Stardom: beginner's guide
This will be an introduction to 2022 Stardom made towards new fans. Let's go! (Last update on August 5th 2022)
The basics of Stardom:
World Wonder Ring Stardom is a women's only Japanese wrestling promotion also known as joshi wrestling, founded in 2010 by Rossy Ogawa, Fuka Kamikoto and Nanae Takahashi, who would hold their first wrestling show on January 23rd 2011 with debuting wrestlers Mayu Iwatani, Arisa Hoshiki, Yoko Bito or Yoshiko appearing on the show, while also having veterans like Natsuki Taiyo being there as well, also of notice are that the first 2 titles introduced were the World and Wonder of Stardom championships. 11 years have passed since their first show and the Japanese promotion is on the rise, specially after the massive return of formerly known Kairi Sane now under the name of KAIRI, who has decided to take her talents back to the Joshi company. And if you want to start following the promotion, you're in the right writing, follow me as I run you through the basics of World Wonder Ring Stardom.
First of all, where can I watch Stardom? Stardom has its own Video On Demand site called Stardom World, where they upload the shows while also having a gallery of their past, you can also follow Stardom on both of their Twitter accounts @we_are_stardom which is their English account, and @wwr_stardom for their Japanese account, also of notice is their YouTube channel where they upload news, post the pre-shows of their pay-per-views and post past free matches as well; @STARDOM official, and also of notice are the promotion’s 20 count-out usage or rare disqualifications. Let’s jump into the meat of the subject now, I will now talk about the factions, championships, tournaments and current World of Stardom Champion, let's go!
Factions:
World Wonder Ring Stardom runs around 6 wrestling factions amongst the promotion where the entirety of the roster are spread out, let's take a look at all of them, we will start alphabetically:
Cosmic Angels:
The Cosmic Angels are a faction formed by their leader Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Waka Tsukiyama and COLOR’S members SAKI, Hikari Shimizu, Rina Amikura and Yuko Sakurai. This is a babyface faction which came to existence in 2020 after Tam Nakano decided to split from her prior faction STARS’ to create her own and run it herself, she decided to bring Mina Shirakawa with her who was also on STARS’ with Nakano, and also Unagi Sayaka who arrived from TJPW to join them as well. The faction came to be after they earned the rights to split from STARS’ in a 3v3 match where the Angels defeated their prior faction to leave and create their own faction. The faction is known for their bright colorful gear, their flashy dancing routines, the flamboyant characters and fan favorite charisma.
Late 2021 they also added a 4th member in Waka Tsukiyama who arrived from AWG and even tho Mai Sakurai decided to split away from them towards DDM, Tam Nakano decided to put on her best Pat Riley impression by being successful in getting an entire freelance faction to fuse with them, when last June the CA won a bout against COLOR’S which would end up meaning that they’d now be a cohesive group and it doesn’t end there, because on MidSummer Champions in Tokyo Natsupoi decided to dump Giulia, DDM and her tag team partner Himeka to join the Cosmic Angels in what surely felt like a low blow to DDM but at the same time a powerplay by the CA, thus meaning that they now are the biggest faction on Stardom with 9 members!
Donna Del Mondo:
Donna Del Mondo also known as women of the world, are a faction full of wrestlers that came from outside of the promotion with the faction holding its origin on that fact itself, after the departure of Giulia from Ice Ribbon she joined Stardom and immediately made a big name for herself, but she felt like no faction truly represented her so she founded DDM and also recruited two other women in the process, one being JTO rising star Maika, and the last one being former UFC fighter Syuri Kondo. DDM instantly took Stardom by storm and already won their first gold just one month after its foundation, the Artist of Stardom Championships, which are 3-woman titles, later in the year they’d also recruit Himeka and Natsupoi who insantly became a dynamic duo, then in 2022 the group would receive 2 more new women in MIRAI from TJPW and Thekla from Ice Ribbon and their final member arrived after a defection from Mai Sakurai away home faction Cosmic Angels.
But it all would go start going south for DDM on March’s 2 day PPV World Climax after World of Stardom champion Syuri decided to part ways with the faction and Giulia due to the unbearable situation of their professional interests colliding, Giulia wants to be the Red Belt champion while Syuri will try to stop her by any means. After Syuri’s departure it wouldn’t take long for some to follow suit because MIRAI decided to join the champion on her newly founded faction and then Natsupoi would also decide to ditch the women of the world in favour of bitter rivals the Cosmic Angels. There has been a momentum shift but DDM are still known for their ruthless treatment to anyone outside their faction, their nonchalant demeanor, their powerhouse fighters in Himeka and Maika aka Maihime and specially their leader Giulia.
