Fuuka retires

Fuuka retired today at the final Fuuka Matsuri show in front of 1550 fans at Korakuen Hall. Before I get into the show itself, Sarah "Dark Angel" Stock was unable to make the show due to problems at the Mexico City airport. Rossy Ogawa said Sarah was crying on the phone when he spoke to her. She is still scheduled to appear at next Sunday's Estrella Japan debut. Leon filled in for Sarah. The show itself was the typical Fuuka Matsuri show opening with a dance number. There was a Royal Rumble style match with a special appearance by Minoru Suzuki. You had the match with HIROKA and Princess Sugey coming in from Japan. And Fuuka lost to Nanae Takahashi in her retirement match. And then the retirement ceremony. Some fans are upset that she's retiring and want to know why. Will Fuuka's retirement hurt the joshi business? No because Fuuka was only a draw for herself. She wasn't a draw for the joshi business. So I don't think her retirement will matter much. And any supposed fan who says he won't watch joshi anymore because of her retirement isn't really a fan. I guess they'll shift over to watching the teenage shoot boxer Rena. So when Fuuka's retirement was announced, they tried to say that she was suffering from asthma and other health issues. The Japanese media didn't believe that. So when she did her final interview with Sportsnavi yesterday, that was never mentioned. She did say that there is a 99% chance that she is finished with wrestling and she's not getting married. Last year Fuuka switched representaion to a traditional modelling talent agency. But it wouldn't have been good PR to say that she's tired of wrestling and wants to be a model. How would her fans have reacted to that? Obviously Rossy Ogawa didn't want to know. It might have hurt merch sales. Fuuka thanked her parents and everyone else at her retirement ceremony. She again denied she is getting married. Of course wearing that pink wedding dress didn't help. She said her immediate plans are to get her driver's license and she's going to the dentist. How exciting. Good luck to Fuuka in whatever she does but unlike other retirees, she won't be missed. It might even be good for the joshi business to not have her around as a promoter's crutch.