World Wonder Ring Stardom

World Wonder Ring Stardom was born on September 7, 2010, in Tokyo, from the vision of three people: Rossy Ogawa, a former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling co-producer; Fuka Kakimoto, a retired wrestler and MMA fighter; and Nanae Takahashi, an AJW veteran. The promotion held its first show in January 2011 and within three years was running events at Ryogoku Kokugikan, a huge milestone for any joshi promotion. Stardom quickly became known for its blend of athletic wrestling and entertainment, with a strong emphasis on character presentation and physical attractiveness, a tradition inherited from predecessor JDStar. Gravure idol Yuzuki Aikawa served as the public face in those early years, appearing in photobooks and calendars that the promotion releases annually.

In October 2019, Bushiroad, the company behind New Japan Pro-Wrestling, purchased Stardom, making it a sister promotion to NJPW. This brought new resources and cross-promotional opportunities, including the creation of the IWGP Women's Championship in 2022. The promotion launched a weekly national TV show, "We Are Stardom!!," on BS Nittele and Tokyo MX in 2020, the first weekly national television slot for joshi puroresu since 2002. Stardom has produced stars who moved on to WWE, like Kairi Sane and Io Shirai, while continuing to develop new talent through its dojo system and the annual 5 Star Grand Prix tournament. [edit]