Top WWE stars rumored for major match in another promotion - Reports
WWE fans have called on the company to open The Forbidden Door in recent years, and while there was some work with promotions like GCW, TNA, and AJPW, it's been nothing like what we've seen from AEW, NJPW, and others. Now it looks like the new era of World Wrestling Entertainment will include at least one additional working relationship.
A hot topic during WrestleMania XL Weekend was how international star Giulia and former Stardom co-founder Rossy Ogawa attended the events, including NXT Stand & Deliver 2024, where the 30-year-old was shown on camera.
Giulia was rumored to sign with WWE, with one report claiming she would join the company after she helped Ogawa launch his new promotion. The 66-year-old promoter was fired from Stardom after being accused of poaching talent for a new company, which he vehemently denied.
Ogawa officially announced his new promotion today: Dream Star Fighting Marigold, or simply MARIGOLD. Giulia was announced for the roster just four days after she said she could not confirm any of the reports but would be making an announcement "in the not-too-distant future."
Now, a new report from Tokyo Sports indicates that there may be a significant working relationship between WWE and MARIGOLD that will include inter-promotional matches.
Sources noted that Ogawa has had talks with WWE officials about possibly using IYO SKY and Kairi Sane at a MARIGOLD event later this summer. Both are former STARDOM champions and are very familiar with Ogawa.
The first MARIGOLD event is Fields Forever, which is scheduled for May 20 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The main event is set to feature Giulia and a mystery partner vs. Sareee and a mystery partner. The obvious speculation has SKY and Sane as the mystery partners, but that has not been confirmed.
SKY has never shared a ring with Giulia. Sane has battled the NXT prospect just once, in May 2023, as she teamed with Natsupoi and Saori Anou to drop the Artist of Stardom Championship to Giulia, Thekla, and Mai Sakurai.
WWE President Nick Khan wants to work with other promotions
World Wrestling Entertainment generally stayed away from working with other promotions over the years, but that is changing now that Vince McMahon is gone.
The company has worked with several potential rivals in the last two years, and the rumors really picked up this past January. It was reported coming out of WrestleMania 40 Week that WWE President Nick Khan has a plan to seek outside partnerships.
Sources close to Khan noted to Sports Illustrated how one of WWE's potential explorations is to engineer a collaboration with other wrestling promotions. This is an area Vince McMahon rarely explored in the past, so it now represents another area where Khan has the chance to make a lasting impact.
It was also noted that Khan was the person to give Triple H approval to work with Scott D'Amore earlier this year. The deal led to Jordynne Grace working the Women's Royal Rumble while she was the TNA Knockouts World Champion.