Pro Wrestling News: NJPW's parent company acquires Stardom
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful recently took to Twitter to break the news of New Japan Pro Wrestling's parent company Bushiroad purchasing Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom.
Bushiroad is a major Japanese entertainment company that produces collectible card games and also produces mobile applications and video games.
The official English language Twitter account of Stardom and Bushiroad also confirmed the news.
A brief history of Stardom
World Wonder Ring Stardom, or Stardom, as it is more commonly referred to is Japan's leading women's professional wrestling promotion. The promotion is noted for its highly talented roster of female professional wrestlers who are known for their high-flying and hard-hitting wrestling. The company also emphasizes the physical appeal of its talent and publishes their photos on several fashion magazines and calenders on a yearly basis.
The promotion was founded on September 7, 2010, by promoter Rossy Ogawa, retired professional wrestler, model and mixed martial artist Fuka Kakimoto and veteran professional wrestler Nanae Takahashi. Current WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and former NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane was one of the many female wrestlers along with Mayu Iwatani, Yoko Bito and Yoshiko who started their pro wrestling careers at Stardom.
Current NXT Superstar Io Shirai was also a major star of the promotion and along with her co-worker Kairi Sane, both are considered to be amongst the best wrestlers in the world, irrespective of gender.
What's next for the promotion?
All in all, it seems like Japanese wrestling is going to get more interesting in the days to come. Earlier this year, it was reported that Triple H had met with officials from Stardom and Dragon Gate which is another major Japanese wrestling promotion and it was rumored that WWE wanted to expand its reach in Japan by creating NXT Japan.
While the company was successful in creating a mutually beneficial relationship with Stardom, nothing was mentioned about launching a brand in Japan. It is worth mentioning that both AEW and WWE have a working relationship with Stardom and it remains to be seen what will happen next with Stardom's recent acquisition by Bushiroad.
A large section of the pro-wrestling and NJPW fanbase have been clamoring for women's wrestling for a long time and the general idea is that NJPW now may fulfill that wish by launching a women's division with Stardom's roster.
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