Former WWE Women’s World Champion IYO SKY has reflected on what she considers the greatest moment of her career: her successful championship defense at WrestleMania 41. The “Genius of the Sky” walked into the biggest event of the year as champion and faced two of the most dominant women in the industry, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, in a high-stakes Triple Threat match on night two of the spectacular.
The victory was historic on multiple levels. SKY became the first Japanese woman to win a match at WrestleMania, etching her name in the record books alongside her successful defense of WWE’s most prestigious women’s title. For a wrestler who began her career performing in front of mere dozens of fans in Japan’s independent circuit, the moment represented the culmination of a remarkable journey.
In a recent interview with The Japan Times, the 35-year-old Kamakura native looked back on that historic night and emphasized the significance of representing her home country on such a massive global stage. The match itself showcased why many consider SKY among WWE’s elite performers, as she notes the caliber of her opponents elevated the entire experience beyond just winning.
“I’m apparently the first Japanese woman to win at WrestleMania,” Sky tells Japan Times. “And since it was also a defence of WWE’s most prestigious title, it was definitely the greatest moment of my life. Not just the result but also being with the best wrestlers in Bianca and Rhea. I was able to take on the best stage, the best performers, the best match, and make the most of history.”
From Japan’s Indies to WWE’s Biggest Stage
SKY’s path to WWE stardom required taking enormous risks. Born Masami Odate, she began wrestling alongside her older sister under the ring names Io and Mio Shirai, respectively, competing across Japan’s independent scene for promotions including Ibuki, JWP Joshi Puroresu, and Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling before gaining prominence in 2008-09.
She uprooted her life in Japan in 2018 to join WWE NXT, the organization’s developmental league, where she faced not just physical challenges but technical ones. Unlike Japanese wrestling’s sports-broadcast style where wrestlers focus solely on in-ring action, WWE demanded mastery of television production—playing to cameras, delivering drama, and executing countless simultaneous tasks, all in English.
The transition paid dividends. After years refining her craft through her heel turn and time with the Damage CTRL faction (alongside Asuka, Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai and Bayley), SKY captured her first WWE Women’s Championship in August 2023 by cashing in her Money in the Bank contract against Belair. Her 245-day reign with the Raw Women’s Title followed, before she claimed the Women’s World Championship from Ripley in March.
At Crown Jewel this Saturday, SKY will team with Rhea Ripley to take on Asuka and Kairi Sane—a matchup that brings together multiple generations of Japanese wrestling excellence. It’s a particularly meaningful pairing given that SKY and Asuka once teamed together early in her career, long before either imagined they’d share WWE’s global stage.