(born February 19, 1993) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

currently signed to

World Wonder Ring Stardom World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded i ...

. Since making her debut in January 2011, she became a two-time

World of Stardom Champion The is a women's world professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title, which is situated at the top of Stardom's championship hierarchy, was introduced on June 26, 2011, and the inaugural champio ...

, two-time

Wonder of Stardom Champion The is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title, which in Stardom's championship hierarchy is situated as the secondary title behind the World of Stardom Championship, was introduc ...

, one-time High Speed Champion, one-time

SWA World Champion The is a women's professional wrestling championship promoted by the Japanese World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Though the Japanese name of the title translates to "SWA World Championship", the title is also being internationally referred to ...

, two-time

Goddess of Stardom Champion The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom held a press conference to announce the first ever Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, which would cu ...

, and a five-time

Artist of Stardom Champion The is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling tag team match types#Multiple man teamed matches, six-woman tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion ...

, while also having won the Cinderella Tournament back to back in 2015 and 2016, and the 2018 5*Grand Prix. She also made appearances for Stardom's American partner

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

(ROH), where she is a former one-time Women of Honor World Champion.

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

of the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' has called Iwatani and fellow Japanese workers

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions ...

and

Kairi Hojo is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name Kairi (stylized in all caps). Housako is also known for her work with WWE as . She is the c ...

"three of the best wrestlers in the world".

Early life

Iwatani grew up in the countryside of

Mine, Yamaguchi is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 1, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 25,857 and a population density of 54.70 persons per km2. The total area is 472.71 km2. History The city was founded on March ...

with her family, which includes two older brothers. In primary school, she practiced

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

and

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

, but in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, she began isolating herself from society, spending three years mostly indoors. After quitting high school, she fell in love with

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

after seeing a Dragon Gate event. She contacted

Fuka Fuka, Fūka or Fuuka may refer to: * Fūka (given name), a feminine Japanese given name * ''Fuuka'' (manga), a Japanese manga series * Fukah, a village in northern Egypt, referred to as Fuka in a World War II context **Sidi Haneish Airfield Si ...

, the general manager of the

promotion, who were looking for new wrestlers, and eventually moved to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

in 2010 to pursue a career in professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2011–present)

2011–2017

Iwatani was part of Stardom's first class of trainees. She made her professional wrestling debut at the promotion's inaugural event on January 23, 2011, facing fellow debutante

Arisa Hoshiki (born October 13, 1995) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, retired professional wrestler, and former shoot boxer. In professional wrestling, she worked in the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, where she was Wonder of Stardom Champion, the pr ...

. Afterwards, Iwatani & Hoshiki formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

named AMA, which became one of Stardom's most popular acts. Despite her popularity, Iwatani was the last of the class one trainees to obtain a win in a professional wrestling ring. In June, she was defeated by Eri Susa, the other winless Stardom trainee, and subsequently became known as Stardom's weakest wrestler. Iwatani was winless for the first eleven months of her career, before finally defeating Susa in a rematch on December 25, 2011. Afterwards, Iwatani & Hoshiki became part of

's "Planet" stable, along with Natsumi Showzuki. Following Hoshiki's retirement from professional wrestling in June 2012, Iwatani began teaming with Io Shirai under the team name "Thunder Rock". She also became part of a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

named Tawashis with

Hiroyo Matsumoto (born November 6, 1985) is Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other w ...

Miho Wakizawa is a Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her time in the Japanese promotions World Wonder Ring Stardom and All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1996-2014) Wakizawa made some freel ...

. The three went on to win the

Artist of Stardom Championship The is a professional wrestling six-woman tag team championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title was first announced during Stardom's year-end event on December 24, 2012, and two days later its name was revealed as the ...

on December 29, 2013, by defeating

Alpha Female Marie Kristin Gabert (June 4, 1982) is a German professional wrestler and former professional powerlifter, strongwoman, bodybuilder, and mixed martial artist under the names Alpha Female and Jazzy Gabert. She is best known on the independent scene ...