Oedo Tai:
The oldest running faction in Stardom dates back to 2015 when Kyoko Kimura, Kris Wolf and Hudson Envy joined forces with Act Yasukawa, Dragonita and Heidi Lovelace aka Ruby Soho, the group branded themselves after Act Yasukawa’s samurai themed persona hence bringing the Oedo Tai branding to existence. Since then the group has had multiple leaders, from originals Kyoko Kimura and Act Yasukawa, to Hana Kimura, Kagetsu and now current leader Natsuko Tora. Oedo Tai stands out for being the bad guys of Stardom, bending the rules to their advantage and making you pay for it, they're also known for their dark purple branding, their evilish antics, their bruising nature and ruthless agression against anyone standing across their path. Current day OT is formed by leader Natsuko Tora who’s currently sidelined by injury, Starlight Kid, Saki Kashima, Ruaka, Fukigen Death, Rina and latest member Momo Watanabe, after the latter shocked the joshi world and decided to turn on her own co-founded Stardom faction while also quitting the leadership of it:
Queen’s Quest:
The second longest running faction in Stardom dates back to 2016, this faction came to be after Io Shirai started to feel that her tag partner Mayu Iwatani was holding her down so on the finals of the 2016 edition of the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, Io Shirai snapped and turned on Iwatani, hence breaking up their tag team Thunder Rock and the alliance with KAIRI on Threedom. Io Shirai co-founded QQ alongside Hazuki and Momo Watanabe, the faction was lead by Shirai until her departure to WWE in 2018, then Momo took over the faction for 3 more years where 2 of the current members would join in Utami Hayashishita and Saya Kamitani. AZM had joined previously under Shirai’s leadership so it was now time for Momo to reign over QQ… or was it?
After years of being overshadowed by other QQ signings that won the top championship before her, after constantly being cast aside and putting the faction over her own personal feelings, Momo Watanabe did the unthinkable and on December 18th 2021 she reached a breaking point where she disqualified herself in a Losing faction loses leader to the rivals after hitting a chair headshot towards her longtime best friend AZM. A new member would join shortly after in January, when OT jumped QQ after a match and Lady C came to the rescue of the Queens and the group decided to immediately bring her over, the group also has 2 more members in youngster Hina who returned in March after taking time off to take care of her studies and Stardom’s newest homegrown rookie Miyu Amasaki. The group stands out for their royalty branding, their colorful ring coats, their insanely young lineup where only Lady C is above 25 years old, the former World of Stardom Champion Utami Hayashishita and the current Wonder of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani.
STARS’ :
Up next we have STARS’ , a faction that was founded on the 2018 draft having Mayu Iwatani as the flagship of not only the group but of all of Stardom since its foundation, this group has had stellar names such as Arisa Hoshiki, Jungle Kyona, Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa and former Highspeed Champion Starlight Kid. STARS’ current lineup is current SWA champion Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki and Koguma who are the Goddesses of Stardom champions, Hanan who is the Future of Stardom champion, the newly joined Momo Kohgo and Saya Iida. The faction stands out for Mayu Iwatani, their well-behaved manners, their sometimes goofy wrestlers and for the both returned in 2021 Koguma and Hazuki. If you wish to know more about why Mayu Iwatani is so important, please click on the button below, to check my writing about The Icon!
God’s eye:
And last but absolutely not least, we have the newest faction in Stardom who was just born as recently as April of this year! So as I’ve already mentioned Syuri and Giulia decided to part ways in consequence of their World Climax Red Belt match and this faction is the result of it, first of we have current World of Stardom champion Syuri who ahead of that title match said that she would be bringing a bodyguard to ensure that there would not be any funny business going on, everyone especulated multiple options from Himeka, Konami and the most imaginative ones were even thinking of Hikaru Shida but the bodyguard itself would end up being former AWG wrestler Ami Miura now known as Ami Sourei, and the final member would end up coming also from a defection away from DDM when after the main event of the first day of the 2022 Cinderella Tournament between Syuri and Ami, MIRAI would come on stage demanding to join them. And then they were three.
