For years Tam Nakano had toiled away in Stardom in search of a family, being forced out of her first home in Oedo Tai and then feeling cast aside by her friend and mentor Mayu Iwatani in STARS. As 2020 turned to 2021 Tam was no longer a follower, she was a leader. The Cosmic Angels set out from STARS under her leadership. Alongside Tam was Mina Shirakawa and Unagi Sayaka, two colourful characters who had recently joined Stardom.

As big as their personalities were, both were fairly inexperienced, having previously worked in TJPW’s undercard. To top it off it was just the three of them, and with such a small group the Cosmic Angels felt underpowered, especially compared to the heavy hitter groups like Queen’s Quest and Donna Del Mondo.

The latter of course was led by Tam’s new arch rival, Giulia. Throughout 2020 Giulia had been one step ahead of her with the Wonder of Stardom Title firmly around her waist. Tam needed that belt to fulfil a promise to her frenemy Arisa Hoshiki, who had held that title until she was forced to relinquish both the belt and her career.

Tam Nakano had two goals in 2021: to craft the Cosmic Angels into the family she yearned, building them into one of the top factions within Stardom in the process, and to finally overcome Giulia and win that championship.

To get that shot at Giulia, Tam would have to, in the words of the champion, ‘walk through hell’. Giulia had given her a chance to win the title before. To earn the rematch, Tam would have to put something precious on the line. Inside the Nippon Budokan for Stardom’s biggest show, she would have to shave her hair if she fell short again.

This was asking a lot. Tam leaned heavily into her Idol-esque appeal. Her image was of utmost important. To risk being shaved bald was taking a huge chance. In an interview with Mugiko Ozaki she spoke of this:

“I think a girl’s beauty is determined by things like how beautiful her hair is or how beautiful her skin is. Even if I think, “Oh, my face is a little puffy today,” if my hair is shiny and silky, I still feel 50% cuter.” 

Translated by Dana @ItsDanaNow

Her hair was crucial to not only her character but also her mental health. Still, it was worth it to get one more shot at that White Belt. Leaving her promise to Arisa unfulfilled was worse, as was letting Giulia of all people take that away from her.

As much as they might not want to admit it, their similarities seem to shine brightest next to each other. Both Giulia and Tam are strong, fiery personalities, and as wrestlers they thrive on their emotions and willpower – it is the foundation of which their wrestling is built upon. They see a bit of themselves in each other, but there’s only room for one at the top.

For Tam, Giulia was always one step ahead. It was hard to feel like equals when she was constantly chasing the champion. The comparisons only fueled her inferiority complex. Giulia won awards, she led a new group to superstardom, and she took the title Tam felt destined to have. If she was ever going to succeed, Tam had to finally defeat this demon of an opponent who had slid into Stardom and taken everything she ever wanted.

On March 3^rd, 2021, she fulfilled that promise to Arisa and herself. In an absolute war in front of over 3000 people, Tam pinned Giulia with the Twilight Dream, and finally held the White Belt aloft. Giulia lost not only the title but her hair as well, and after everything they had gone through – despite all the hatred they had for each other – Tam hesitated to claim that final prize. With all their similarities, she knew the cost Giulia was about to pay. It was only at her rival’s insistence that she began to claim that prize.

Tam Nakano joined a list of some of the most accomplished wrestlers in Stardom’s history. Not just anybody was worthy to hold the Wonder of Stardom Championship. It was a symbol of how hard she worked to get there. Tam wasn’t an athletic freak, nor had she been training since she was a kid. She entered the business a bit older than most, and had to work particularly hard to become a top tier wrestler.

Her obsession around the White Belt began to reveal itself. With the title now in her hands, she started to believe the title was cursed, feeding on the emotion of those who desired it. With Tam as its champion, Wonder of Stardom title matches became emotionally charged affairs. The belt of emotion and passion being defended by the wrestler who feeds off of that emotion more than anyone else.

Many sought to either break the curse on Tam or gave in to similar desires. They tried, but they were fighting Tam at her own game. It was a fool’s errand.

