Okuda joins MAKEHEN

MAKEHEN announced at today's show that the wrestler formerly known as Tyrannosaurus Okuda of Sendai Girls has joined the indy fed. She will be called Shuri Okuda. Okuda is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and may return by April. It's a seemingly odd move because MAKEHEN isn't a joshi fed but she obviously gets along with the Shirai Sisters. The only other joshi wrestler in MAKEHEN is Mikado. Yuka Matsuya quit in November. What fans need to understand is that Okuda didn't leave Sendai Girls because of Meiko Satomura. She didn't leave Sendai Girls because of Jinsei Shinzaki. She left because she wants to live in Tokyo. It's a personal decision, not a business decision. And if it was a work, why would Satomura send her to MAKEHEN? The answer is she wouldn't send her anywhere for training. It's not necessary. So why MAKEHEN? Like the Shirai Sisters, Okuda will mostly be working for other joshi feds. So why not freelance? She probably doesn't want to handle her own bookings. MAKEHEN owner Tomo Hashimoto will do that. I'm sure she has also observed how a freelancer like Ayumi Kurihara is mistreated and this gives her some protection. And she can learn about the business end of pro wrestling. MAKEHEN runs their own regular shows and if Hashimoto is smart, he's selective about where he books her. Okuda is much more marketable to joshi feds than the Shirai Sisters because she trained at Sendai Girls. Though MAKEHEN seems like an odd choice, the move has potential to give Okuda more control over her career in the future than if she goes somewhere else. Check out her T-shirt in this pic.


EDIT:Ringstars Magazine has posted on their blog that they are holding a contest to give Okuda a new ring name. The deadline is March 20 and the winner will get some Ringstars swag.