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From Runaway Wrestler to Longest Reigning IWGP Champion: “STARDOM Icon” Mayu Iwatani

2 weeks ago Vertical Bison | MP
Vertical Bison | MP

Vertical Bison | MP

From Runaway Wrestler to Longest Reigning IWGP Champion: “STARDOM Icon” Mayu Iwatani

By: Pep S. Caro

Pro Wrestling, in its most basic form, tells the most basic story of humanity: the struggle between good and evil. But this shouldn’t be taken literally. It can also refer to elements or experiences that can be categorized as one or the other. An example of this is Mayu Iwatani. At this point, I don’t need to go into so much detail about her life, but that light in the darkness called Pro Wrestling is something worth highlighting. This meeting point between sports and the performing arts was the shield and strength that allowed Mayu to begin to deal with a very difficult time in her life and see that there were reasons to shine like the superhero of her favorite story.

Mayu was part of the beginning of a generation considered golden for Pro Wrestling in the 2010s. But like everything in life, nothing is simple. Running away from home and going to another city where you don’t know anyone to try to make a living from something you’re new to is scary. Mayu was no exception. But she had guts. She thought about it and said, I have to change somehow. Stardom greeted her, and as curious as it may be, step by step, it was also her final destination: stardom in the industry.

How did we get here? A 17-year-old girl from Yamaguchi auditioned for a new women’s wrestling company: STARDOM. Under the guidance of Rossy Ogawa, Fuka Kakimoto, and others, Mayu began her adventure in an unknown world. Without money, not exactly with dreams, but with the desire to be something more. To take a step forward.

The girl from Yamaguchi began training in wrestling. Everything that entails. One day at a time until D-Day arrived: her debut. January 23, 2011. Her first official match at Shin-Kiba 1st RING. She faced Arisa Hoshiki, a partner of many practices and someone with whom she began this adventure side by side. She lost. And that pattern was repeated for almost a year. It was hard for her to find herself, to fully enjoy what she was doing. But on December 11, 2011, during the Rookie of STARDOM tournament, she achieved her first victory during the first round. She didn’t win the tournament, but that wasn’t the least of it. She finally realized she was enjoying it.

2012 and 2013 were years of growth for both Mayu and STARDOM. The young woman was already connecting with some of the fans who attended the shows. But there was an initial void: the realization that not all of the wrestlers who started out with her were still by her side. Many gave up wrestling for various reasons. Others left the company and pursued careers elsewhere. She was no stranger to this feeling of abandonment, however indirect and unintentional it was. She won the Artist of Stardom Championship, her first championship, with Hiroyo Matsumoto and Miho Wakizawa. The partnership lasted half a year, but it wasn’t seen as lasting.

In 2014, something changed; she found sisters, a unity. Heisei-gun, under Yoshiko’s leadership, allowed her to find direction. She won the Wonder of Stardom Championship, her first individual title. Shortly after, she lost it and, alongside Io Shirai (some may know her as Iyo Sky) and Takumi Iroha, won another belt, the Artist of Stardom Championship. Things looked different, but the happiness didn’t last long. An incident involving two fellow roster members, Yoshiko and Act Yasukawa, called into question all the hard work. In the following months, there were departures and goodbyes, but the show must go on.

By 2015, her relationship with Io Shirai had strengthened, and match after match, they became a solid team. Thus, Thunder Rock was born. They won the Goddesses of Stardom Championship together and had an iconic reign that is remembered today for its outstanding, interesting, and varied defenses. It’s also the longest reign to date, lasting 407 days. At the same time, Thunder Rock received an unexpected reinforcement in the form of Kairi Hojo (you may know her as Kairi Sane). Kairi had been another rival of Mayu and Io for many years, but the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, join them. Together they created the “Holy Trinity” of STARDOM and won every Championship: Threedom. Together they traveled to the United States, Spain, England, and France. But once again, happiness didn’t last forever. Io betrayed her and ended Thunder Rock to create Queen’s Quest and in the process put and end to Threedom. Once again, a feeling of abandonment took hold of Mayu.