This move would end up being the right thing to do for MIRAI because she ended up winning that same Cinderella tournament itself and also for Sourei who would make a name for herself as well as getting title opportunites. There is currently a 4th unactive member in Konami due to her announcing that she’d be joining them during this year’s Golden Week in May, Konami is currently out taking care of herself but you never know when she could pop right back up again, specially when last year Syuri promised to keep the title until Konami was ready!
Championships:
Now that you know about the factions, let’s see what are they fighting for, in Stardom there are currently 7 active titles; 5 singles and 2 in multiple women fashion, time to learn about them!
World of Stardom Championship:
Also known as the Red belt, this is one out of the 2 first ever Stardom championships, this is the main title of the promotion where the absolute best fight each other to prove that they’re the best in the world, the belt has had 14 different reigns with the likes of Nanae Takahashi, Kairi Hojo/KAIRI, Meiko Satomura, Kagetsu (now known as Yu Ishino), Utami Hayashishita, current champion Syuri Kondo and the only 2 women ever to win it twice in Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani.
Wonder of Stardom Championship:
Also known as the White belt, it is the other championship that was first introduced to Stardom, it’s the 2nd biggest championship of the promotion with current champion Saya Kamitani wearing it proudly, the title has had 16 different reigns having people like Yuzuki Aikawa, Kairi Hojo/KAIRI, Momo Watanabe, Arisa Hoshiki, Giulia, Tam Nakano and the 3 women ever to win it twice in Act Yasukawa, Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani, the latter being even more relevant because she’s the only woman ever to hold the World and Wonder of Stardom Championships at the same time.
High Speed Championship:
The High Speed championship is technically the oldest belt in Stardom thanks to WWE’s Asuka helping the belt to be created in another promotion called NEO Women’s Wrestling in 2009, but then in 2011 the title was brought over to Stardom after the promotion adquired the rights for the championship, the belt has had 22 reigns on Stardom with champions of the likes of Natsuki Taiyo and Kaori Yoneyama who have won it in multiple occasions, Io Shirai, Koguma, Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, Starlight Kid, and 2 time winner and newest champion AZM, the title is known by its fast paced action where the quickest women in the world fight for it.
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship:
Being introduced in 2016 this championship is known because of its international stipulation, the championship can only be defended against a wrestler from a different country of whoever the champion is, the championship was born on a European tour in 2016 where Io Shirai first won it in Barcelona, Spain. Other notable champions are Toni Storm, Piper Niven, Utami Hayashishita, Syuri, Thekla and current champion Mayu Iwatani, the title has had 9 total reigns so far. The status and future of this belt is unclear due to Bushiroad announcing a new championship called the IWGP Women’s Championship that could be defended on Stardom as well as NJPW shows, whether if it’s on Japan or the US, the inaugural champion will be crowned on the crossover show later in the year between the 2 promotions.
Future of Stardom Championship:
This title was born on 2018 and also does have a stipulation tied to it, this title must be competed among either people that are under 20 years old or those with less than 3 years of experience in professional wrestling, this championship has had 8 reigns since its introduction, and it has helped youngsters to step up their level and reach for a higher gear in their career, having champions like Starlight Kid, Utami Hayashishita, Maika, and current champion Hanan who is in an all time great reign by having the most successful defenses of it with 8 so far. This title is a great chance for wrestling newcomers to progress and sharpen their skillset while also having something to fight for.
Goddesses of Stardom Championships:
And now we shall cover the multi-women championships, Stardom has 2 multi-women belts, one being the Goddesses of Stardom belts in tag team action, and the other being the Artist of Stardom Championships being won by 3 women at the same time. The Goddesses of Stardom titles were first introduced in 2011 when they were made to be the reward of the first ever Goddesses of Stardom tag league. The title has had 24 different reigns with stellar teams like Yoko Bito and Yuzuki Aikawa, Natsuki Taiyo and Yoshiko, Alpha Female and Kyoko Kimura, Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani, Jungle Kyona and Konami, Giulia and Syuri and current champions Hazuki and Koguma.