, The Female Predator "Amazon" &

Kyoko Kimura is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Throughout her 14-year career, she competed in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Ibuki, Ice Ribbon, JWP Joshi Puroresu, NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling and World Wonder Ring Stardom, am ...

. On July 27, 2014, Iwatani won her first singles title, when she defeated her teammate Miho Wakizawa for the

vacant Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is th ...

Wonder of Stardom Championship The is a women's professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The title, which in Stardom's championship hierarchy is situated as t ...

. After a record-setting eight-month reign, Tawashis lost the Artist of Stardom Championship to Hatsuhinode Kamen,

Kaori Yoneyama is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit. Yoneyama started her career in 1999, working with the JWP Joshi Puroresu promotion. During the following years, she became a one-time J ...

Tsubasa Kuragaki is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by the ring name . For most of her career, Kuragaki has worked for JWP Joshi Puroresu, becoming a one-time JWP Junior and two-time JWP Openweight Champion as a singles wrestler. As a tag team ...

on August 10, 2014. On January 18, 2015, Iwatani lost the Wonder of Stardom Championship to

Act Yasukawa , better known by the ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Making her pro wrestling debut in 2012, she wrestled exclusively for the joshi puroresu promotion Stardom. Yasukawa's career ultimately ended in December 2015, 10 mon ...

. On April 23, 2015, Iwatani won the first annual Cinderella Tournament, defeating Koguma in the finals. As a result, Iwatani was granted a shot at Stardom's top title, the

World of Stardom Championship The is a women's world professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title, which is situated at the top of Stardom's championship hierarchy, was introduced on June 26, 2011, and the inaugural champio ...

, but was defeated by the defending champion,

, on May 17. On May 6, Iwatani & Io Shirai, Thunder Rock, defeated

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

& Kairi Hojo to win the vacant

Goddess of Stardom Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion, promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom held a press conference t ...

. On October 11, Iwatani defeated

Rosa Negra Nilka García Solís (born November 14, 1981) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler known as Black Rose or ''La Rosa Negra''. Professional wrestling career García began wrestling in Puerto Rico. She worked in World Wrestling Council (WWC) ...

to also win the

High Speed Championship The is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title was originally created on May 5, 2009, in the NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling promotion, where Natsuki☆Taiyo defeated Ray to beco ...

. During their tag team title reign, Thunder Rock also won the 2015 Goddesses of Stardom Tag Tournament. On February 28, 2016, Iwatani became a triple champion, when she, Shirai & Kairi Hojo, billed together as "Threedom" (a combination of the words "Three" and "Stardom"), defeated

Evie Evie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Evie (given name) * Evie (singer), American contemporary Christian music singer Evelyn Tornquist (born 1957) * Evie (wrestler), ring name of New Zealand female professional wrestler Cheree Crowl ...

Kellie Skater Callee Keating (born 30 September 1987) is a retired Australian professional wrestler best known by her ring name Kellie Skater. She has wrestled internationally, in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. She is perhaps best known for h ...

for the Artist of Stardom Championship. In April, Iwatani, along with Hojo & Shirai, traveled to the United States to take part in events held by

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...

and Vendetta Pro Wrestling. On April 29, Iwatani won her second Cinderella Tournament in a row, defeating Hiroyo Matsumoto in the finals. As a result, Iwatani received another shot at the World of Stardom Championship, but was defeated by Io Shirai on May 15. After setting records for both the longest reign and most successful title defenses, Iwatani & Shirai lost the Goddess of Stardom Championship to

Kagetsu (born on June 24, 1992), better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Stardom, JWP, Sendai Girls and various independent promotions. Professional wrestling career Independe ...

