Tag: World Wonder Ring Stardom

Two Stardom championships vacated due to injury

Posted on by Ian Carey

Stardom’s ongoing injury woes have led to the World of Stardom and Goddesses of Stardom titles being vacated. 

The news was revealed at Monday’s press conference to promote the December 2 Nagoya Big Winter event. 

“Stardom Executive Producer Rossy Ogawa announces that due to the injuries of Tam Nakano and Natsupoi, they are not expected to be back for quite some time, so the World of Stardom title and the Goddesses of Stardom tag team titles have been returned,” the promotion wrote on social media. 

World of Stardom champion Tam Nakano has been dealing with a knee injury since October. She had been scheduled to defend the red belt against 5 Star Grand Prix 2023 winner Suzu Suzuki on November 18 at Gold Rush. 

With the title now officially vacant, a new champion will be crowned on December 29 at Dream Queendom. 

Suzuki will wrestle Hazuki on December 2 with the winner moving on to challenge for the vacant title at Dream Queendom. The other challenger will be determined via a four-person one-night tournament on November 28. Mina Shirakawa vs. Momo Watanabe and Maika vs. Sohrei will be the two semifinal matches with the winners facing each other later in the show. 

As for the Goddesses of Stardom tag titles, Natsupoi hasn’t wrestled since early October causing her and Saori Anou to vacate the titles on Monday. Tag League winners Maika and Megan Bayne will face a team to be announced later at Nagoya Big Winter on December 2 for the vacant belts. 

Other injuries in the promotion currently include Waka Tsukiyama, who is dealing with a herniated disc in her back, and Mayu Iwatani, who has a dislocated finger. AZM, Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani, and Starlight Kid have all dealt with injuries recently as well. 

Our own Dave Meltzer reported in Friday’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Bushiroad is investigating possible causes of the rash of injuries. 

“Bushiroad is doing an investigation trying to figure out what needs to be done with findings being presented to Bushiroad at the end of the month,” Meltzer wrote.

Also at today’s press conference, Stardom announced matches for Nagoya Big Winter on December 2.

Nagoya Big Winter announced lineup:

  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia defends against AZM
  • High-Speed Champion Mei Seira defends against Thekla
  • Nanae Takahashi vs Scandinavian Hurricane in a UWF Rules Match
  • Mina Shirakawa vs. Momo Watanabe
  • Maika vs. Sohrei
  • Maika & Megan Bayne vs. TBA for the vacant Goddesses of Stardom Championships

Stardom also announced on Monday that Taro Okada has taken over the reins as president of the company from the retiring Katsuhiko Harada. 

Giulia challenged by HYAN for NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed

Posted on by Ian Carey

HYAN wants to face Giulia for the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship. 

Giulia successfully defended her title against Ami Sohrei on today’s Stardom show from Korakuen Hall. HYAN appeared via video and issued a challenge to Giulia for NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed on October 28. 

“You guys love, love, love Giulia. I understand why, she’s had a hell of a year. World of Stardom Champion, an Artist of Stardom Champion, the current New Japan Strong Women’s Champion. But I think you’ve just been getting lucky,” HYAN says in the video. “The Renaissance Woman HYAN has also had a hell of a year.” 

“I’ve competed in top companies around the world, WXW in German, Impact and Ring of Honor in the United States, I’ve toured the United Kingdom with Revolution Pro. I’ve traveled all over the world looking for the strongest opponents so Giulia, I challenge you for your New Japan Strong Women’s Championship. Las Vegas, October 28, Fighting Spirit Unleashed, and your luck is about to run out.” 

However, HYAN is not the only wrestler who appears to be targeting Giulia. As today’s show came to a close, Giulia was attacked by Michiko Miyagi.

Giulia was not the only wrestler to be attacked on Saturday’s show either. After Mayu Iwatani defeated AZM, she was assaulted by what Stardom is describing as a “group of mysterious masked crows.” 

The same group of mysterious masked crows also attacked MIRAI earlier in the show. 

Only two matches are confirmed for NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed. The event takes place from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. 

NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed on October 28 announced matches:

  • Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis vs. Johnnie Robbie & Lluvia
  • Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Hiroshi Tanahashi & Mistico vs. Adrian Quest, Rocky Romero, Soberano Jr. & Tiger Mask

Stardom October 1 results from Korakuen Hall: 

  • NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Giulia defeated Ami Sohrei to retain her title
  • IWGP Women’s Champion Mayu Iwatani defeated AZM in a non-title match
  • Natsuko Tora, Momo Watanabe, Rina & Ruaka defeated Tam Nakano, Natsupoi, Saori Anou & Yuna Mizumori
  • Mai Sakurai, Maika & Thekla defeated Hazuki, Koguma & Hanan
  • Suzu Suzuki, Mei Seira & Megan Bayne defeated MIRAI, Syuri & Saki Kashima
  • Mina Shirakawa & Waka Tsukiyama defeated Lady C & Miyu Amasaki
  • Fukigen Death defeated HANAKO, Saya Iida & Hina in a four-way match

Mariah May says she has ‘flight to catch’ after final Stardom show

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mariah May finishes up with Stardom on Saturday but where she goes next is a bit of a mystery. 