2017 was a year of rediscovering herself, but on her own. She didn’t give up; it was hard work, but she finally reached the top of STARDOM. First, she defeated Kairi to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship, and months later, she exacted revenge on Io to win the World of Stardom Championship. That girl from Yamaguchi made history and became the first wrestler to simultaneously hold both top titles: the Red Belt and the White Belt. Thus, the Stardom Icon was born. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and this time, something that had eluded her until now—injuries—forced her to lose both championships. She was injured during her second Red Belt defense against Toni Storm and lost the Championship, while she had to vacate the White Belt. Kairi found a new opportunity—bigger, brighter, and more lucrative—and decided to leave STARDOM to join WWE in the United States. This also affected Mayu. Fortunately, the injury wasn’t serious, and she was able to return to action three months later. She resumed her unfinished business with Io and Queen’s Quest. For the first time, she created her own faction. She joined Saki Kashima and Starlight Kid to form STARS.

At the same time, Ring of Honor, then one of the most important independent promotions in the United States, came knocking on STARDOM’s door, and Mayu was tasked with becoming its ambassador. She began to compete between Japan and America. She even won the Women of Honor World Championship. Her reign didn’t last long, but it demonstrated how popular she was outside of Japan.

STARS seemed to be leading STARDOM, but another piece of news affected Mayu’s emotional state: Io was leaving. Same a Kairi, a bigger opportunity appear and Io decided it was the best for her. While they were no longer teammates at that point, the mark she left on Mayu was indelible, and this departure would mark a turning point in the company. Mayu and Io decided to put an end to their hostilities and team up once again, for the last time after two years, to say goodbye to each other. There’s a feeling that can only be conveyed inside the ring.

Without Kairi and Io, Mayu assumed leadership. She was no longer the same Yamaguchi girl who ran away from home. Seven years later, she was an adult who understood the responsibility she had on her shoulders. Together with STARS, she returned to the top of the company, won the 2018 5-Star Grand Prix, the most important women’s wrestling tournament in the world, and continued to foster the growth of her teammates and the company in the process from 2018 onward. At the same time, STARDOM was sold to BUSHIROAD, a Japanese conglomerate that also owns New Japan Pro Wrestling. In other words, the two largest men’s and women’s wrestling companies were part of the same giant. But again, nothing lasts forever. In 2020, the ring monster known as Utami Hayashishita appeared before her. Utami ended Mayu’s 377-day reign as World of Stardom Champion.

In the following years, another betrayal followed, this time was Saki, hurting Mayu’s heart again. Things worsened the following year when she also lost SLK, her protégé. Something that was also caused by Saki and Oedo Tai. It was difficult for her to get back on track, but thanks to the constant support of her young teammates in STARS, she decided not to give up. In 2022, she won the SWA Undisputed Championship and reunited with an old rival: Kairi. Mayu had some regrets from the time that Kairi  so she was finally able to express her feelings in the ring. Unfortunately for Mayu, she lost the match and, in the process, the final to crown the first IWGP Women’s Champion, a title that was so important to her that she decided to vacate the SWA title to focus on the IWGP gold.

Kairi lost the Championship to Mercedes Moné (also known as Sasha Banks) at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Tokyo Dome. Mayu continued to put on great matches in the following months, allowing her to shake off that bad taste and remain focused on winning the IWGP Championship. Her chance finally arrived; on April 23, 2023, she had her second shot at the Belt that represents Fighting Spirit, and this time she managed to win it after defeating Moné. After winning, she promised one thing: to achieve the longest reign in the history of any IWGP Championship. A dream, right? A difficult mission to surpass the 720-day record set by Kazuchika Okada with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Her first defense was against Utami, the one that dethroned her from the top spot. This time, she prevailed. Then came another visit to the United States, and she had to defend the Championship against Stephanie Vaquer, one of the biggest names in Latin America. While the first few months of her reign saw few defenses, both matches were strong. Still, there was a feeling that her reign wasn’t quite taking off. At the same time, Bushiroad was set to release a film based on the life of Mayu Iwatani.