Artist of Stardom Championships:
Last but not least are the Artist of Stardom Championships, who shall be won by a trio and will always be defended in 3v3 matches, the Artist of Stardom titles were born on 2013 and there have been 27 different reigns throughout its history, with trios like Act Yasukawa, Natsuki Taiyo and Saki Kashima, Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani and Kairi Hojo, Kyoko and Hana Kimura with Kagetsu, Konami, Jungle Kyona and Hana Kimura, Maika, Himeka and Natsupoi, aka MaiHimePoi and current champions Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima and Starlight Kid.
Tournaments:
With championships there also comes tournaments to challenge for them, and Stardom has 3 annual tournaments with those who go all the way to win them receiving championship opportunities as a reward, those 3 yearly tournaments are:
Cinderella tournament:
The first of Stardom's 3 annual tournaments is the Cinderella tournament which is always due to happen on April and this year it happened over the course of 3 nights, April 3rd, 17th and the finals on the 29th, last year the tournament had 20 participants but 2022 ended up having the tournament’s biggest field ever! The tournament functions under a single knockout format, once you're pinned, submitted or thrown over the top rope you're out of the tournament, the woman that shows the most endurance and goes all the way to win it, receives a wish of their liking granted, which is usually a shot at the Wonder of Stardom Championship. Last year's winner was Saya Kamitani who capitalized on her momentum and won the White Belt afterwards and this year’s winner was MIRAI who was not successful in her title showing against Kamitani.
5 Star Grand Prix:
The 5 Star GP is the 2nd annual tournament of Stardom which usually starts on the summer around the last week of July and it is the biggest tournament of the promotion, the 5 Star GP functions under 2 different blocks of at least 10 women each, the red and blue block, where all the women on it compete against each other once to see who can get the most points, you get 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw and none for a loss with the matches having a 20 minute time limit, the women with the most points on their respective blocks advance to a 1v1 final, and the winner of the finals gets awarded a title opportunity which is usually a World of Stardom Championship match. Last year's winner was Syuri who went on to win the Red belt later in the year.
Goddesses of Stardom Tag League:
The Goddesses of Stardom Tag League is the 3rd annual tournament of Stardom, it usually takes place on Autumn around October, being also under the rules of the 5 Star but with the difference of having a 15 minute time limit for this one and of course being with tag teams, there's 2 blocks on the tournament with at least 6 teams on each one, the winners of each block advance to the finals and the winners will be awarded a Goddesses of Stardom Championship match. The last winners were Hazuki and Koguma, who also went on to successfully defeat previous champions in Giulia and Syuri.
Syuri Kondo; the World of Stardom Champion:
And to sum it all up, I think it would be fitting to briefly talk about who is at the top of Stardom currently, and that person is the World Class Woman on a different level, Syuri Kondo. Syuri is a 13 year wrestling veteran who made her debut at home promotion HUSTLE back in 2008, but Syuri does also have experience on Mixed Martial Arts, having appeared on Pancrase in the past while also winning the Women’s Strawweight Championship there too. She also got signed by UFC and has a record of 6 wins, 2 losses and no draws under her belt, but she later realized after making a sporadic appearence on a wrestling show that her true passion and efforts belonged to professional wrestling so she decided to come back.
Syuri used to be a freelancer which means that she wasn’t signed to any promotion, meaning that she was free to appear wherever she wanted but on October 3rd 2020 Syuri would have a World of Stardom Championship match against then champion Mayu Iwatani, the Icon retained successfully and this crushed Syuri because she wanted to dedicate that victory to her mother who unfortunately would later pass away. So Syuri immediately after the match made her feelings known when she manifested that she wanted to sign with Stardom full time and chase back after not only the red belt but Iwatani as well, and that’s where current day Stardom comes into the picture.
On 2021 Syuri went on to defeat Momo Watanabe on the 5 Star Grand Prix finals to earn a shot at Utami Hayashishita’s red belt at Stardom’s Dream Queendom PPV on December 29th, Syuri was able to overcome the Red Queen and became the World of Stardom champion, but it doesn’t end there. One month after on Nagoya Supreme Fight 2022 Mayu Iwatani and Giulia went on to have a time limit draw on a n1 contender’s match, which meant that both women received a shot on the following March PPV Stardom World Climax, Mayu did end up going after Syuri because the champ successfully defeated Giulia on night 1. Ever since she’s retained against Himeka, Risa Sera, Momo Watanabe and Tam Nakano, and her next challenger will be Stardom legend Nanae Takahashi.
Thank you for reading <3