& Kyoko Kimura in their 11th title defense on June 16. On October 2, Threedom lost the Artist of Stardom Championship to

Hana Kimura was a Japanese joshi puroresu professional wrestler. She worked for native companies in her country such as World Wonder Ring Stardom from 2016 to 2020, and Wrestle-1, in addition to having made appearances for foreign companies such as Ring of H ...

, Kagetsu & Kyoko Kimura in their third defense. On November 11, both Thunder Rock and Threedom were dissolved, when Shirai turned on Iwatani, after the two had lost to Hojo &

Yoko Bito is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name . Bito initially made her in-ring debut in December 2010 for World Wonder Ring Stardom and quickly became one of the most popular wrestlers in the promotion, until announ ...

in the finals of the 2016 Goddesses of Stardom Tag League. This led to Iwatani unsuccessfully challenging Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship at Stardom's year-end show on December 22. The following day, the match was named Stardom's 2016 Match of the Year. Reportedly, Iwatani was originally scheduled to win the match and the World of Stardom Championship, but the result was changed after she told Stardom that she wanted to retire from professional wrestling in 2017. After nine successful title defenses, Iwatani lost the High Speed Championship to

Kris Wolf Kris Hernandez (born August 12, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Kris Wolf. She wrestled for World Wonder Ring Stardom in Japan, where she is a former High Speed Champion, as well as a founding member ...

in a three-way match, also involving Kagetsu, on February 23, 2017. On April 30, Iwatani made it to the finals of her third Cinderella Tournament in a row, but was this time defeated by

Toni Storm Toni Rossall (born 19 October 1995), better known by the ring name Toni Storm, is a New Zealand-Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to AEW, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She previously worked for WWE ...

. With Storm going after the World of Stardom Championship, Iwatani chose to challenge for the Wonder of Stardom Championship. On May 14, Iwatani defeated Kairi Hojo to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship for the second time. Shortly afterwards, it was reported that Iwatani was no longer considering retirement and was being positioned as Stardom's top star in the wake of Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo's departures from the promotion. On June 21, Iwatani defeated Shirai to win the World of Stardom Championship for the first time in her fifth challenge, becoming the first wrestler to simultaneously hold the World and Wonder of Stardom Championships. Afterwards, Iwatani started defending both the World and Wonder of Stardom Championships in separate title matches. On September 23, Iwatani lost the Wonder of Stardom Championship to Yoko Bito in her third defense. The following day, Iwatani lost the World of Stardom Championship to Storm, again in her third defense. The title change was unplanned as the match had to be stopped after only two minutes due to Iwatani legitimately dislocating her elbow, forcing referee Daichi Murayama to award the title to Storm. Iwatani returned to the ring on December 10 to take part in Yoko Bito's final match in

Shin-Kiba 1st Ring Shin-Kiba 1st Ring is an arena in Tokyo, which holds 290 people. It was opened in 2001, its first event being a JDStar "Grapple Beauty" show, even though the inside of the building was not even close to being completed. It has quickly become a ...

2018

Since her return, Iwatani became the leader of a new unit named "

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

" (initially Stardom's Army). On February 18, 2018, Iwatani &

Tam Nakano , is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she competes under the ring name , and is the leader of the Cosmic Angels stable. Nakano is a former three-time Artist of Stardom Champion, as well as a former Won ...

challenged

Oedo Tai (Stylized OEDotai, also known as "Oedo Corps" in Japanese) is a villanous professional wrestling stable, currently performing in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, and formerly in the Professional wrestling ...

(

) for the

Goddesses of Stardom Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom held a press conference to announce the first ever Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, which would cu ...

but were unsuccessful. On April 1, Iwatani tried to capture again the

from

after Iwatani was injured in their last match, but was unsuccessful. On June 3, Iwatani, along with

Saki Kashima is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom where she is a former Artist of Stardom Championship, Artist of Stardom Ch ...

