Several wrestlers from Stardom have responded to Thekla.
The AEW Women’s World Champion spat on the Stardom logo during Wednesday’s broadcast of AEW Dynamite and “declared death” to the promotion.
Stardom wrestlers Syuri, Starlight Kid, and Lady C, the official Stardom account on X, and English commentator Walker Stewart have all responded to Thekla’s actions.
Lady C wrote, “Why would you do something like that…? I’ve clashed with Teca a few times, but not once did I ever understand what was going through her mind. Even after getting fired from Stardom, even after becoming the AEW Women’s World Champion, her obsession with Stardom still— isn’t it because she actually loves Stardom?”
Lady C later added, “It’s so frustrating. Even when someone leaves, we’ve kept protecting Stardom. One person’s strength might be small, but we’ve protected it together. Stardom is our pride.”
Former Stardom wrestler Mina Shirakawa wrote: “Damn… that’s really disrespectful. Man, that’s really harsh, for real.”
Stardom English commentator Walker Stewart wrote: “Absolutely disgusting. Don’t forget where you came from…”
Reigning AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla’s war with her previous employer Stardom will apparently continue at this month’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
During Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Thekla cut a in-arena promo alongside Skye Blue and Julia Hart where she recounted her hatred for Stardom, that she was the “Idol Killer there” and issued a reminder that she got fired.
She said now, they have to do it all over again and has her eyes set for Forbidden Door and whether the Stardom talent comes here or the Triangle of Madness goes there, she is “going to close that door for damn good.”
She then said, “I am not declaring war on Stardom. I am declaring death to Stardom.”
She then climbed a ladder next to the videoboard on the entranceway that had the Forbidden Door graphic up and spit on the the Stardom logo before flipping it off.
It didn’t take long for Stardom president and Thekla nemesis Taro Okada to respond on X, saying it was “A vulgar, cowardly, and shameful act. Unforgivable.”
A match in the women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament will take place on next week’s AEW Collision.
It was confirmed that next week’s show in Youngstown, Ohio will see Persephone take on Stardom’s Hazuki, who defeated Maya World on Saturday. Persephone, the CMLL Women’s Champion, was at ringside and did commentary for the match. This was her first appearance since earlier this month, when it was announced that she was ‘out indefinitely’ after Julia Hart misted her during a match.
After the match Persephone, whose eyes still seemed to be injured as a result of the attack, had a staredown with Hazuki ahead of next week.
The women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament bracket is in a state of flux after Willow Nightingale had to pull out of the tournament due to injury. Her scheduled match with Alex Windsor was moved to this coming Wednesday’s Dynamite, where Windsor will now face a wild card opponent.
Meanwhile, Megan Bayne & Lena Kross will defend the AEW Women’s Tag Team titles against TayJay. The two challengers were victorious on Saturday in Huntsville, Alabama, becoming the first team to endure five minutes with the dominant champions.
Current AEW Collision lineup | Next Saturday
AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions Megan Bayne & Lena Kross defend against TayJay
Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament quarterfinal: Persephone vs. Hazuki
Earlier this week, Utami Hayashishita made waves by returning to Stardom after a two+ year absence, confronting Saya Kamitani during the promotion’s card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.
That meant the former World Champion was leaving Marigold, the promotion Rossy Ogawa created after being fired from Stardom, the promotion he co-founded.
Ogawa spoke to Tokyo Sports and the media after Marigold’s Thursday show about her move (translated) where he admitted that “I knew she was going to leave. It happened exactly as expected.”
“She should go wherever she wants to go and do whatever she wants to do. She’s already going on tour with them, right? Stardom was very well prepared,” he said.
Hayashishita last wrestled in Stardom in April 2024 before debuting in Marigold a month later. She held their World title for nearly 300 days, last holding it in October 2025. Her final match for Marigold was earlier this week.
Ogawa appeared to be skeptical of how Stardom could use Hayashishita given their roster, and that he wants her to “devote herself completely to Stardom and wrestle with the mindset of burning herself out there.”
