Taro Okada States STARDOM Did Not Poach Bozilla Away From Marigold

By: Lewis Carlan

Back on June 21st, former Marigold star Bozilla made a surprise appearance for STARDOM and ultimately joined the promotion. There were many individuals that made the claim that STARDOM stole Bozilla away from Marigold. In addition, there were some that thought the two rival promotions made a trade that saw Iwatani go to Marigold in exchange for Bozilla.

STARDOM President Taro Okada has set the record straight on both theories as he spoke recently with Proresu Today.

Okada explained to Proresu Today how STARDOM decided to bring Bozilla to the promotion. He indicated that after hearing Bozilla wanted to compete in STARDOM, they made sure she wasn’t under contract with any other promotion. They asked her if she would like to join STARDOM and she agreed. Okada indicated that they did not poach Bozilla away from Marigold and handled it properly through legal channels. As far as the theory of a Iwatani/Bozilla trade, Okada said there is no truth to that at all.

From Taro Okada:

“I heard that both Suzu and Bozilla herself wanted to wrestle in STARDOM. So, we checked if she was under contract with any other promotion. She had left Marigold, and she wasn’t under exclusive contract with GCW, AEW, or EVE. So, when she came to the Yoyogi event again, we asked her if she would like to wrestle as a regular, and she agreed. So, from our side, we didn’t poach her. Still, I guess it might look that way. Given the timing, it was after Mayu-san had left, so it can’t be helped that it looks like a trade. From my perspective, I spoke properly with Mayu-san, and she moved after properly honoring the contract between STARDOM and Mayu-san. But even so, it can’t be helped that people will say all sorts of things. The point is, Bozilla was a talent we wanted (regardless of her previous career). Even so, we were prepared for that when we decided to have her participate. However, we have handled this properly through legal channels.”

When asked about how he felt Bozilla has been performing thus far in STARDOM, Okada stated that he has been impressed with STARDOM’s latest addition. Okada called Bozilla’s power “amazing” and looks forward to watching her grow as a competitor in STARDOM.

From Taro Okada:

“I got the impression that she’s more detailed and attentive than I expected. She’s surprisingly attentive to the little things, caring about her tag partner and calling out to the referee. At first, I thought she was a power-based wrestler, and I was looking forward to seeing how she would grow in STARDOM, but that was quite a surprise. Of course, her power is amazing, so I think a theme has emerged for everyone: who will defeat Bozilla? She will also be competing in the 5★STAR GP, so who will be able to take points from Bozilla there? That will be an interesting point to watch, and it will also be easy to understand for fans at regional shows (who might be watching for the first time). It creates an image of an incredible monster, so I think that’s good.”

Bozilla will be getting her first title match as a STARDOM competitor as she challenges the NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion AZM on July 24th at STARDOM NIGHTER 2025 in KORAKUEN.

Marigold owner Rossy Ogawa weighed in on Bozilla leaving his promotion for STARDOM and took a few a shots at her. You can read that here.

(H/T goes to meraWRESTLING for the English quote translations)