May will wrestle Hanan on the final night of the Five Star Grand Prix tournament. She is then expected to return to the UK, although she’s teasing that might not be the case. 

May’s potential next steps were covered by our own Dave Meltzer in today’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Her leaving was expected as women like her who have the right look and go to Stardom to get the experience of working multiple times a week with top talent always eventually leave,” Meltzer wrote.

“She had told people in Japan that she is eventually coming back and that she was going back home to see family in the U.K. She is flying back to the U.K., not the U.S.”

May addressed her final match with Stardom and where she might be traveling to next in a video posted to social media on Friday. 

“It’s going to be emotional, it’s going to be sad,” May says. “And then I have to get up at like 6 a.m. to catch a flight.”

However, when asked to confirm she is flying back to the UK, May only responded, “Maybe.” 

AEW has expressed interest in May but it’s not clear if that is where she’ll end up next. 

Earlier this week, Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that May informed Stardom she has not signed with either AEW or WWE and will be back eventually. 

“She told the company that she’s not going to WWE or AEW and that the door is open for her to come back if she wants to,” Meltzer said. 

“I think a lot of people thought that she was going to AEW for sure, and she may be but it doesn’t appear to be for sure because she left the door open with Stardom.” 

Meltzer also noted in today’s Observer that working for WWE was May’s goal when she was growing up. 

“When she was younger, she worked as a model and modeled WWE merchandise in the U.K. and growing up WWE was her goal,” he wrote. “She did tell the office she’s not going to WWE or AEW.”

Asuka: Stardom ‘was created to destroy me personally’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Asuka aired several grievances regarding the Japanese wrestling media on Sunday.

In a series of social media posts, the former WWE Women’s Champion took aim at her critics and also stated that World Wonder Ring Stardom was formed in 2010 to destroy her personally. 

She wrote: 

I don’t flatter anyone. Even in Japan, the media hated me because I don’t flatter the media. In Japan, everyone was flirting with the media except me. I fought the media alone to take care of my fans. That’s why some of the Japanese media still hate me. That’s why I’ve always been a freelancer. And Everyone in Japan knows I am anti-Joshi Pro. Always.

Asuka continued: 

The former editor-in-chief of Pro Wrestling Weekly has made this point on several occasions. That is, Stardom is an organization that was created to defeat me. It is an organization that was created to destroy me personally. But they failed to defeat me. I don’t know what happened to them after that because I came to America.

The media could not bring me down when I came to America. They must have really wanted me to fail. I am used to it because I have been fighting my critics alone since my days in Japan. But now that I am here, I have comrades in arms. Charlotte, Becky, HHH and… I’ve walked alone in the wilderness all my life, and here I have an oasis. To the Asuka antis, I say, beat me up on the Internet all you want. I grab everything.

When I became champion, one media outlet asked wrestling fans, “Do you think it is good enough to be champion? “Do you think it deserves to be champion?” Compare me to other people. Do you think my abilities are inferior? Can you believe that? I was always fighting that media all by myself.

Asuka continued to say that her comments about Stardom were in regards to how the organization was before she signed with WWE in 2015. 

She continued: 

What I just said is in the past. It was before I came to America. Now the organization has changed and there are few players I know. So, I don’t know anything about it, and good luck to everyone who’s trying their best. I’m especially concerned about Syuri and Shirakawa, that’s all.

Syrui responded to Asuka, writing “I’m glad you mentioned my name!”

Prior to signing with WWE in 2015, Asuka wrestled as a freelancer in Japan under the name Kana. She wrestled with Pro Wrestling Wave, Yoshihiro Tajiri’s short-lived Smash promotion, JWP Joshi Puroresu, Oz Academy and more. 

Xia Brookside makes return to Stardom

Posted on by Ian Carey

Xia Brookside has returned to World Wonder Ring Stardom. 

The former NXT UK talent joined the debuting Mariah May in accompanying Mina Shirakawa to the ring on Thursday at Stardom Queendom 2022 in Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan. 

Shirakawa and her Pink Kabuki teammate Unagi Sayaka defeated Thekla and Mai Sakurai on the show. After the match, Shirakawa turned on Sayaka and introduced Brookside and May as her new teammates. The trio will be going by the name Club Venus. 

“Mina asked why Unagi wasnt there for her and attacked Unagi. She’s done tagging with Unagi,” Stardom’s English Twitter account wrote. “Mina, Xia and Mariah are Club Venus.”

Shirakawa was later asked if she is still a member of Cosmic Angels. 

“I Cosmic Angels and Club Venus but Xia and Mariah is not Cosmic Angels is my answer,” she responded. 

Brookside was with WWE from 2018 to 2022 working primarily on the NXT UK roster. She also took part in 2018’s Mae Young Classic. The 24-year-old was released from the company in August when the NXT UK brand was put on hiatus. 

Brookside previously performed for Stardom from July 2017 until April 2018. She returned to the promotion from March to July 2019 as well.