Nobody can play a perfect game day in and day out. After STARDOM defied every logical convention and grew during the pandemic, rising from a niche within a niche to being the number two promotion in Japan, the question was when would the paint begin to chip away at the surface.
2023 was still a very successful one. More people came to see STARDOM than in any other year, eclipsing the previous record set a year prior with time to spare. All Star Grand Queendom was their most successful show of all time, bringing in over 5500 people for a show that delivered top to bottom. They opened the door to a lucrative SE Asia market, brought in a genuine prodigy who they’ve been eyeing for years, and ended the year with a champion that had earnestly won over the fans through persistence and hard work.
Despite all of this, 2023 will be remembered differently. 2020 was a defiant stand in the face of disaster. 2021 was a period of exciting growth against restrictions. 2022 was when they could begin to unfurl their wings and truly begin to fly. 2023 is when that flight brought them a little too close to the sun.
It was a year that felt like the company was merely crawling to their next big moment. 2023 started slow with a couple of cold tournaments, waiting to reach All Star Grand Queendom. Then the top titles became embroiled in an awkward story that left fans waiting for a reset with the 5 Star GP. Then injuries consistently ravaged the promotion like clockwork and everyone was hoping to make it to Dream Queendom and a chance to start anew in 2024.
Behind the scenes things seem to have been even more chaotic. Although the full details may never be unveiled, what has been made public – either intentionally or through leaks and rumours – has painted the picture of a promotion at odds with itself. Bushiroad Fight President Katsuhiko Harada was replaced in November, stemming from an internal investigation. The straw that broke the camel’s back? A single show that was poorly managed, leading to a late change of the scheduled start time that directly affected the paying fans.
However, the issues stretched far deeper. Giulia spoke of her frustrations surrounding management; a spotlight shone on the overworking of talent and questionable show gimmicks. Even Rossy Ogawa spoke rather candidly on his frustrations. How much will change under new Fight President Taro Okada’s direction remains to be seen, and the full breadth of this change (or lack thereof) likely won’t be felt until the middle of 2024.
These difficulties are all things that the company can learn from, and in time can guide them to even greater success. The challenges of 2023 are not those from 2020, and there are signs and proclamations that these errors are being rectified. As a result, 2023 is not an all time bad year, but more reflective of how good the years prior had been.
Arrivals and Departures
If there’s one area where STARDOM truly thrived in 2023, it was in their roster additions. From signing highly touted free agents to the sudden influx of high prospect rookies, an already stacked roster has now been solidified across the board.
The biggest of these is no doubt the violent young prodigy Suzu Suzuki. She had already made her mark on the company in 2022 when she invaded with her freelance deathmatch troupe Prominence. The question was if she’d ever sign with STARDOM full time, and in late April the decision was made. Within a month she thrust her name alongside the elite of the company by orchestrating the Generational Struggle, and left people without a doubt after she won the 5 Star Grand Prix. The only thing missing was a top championship, but in the final match of the year she fell frustratingly short against Maika.
Alongside Suzu Suzuki were two other valuable full time signings. Mei Seira made her return to pro wrestling after a few years hiatus, and instantly found herself in key roles as a high speed specialist, an invaluable tag wrestler and a general bright spark on the roster. Meanwhile Yuna Mizumori’s decision to leave Gatoh Move in September 2022 felt like the beginning of bigger things for her, and it wasn’t long before she became a recurring part of the STARDOM roster. While she had a quieter year compared to some, the hard work she put in when the roster was depleted should put her in good stead heading into 2024, especially once the Cosmic Angels can field a proper team again.
It wasn’t just the experienced additions that stood out in 2023. After a lean period for new rookies, this year saw five debuts as well as the announcement of another on the way. HANAKO, Aya Sakura, Yuzuki, Rana Yagami and Sayaka Kurara all entered a STARDOM ring for the first time, all of them bringing something special to the table.
