KiLynn King Comments On Taking Part In Historic NJPW Match

Throughout 2022, KiLynn King steadily rose to the forefront of the free agency market, with notable performances in many of the world's top promotions. In December, King arrived in IMPACT Wrestling, battling Taylor Wilde on an episode of "Before The Impact." Two months earlier, though, she entered the hallowed halls of history upon her debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, thanks to a wrestling legend.

"Sumie [Sakai] is the one who reached out to me for that," King confirmed on the "In & Out The Locker Room" podcast. 

"I didn't even know I was on their radar," she admitted.

The two quickly exchanged information to tentatively line up the booking. Less than 24 hours later, King received confirmation of her appearance.

"I was like, 'Wait, what?' It was really, really cool," King said.

King would go on to challenge Mayu Iwatani for the SWA Undisputed World Women's Title at the NJPW Rumble on 44th Street event on October 28, marking a milestone in the process.

Since the respective title on the line belonged to NJPW's sister company, STARDOM, it became the first time a STARDOM championship was defended on NJPW turf. The historic element of the match didn't set in for King until the announcer noted it in match introductions, but once she realized this, King felt extremely grateful to receive another "incredible opportunity to step into the spotlight."

"We've started pressing the button on women's wrestling being evolutionized ... so the fact that I've been able to find myself in moments of first-evers, that's something really special to me because that's something I really wanted to be a part of when I got into professional wrestling. I wanted to make sure that wherever my journey led me, that I got to make history and really put an imprint on professional wrestling for women."

If you use any quotes in this article, please credit "In & Out The Locker Room" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.