Stardom has begun an angle that I’ve never seen them run before and that is the Masked Attacker angle. It’s unique for them to do something like this and it got people talking about who could be underneath that terrifying mask. There are some ideas floating out there on who it could be, but I have my own and I am going to look at ten possible women who could be beneath the Momo Mask.
I haven’t seen anything come of this angle since November 3rd when it started, but I am starting to think that it will play a part in the upcoming Tokyo Super Wars show. I think that because the two women who were attacked, Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama, have a Future of Stardom Championship match that day.
All that said, here are the ten possible women I think (and I’ve seen guessed at online) who could be under the momo mask. I’ll be counting it down from the least likely to the most. Of course, this is entirely my opinion so take it how you will.
10. Arisa Hoshiki
At number 10 and starting us off is Arisa Hoshiki. Man people are really reaching if they think that she could be under the mask. Arisa retired in 2020 due to the head and neck injuries that plagued her career. Yes, there have been performers who have returned from such injuries before, but there has been absolutely no indication that Arisa is coming out of retirement or even considering a return to the ring. Sure, her career was cut way short and she had a lot she could still accomplish, but unless she is 100% healthy then I cannot see her risking her life for a return to the ring. All indications are that she is staying retired from wrestling and is focusing on life outside of the ring. Honestly, I just want her to stay healthy and live her best life. She deserves that after all, she endured in the ring.
9. Kris Wolf
Kris Wolf is another name I’ve seen thrown out there on the internet for who could be under the mask. While this would be absolutely huge in my opinion, the odds of Kris coming out of retirement are even less than Arisa’s. She retired due to complications from the many concussions that she suffered during her career and I think she made the right call in focusing on her health and future. As she said, back in 2019, “I’ve had some shitty symptoms of my concussion stuff come up,” and “I think now would be a good time to peace out before I completely lose my mind.” As far as I am aware, Kris is leading a happy and healthy life outside of the ring and I just cannot see her risking her health by returning to it. As much as I would love to see her step back into the ring, it’s just not likely to happen.
8. Kairi Hojo
Up next is the Pirate Princess Kairi Hojo. Kairi left Stardom to perform in the WWE and has since become an ambassador for them in Japan, but there are rumours that her time with the company could be coming to an end or has concluded quietly. Honestly, I cannot see the attacker being Kairi. For one, I don’t believe the rumours that she is done with WWE. There’s been no indication of that being the case on her Twitter account and I would think we’d have heard her say something by now if it was true. Two, I don’t think that Kairi would don a mask to return to the promotion that made her a star. She’d be too big of a return for Stardom to keep under a mask. Sure, she has played the heel before, but the chances of our mystery attacker being Kairi are nearly zero. It honestly surprised me to see some people thinking that the attacker was Kairi. Sure, their builds are a little similar, but whoever is under the Momo mask is wearing a pretty baggy outfit. You can’t get a good idea of her physique at all. Sorry guys, it’s not Kairi.
7. Sumire Natsu
Sumire Natsu is a name I haven’t seen mentioned much online, but one that I’ve considered as a possible suspect. She’s about the right height and her build seems to be accurate for the masked figure. The only issue is that Sumire has been removed entirely from the Stardom website and, last I heard, is still recovering from a bad shoulder injury. Though, if she is healthy again, I could see her being the one under the momo mask. It would kind of fit that a returning member of Oedo Tai could be under the mask. Why she would target the two rookies of Stardom is beyond me, but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility if she wanted to make a splash upon returning and being cleared. I was never the biggest Sumire fan but it would be a boost to Oedo Tai if she returned, especially since their leader is out injured right now.
6. Miranda Alize
While I am not overly familiar with Miranda Alize, one of my fellow writers at TWM proposed that she could be behind the mask and it certainly is a possibility. Miranda once wrestled for Stardom, back in 2018, and if she currently isn’t under contract then it’s a real possibility that she could return to Japan. Why she would come back under a mask, I don’t know, but she seems to be the right build for the masked attacker. There isn’t much to hint that she is back in Japan, last I heard from her she appeared in AEW but that’s it. I’ve not seen or heard of her appearing since that one-off where she lost to Britt Baker. If she wanted to really get her career off the ground, she could return to Stardom and go for another run in the company. Not like there are many foreigners in the company right now, so bringing one in if they can make a lot of sense.
