The first Fightful Joshi Journal entry of November 2022 looks at the in-ring debut of famous personality Fuwa-chan, whose first match in STARDOM finally aired on Japanese TV this past weekend. We also reviewed STARDOM's showing at NJPW's Rumble on 44th Street as Mayu Iwatani, Mina Shirakawa, and Waka Tsukiyama traveled to America.
Fuwa-chan Dazzles in Wrestling Debut, Could Be Major Player for STARDOM in Future
Celebrities dipping their toes into the pro wrestling world is no new thing. Them jumping into the ring and having matches isn't either, it just happens to be a very popular choice among them these days. After all, we are days away from Logan Paul main-eventing a WWE show to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. They can be good and they can be bad. It's all about commitment. That brings us to the latest celebrity to jump into the ring which happened to be famous YouTuber, Fuwa-chan. She announced that she would be joining STARDOM for a match and was being trained by Hazuki and the rest of STARS prior to her wrestling debut.
For those who don't know who Fuwa-chan is, the most important things to know include having over one million followers on Twitter and consistently being on television in Japan. She's a pretty big deal! So when it was announced she would be stepping in the ring, who knew what she could do? Well, she had her debut match at the STARDOM Goddess of Stardom Tag League Opening Round prior to the main show as she teamed with Hazuki against Hina and Wonder of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani. Highlights poured out from the match with Fuwa-chan impressing in the clips but it wasn't until we saw the full match that we could really appreciate and see what work she has put in to be a pro wrestler.
Fuwa-chan was tremendous. For an individual who didn't have a background in pro wrestling by any means to come in and train as hard as she did, it's difficult to not appreciate. She was in there against the Wonder of Stardom Champion and didn't feel out of place but as if she should be doing this for the rest of her life. Fuwa-chan took a beating at the hands of Queen's Quest but her work with Hazuki paid off as she gave it all she could before being defeated by Kamitani, who hit a Firebird Splash for the win.
Her entrance was magical, her personality is infectious, and her outing in the ring showed all the fundamentals you look for out of a pro wrestler. There's no guarantee she wrestles another match but if she wants to, Fuwa-chan can be a legitimate star in professional wrestling.,
STARDOM booker Rossy Ogawa called it the greatest debut he's seen in women's wrestling and if you know his history and who he's seen debut in the great history of this sport, his words carry that much more weight.
Fuwa-chan has all you need to be a serious player and as someone who enjoyed her debut as much as I did, I hope this was only the beginning of her career. She can be truly special.
A clip from her debut is below.
デビュー戦のダイジェスト見れます
— フワちゃん FUWA (@fuwa876) October 24, 2022
ズドーンって飛んでて衝撃映像！https://t.co/IpwvDC7aTr pic.twitter.com/SorCE5c9O7
Mayu Iwatani Successfully Defends Against KiLynn King, Cosmic Angels Shine in Loss at Rumble on 44th Street
This past Friday night, STARDOM returned to the United States for the first time since their Big Apple show in 2019 to take part in NJPW's Rumble on 44th Street show. The company sent over the Cosmic Angels duo of Mina Shirakawa and Waka Tsukiyama as well as "The Icon" and reigning SWA Undisputed Champion, Mayu Iwatani.
The team of Shirakawa and Tsukyama wrestled on the preshow, taking on Kylie Rae and Tiara James while Iwatani defended her SWA Undisputed Championship against KiLynn King.
It was apparent from the start that the fans were excited for the STARDOM talent, giving them a heroes welcome of sorts. This was the first time Shirakawa and Tsukiyama had the chance to wrestle in America and they left it all out there. Tsukiyama displayed her heart in the losing effort as Rae was able to secure the win for herself and James.
Iwatani had the superstar intro with her championship theme and all as the fans were on their feet to see "The Icon" back in New York City. After all, the last time she was there was when she defended Women of Honor Championship at Madison Square Garden at G1 Supercard. This was the first time Iwatani faced off with King and they had instant chemistry. The powerhouse side of King perfectly blended with Iwatani's overall delivery in the match, making for the best SWA Undisputed Championship defense possible. King might have come up short in her challenge but there's no doubt this had to be an eye-opening performance for all promoters as she made it known she could hang with the best in the world.
There's no doubt that after these two matches that STARDOM and its talent are wanted around the world. STARDOM has yet to announce the next date they'll be sending part of their roster to America but with the IWGP Women's Champion set to be crowned Nov. 20 at Historic X-Over and the overall excitement that came from these two matches, there's no doubt that this was only the beginning.
Iwatani's next defense will be Thursday at STARDOM's Hiroshima Goddess Festival as she puts the title on the line against Alpha Female.
Matches Worth Checking Out (11/2/22)
- STARDOM
- Mayu Iwatani vs. KiLynn King
- Tam Nakano & Natsupoi vs. Giulia & Thekla vs. Maika & Himeka
- TJPW
- Miu Watanabe vs. Moka Miyamoto
Notable results from the week:
TJPW The Mountain Top (10/29/22)
- Yuki Aino & Raku def. Nao Kakuta & Yoshiko Hasegawa
- Miyu Yamashita & Juria Nagano def. Mahiro Kiryu & Kaya Toribami
- Mizuki, Suzume & Haruna Neko def. Hyper Misao, Shoko Nakajima & Pom Harajuku
- Rika Tatsumi & Yuki Arai def. Hikari Noa & Arisu Endo
- Yuka Sakazaki & Willow Nightingale def. Maki Itoh & Yuki Kamifuku
- International Princess Championship: Miu Watanabe (c) def. Moka Miyamoto
Sendai Girls BIG SHOW in Niigata (10/30/22)
- Yurika Oka def. Ai Houzan
- Otoko Sakari def. Aiger and Shigeno Shima
- Hiroyo Matsumoto & Amazon def. Maria & Aoi
- Mika Iwata & Miyuki Takase def. Ryo Mizunami & Manami
- DASH Chisako vs. Mayumi Ozaki ends in a double countout
- Team 200kg (Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu) def. ASUKA & Aja Kong
Check out our latest Joshi interviews with Yuka Sakazaki and Shoko Nakajima.
