Shirakawa admitted that her decision caused a bit of a riff with her family, who didn’t approve of her new path. Nevertheless, she pursued a career in acting, modeling, and Idol singing to some success. But it wasn’t until years later when she first discovered pro wrestling, and subsequently decided to pursue a career in the business.

“One day, someone invited me to go see pro wrestling” Shirakawa said. “I go ‘Yeah, okay. Let’s go.’ So it was [my] first time when I watch wrestling. I was so shocked…It was New Japan in a small arena. I saw in the ring, they were fighting with everything they had. So I realized ‘Oh. I have to do the same thing for my dreams, to take the dream.’ 

“So watching wrestling is my emotional support. So I was, for a long time, a big fan of pro wrestling. But one day, I asked to myself ‘If I die tomorrow, are you satisfied with your life?’ The answer was no. I have to challenge for wrestling. And then…so I had no experience in sports, but I decided to challenge for wrestling…and I became a wrestler.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Close Up with Renee Paquette” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription