In 2017, Kairi Hojo would leave World Wonder Ring Stardom to brave new waters with a new company, in a new country. However, after almost five years, two titles, and a year of ambassadorship the maiden voyage to the USA had ended as her WWE contract lapsed. With STARDOM's Wrestle Queendom show fast approaching, many are wondering whether the Pirate Princess will pop back up in STARDOM to fight against its ever-growing roster, and potentially fight alongside old allies. To find out, lets head to Wrestle Queendom's fifth match of the night, Giulia vs. Konami.

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Part 1.A: Dream Queendom 2021, Giulia vs. Konami. We join the action at its climax as both women are grabbing onto one another to get to their feet. The match had been fast paced from the start, the soon-to-be on hiatus Konami taking it to Giulia from the very opening bell before Giulia evened the match back out between the two. Although Konami was beginning to show a return to form with a great 5*GP tournament run - including a win over White Belt holder Utami Hayashishita - Konami was still faltering, and desperately needs this win to go strong into her recovery hiatus.

But as the two get themselves stood firmly up, Giulia cracks Konami with a few close forearms before hitting the ropes. Konami ducks the incoming lariat, hits the ropes herself, Giulia ducks that lariat attempt, the two look to collide with one another but Giulia is able to get her foot up for the big boot! Konami smashes the ring mat but doesn't get much time to rest as Giulia lifts her rival right back up. Giulia lifts her onto her shoulders setting up for the Glorious Buster but Konami wrestles out of it, grabbing a hold of the arm to try and get closer to the Final Lancer. She's getting closer and closer to acheiving it, but a cross-body kick from Giulia to the side of Konami's head puts her off of the arm and back to the mat! No time to waste, Giulia lifts Konami up for the Glorious Buster and hits it, but she's not done! A Glorious Driver destroys Konami, and gives Giulia the win!

WINNER: Giulia (Pinfall) - 11:29

Following the match, Giulia would stare down at Konami before exiting the ring and entering again with a chair and a microphone! "You disappoint me, Konami. You have all the ability in the world, but continue to fail due to little mistakes. Not only am I happy that you'll be gone after this, I'm happy that I'm the one that gets to do this to you."

The microphone drops, Giulia approaches- the lights go out?

Pounding drums and stabbing violins fill the air of the legendary Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, many soon catch on to what's happening.

Giulia looks relatively unfazed, chair still in hand for whoever may come out of the curtain. As the music swells, the crowd swells, the curtain is now ajar, someone is soon to be coming out. That someone is no other than... KAIRI HOJO! After leaving STARDOM for nearly five years, Kairi Hojo has made her return to STARDOM. She doesn't leave much time to bask in the crowd reaction as she goes to help her friend and former tag partner/Artist of Stardom co-holder Konami. Giulia simply dips out of the ring as Kairi enters, heading to the ramp.

After checking on her friend, Kairi picks up the dropped microphone. "Giulia! If you think you can get away with doing this to anyone here, you're wrong! Giulia, I challenge you to a one on one match wherever, and whenever." The mic is back down, and the two women would stare at each other once more.

In the days following the event, Giulia would deny Kairi the match, saying that she must earn it first, and not just barge into the company asking for things. But with a Wrestle Cinderella 6-Woman Tag on 1.4. of the new year, things could very easily change...

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Part 1.B: 1.4. Wrestle Cinderella, Kairi Hojo and STARS (Mayu Iwatani and Koguma) vs. Donna Del Mondo (Giulia, Syuri, and Maika) Koguma and Kairi, both also former teammates with one another, would be the center of this match, continually getting the better of the younger DDM member Maika. Mayu Iwatani would eventually play spoiler for any member of DDM who would try to tag in so that Koguma and Kairi could continue their domination together. Eventually, it was too much for Maika, who would fall to the Koguma-Style Yoshitonic, and pin her for the 1-2-3.

WINNERS: Kairi Hojo and STARS (Mayu Iwatani and Koguma) - 13:30

Following the match, Giulia would request a microphone. All three members of the STARS team would take a defensive stance knowing what Giulia threatened to do the last time she had a microphone in her hands. "Calm down, I'm not here to harm you, only bring you some good news."

She takes a few steps towards Hojo and Koguma before stopping again. "You two are good, I'll give you that. Kairi, you want a match with me so badly, I'll give it to you..." Some audible gasps and slow cheers are heard from the crowd. "You and Koguma, me and Syuri, Goddess of Stardom Tag Titles." The crowd still cheers, but is obviously disappointed that the match isn't on yet.

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"Make the most of the shot, Kairi, becuase I promise you it'll be the only one you ever get this close at me."

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We join the action nearly a month after Giulia's challenge was made, now in the legendary Nippon Budokan. Giulia is prowling around the currently downed Koguma, Hojo is rallying the crowd around her partner, hoping for the massive hot tag - but it's cut off! Syuri rushes to the other side of the ring and sends Kairi Hojo crashing to the pads below! Despite this, Koguma still raises a valiant effort to fend for herself against Giulia even fighting out of a Glorious Buster set up! Stiff forearms follow from Koguma, she looks for the German Suplex, but Koguma herself gets caught by forearms from Giulia that absolutely rock her! Giulia goes for it and gets the Bianca submission locked in on a dazed Koguma, who has absolutely no choice but to tap out while her tag partner fights with Syuri on the outside!

WINNERS - and STILL Goddess of STARDOM Champions: Donna Del Mondo (Giulia and Syuri)! - Time: 21:00

This time, no words are exchanged between any of the women in the ring. Giulia and Syuri taunt at the STARS team as they exit up the ramp. , while Kairi checks on Koguma in the ring. Suddenly, it seems that the port has closed for Kairi. There aren't very many ways that she can get her singles match with Giulia, and the ways that she did have are now used up and washed out. Currently, there only remains one way for her to get this match without going to some form of management:

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The Cinderella Tournament.

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The day had come. The Cinderella tournament was a whirlwind, and we're already at the finals. In one corner, Kairi Hojo had gone through Donna Del Mondo's Natuspoi as well as getting a big win over Saki Kashima to secure her spot in the finals, a chance at Giulia one on one on the line. Momo battled her own Oedo Tai teammate, Starlight Kid - who herself had a massive upset win over Mayu Iwatani in the quarter-finals - to get to this spot. Her wish? A chance to end Utami Hayashishita's massive 400 day reign and bring glory not only to Oedo Tai, but to her own legacy. Who prevailed on this night?

STARDOM Cinderella Tournament 2022 Finals Match: Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe

This match was contested at an absolutely blistering pace. Both women wanted to win as quickly as possible to conserve as much energy as possible after an already exhausting night of wrestling for both women. Seemingly, every strike from Hojo was met with one just the same from Momo. Every time one would hit the ropes, the other would begin her trek towards the opposite set. Kairi seemed to have a solid lead over Momo until she was tripped up by her opponent, then sent to the corner and smashed with a Somato! Although it was only a two count on her younger opponent. This was certainly far from the Momo Watanabe that Kairi had faced before she departed for the United States. This was a stronger, more dangerous, and certainly more evil Momo having willingly joined Natsuko Tora's Oeda Tai stable. Now being lifted up again Hojo struggled to get out of whatever Momo had for her next, which seemed to be an absolutely killer B-Driver to drop Kairi right on her neck and out of the competition - but no! Kairi uses her athelticism to flip Momo right into a roll-up pin! She secures Momo's legs with her arms! She wins it, Kairi Hojo is your 2022 Cinderella Tournament winner!

After the match, the normal ceremony takes place. Hojo is placed in a cinderella-esque dress, poses for pictures, and then gets what we all came to see: her wish to come true.

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"GIULIA! My wish is to fight you at the Tokyo Dream Cinderella event!"

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Giulia: "It's telling that Kairi could only get this match through following in my own footsteps and winning the Cinderella Tournament. She couldn't prove to me that she was worth a match, and I doubt she proved to anyone in the crowd she was worthy of it. Instead, she gets an arbitrary tournament win. Let me tell you something Kairi Hojo: tonight, I draw the line in the sand between you and me. I'm going to beat you, and make sure you never have the semblance of a chance to get to this level in STARDOM ever again."

