Mai Sakurai has announced that her time with Dream Star Fighting Marigold is set to come to an end on October 24.
Sakurai revealed the news during Marigold’s October 3 event, confirming that she will wrap up her run with the company at Grand Destiny, scheduled for Ryōgoku Sumo Hall. Following that appearance, Sakurai will take time away from wrestling in order to nurse an injury.
No additional details regarding the injury, the anticipated length of her absence, or her plans after the break were announced. Her October 24 date at Ryōgoku Sumo Hall now stands as a significant final chapter in her initial Marigold tenure, bringing an end to a run that began with the company’s launch in 2024.
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A Key Part Of Marigold From The Beginning
Sakurai has been with Marigold since the promotion entered the wrestling landscape in 2024. That founding-roster status gives her departure added weight, as she has been present through the company’s formative period and collected major championship accomplishments while helping establish its identity.
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During her time in Marigold, Sakurai became a Marigold Twin Star Champion, a Marigold United National Champion, and a Marigold 3D Trios Champion. Those three title reigns place her among the wrestlers who have made a tangible mark on the promotion’s championship picture across singles, tag team, and trios competition.
The Twin Star Championship represents success in Marigold’s tag division, while the United National Championship positioned Sakurai as one of the company’s featured singles champions. Her 3D Trios Championship accomplishment further reflects a career in Marigold that has not been limited to one role or one style of match. Across those divisions, Sakurai has had opportunities to compete in high-stakes environments and contribute to the promotion’s growing title lineage.
For any young company, performers who are there from the outset often become closely connected to its early history. Sakurai’s work in Marigold will remain tied to that launch era, especially because she did not simply participate in the roster’s development; she also won championships that will remain part of the company record.
Grand Destiny Takes On Added Importance
Grand Destiny already carries the scale and visibility associated with a major show at Ryōgoku Sumo Hall. Sakurai’s announcement gives the October 24 card an additional personal stake. It will be her final scheduled appearance before she steps away, making the event a potentially emotional occasion for a wrestler who has been part of Marigold since day one.
The specifics of Sakurai’s final match or segment were not included in the announcement. That leaves open questions about how Marigold will present her final night, whether she will compete in a bout designed to mark the moment, and what opponents or partners could be involved. What is clear is that the Ryōgoku Sumo Hall event will serve as the closing date for this phase of her career.
Wrestlers frequently face difficult decisions when physical issues require time away, particularly when they are active contributors to a promotion’s major programs. Sakurai’s decision to take time off underscores the importance of allowing an injury to heal rather than continuing without a stated recovery period. At this stage, there is no announced timetable for a potential return to the ring.
That uncertainty does not necessarily define the announcement as a retirement or a permanent exit from professional wrestling. Sakurai stated that she will be taking time off to treat the injury, while her Marigold run is scheduled to conclude at Grand Destiny. Those are the confirmed details, and any future plans beyond the break have not been disclosed.
Career Began In 2020
Sakurai began her in-ring career in 2020, entering professional wrestling during a period that presented unusual challenges across the industry. In the years since, she has built a résumé that includes time in two notable joshi promotions and championship success in Marigold.
Before joining Marigold, Sakurai spent three years with World Wonder Ring STARDOM. That stretch formed a substantial portion of her early development as an in-ring performer. Her subsequent move into Marigold’s founding group provided a new platform and led to the title achievements that now define her tenure with the newer promotion.
With an in-ring career beginning in 2020, Sakurai has compiled her accomplishments over a relatively concentrated period. Her Marigold record demonstrates how much she was able to accomplish in the company’s first years, becoming a champion in multiple formats and remaining an identifiable part of its roster through its early stage.
The announcement also puts her career timeline into perspective. She came into the business in 2020, spent three years in STARDOM, and then joined Marigold at its launch in 2024. Her October 24 departure will therefore pause a career that has already included experience in prominent joshi settings as well as a central role in a new promotion’s establishment.
What Comes Next Remains Undecided
There is currently no indication of when Sakurai may be cleared to return, whether she intends to resume wrestling after her recovery, or where her next in-ring chapter could take place. The immediate focus is on completing her remaining Marigold commitment at Grand Destiny and then taking the necessary time off.
Marigold will also have to adjust to the loss of a wrestler with championship experience in several divisions. Sakurai’s absence removes a performer who has been capable of fitting into singles, tag team, and trios competition, all while carrying the distinction of being with the promotion since its inception. The company’s roster will move forward, but her place in its first chapter is secure.
For Sakurai, Ryōgoku Sumo Hall offers a major setting in which to close this portion of her Marigold journey. The venue adds scale to what will be a meaningful final date, even as the circumstances surrounding it are rooted in the need to recover from injury.
Mai Sakurai will conclude her Marigold run at Grand Destiny on October 24 at Ryōgoku Sumo Hall before taking time off to nurse an injury.
Fans now know the date of Sakurai’s final Marigold appearance, but the longer-term picture will have to wait until she is ready to provide further updates. Until then, Grand Destiny will stand as the final opportunity to see the former Twin Star, United National, and 3D Trios Champion compete under the Marigold banner before her hiatus begins.
Her departure closes an important early-era chapter for Dream Star Fighting Marigold. From joining at launch in 2024 to winning championships across multiple divisions, Sakurai has left behind a clear body of work. On October 24, that work will be recognized one more time at Ryōgoku Sumo Hall as she prepares to put her health first and step away from the ring.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.