but she will approach the game with the intention of winning.
Producer Ishikawa emphasized the importance of taking falls in guidance for these wrestlers, "Because they were able to keep up with the rigorous training and have the guts and passion for pro wrestling, I think they were able to make it to their debut. I think that taking falls is the most important thing to teach, as it is also a lesson from All Japan."
As Evolution takes its first steps, it will be exciting to see how these wrestlers develop and contribute to the world of women's wrestling.