Everything changed on January 4, 2024, when she defended it against Syuri. A match that, from that first week of the year, was already being touted as a candidate to be the women’s match of the year. They presented a high-level match. But nothing lasts forever; STARDOM let go Rossy it’s founder and several important talents from the roster, such as Utami and Giulia, among others. Once again, the feeling of abandonment took hold. Uncertainty in the company and worry about her wellbeing. In the end, Mayu decided to stay and show why she is the Stardom Icon.

This was followed by a strong defense against Mina Shirakawa in New Japan. Her fifth defense was held to celebrate her first year as Champion and was against Sareee, believed by some to be the best women’s wrestler in the world, who had decided to return to Japan years earlier. A match that, like the one she had with Syuri, was highly regarded by both critics and casual fans. Her next defense was against Tsukasa Fujimoto, who suffered an injury similar to the one that cost Mayu the Championship years earlier. Next on her list, as if referencing that injury, was “Timeless” Toni Storm. Now both, international stars. This time, the match ended with a victory for Mayu after another great defense. To close out the year, she delivered an equally good defense as the one she started 2024 with, but this time against Momo Watanabe.

On January 4, 2025, Mayu fulfilled a dream and defended the Championship against AZM inside the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 19. It was a quicker match, but they capitalized on the opportunity and had one of the best matches of the show. The Stardom Icon shone in the most important wrestling venue in Japan. Mayu reached nine successful defenses and was slowly getting closer to her goal of surpassing Okada’s record. At the same time, two people she defended the Championship against, Syuri and Saree, also indicated that their goal was to defeat Mayu to win IWGP gold. Syuri and Sareee tied, and it was announced that Mayu would defend the Championship against Syuri at All Star Grand Queendom on April 27, 2025.

To date, Mayu has been the IWGP Champion for 725 days and counting. The longest reign of any championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling over 53 years history. Her reign is historic, and just days away from defending it for the tenth time, she has nothing left to prove. Mayu achieved another goal. Why? Because she didn’t give up. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, we saw a story of good versus evil. She faced difficulties and problems. There were ups and downs. Years passed, talents passed through the locker room, but the one thing that always prevails in STARDOM is its icon. Her existence is the very essence of what is considered the world’s foremost women’s wrestling company. Whatever happens, we can affirm that, for all her achievements to date, the quality of the matches she’s had, and the stories she’s told, she is one of the best wrestlers Japan has ever produced. She’s become the superhero she always wanted to be: that’s STARDOM’s Icon, Yamaguchi’s Girl, the Runaway Wrestler, the Longest-Reigning IWGP Champion. That is Mayu Iwatani.

By
Features, STARDOM

Written by:

Born and raised in Lima, Peru. I have live some periods of my life in New Hampshire, USA and in Madrid, Spain. I'm a Master in Cultural Management and also a Graduate in Audiovisual Communication. I'm the Interview Coordinator for Planeta Wrestling in Europe and Latin America. Also, I'm a Collaborator for Lucha Libre Online, the biggest Spanish Speaking Media Outlet. I have been watching pro wrestling since I'm 3 years old. I have over 10 years of experience covering professional wrestling all around the world, and over 8 years of experience covering sports and entertainment. I have done over 100 interview with talent from all around the world, especially from Japan, England and Spain. Some of my exclusive interviews: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Naomichi Marufuji, NOZAWA Rongai, Zack Sabre Jr., Takumi Iroha, Mina Shirakawa, Utami Hayashishita, Syuri, Miyu Yamashita, Miu Watanabe, El Phantasmo, Francesco Akira, Kaito Kiyomiya, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Hiromu Takahashi, DOUKI, Mascara Dorada, Galeno del Mal.