Aya Sakura’s injury brought her debut year to a rather untimely end, but her karate background promises great potential. HANAKO quickly established her value as the biggest wrestler on the roster, and has a litany of power wrestlers to learn from. Sayaka and Rana both debuted late into the year but impressed upon debut, but nobody made a more immediate mark on fans than Yuzuki: who already looked far beyond her experience.
2023 also saw an influx of foreign talent. Xia Brookside returned for the Triangle Derby and new faces like Xena, Alice Ink and Jessie worked short stints, but they were overshadowed by a couple of key names. Mariah May and Megan Bayne both joined the roster for extended tours and quickly ingratiated themselves within STARDOM.
Mariah May made a huge name for herself in a short period of time, rapidly improving in the ring and forming rivalries and friendships with most of the roster. Her run in the 5 Star GP proved to be a fitting swansong before she left for AEW, essentially replaced by another AEW adjacent name as Megan Bayne became the literal mountain to climb for much of the roster. Both enjoyed success in the tag division, with Bayne also enjoying a couple of high profile title matches. May and Bayne have now laid out the blueprints for how to succeed in STARDOM as a foreigner, and hopefully those who follow in their footsteps in 2024 and beyond learn from them.
The other big name wasn’t around for anywhere near as long, only wrestling in a STARDOM ring once, but such is the impact of someone with the aura of Mercedes Moné. Appearing initially at Wrestle Kingdom, she won the IWGP Women’s Championship a month later from KAIRI, and instantly drew the attention of western fans who knew her as Sasha Banks. Although her time with the company was cut short by an injury in America, what few matches STARDOM talent got to have against her were still a great chance for them to shine, particularly AZM and Hazuki at NJPW Sakura Genesis.
In contrast to the big influx of talent, there was only one wrestler who moved on, but they left a jumbo sized hole. Himeka said goodbye just shy of three years in the company, retiring from pro wrestling to live a more normal life. It was a rather shocking announcement, but fans were given plenty of time to process the news and say goodbye as the ‘Jumbo retirement tour’ went for some time, concluding with the traditional gauntlet match at Korakuen Hall. She’s also popped up a few times since, notably in the crowd for one show and backstage to congratulate Maika on her World of Stardom victory.
Champions and Tournaments
For the last few years there has been an element of stability within the STARDOM title scene. Champions were hard to topple, and reigns stretched through much of the year for the majority of the championship belts. 2023 was far more volatile, and All Star Grand Queendom on April 23 seemed to be the catalyst, with all five titles that were on the line changing hands.
The biggest of these was the World of Stardom Championship, with Giulia bucking the recent trend of year long reigns as she dropped it to arch rival Tam Nakano after only a few months at the top. The following reign was also bumpier than many had expected. Tam went on to do what only Mayu Iwatani had previously managed by holding both the Red and White belts at the same time. Unfortunately, history repeated itself in other ways: losing the White belt shortly after achieving the feat and then having to vacate the Red belt due to an injury, ultimately resulting in championship reigns that never eclipsed the initial moment of success.
Saya Kamitani’s record breaking Wonder of Stardom reign was ended and then the two shortest title reigns in the title’s history were recorded back to back; as Mina Shirakawa won and lost to Tam in just 34 days, followed by a 36 day reign before MIRAI claimed the title. MIRAI managed to hold it until the very end of the year until she too fell short, this time against Saori Anou. For comparison, Saya Kamitani’s single reign with the White belt is nearly twice as long as the next three reigns that followed it.
The only title that didn’t see at least one transitional reign was the Future of Stardom Championship. Ami Sourei fell in rather shocking fashion to the then sixteen year old Rina, whose title defenses have become a regular and exciting part of the NEW BLOOD developmental shows. She, like her older sister, is getting a real chance to shine and develop with the title as she finds herself main eventing shows and having expectations.
On the topic of NEW BLOOD, the show got its first truly dedicated titles with the NEW BLOOD Tag Championship being introduced through a tournament that was won by Starlight Kid and Karma. Like the Future title, these belts are giving wrestlers who might not otherwise get title matches a chance to wrestle with higher stakes, all while not being asked to do more than they are capable of. The duo eventually lost the belts to Wing Gori, which marks Saya Iida’s first title since she had to vacate the Future title in 2020 due to injury, and was a long awaited moment of glory for the pint sized powerhouse.
