By: Richard Edwards

The art of Joshi wrestling is as strong as ever, breathlessly driving. It can be credited largely to Rossy Ogawa’s brilliance with World Wonder Ring Stardom (STARDOM). Formed in 2010, STARDOM has grown into the most recognizable female wrestling promotion in a thriving Japanese scene. Along the way, exciting factions have emerged just as with their male counterparts, covered in past issues of Monthly Puroresu. In this issue, we take a look at each of the stables that comprise STARDOM, their members as of Winter ‘22, and a couple of fun facts about each faction’s origins.

Giulia, leader of Donna Del Mundo (DDM), was interviewed in Monthly Puroresu Issue 8, Spring 2022COSMIC ANGELS MEMBERS: Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama

ABOUT:

Undoubtedly one of the strongest factions in Stardom, looking to continue their dominance in 2022. The Cosmic Angels exploded on the scene as a subgroup of the STARS stable on November 14, 2020. Current leader Tam Nakano teamed up with the sassy Mina Shirakawa (previously of the Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling Camp) to defeat Starlight Kid and Iwatani. Nakano then recruited Unagi Sayaka, and the trio defeated Bea Priestley, Saki Kashima, and Natsuko Tora at the Road to Osaka Dream Cinderella on December 16, 2020. Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama are now a part of the five-member strong stable. The Cosmic Angels have been performing outstandingly over the past couple of years, securing the Artist of Stardom Championship, the Future of Stardom Championship twice, and three trophies at the Stardom Year-End Awards. The inspirational leader of the stable, Tam Nakano, was rated as the 9th best female wrestler in the world by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) in 2021.

DONNA DEL MUNDO MEMBERS: Giulia, Syuri, Maika, Himeka, Natsupoi, Thekla and Mirai

The charismatic Guilia formed Donna Del Mundo (DDM) in 2020. Her first recruit was Maika, who she convinced to join her team after a Future of Stardom loss against Utami Hayashishita on January 14, 2020. Syuri joined the team five days later, and the three defeated Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Leyla Hirsch in a six-woman tag team match. This was the first victory for Donna Del Mondo. Himeka made her Stardom debut on June 21, 2020, and helped Guilia, Syuri and Maika defeat Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, Starlight Kid and Saya Lida at the ShinKiba 1st Ring Show. Natsupoi joined Donna Del Mondo on October 3, 2020, at Stardom Yokohama Cinderella 2020 and defeated Death Yama-san to make her presence felt on the team. Thekla and Miraj are the newest members, both recruited in January 2022. PWI ranks Syuri as the 7th best female singles wrestler globally, Giulia is ranked at 16th, and Maika 46th. This is arguably the single strongest faction in all of Stardom.

Giulia, leader of Donna Del Mundo, was interviewed in Monthly Puroresu Issue 8, Summer 2022.

STARS Members: Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, Koguma, Hanan and Saya Iida

The STARS stable consists of a set of baby-faced yet dangerous wrestlers making them stand out from all the other factions of Stardom. The stable is currently led by the extremely talented Mayu Iwatani, who has won multiple titles, including the World of Stardom Championship, Wonder of Stardom Championship, High-Speed Championship, Goddess of Stardom Championship, and Artist of Stardom Championship. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter regards her as one of the “three best wrestlers in the world.” She is currently the face of the STARS stable and is mentoring talented stable members Hazuki, Hanan, Koguma, and Saya Iida. We look forward to seeing them play as a tag team in 2022!

Queen’s Quest Members: AZM, Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani, Hina and Lady C.

The Queen’s Quest stable was born out of a dispute between founding member Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani in 2016. The two had just lost in the Goddess of Stardom Tournament and Io Shirai attacked Iwatani to show her displeasure! HZK assisted Io Shirai in this attack on Mayu Iwatani and soon Momo Watanabe and AZM joined them to form the mighty Queen’s Quest faction. Io Shirai left Stardom in November 2018 and turned over the leadership of the Queen’s Quest stable to her protégé, Momo Watanabe. Momo wasted no time building her team as she joined the exciting rookie Utami Hayashishita to win the Goddess of Stardom Championship. Utami joined the stable after this victory. Saya Kamitani was welcomed in 2020 after a failed attempt at winning Utami’s Future of Stardom Championship. Lady C became a member of the stable in January 2022 after saving the faction from an Oedo Tai assault. Despite Momo Watanabe leaving and joining rival faction Oedo Tai, Queen’s Quest is as strong as ever, and we can’t wait to see the direction that they will take.

Oedo Tai Members: Natsuko Tora, Konami, Saki Kashima, Ruaka, Rina, Fukigen Death, Starlight Kid, and Momo Watanabe

Oedo Tai was formed on January 18, 2015 by original members Kyoko Kimura, Kris Wolf, and Hudson Envy. The stable has evolved over the years, changing leadership on at least four occasions, and has an ex-member count of 24, the highest among all factions of Stardom. The current team has several powerful members, including current leader Natsuko Tora, Starlight Kid, and the latest recruit to the stable, the controversial Momo Watanabe. Based on the team’s collective talent, Oedo Tai should be the dominant faction of Stardom in 2022. Look out for anarchy and chaos from these ladies who are coming to take over Joshi wrestling in Japan in 2022!