5. Killer Kelly
At about the right height and build, my first entry in the top five belongs to Killer Kelly. As far as I am aware, Kelly is currently a Freelancer which lets her appear wherever she can. Last I heard, she was having trouble leaving Portugal due to the pandemic, but if she has been cleared for travel then a trip to Stardom could be something to get her career back off the ground. It would make a lot more sense for a Stardom newcomer to be under the momo mask than a returning veteran, and Kelly has never worked with Stardom that I know of. There are a lot of intriguing matchups in the promotion for someone like Kelly should she be able to get to Japan. I would love to see her in a Stardom ring, but for now, we just have to wait and see.
4. Mikoto Shindo
There are a handful of women who left Marvelous this year but only one of them stands out to me as a possible suspect. That woman is Mikoto Shindo. Stardom is known for using younger talent on their roster, a fair few of them are under the age of 18, but bringing in the 20-year-old with a lot of upsides just makes sense. I don’t have a clue why they would debut her under a mask but there’s nothing wrong with them doing it this way. She’s a little shorter than the masked person appeared to be, but she seems to be about the right build for the attacker. Sure, it may be a bit of a reach given that Rossi has said he isn’t interested in signing anyone from Marvelous but there is still a very real chance that they do. Shindo is a performer with a lot of upsides and is still young enough to have a long career with the right promotion, and I think that Stardom would be a great fit for her.
3. Tam Nakano
While it is unlikely that Tam Nakano would be under the momo mask, and targeting her own unit mates, the theory that she is the culprit is actually a bit intriguing. Basically, people who think that it’s Tam under the mask speculate that she has grown tired of the dissension in Cosmic Angels and feels that the new members are diluting what was once a pure unit. I can see it, truth be told. With both Unagi and Mina challenging her for the Wonder title and the newcomers coming in, I can see Tam just growing tired of having to try and keep all their ego’s and ambitions in check. Unagi did try to usurp Tam for the leadership role in the unit before.
If Tam is the one underneath the momo mask, that would make her the cutest betrayer in the cosmos. It would be an interesting turn, I won’t lie. I just don’t know where it would take her after the story has run its course.
2. Kagetsu
Okay, I have no real evidence to back this one up but I want you to hear me out here. Kagetsu is one of the biggest stars that Stardom has ever had. She’s absolutely incredible in the ring and she proved that she still has what it takes to compete when she appeared at the Hana Kimura Memorial Show earlier this year. Hazuki, who also came out of retirement for that show, said with Kagetsu that it was just a one-off to honour Hana. Hazuki has since returned full time to Stardom and she is still as incredible as she was before she retired.
If Kagetsu wanted to return, doing so in a mysterious way would absolutely be the way that I’d handle it.
You have her work her way up the roster, attacking at random until someone eventually is able to unmask her. Let that person be someone Kagetsu has a lot of history with, like Hazuki or even Mayu Iwatani. It would be a massive gain for Stardom if Kagetsu came out of retirement and it’s one that I can pray for. Kagetsu is about the right size for the Momo attacker, so I can hope and pray that it is eventually revealed that it was Kagetsu all along.
1. Mirai Maiumi
The name that I saw most debated, and that stands out most to me, is Mirai Maiumi. The former member of TJPW has been teasing that big thing are coming since her departure from the company, plus it would make a lot of sense if she was the one who attacked Mai and Waka. With her catchphrase “No Stereotype! Open up a new world!”, it would make sense that she would target the Cosmic Angels upon her arrival. They are all former models or idols, so having her start from the bottom and work her way up the ranks of the CA is a pretty smart idea. If she is indeed behind the momo mask, Stardom will have gained a woman that showed how special she was in TJPW. She can put on great matches with anyone on the Stardom roster and it would be exciting to see for sure.
At the end of the day, the biggest problem with trying to predict who is under that mask is that there are absolutely no hints anywhere to be found. All we can do is speculate and guess at this point. I’m hoping that some answers or hints come at the upcoming Tokyo Super Wars show, but until something happens, Stardom will have me tearing my hair out trying to figure out who this mystery attacker is.