To free her of the curse, it’d need to be someone who didn’t just know Tam, but understood her. Saya Kamitani had tried to dethrone her early into the reign after winning the Cinderella Tournament, but she wasn’t ready. Saya tried to use her own emotion and like the others were put down.

In December though, she didn’t make the same mistake twice. Kamitani herself is a passionate wrestler, but instead of going head on with emotion, she forced the fight to be on her terms, moving it from a slow slugfest to a faster, high risk affair.

As Tam recovered from the Phoenix Splash that ultimately ended her reign, one might have expected her to be distraught. There was definitely sadness, but it was hard to miss how proud she was too.

Of all the people to finally beat her and free her of the White Belt’s curse, it was someone she had guided since before Saya even started wrestling. The Stardom Idols was a short lived side project that Saya Kamitani had been involved with as an Idol. It didn’t last long, but Saya stuck around, interested in becoming a pro wrestler. At the centre of that decision was Tam, who encouraged her to try it, sensing she was better cast as a pro wrestler than an idol.

The first Stardom Idols event was December 2018. Three years later, Tam saw someone she mentored reach the top. She knew her White Belt was in good hands – they were cut from the same cloth after all. She knew how much this moment would mean to Saya, for Tam herself constantly wrestled with the idea of finally surpassing her mentor. Tam was still chasing Mayu Iwatani, but she was close. In 2021 they had fought twice, both to a draw. She hadn’t defeated Mayu, but she hadn’t lost either.

Her reign as champion might have ended, but her star had risen so much in that time. She was now indisputably one of the biggest names on the Stardom roster, and looked at as equal alongside the Mayus and Giulias. For someone who for the longest time was just trying to find a place to call home, by the end of her championship reign she seemed genuinely fulfilled. She still desired the White Belt, trying to win it back from Saya during the World Climax shows at the end of March 2022, but even without the belt she was still a key part of Stardom.

A big part of that had been finding that family she had sought for so long. Leaving Mayu and STARS was hard, but it allowed her to build something special with the Cosmic Angels. A group after her own image, given oppourtunities that may not have been easily found otherwise. The concept of the Angels followed Tam herself, a group of Idol-esque wrestlers who had real life experience as wild and out there as their leader.

For the Cosmic Angels to succeed, they’d need to lean on Tam in their early months. Mina Shirakawa and Unagi Sayaka were not seasoned warriors, nor were they prodigies. They might have won the Artist of Stardom Championship from Oedo Tai early into their tenure, but the newcomers were punching well above their weight on the card. When separated from Tam it often led to harsh lessons – particularly for Unagi after she entered a series of seven singles matches against the top talent in the promotion.

Tam’s strength and leadership shined as they grew. The Cosmic Angels enjoyed success throughout the year, and maybe more poignantly, Unagi and Mina both thrived under her guidance. Unagi Sayaka might have endured an unusual amount of punishment in her trial series, but she came out the other side strong and focused, winning the Rumble at the All Star Dream Cinderella and making a semi-final appearance in the Cinderella Tournament. Mina meanwhile also showed noticable growth in the ring as well, though she didn’t truly shine until a little later during the 5 Star GP.

Unfortunately that success would start to get to both of their heads. Tam Nakano had helped unlock their potential, but now they wanted to test themselves against their leader. No longer would they neatly fall in line. Now Tam would experience some of what she put Mayu Iwatani through in STARS.

First it was Unagi, who managed a shock upset over her leader in the 5 Star GP. What made this victory of particular note however was not just that Unagi had scored a win over a top champion in Tam, but prior to the match she offhandedly made a remark about the match being for ‘the leadership of the Cosmic Angels’. It was never made official, but she returned to that remark on social media after the victory to remind everyone that maybe she should now be the head of their little family.

It’s not the only time Unagi would take it upon herself to act as the leader of the Angels. She would spend much of the latter half of 2021 and into 2022 determining who was worthy of joining the faction. The final answer to all of these potential recruits was a firm no, whether they would later join regardless (Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama) or be pushed away by her arrogance like Momo Kohgo and a returning KAIRI. The latter of course being one of the biggest names in Stardom’s history, but that’s Unagi for you.