“While the promotion is clearly trying to get younger, it’s difficult in many ways for the veteran group to figure out their place. Even the key wrestlers over there aren’t exactly at the center anymore. All she can do is work hard wherever she goes. But this time, she really has to commit herself. Going all over the place isn’t really a good thing,” he said.
In the story (translated into English), an unnamed spokesperson said the deal was made “to further strengthen cooperation in the development and rollout of content and IP, and to work together to create powerful content and IP with an eye toward global expansion, thereby further increasing the corporate value of both companies.”
Bushiroad, which oversaw NJPW through its 2010s revival and international expansion efforts, transferred all of its shares in the promotion to TV Asahi and CyberAgent, making the wrestling brand a consolidated subsidiary of the broadcaster with support from the massive entertainment company publicly traded in Japan.
In terms of how they are going to run it, the only comment relayed was from Tokyo Sport who wrote “it is highly likely that a new system will be established with TV Asahi as the main operator.”
The article also mentions Stardom and speculates as to the future of the women’s brand. It included a quote from Stardom president Taro Okada who said that “coordination between the two sides will start from here” but they would like to continue working together.
Lee SouthOkada RPG Vice vs Bucks Jack PerryFresno, CAAEW DynamiteMarch 18, 2026 (Image credit: AEW)
WWE
The New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals on Monday, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0. WWE has been pushing that Danhausen has “uncursed” the Knicks while placing a curse on The Miz’s Cavaliers. With their win, the Knicks advance to their first NBA Finals since 1999.
The Gothamist reported on new renderings of plans to overhaul Penn Station in New York. While these plans would preserve Madison Square Garden, it would alter the exterior of the building and would lead to the removal of the Madison Square Garden Theatre, where NXT events have been held in the past.
Adam Copeland reflected on his Tag Team title win at Double or Nothing on his Instagram: “Last night at Double or Nothing @christian4peeps and I did something we haven’t done in 25 years. And that’s win tag team gold. He was retired for 7 years and I was retired for 9. But we fought to get our careers back and last night made it all worth it. NY you came out in full voice and supplied one of the favorite nights of my career. Even though I blew my pants out. The fact that I’m still having nights like this so deep into my career, with my best friend, my wife and wrestling one of the best teams ever in FTR, is not lost on me. Also, in case ya missed our ppv, @aew rules.”
Daniel Garcia vs. LaBrone Kozone has been announced for West Coast Pro on June 20.
MLW and Stardom’s working relationship will officially begin next month with two Stardom wrestlers coming to New York City and Philadelphia.
It was announced today that Stardom’s Saya Kamitani and RINA will debut for MLW at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City on Thursday, June 11. The two will then compete at MLW’s events in Philadelphia that weekend (June 12-13). Details regarding their matches have not been revealed yet.
Kamitani and RINA are both members of the H.A.T.E. faction in stardom. Last year, Kamitani made history by becoming the first women’s wrestler to win MVP in the long-running Tokyo Sports Awards. She is a former World of Stardom Champion and NJPW Strong Women’s Champion.
With a focus on talent exchange and creative collaboration, MLW & Stardom unveiled their new strategic partnership over the weekend. The move fits in with Stardom’s international expansion strategy, which is to partner with existing promotions instead of staging standalone Stardom events in foreign countries. Shotzi Blackheart, Lady Frost, and Scarlett Bordeaux are some of the top names in the MLW women’s division who could potentially play a role in this partnership.
MLW is currently in the process of relaunching its weekly Fusion TV series. There’s no word on a return date yet, but that announcement is said to be imminent. The promotion has been holding TV tapings for a few months now in preparation of the relaunch and will continue to film content at these NYC/Philly events.
The news was announced at Stardom’s show at Korakuen Hall on Sunday, May 17. Stardom later released a statement noting that the partnership between the two companies will be based on talent exchanges and creative collaboration.
Stardom wrote, “This partnership will emphasize talent exchanges, creative collaboration, and platforming athletes on new stages in Japan and America!”
According to MLW’s website, more details on the alliance will be revealed in the coming weeks.
MLW’s Court Bauer and Stardom’s Taro Okada comment on partnership
An MLW press release on Sunday included comments from MLW CEO Court Bauer and Stardom CEO Taro Okada.
