At a press conference today – 28th April 2025 – Stardom announced that Mayu Iwatani will be leaving the company with immediate effect.
Sat with President Taro Okada, Mayu explained that it was with a heavy heart that she has chosen to leave the company she has been a part of since its inception on 23rd January 2011, repeating multiple times just how hard the decision had been to make.
This comes just one day after Iwatani’s 735-day reign with the IWGP Women’s Championship came to an end at the hands of Syuri in the Yokohama Arena, after which she took to the microphone to question what her next steps may be.
Mayu Iwatani was the only roster member left that wrestled on the company’s debut show Birth of Nova on January 23rd 2011, and has been a constant through multiple periods of turbulence in the company’s history – garnering herself the nickname ‘The Ace of Stardom’.
Over that time, Iwatani became the company’s second Grand Slam champion – following in the footsteps of friend and mentor Io Shirai – finishing with an unparalleled haul of accolades in the process;
- 2x World of Stardom Champion
- 2x Wonder of Stardom Champion
- 1x IWGP Women’s Champion
- 1x SWA Undisputed World Women’s Champion
- 1x High Speed Champion
- 2x Goddesses of Stardom Champion
- 5x Artist of Stardom Champion
- 1x 5Star Grand Prix Winner (2018)
- 2x Cinderella Tournament Winner (2015 & 2016)
- 1x Goddesses of Stardom Tag League Winner (2015)
- 1x Tokyo Sports Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize (2019)
She finishes her time with the company having wrestled 976 matches, winning 480 of them.
Though Iwatani’s next steps are not clear at the time of writing, we at The Stardom Cast wish her all the best in whatever she chooses to do next.
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