Unagi’s blind arrogance in rejecting KAIRI earned her a slap across the skull from the true leader of Cosmic Angels (and a beat down against the Pirate Princess in Ryogoku) but it showed that even a strong leader like Tam doesn’t always have full control over her team. Unagi was constantly stepping out of line, and several times it cost the Cosmic Angels.

Tam would eventually remind Unagi who was number one when she defended her Wonder of Stardom Title against the eel after the 5 Star GP. The leadership challenge was ultimately shelved even before the match, but the flourish of hunger from an underling was Tam Nakano’s first real test as a leader.

Soon after it was Mina Shirakawa’s turn to challenge the leader. Seeing her tag partner try for the White Belt awakened something inside of her, and soon Mina was overcome by the cursed allure of the title. She became consumed by winning it, and gave into her darker side in an attempt to find the strength to overcome the Cosmic Angels leader.

She too would learn just how strong Tam is, and that nobody feeds off emotion in a match quite like her. Tam had been moulded by that mindset, and knew how to harness it. In contrast Mina was wild and out of control, and it was clear she was out of her depth trying to match Nakano in emotional warfare.

Amidst all this chaos Tam had looked to strengthen the Cosmic Angels. Their Artists reign had shown their power, breaking both the days held and defense records for a championship that was notoriously hard to keep for any length of time. However as strong as the trio had become, the Angels were vulnerable as a small unit. Mina had missed time to start the year with a broken nose, and it highlighted how easy it was for the team to become outgunned by larger groups.

Tam welcomed Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama to the team, and they were in the same mould as Mina and Unagi when they had joined a year ago. Neither might have been powerful right out of the gate, but under Tam’s guidance maybe they could become strong. That was the vision.

These decisions and her leadership would come under question by the one person who could hurt her most. Giulia had mostly kept away from Tam after their March war, but she saw a chance to instigate once more. She scoffed at the additions, both of who struggled to make an impact early on. In an attempt to one up Tam, Giulia brought in two new recruits of her own, MIRAI and Thekla, who both immediately established themselves as far stronger than either of Mai or Waka.

That hurt, but Giulia’s next move was even crueler. The Donna Del Mondo leader set her eyes on Sakurai, and begin to tempt her with greener pastures. Mai herself had been enamoured with Giulia since facing her in a singles match in September 2021, though she didn’t dare reveal it at the time.

After a prolonged courtship, Mai eventually chose to defect to Giulia and Donna Del Mondo. It was a knife buried deep into Tam’s back. She had witnessed betrayals when she stood alongside Mayu Iwatani, and she herself had walked a similar line before eventually leaving Mayu. However Tam has never experienced it firsthand. To make matters worse, it had to be Giulia at the forefront of the betrayal.

The departure crushed not only Tam but the entire group. They had a strong sense of camaraderie. They were the family Tam had wanted so badly, but now that family cried as one left the nest, walking away with their rivals.

Mai’s reasoning was simple. She had recently left her agency to dedicate herself to wrestling full time. For all of the Cosmic Angels success, they were built around the Idol concept and spent time on things like dance routines. If Mai was going to focus on wrestling, she needed a group with a similar vision.

The hypocrisy present was that within the various Donna Del Mondo pairings, many had dance routines of their own! It was a fact not lost on Tam Nakano, who stated as much after Mai’s explanation. It felt like an excuse more than a truly valid reason, but it didn’t matter. She had made her decision. She didn’t want anything to do with the family Tam was building.

To make matter worse, it all came during the first real drought for the group. Cosmic Angels had been without a title for a couple of months since Tam lost the White Belt in December, and they were struggling to string together wins, both individually and as a group. Waka Tsukiyama was trying but still winless, unable to make the in ring strides that Tam had perhaps envisioned. Tam Nakano had led them to success, but now she would have to lift them out of drought. A member down, she began to recruit, lining up a new member to join them in mid May – a necessary move to keep pace with the ever growing faction wars within Stardom.