“STARDOM has built a roster and presentation that set the standard for excellence in women’s wrestling,” said MLW CEO and Owner Court Bauer. “I have tremendous respect and admiration for the level of competition and the athletes who define STARDOM. We’re grateful to Mr. Okada and everyone at World Wonder Ring STARDOM for their partnership. This alliance is about creating fresh matchups, new experiences, and meaningful opportunities for athletes and fans alike.”
Taro Okada, CEO of STARDOM, commented, “MLW has established a firm position in the United States, one of the most developed markets in the professional wrestling business. In addition, we continue to accelerate global development through partnerships with organizations with history and tradition such as New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL.
Through cooperation with MLW, STARDOM will further convey the charm of women’s professional wrestling culture from Japan to the United States as well as to various regions where MLW’s broadcasting and distribution networks are expanding.
In addition, we intend to promote the improvement of the competition and further development on the world-class stage of both organizations by strengthening player exchanges and creating new opportunities to participate in the competition.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to MLW and President Court Bauer for their great efforts in making this partnership possible.“
Shotzi Blackheart and Lady Frost comment on MLW x Stardom announcement
Two members of the MLW roster also commented on the announcement.
MLW’s Shotzi Blackheart responded to Stardom’s post announcing the news, writing, “Oh hello new friends!” and “Ready to go wild?”
Lady Frost wrote, “Shall I go hunting in Japan? 😏 🩸”
MLW x STARDOM CONNECTION! 🇺🇸 x 🇯🇵
Announced today, #STARDOM has entered an official partnership with @MLW!
This partnership will emphasize talent exchanges, creative collaboration, and platforming athletes on new stages in Japan and America! pic.twitter.com/xbhxD0p8M6
🤝 BREAKING NEWS: MLW and @wwr_stardom have announced a strategic alliance.
The partnership will focus on talent exchange and creative collaboration, allowing athletes from both globally recognized promotions to compete on new stages and in front of new audiences. pic.twitter.com/RiHp6ecE8s
For more than a decade, Ring of Honor has been presenting Global Wars events, matching its roster against wrestlers from all over the world. We now know the date and location of the next Global Wars show, and which promotions will be involved.
During the Zero Hour portion tonight’s Supercard of Honor show, ROH announced Global Wars: Cincinnati would be taking place on Thursday, June 18. They also announced that talent from CMLL and World Wonder Ring STARDOM would be on the show. The event will be available on WatchROH.com.
The first Global Wars show (then known as Border Wars) took place on May 12, 2012, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kevin Steen (now known as Kevin Owens) defeated Davey Richards in the main event. Eddie Edwards, the Young Bucks, Tomasso Ciampa, and the Briscoe Brothers were among the other names on the card last night.
The most recent Global Wars event was in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in March. That show was co-promoted with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. The main event of that show was a four-way tag match, with the Good Brothers defeating Kaito Kiyomiya & Bishop Dyer, the Gates of Agony, and Bryce Hanson & Sheldon Jean to win the MLP Canadian Tag Team Championships.
There have been 22 Global Wars events in total, mostly in the US and Canada, but also in Australia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. This will be the first Global Wars event in Cincinnati and the second in the state of Ohio. In 2017, Kenny Omega teamed with the Young Bucks to defeat the Best Friends & Flip Gordon in the main event of Border Wars: Columbus.
The Big Audio Nightmare is back with a solo express edition looking at the latest news from New Japan Pro Wrestling, Stardom, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and more throughout the very busy world of Japanese professional wrestling.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including tons of notes on all the current WWE cuts and whether there are more to come, Stardom, Arena Mexico and New Japan notes, Smackdown and Collision reviews, all the news and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps: Start: Linda McMahon, Shane McMahon, Dana White at White House Correspondent’s Dinner 3:06: WWE cuts 19:28: Stardom, CMLL, NJPW notes 23:58: Lineups for the coming week, ratings notes, Hulk Hogan documentary notes 32:48: WWE SmackDown recap 52:35: AEW Collision recap
— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about all the wrestling news of the weekend for Wrestling Observer Radio. We had our Friday show with Garrett Gonzales that was really fascinating because it was being taped as the releases were happening so you get our responses and thoughts on all the WWE releases, the ones we know, the ones that were surprises, and in between.