, defeated Hana Kimura & Kagetsu to win the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. On September 24, Iwatani won the 5★Star GP after defeating

Utami Hayashishita (born September 14, 1998) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, Since making her debut on August 12, 2018, she became a one-time World of Stardom Champion, two-time Goddesses of Stardom Ch ...

in the finals. On September 30, at the afternoon show of ''5★Star Grand Champion Carnival'', Iwatani won the

with Kashima & Nakano after defeating J.A.N. (

Jungle Kyona better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in the joshi puroresu promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she was a former three-time Artist of Stardom Champion and Goddess of Stardom Ch ...

Natsuko Tora (born January 30, 1991) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Tora is a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion as well as one-time Goddess of Stardom Champion. Professional wrestling career ...

), however, Iwatani & Kashima lost the Goddess of Stardom Championship to Kyona & Tora during the evening show.

2019

On May 16, 2019,

(Iwatani,

) lost the

to Tokyo Cyber Squad (

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

). Stars won the title for the second time on June 23, after defeating Tokyo Cyber Squad. Stars held the title until July 20, when they lost the championship to Andras Miyagi,

& Sumire Natsu. On November 4, 2019, Iwatani defeated

Bea Priestley Beatrice St. Clere Priestley (born 22 March 1996) is an English-New Zealand professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Bea Priestley. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Blair Davenpor ...

to win the

for the second time.

2020

Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2020 The was the sixth annual professional wrestling single-elimination tournament promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom in Tokyo, Japan. The event took place on March 24, 2020, with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic ...

, Iwatani wrestled

into a time-limit draw during the first-round matches from March 24. At Stardom Yokohama Cinderella 2020 on October 3, 2020, she successfully defended the

against

Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the ...

. On November 15, 2020, Iwatani lost the World Championship to

, ending her reign at 377 days. At

Stardom Osaka Dream Cinderella 2020 was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on December 20, 2020 in Osaka, Japan, at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. ...

on December 20, Iwatani teamed up with Stars stablemates

Starlight Kid is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a former High Speed Champion. She became the first wrestler to wear her mask full-time in Stardom as part of her ''luchadora'' persona. Greatly infl ...

& Gokigen Death and unsuccessfully challenged the then sub-unit of Stars,

Cosmic Angels is a professional wrestling stable, currently performing in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. The stable currently consists of Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka, Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, Saki, Hikari Shimizu ...

(

Mina Shirakawa is a Japanese professional wrestler and idol, currently signed to the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the leader of Club Venus. She is a former Artist of Stardom and Future of Stardom Champion. ...

Unagi Sayaka , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom and briefly working as a freelancer. She is best known for her time with Stardom, where she is a former Artist of Stardom Champion ...

) for the

. After they retained the title, Sayaka, Nakano & Shirakawa announced that they would split up from Stars to act as an independent unit.

2021

Stardom 10th Anniversary Show The was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It was the first from the promotion's 10th Anniversary celebration line of events, as well as the promotion's first pay-per-view of 2021. It took place on January 17, ...

on January 17, 2021, Iwatani teamed up with Ruaka in a Four-Way Elimination Tag Team Match won by

Queen's Quest is a professional wrestling stable, currently performing in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion, World Wonder Ring Stardom. The stable is led by Utami Hayashishita and also consists of AZM, Saya Kamitani, Lady C, Hina and Miyu Amasa ...

(

Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Since making her debut on November 16, 2014, she became a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion, one-time Goddess of Stardom Cha ...

Saya Kamitani (born November 28, 1996) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former idol, currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. She is the current Wonder of Stardom Champion in her first reign. Kamitani is also a former one-time Goddes ...

) and also involving the teams of

Donna Del Mondo is a professional wrestling stable, currently performing in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion, World Wonder Ring Stardom. Founded by Giulia, the stable also consists of Maika, Himeka, Thekla and Mai Sakurai. The stable is often k ...

(

Himeka Catherine St. Onge (born July 20, 1981), better known by her stage name (stylized as HIMEKA), is a French Canadian descent anime song singer no longer active in Japan. While fluent in English and her native French, she is moderately proficient ...