The lessons of the past year ultimately brought Tam right back to The Icon: Mayu Iwatani. Fate nearly brought them together in January for the Wrestle Kingdom tag match, but the random draw placed Mayu with another old friend in Starlight Kid, and Tam with the person who freed her from the curse of the White Belt: Saya Kamitani.

As big as it would have been to team with Mayu in the Tokyo Dome, Tam wasn’t quite ready to stand alongside her mentor. She had experienced the hardships of leading a group, but the final key was Mai’s betrayal. Once she knew that heartbreak, she was able to appreciate the struggles Mayu went through as a leader.

Tam had grown since leaving STARS. She had experienced the highs of being a top champion and seeing a group she created grow into one of the most popular in all of Japan, but she also now knew what it was like to try and keep that faction going as dissent and betrayal came knocking. Now in February 2022, four years since Tam first joined Mayu after being forced to leave Oedo Tai, they were able to stand in the ring together as equals. Two top stars and faction leaders with shared experience. Tam’s heart still yearned to finally surpass The Icon, but she finally understood everything Iwatani had gone through.

Was Mayu the perfect leader? No. She had made her fair share of mistakes that contributed to Tam (and others) ultimately breaking away. However, now Tam too had made those mistakes and could empathise with her. Like a child who grows up and becomes a parent, that new responsibility helps them gain a new appreciation for the efforts of their parents. Only by going through her own turmoil could she understand the other side.

In the ring, it was as if Tam and Mayu had never stopped teaming, such was their chemistry. They seemed genuinely happy to be together again, if only for a night. One day she would still need to defeat Mayu Iwatani and surpass her, but she could leave Nagaoka happy. The burden of their shattered past no longer felt so heavy on her shoulders.

Throughout 2021 and into the early months of 2022 Tam Nakano achieved those key goals she had set for herself. She had forged a family with the Cosmic Angels, one that ultimately endured heartbreak and remained strong together. And she kept her promise to Arisa Hoshiki, winning the Wonder of Stardom Championship and standing tall over someone who she had been chasing all year.

In many ways, she had done all she needed to. But for Tam that’s not the end of her story:

“Ever since I joined Stardom fans have been telling me, “Tam-chan, I want you to win the white belt for sure,” and I was finally able to make those dreams come true. Once you make one dream come true though, you can make another dream come true. We can make dreams come true together forever. So in a way, I hope I stay unfinished forever,”

Interview with Muigko Ozaki, translated by Dana

She won her title and she found her family. Yet Tam Nakano will always be looking for that next goal to fuel and inspire her. She is yet to defeat Mayu, and there will always be something to chase. Tam knows the moment she stops dreaming is the moment she stops completely.

Onto the next dream.

On July 4^th, inside the Yokohama Budokan, Stardom will crown its newest Future of Stardom Champion. With the championship vacated after Saya Iida suffered an ACL injury a couple of months back, a tournament narrowed down the list of contenders to two, each representing the Cosmic Angels faction.

Mina Shirakawa and Unagi Sayaka. There has been an influx of talent for Stardom in the past year and a half, and while stars like Giulia and Syuri might draw a lot of the attention, there have been success stories across the board. The two contenders for the Future of Stardom title are proof of that, having quickly established themselves among a stacked roster and risen to the opportunities presented to them.

There are many similarities shared by the Cosmic Angel finalists. Both joined Stardom towards the end of 2020 and quickly aligned with Tam Nakano. Both were originally working for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling before jumping over to Stardom alongside fellow TJPW wrestler Natsumi Maki (who would join Donna Del Mondo and go by Natsupoi, since there’s apparently an unwritten rule you can only have one name in that group). Both are over the age of thirty, and neither were heralded as massive acquisitions for the company at first, being better known for their looks rather than their in ring ability.

In fact through the early stages of Mina’s arrival in Stardom, the focus wasn’t so much on her but on her breasts. In backstage interviews both Tam and Mayu Iwatani would gawk and even touch them, and the official tag team name for Mina and Tam referenced her cup size.

