Saya Kamitani

Saya Kamitani (上谷沙弥, Kamitani Saya, ring name:上谷沙弥) (born November 28, 1996)[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler, and idol (formerly of the group AKB48), currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion.[1] Kamitani is a former one-time Goddess of Stardom Champion, which she held with Utami Hayashishita.[3]

Saya Kamitani
Kamitani in 2019
Birth nameSaya Umitani (上谷 沙弥, Umitani Saya)
Born (1996-11-28) November 28, 1996[1]
Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Saya Kamitani[1]
Billed height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Billed weight58 kg (128 lb)[1]
Trained byWorld Wonder Ring Stardom[2]
DebutAugust 10, 2019[1]

Early life

Kamitani had couple of dancing roles on 2014 as a support dancer.[2] Kamitani passed the audition to become a member of the idol group AKB48 (limited time), however, according to the group's website, Kamitani was never listed as a full-time member.[2]

Professional wrestling career

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2018–present)

With her Idol background, Kamitani debuted in World Wonder Ring Stardom in a non-wrestling role as part of the "Stardom Idols", a dancing and singing group.[2] While the Stardom Idols short-lived, Kamitani passed the stardom protest with Mana Hoshino on July 10, 2019.[2] Kamitani debuted on August 10 at Korakuen Hall where she unsuccessfully challenged Momo Watanabe.[2] On August 18, Kamitani gained her first victory when she teamed with Rina to defeat Queen's Quest (Hina and Leo Onozaki).[4] On November 4, in the official match of the Goddess of Stardom Tag League match held at the Korakuen Hall tournament, Kamitani and Saya Iida defeated Oedo Tai (Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu), after performing a running "Shooting Star Press" on Miyagi to win for her team.[2][5] On December 8, Kamitani won the Rookie of Stardom Tournament at Shinkiba 1st Ring Tournament on December 8th, where she defeated Iida in the finals.[6]

On February 16, 2020, after Kamitani lost to Utami Hayashishita, Kamitani joined Queen's Quest.[2] On July 17, Kamitani competed in a three-way match which also involved Iida and Maika for the Future of Stardom Championship, but was unsuccessful.[7] On July 26, at the Korakuen Hall competition, Hayashishita and Kamitani won the vacant Goddess of Stardom Championship after defeating the Tokyo Cyber Squad (Jungle Kyona and Konami).[3] On Octobetr 3, Hayashishita and Kamitani had their first successful title defense when they defeated Donna del Mondo (Himeka and Maika).[8] On December 27, Hayashishita and Kamitani lost the Goddess of Stardom Championship to Bea Priestley and Konami, ending their reign at 153 days.[9]

On January 5, 2021, at the second night of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)'s Wrestle Kingdom 15, Kamitani made her first NJPW appearance where she, alongside AZM and Hayashishita, defeated Himeka, Maika and Natsupoi in a dark match.[10]

In other media

In 2014, Kamitani participated in EXILE's support dancers. Kamitani also experienced a backstage dancer of Team A.

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. "上谷沙弥". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese).
  2. Richards, Alex (October 6, 2020). "Star Gazing: Saya Kamitani". Last Word on Pro Wrestling. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  3. Richards, Alex (July 26, 2020). "#AndNEW: 3 New Champions At Stardom Cinderella Summer In Tokyo". Last Word on Pro Wrestling.
  4. Pageot, Harley R. (August 27, 2019). "8/18 STARDOM 5STAR GRAND PRIX results: Night 2 featuring Arisa Hoshiki vs. Utami Hayashishita, Bea Priestley vs. Konami, & more". PWTorch. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  5. Richards, Alex (November 21, 2019). "Stardom Best of Goddess (November 4) Results & Review". Voices of Wrestling. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. Daly, Wayne (December 9, 2019). "STARDOM Results: Goddess Of Stars 2019 Day 4 – Tokyo, Japan (12/8)". wrestling-news.net. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  7. Richards, Alex (July 22, 2020). "Stardom Explode In Summer (July 17) Results & Review". Voices of Wrestling. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  8. 2020年10月3日　STARDOM YOKOHAMA CINDERELLA 2020. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). October 3, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  9. Richards, Alex (December 26, 2020). "#AndNEW: Bea Priestley & Konami Win Goddesses Of Stardom Titles". Last Word on Pro Wrestling. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  10. Barrasso, Justin (January 6, 2021). "Takeaways From New Japan Pro Wrestling's 'Wrestle Kingdom 15'". SI.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  11. Wilkinson, Nick (November 21, 2020). "Nine Female Tag Teams land on PWI's Tag Team 50 list". Diva Dirt. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  12. 『スターダムアワード2020』の受賞者発表！. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
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