Iida wasn’t the only ‘feel good’ champion of the year. Saki Kashima winning her first ever singles title after outsmarting Fukigen Death and AZM with the High Speed title on the line was one of the highlights of the year, as was Mariah May getting to hold the Tag titles with Mina Shirakawa before setting sail for America. The biggest feel good title moment was saved for the last moments of 2023 however. Maika managed to win the World of Stardom Championship on her fourth attempt after being brought to the edge of retirement after losing the 5 Star Grand Prix.
The IWGP Women’s Championship that was introduced towards the end of 2022 struggled with a bumpy first year. A six minute match at Wrestle Kingdom and a long period of time of inactivity distracted from some great matches and strong champions. On top of this, the STRONG Women’s championship was introduced and while it enjoyed more consistent title defenses and a dominant second champion in Giulia, it couldn’t shake the questionable nature of its introduction and a murky future for the STRONG brand in general.
On the tournament side of things, the Triangle Derby started the year off, meaning there was now a major tournament for each season in the year. The two month tournament has already been radically changed to a single night event in 2024, acknowledging how its inaugural design slowed down their 2022 momentum and limited storytelling for their top titles at a crucial time.
It didn’t help that the Cinderella Tournament soon followed, and bold booking led to a young and unestablished final four while attention had already turned towards Grand Queendom happening a week later. In spite of this MIRAI wrote her name in the record books, joining Mayu Iwatani as the only two time/back to back winners of the tournament.
As has been the trend the Five Star GP was one of the most exciting tournaments in wrestling for another year. However it was also the beginning of a difficult period for STARDOM where it felt like every other week someone went down with an injury, beginning on the opening night when rumoured winner Saya Kamitani dislocated her elbow after landing badly from a dive off the scaffolding.
Suzu Suzuki and Maika would go on to trade tournament victories against each other as their feud buoyed this difficult period for the company. Suzu proved her storied reputation, adding the Five Star GP to her team’s Triangle Derby victory. Then Maika responded by winning the Goddess of Stardom Tag League with Megan Bayne. Neither could convert these tournament wins to their corresponding title matches, although Maika had the last laugh, closing out the year with the World of Stardom Title.
Conclusion and Awards
It was a very mixed year for STARDOM, with a lot of high points giving way to difficult stretches for a variety of reasons. Dream Queendom in December felt like a reshuffling of the deck, and importantly felt like it ended on a high note with a champion many had been clamoring to see. Once the last of the injured wrestlers can return then the full strength of STARDOM will be on display.
There’s a lot of be excited by with the future. The roster is still at an all time high in terms of talent, from ready made veterans to young talent that can lead the company in a few years time. There is still some uncertainty about the immediate future – whether it be what changes the new management makes and whether Giulia will still be in STARDOM this time next year – but there is always someone ready to make the jump to the next level.
The highs of 2023 were arguably as high as ever. All Star Grand Queendom was the pinnacle for a company that had grown from strength to strength. Utami and Maika led two of the strongest stories in the promotion’s history. New champions were crowned, new stars discovered and there were plenty of match of the year contenders for fans to sink their teeth into.
There’s already several key things to keep an eye on in 2024. We know there’s going to be a focus on building the South East Asian market as well as a return to American soil for the first time since 2019. Mayu Iwatani’s upcoming movie could bring fresh eyes on the product, and there’s a lot of wrestlers who will be hungry to prove themselves after a quieter 2023.
Everything’s in place for an amazing 2024. It just depends where the dominos fall on a few key spots.
Wrestler of the Year: Maika
Runners-up: Suzu Suzuki, Saya Kamitani
In a year with several fantastic performers who had their years impacted by injury, Maika’s ability to deliver from January 1st to December 31st is what really helped set her apart from her contemporaries. Previous years had seen her make strong steps forward with her in ring and character work, but it all came together in 2023. For a while it felt like she was going to yet again be a supporting act, but oppourtunities arose through injuries to others, and fans made it clear who they wanted to see at the top. By the end of the year, her hard work had finally paid off, and she closed out the year as not only the World of Stardom Champion, but their wrestler of the year.