This wasn’t new ground for Mina; not just in wrestling but life. Her and Unagi have both spent time working as gravure models, where their looks and body are purely the focus. This profession is something of a double-edged sword as they entered the professional wrestling industry. Women’s wrestling and sex appeal has often been strange bedfellows both in Japan and the West, and having a gravure background can definitely draw eyes on you early on, especially given predominantly male audiences at most Joshi shows (though that is slowly showing signs of change).

The problem lies in that while wrestlers can do gravure, models who come into wrestling generally aren’t expected to be strong wrestlers, instead coming in to gain some exposure and new fans while they mess around in the lower card. For those who want to truly succeed in wrestling, the background can lead to a stigma that you just aren’t as passionate or dedicated as others, or that they are only pushed because of their looks rather than their skill. Performers have to work even harder than normal to prove themselves.

This assumption doesn’t just come from the fans, but from fellow wrestlers as well. Mina Shirakawa has experienced that judgement firsthand, which she discussed in in a recent interview with Mugiko Ozaki from Sportiva:

“[…] With my background in gravure I know wrestlers in other companies have been like “Oh, she’s the model who thinks she’s a wrestler”, or think I’m some bimbo or that I can’t wrestle. If I want to change that perception, I feel like I need to have matches that are twice as intense or emotional as someone else. I’m hoping that people can understand me through my matches.”

English Translation provided by Dana aka @ItsDanaNow

One of the reasons she chose to work for Stardom was because it would be a chance for her to prove herself as a serious gravure idol wrestler, with an emphasis on the wrestler aspect. She can do both, and do them well. As she has become settled into the company, the focus has moved away from her breasts and onto her as a performer. She’ll still pose for the crowd, but she is a wrestler with a ‘sexy’ presentation, rather than a gravure model playfighting.

If there was any doubt as to the dedication of Mina and Unagi, you just have to look at how far both have come since their arrival in Stardom. With the average skill level in Stardom being quite high, both were expected to either sink or swim as they were given early spotlight moments, winning the Artists of Stardom titles alongside Tam Nakano and being inserted in a high profile story with Mayu Iwatani and the STARS faction. To many fans, it was a position well above their skill.

In under a year working for Stardom, both have dramatically improved inside the ring, becoming more confident and skilled with each oppourtunity that comes along. In many ways Tam Nakano was the perfect person to guide them through their early months in Stardom. Tam too debuted at a slightly older age, and relied on her character work to carry her through the early stages while she was still improving in the ring. Now she stands as one of Stardom’s most valuable assets, serving as the strongest character on the roster with the kind of workrate required at the top of the card.

Unagi has enjoyed the most success, ironically benefiting from Mina having to miss time due to a broken nose. With her tag partner out of action, Unagi requested the chance to prove herself in a seven match trial series (turned eight) where she would face off against the company’s best talent in singles competition. She wouldn’t win any of these matches – not a huge surprise considering the mismatches she was facing – but it forced her to quickly adapt and learn.

She was often overpowered, and even embarrassed by the likes of Mayu Iwatani and Giulia as they tried to draw more from Unagi. She took a beating, but through those hard times a stronger performer grew. The results now speak for themselves. The following month Unagi won the All-Star Rumble inside the Nippon Budokan, overcoming industry legends and other notable Stardom wrestlers on the biggest stage in Stardom’s history, with her win coming as she eliminated one of the biggest gravure-turned-wrestler success stories Yuzuki Aikawa – a fitting symbol for what is possible. Then she managed to eliminate both Natsuko Tora and Syuri in the Cinderella Tournament, earning a spot in the semi-finals that took place inside the Ota Ward Gymnasium.

The experience of working through gruelling singles matches against strong opposition not only increased her skill, but it helped her blossom into a compelling and fiery underdog, whose unique charm beams out whenever she appears while her flashy moves hint at the heights she can reach. Mina’s character has found success in the back and forth theatrics playing off of her opponents actions, or filling in short comedic moments when the occasion calls for it. Originally Tam had to heavily carry early Cosmic Angels tag matches, but now the load can be more comfortably shared as the trio has grown both individually and as a unit.