— As most probably know, at the White House Correspondents Association dinner last night where shots were fired, among those in attendance were Dana White, whose interview after got a ton of play, along with Linda and Shane McMahon, who were there together. White was only a few feet away from President Trump when the secret service and police rushed into the ballroom at the Washington Hilton. White was near President Trump at a dinner with those from Paramount Skydance. “Inside, the whole event just started getting noisy, tables getting flipped over, guys running in with guns and they were screaming `Get down.” White told USA Today. “I didn’t get down. It was f***ing awesome. I literally took every minute of it in. It was a pretty crazy, unique experience. We were sitting right in front of the table, right in front of where the president was. Nobody got tackled but a guy came in looking for shooters and then came toward the table. I thought the shooter was by us or something.”
— For reasons I don’t really know, Programming Insider did have Wednesday ratings up yesterday and Dynamite on Wednesday was 616,000 viewers and an 0.10 in 18-49, much lower than usual. Then today I couldn’t find it. Some of that was airing three hours earlier than usual on the West Coast. I don’t have more info because it’s not up but the NBA was the top show on cable. The unfamiliar West Coast time should hurt about eight percent and this was down more than eight percent. But for a variety of reasons we have less info than usual on it. Hopefully more tomorrow.
— We’re looking for your thoughts on today’s Stardom show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
— Sayaka Kurara won the World of Stardom title from Saya Kamitani in the main event of today’s All Star Grend Queendom 2026″ show at the Yokohama Arena. The paid attendance of 8,015 was the largest for an all-women’s show in Japan since the 90s, even beating the Kamitani vs. Tam Nakano match last year. The Cosmic Angels would have had to disband if Kurara lost. Hanan beat Konami to win the Wonder of Stardom title. AZM & Miyu Amasaki beat Natsuko Tora & Ruaka to win the Goddesses of Stardom titles. Syuri beat Megan Bayne to retain the IWGP women’s title. People have been raving about the show and the top matches. (thanks to David Hayter)
— Mascara Dorada won the three-way over Black Tiger and Hechicero Friday night at Arena Mexico to win the Universal Champion of Champions tournament before a sellout of 16,000 fans. I was told this was a great card, and the matches to watch were the last three on the show.
— Besides the top matches at Arena Mexico and Stardom, the other two matches we’ve had heavily recommended from the weekend were on the Saturday New Japan show from Hiroshima where Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita won the IWGP jr. tag titles from Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X and Yuto-Ice & Oskar retained the IWGP tag titles over Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi.
— Ivy Nile competed last night in an NPC/IFBB fitness contest. She won three categories. The event was in Orlando. Among those cheering her on were Simone Johnson, Bianca Belair, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, Fallon Henley and at least another ten NXT wrestlers.
— A&E airs part one of a Von Erichs biography from 8-10 p.m. tonight while LFG is at 10 p.m. and there will be WWE Greatest Moments shows airing 10-11 p.m.
— Raw tomorrow has Penta vs. Rusev for the IC title and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez, plus a Joe Hendry concert, and Roman Reigns gives his answer to Jacob Fatu
— Kevin Nealon of Saturday Night Live fame challenged Danny DeVito to a match in either WWE or AEW. Nealon is the inspiration of the new Chris Jericho character.
— In Google searches for the weekend the UFC show yesterday was lower than usual at 105,000 as of the last look. The only other wrestling and MMA related stuff was Kairi Sane at No. 100 with 20,000, Aleister Black in the top 150 with 20,000 and Brock Rechsteiner, the son of Scott Steiner, who signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans, at 10,000. Undrafted free agents have long odds against making a team, but it’s possible. His cousin, Bron Breakker was in a similar situation just a few years ago, didn’t make the NFL, but has thrived as a pro wrestler. Most expect him to follow in those footsteps if he doesn’t make it in the NFL.
— The San Francisco 49ers picked De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round of the draft. He is the nephew of Don Muraco.
— Last night’s UFC show was the first to date not to crack the top ten television shows in the U.S. on Paramount+ on Saturday. It was No. 1 in most of Central and South America, however, and that was enough for 3rd among TV shows and 5th including movies for the day on the service worldwide.
