10 Things You Need To Know About WWE's New Signing Kairi Hojo

3. She Appeared For Lucha Underground

Kairi Hojo
Twitter, @LuchaElRey

Signing with WWE will bring Hojo her first mainstream experience as a professional wrestler, but it won’t be her first time setting foot on American soil. Along with fellow Stardom wrestlers Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani, Hojo made an appearance during the most recent season of Lucha Underground, and partook in one of the series’ most talked-about matches.

The trio comprised the Black Lotus Triad along with Black Lotus herself (funnily enough), and were brought in to halt Pentagon Dark’s menacing rampage through the promotion. All four faced Pentagon in an elimination match, and while they eventually triumphed, Hojo wasn’t successful. As “Doku,” she was the first wrestler to run the gauntlet, and Pentagon defeated her in relatively quick time, destroying her arm in the process.

Iwatani fell shortly afterwards, but Shirai was eventually able to put Pentagon away. Hojo, Shirai, and Iwatani also competed in a tag match for Las Vegas’ Vendetta Pro while in America for the LU tapings, and Stardom have visited the United States on a couple of occasions throughout her run. Though not exactly the most well-travelled wrestler in the world, these moves show that Hojo is at least willing to step out of her comfort zone when required.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.