With both Unagi and Mina past the age of thirty, it might seem a little weird that they’re the two finalists of the Future of Stardom Title tournament. Most of the roster are under thirty, from the fourteen-year-old twins to Stardom’s longest serving member Mayu Iwatani. Even the company’s top champion Utami Hayashishita is only twenty-two. There’s no reason why they can’t have long careers, but it is a disadvantage, especially when some of the youngsters are essentially veteran performers already.

The Future rules stipulate that you must be under the age of twenty or have less than three years wrestling experience (the rule was originally two, but the extra year was added upon Saya Iida’s request so she could continue her reign). Both fit under the latter category, with Mina debuting in August 2018 and Unagi in January of the following year. More importantly, it shows that Stardom see them as important pieces of the puzzle moving forward, and weren’t just brought in to sell photobooks.

It’s a championship that has an odd history. Three of the four previous champions are part of the heralded Golden Generation of Stardom, including current World of Stardom Champion Utami Hayashishita. The other champion was Starlight Kid, whose future has always been bright as she’s grown up in the company. All who have won it have gone on to bigger and better things, and have reason to claim themselves as ‘the future’ beyond just having a title around their waist.

However its prestige has suffered because despite the lineage of its champions, it is still the title with the lowest value. Due to the title stipulations, there is a limited pool of challengers in the tournament, and half of them are still in school. Many of the other eligible contenders are simply considered ‘above’ the title. AZM, Starlight Kid, Saya Kamitani, Maika, and even Utami (who has her third anniversary in August) were all absent from the tournament despite meeting the criteria. That alone tells you the perceived level of the belt, and there have been issues with previous champions being far too skilled for their average challenger in the division.

Seeing the path the finalists had in making the finals kind of shows the divide between those in the tournament and those who didn’t enter. Mina defeated sixteen-year-old Ruaka and fourteen-year-old Hina, while Unagi advanced against the winless rookie Lady C and sixteen-year-old Hanan. All of them show promise, but the two Cosmic Angels were clear favourites when they entered and they delivered. Now it’s a matter of finding out who gets to prove themselves away from Tam’s shadow.

The value in either winning the title is that they can essentially bridge the gap. As Artists of Stardom champions they regularly compete against high level talent and hold their own, so if an AZM or Starlight Kid were to challenge it’s not unrealistic for Mina or Unagi to get away with a win. However they’re still at a point in their careers where being champion isn’t holding the belt hostage from some of those represented in the tournament like Hanan. It opens up a wealth of possibilities with the belt that aren’t really possible otherwise.

It’s hard to gauge what their ceiling will be in Stardom. This may be the one singles title either can confidently win. Even with the improvement they have shown already, singles championships aren’t easily won in Stardom, and the roster is as stacked as it’s ever been. Winning this championship guarantees some spotlight moments through title defences, and will bring some momentum as the 5 Star Grand Prix Tournament kicks off at the end of July.

There’s also the fact that with their careers following parallel paths, there has to be a natural competitiveness between them. After years wrestling with and against each other in multiple promotions, now they can find out who is the better wrestler as they face off for the Future of Stardom Title. Mina and Unagi are so focused on July 4^th that it has started to affect their tag matches. The usually sound Cosmic Angels teamwork has been lost in search of asserting individual strength, and it’s led to both tension and losses.

Their time as the Artists champions have obviously meant a lot to both of them, it’s clear on their faces every time they retain. It legitimised both the small Cosmic Angels group, but also their place in the company. Neither had much success before arriving in Stardom, so to be able to stand tall side by side as champions proved they belonged. Seeing the first cracks appear in the group with the Future Title hanging over their heads will serve as the first test of Tam Nakano’s leadership, who can ill afford the distraction with her own title on the line at the Budokan against Saya Kamitani.

Whoever walks out of Yokohama as the Future of Stardom Champion will have bragging rights, but both Mina Shirakawa and Unagi Sayaka should be proud of their growth since joining Stardom. They could have easily rested on their looks and gravure work to build up a fanbase, but instead they dedicated themselves to becoming the very best professional wrestlers they can possibly be. They’re fighting against preconceived notions, both surrounding their background and their age, but wrestling has a way to rewarding those who reach for the stars. And the Cosmic Angels feel at home when doing so.