Kairi Hojo: "Tonight, I'm finally ready to prove that I deserve to be where I am in STARDOM. I'm ready to prove that I've still got it and can beat the top stars of today, and above all, I'm ready to avenge my friend; Konami. Giulia, I hope you're ready for tonight, because I can promise you won't be the same afterwards."

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STARDOM Dream Cinderella Semi-Final Bout: Kairi Hojo vs. Giulia

The night had finally come. Kairi Hojo was finally getting her Cinderella tournament wish, a wish she had since coming back to STARDOM in December of 2021: a singles match against Donna Del Mondo leader Giulia. Neither competitor could take their eyes off one another prior the match and the intensity in the air could be practically cut with a knife. That didn't change as the match started, either, as both Hojo and Giulia took it to one another without remorse during the opening minutes of the match.

Initially, Hojo was able to keep herself from using any remotely underhanded tactics that her opponent was using. However as the match went on and the going got tougher and tougher, Hojo was close to breaking down and using some of those same tactics. Now downed on the mat and being slapped by Giulia, Hojo had enough. Rising to her feet with a remarkable pace Hojo began to lay in multiple big forearm strikes to her opponent, finally leaving her lying on the ground. Now having exited the ring Hojo grabbed the same chair that Giulia had smashed her back with not 10 minutes earlier in the match. Entering the ring with it she wasted no time in raising it above her head ready to strike - but the referee talks her down from it, makes her reconsider her actions, and eventually gets Hojo to give the chair up willingly.

This gives Giulia enough time to recuperate however, and she tries to lock Hojo in the Bianca! Hojo struggles and fights to get out of it and eventually does, only to get sent into the corner by Giulia. She runs at her with a big knee incoming but HOJO MOVES! Giulia smashes her knee right into the turnbuckle, and as she gets up to try and fight back, Hojo nails her with a massive Spear! 1.. 2.. NO! Giulia kicks out, and the match continues. Now, Giulia was pissed. Not only could she not lock in her submission, she was just embarassed by Hojo's string of moves. Now ready to strike again, Giulia began to kick at Hojo with unrelenting force, screaming at the veteran as she does it. Things aren't looking great for the Pirate Princess.

Now 20 minutes into the match, we're at a stalemate again. Both competitors are exhausted from the onslaught that they brought upon one another, but Hojo was starting to rise to her feet now. Realizing it's a prime opportunity for it, Hojo *very* slowly makes her ascent to the top rope - but Giulia is up, fighting with her again to stop the diving attempt. The two continue to exchange blows with one another before Hojo is able to push Giulia off the top rope! Salute to the crowd and Hojo hits the diving elbow drop! But she's not done yet, she gets up as quick as possible and sits Giulia up, hits the ropes, and hits the massive Sliding D!

One... Two... Three! Kairi Hojo has done it! Kairi Hojo has defeated Giulia, the one woman she has wanted to not only face, but beat since she came back to STARDOM in December! Always one to show respect, Kairi waits for Giulia to rise to her feet and attempts a handshake with her... But it's slapped away! Giulia exits the ring showing little respect to her opponent. Hojo doesn't seem phased by it, only celebrating with her STARS companions in the ring until she heads backstage to end out her night in Tokyo.

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PART 1 EPILOGUE:

Kairi Hojo's first big rivalry of her return is now over with, and it's a true success for her. She went after one of the big dogs of the company not just because she was a big dog, but because she wanted to avenge her friend, and won. She's made solid friends and great allies with the wrestlers of STARS, however things have been looking a tad bit tense between Hojo and Mayu during their pre-match comments, with Hojo - seemingly unintentionally - speaking over Mayu, and Mayu doing the same to Kairi in return.

Nonetheless, there are big months coming up in STARDOM, including the biggest tournament of the year: The 5 Star GP. With Hojo now a sure lock to be in it, we'll pick up with how she's doing in it as we go into Part 2, the final part of this booking.