) and

(

). At Stardom All Star Dream Cinderella on March 3, 2021, she defeated Yoshiko. The unit of Stars leaded by Iwatani began losing members in 2021, beginning with Ruaka who defected to Oedo Tai on February 20. At

Stardom Yokohama Dream Cinderella 2021 was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on April 4, 2021 in Yokohama, Japan, at the Yokohama Budokan with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. The preshow ...

, she continued losing members, as she teamed up with

Saya Iida (born May 19, 1997) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. She is a former one-time Future of Stardom Champion. Professional wrestling career World Wonder Ring Stardom (2019–present) ...

, Hanan & Fukigen Death, falling short to Oedo Tai's

, Saki Kashima, Ruaka & Rina in a Ten-Woman Elimination Tag Team Match. Since she was eliminated last, Death was forced to join the enemy unit. The stable's fall continued at the last night of the

Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2021 The , was the seventh annual professional wrestling single-elimination tournament promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom which took place beginning with April 10 and culminating on June 12 in the Ota City General Gymnasium. The tournament expande ...

from June 12, where Iwatani lost Starlight Kid to Oedo Tai the same way as with Gokigen Death. Iwatani had also compete in the main tournament, making it into the quarterfinals from May 14 where she fell short to Himeka. Koguma returned to professional wrestling after a long absence and joined Stars. Iwatani teamed up with her at

Yokohama Dream Cinderella 2021 in Summer , was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on July 4, 2021 in Yokohama, Japan, at the Yokohama Budokan with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. The preshow ...

on July 4, 2021, where they unsuccessfully challenged Syuri & Giulia for the

. At Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix 2021, Iwatani fought in the "Red Stars" block and scored a total of eleven points after competing against Momo Watanabe, Koguma, Starlight Kid, Himeka, Fukigen Death, Natsupoi, Giulia,

, and Saki Kashima. At Stardom 10th Anniversary Grand Final Osaka Dream Cinderella on October 9, 2021, she unsuccessfully challenged

for the

as the match went into a time-limit draw. At the 2021 edition of the

Goddesses of Stardom Tag League The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held annually by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. It was created in 2011. The Goddesses of Stardom Tag League are held under a multi-point ...

, Iwatani teamed up with

Rin Kadokura , better known by her ring name Rin Kadokura is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Wave where she is the current Wave Tag Team Champion in ther second reign. Prof ...

as "Blue MaRine" and fought in the "Blue Goddess" block where thet scored a total of seven points after competing against the teams of MOMOAZ (Momo Watanabe & AZM), Kurotora Kaidou (Starlight Kid & Ruaka), Ponytail and Samurai Road (Syuri & Maika), Dream H (Tam Nakano & Mina Shirakawa) and C Moon ( Lady C &

Waka Tsukiyama is an American-born Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotions World Wonder Ring Stardom. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2020-present) Due to being a freelancer, Tsukiyama known for competin ...

). At ''Kawasaki Super Wars'', the first event of the Stardom Super Wars trilogy which took place on November 3, 2021, Iwatani teamed up with Koguma and went into a time-limit draw against Himeka & Natsupoi. At ''Tokyo Super Wars'' on November 27, she teamed up with

Hazuki is the traditional name of the month of August in the Japanese calendar and a Japanese surname and given name. It can also refer to: People with given name *, Japanese diver *, Japanese professional footballer *, Japanese field hockey player *, J ...

& Hanan to defeat Oedo Tai (Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death & Rina). At ''Osaka Super Wars'', the final event of the trilogy from December 18, Iwatani teamed up with Hazuki & Koguma and took part in a ¥10 Million Unit Tournament which was also contested for the

by first defeating Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa &

) in the semi finals, and eventually falling short to the champions MaiHimePoi (Maika, Natsupoi & Himeka) in the finals on the same night as a result of a Six-Woman Tag Team

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

. At Stardom Dream Queendom on December 29, 2021, Iwatani teamed up with

Takumi Iroha is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She also competes in Seadlinnng, where she is a former Beyond the Sea Champion. Iroha was trained by Fuka Kakimoto and made her debut in April 2013 fo ...

to defeat Hazuki and Momo Watanabe.