— Damian 666 was honored last Monday at Arena Jose Sulaiman in Monterrey which noted that he had just announced his retirement from wrestling.
— Brooke Hogan did a lengthy interview with Bubba the Love Sponge about the Hogan documentary on Netflix. She was very negative on it. The doc did not make the top ten any day this week but like I said, sometimes that’s a glitch. We’ll know how it did or didn’t do on Tuesday. I’ve only seen the first 20 minutes so want to make up my own mind, and most reviews I’ve heard weren’t positive on it.
— The CBS Morning News weekly show noted that a marker put up this week in Ellerbe, NC, honoring Andre the Giant.
— Tank Abbott, the former UFC and WCW wrestler turned 61 today. Mayor Glenn Jacobs (Kane) turned 59. Ron Reis, the former WCW giant turned 56. Jonathan Figueroa/Amazing Red turned 44. It was also the birthday of Larry Matysik, born 1947, the longtime announcer for Wrestling at the Chase in St. Louis who was one of the top announcers ever, Jerry Blackwell was born on this day in 1949 and Killer Karl Kox was born on this day in 1931. Fuzzy Cupid, a mini star born Len Stap, was 50 when he passed away 47 years ago. Announcer Lee Marshall was 65 when he passed away 12 years ago today. (thanks to Tony Richards)
— Tonight’s Arena Mexico show will be on the CMLL streaming service which is now a weekly thing. Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Neon face Barbaro Cavernario & Difunto & Clon, Atlantis Jr. & Esfinge vs. Black Tiger & Kushida, Angel de Oro vs. Rocky Romero, Shotzi vs. Skadi, Kemalito vs. Tengu for the micros title and a tournament with Dragon Legendario, Dragon de Fuego, Max Star, Fugaz, El Hijo del Pantera, Fuego, Pantera Jr. and Rey Pegaus.
Just a few days after Alex Windsor pointed out she was fired from her job in Japan, AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla decided to antagonize the man she feels is responsible for that.
After defending her title against Windsor on Thursday’s Collision, Thekla made a surprise appearance during Friday’s Stardom American Dream event as part of WrestleMania week in Las Vegas to confront president Taro Okada.
She told Okada if she ever sees his face again, she would hunt him down, bring her girls and “kick his ass.” She then reconsidered and said, “Since I am already here…” which led to her taking off her belt to hit Okada with. A Stardom official jumped in to save Okada from any damage as he escaped. She gave chase as he ran away to the back.
Thekla was fired in storyline from Stardom for attacking Okada instead of joining the Cosmic Angels, followed by her signing with AEW last spring.
Marigold’s Rossy Ogawa has issued an apology after an investigation found that he violated the copyright of his former employer.
Back in January, Stardom accused rival promotion Marigold of intellectual property violation over a Mayu Iwatani card collection it was selling. The collection, which celebrated Iwatani’s 15th anniversary in pro wrestling, included photos of Iwatani during her time with Stardom. Marigold launched an investigation into the situation — which has now concluded with Ogawa issuing an apology to Stardom:
Upon investigation, we discovered that our Representative Director, Rossy Ogawa, had used data obtained and retained in connection with his past work at Stardom Co., Ltd. in the production of the Products without Stardom Co., Ltd.’s permission. This constituted an infringement of the copyrights and publicity rights held or managed by Stardom Co., Ltd., as well as an act of unfair competition.
Consequently, we have immediately ceased the manufacture and sale of the Products. Some of the cards in this product are the property of Stardom Co., Ltd., and therefore the notation ‘Marigold Co. Ltd.’ was incorrect; we hereby correct this error.
We sincerely apologize to Stardom Co., Ltd. and all related parties for the significant inconvenience this matter has caused. This incident was caused solely by our company’s lack of awareness regarding intellectual property rights, and we are committed to taking measures to prevent a recurrence.
We sincerely apologize for this.
Ogawa was one of the founders of Stardom but departed the company in 2024 amid a contentious split. He started up Marigold after that, with Iwatani coming with him as one of the company’s top stars.