Match of the Year: Queen’s Quest vs Oedo Tai (June 25)
Runners-up: Saya Kamitani vs Hazuki (March 4), Saya Kamitani vs Mina Shirakawa (April 23)
It was the culmination for arguably the strongest story told in STARDOM’s history. However the match itself delivered almost in spite of itself. Twelve wrestlers locked in a cage, dealing with the chaos of weapons and escaping bodies while trying to tell a coherent narrative and give everyone a spot. The fact they accomplished this at all is a feat in of itself, but everyone involved managed to put together a bonafide classic that is enhanced but not reliant on the superb story going in.
Show of the Year: All Star Grand Queendom (April 23)
Runners-up: Triangle Derby I Championship Battle (March 4), Dream Queendom (December 29)
STARDOM made it clear that they were going all out for this show, and their ambition paid off. Record attendance, exciting top tier matches and a night that brought the best of STARDOM together. It was an emotionally charged night with new champions and tearful goodbyes – eve managing not to be overshadowed by the STARDOM debut of Mercedes Mone. A near perfect show that proved that even in a somewhat off year there was still plenty of greatness.
Most Improved: Hanan
Runners-up: Mariah May, Maika
There were plenty of contenders for this award, but no one saw a more complete growth over the course of 2023 than the ‘Future Ace’, who is starting to grow into the anointed moniker bestowed upon her by none other than Rossy. Her confidence in the ring has rocketed up, now looking like she belongs in tournaments like the 5 Star Grand Prix and putting on matches of note.
On top of this, she’s matured her presentation, ditching the JK fighter gear for something fitting of someone who has moved on from school, and new music to boot. She might not be an immediate star as of the start of 2024, but she’s in prime position to capitalise on this massive growth.
Best Moment: Utami Hayashishita and Saya Kamitani atop the steel cage
Runners-up: Maika winning the World of Stardom Championship, Himeka and Maika walking back up the ramp after their Grand Queendom match.
After months of insecurities, questions and doubt, that single image of Saya Kamitani holding the hand of her bloodied AphroditE teammate as tears well from their eyes will go down in history as one of the company’s most iconic shots. The story of Queen’s Quest through the middle of the year was compelling and dramatic, brought together with an all time match. It was pro wrestling at its very best.
Who to Watch in 2024: Starlight Kid
Runners-up: Natsupoi, Ami Sourei
2023 is perhaps the most uneventful year in the career of one of STARDOM’s most popular stars in Starlight Kid. After riding the high of moving to Oedo Tai for a year and a half, things slowed down dramatically for her, leaving her looking on from the outside at many of the big moments. Now she’s back from an ankle injury and seemingly with a renewed fire and has already taken a big step forward, earning herself a Wonder of Stardom Title match. Starlight Kid is due for a bounce-back year, especially as her same-age rivals Suzu Suzuki and AZM made their mark in 2023.
One match to watch from each month
- January: Maika and Utami Hayashishita vs Mayu Iwatani and Syuri (January 8)
- February: Maika and Himeka vs Nanae Takahashi and Yuu (February 4)
- March: Hazuki vs Saya Kamitani (March 4)
- April: Mina Shirakawa vs Saya Kamitani (April 23)
- May: Mina Shirakawa vs Natsupoi (May 4)
- June: Oedo Tai vs Queen’s Quest (June 25)
- July: Suzu Suzuki vs Syuri (July 23)
- August: AZM vs Utami Hayashishita (August 15)
- September: Suzu Suzuki and Mei Sera vs Saori Anou and Natsupoi (September 3)
- October: Momo Watanabe vs MIRAI (October 9)
- November: Hanan vs Mei Sera (November 17)
- December: Maika vs Suzu Suzuki (December 29)
Wrestle Inn 