2022

At Stardom Nagoya Supreme Fight on January 29, 2022, Iwatani went into a time-limit draw against Giulia in a

#1 Contender's Match. At

Stardom Cinderella Journey was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on February 23, 2022, with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. Storylines The event's press conference where the ...

on February 23, 2022, she teamed up with

to defeat Fukigen Death &

. On the first night of the

Stardom World Climax 2022 The Stardom World Climax 2022 was a two-day professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event took place on March 26 and 27, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, with a limited attendance due in part to the ...

from March 26, Iwatani teamed up with Kairi to defeat Tam Nakano &

. On the second night from March 27, she unsuccessfully challenged

for the World of Stardom Championship. At the

Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2022 The was the eighth annual professional wrestling single-elimination tournament promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom in Tokyo and Osaka. The event took place between April 3 and April 29, 2022, with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoi ...

, she made it to the second round matches from April 10 where she fell short to Saki Kashima. At

Stardom Golden Week Fight Tour was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event took place on May 5, 2022, in Fukuoka, Japan at the Fukuoka Convention Center, with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time ...

on May 5, 2022, Iwatani defeated Thekla to win the

SWA World Championship The is a women's professional wrestling championship promoted by the Japanese World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Though the Japanese name of the title translates to "SWA World Championship", the title is also being internationally referred to ...

. She officially became the second woman to win all the eligible titles in Stardom after Io Shirai, thus becoming the second ever "grand slam champion". At

Stardom Flashing Champions was a professional wrestling List of major World Wonder Ring Stardom events, event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event took place on May 28, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan at the Ota City General Gymnasium, with a limited attendance due in pa ...

on May 28, 2022, she successfully defended the SWA title against Fukigen Death. At Stardom Fight in the Top on June 26, 2022, Iwatani teamed up with

& Koguma and defeated

& AZM in a Six-Woman Tag Team Steel Cage Match. At ''Mid Summer Champions in Tokyo'', the first event of the

Stardom Mid Summer Champions was a series of professional wrestling List of major World Wonder Ring Stardom events, events promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The events took place on July 9 and 24, 2022, in Tokyo, Japan at the Tachikawa Stage Garden, and in Nagoya, Japan ...

series which took place on July 9, 2022, Iwatani teamed up with Hazuki, Koguma &

in a losing effort against Saki Kashima, Ruaka, Rina & Fukigen Death. At ''Mid Summer Champions in Nagoya'' on July 24, she teamed up with

Momo Kohgo is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. She is also known for her time in Ice Ribbon and Actwres girl'Z. Professional wrestling career Japanese independent circuit (2019–20 ...

and defeated Ruaka & Fukigen Death. At the Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix 2022, Iwatani fought in the "Blue Stars" block where she scored a total of fifteen points after competing against Giulia, Mirai, Suzu Suzuki, Hazuki, Saya Kamitani,

, Natsupoi,

Ami Sourei better known by her ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom where she is the current Future of Stardom Champion in her first reign. Professional wrestling career Inde ...

, Saya Iida, and Hanan. At Stardom in Showcase vol.1, Iwatani competed in a Nagoya Rumble Match won by Kaori Yoneyama who appeared with her old Stars gimmick of "Gokigen Death". At Stardom x Stardom: Nagoya Midsummer Encounter on August 21, 2022, she teamed up with Saya Iida & Momo Kohgo in a losing effort against Utami Hayashishita, AZM & Lady C. At Stardom in Showcase vol.2 on September 25, 2022, she competed in a

four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

won by AZM and also involving

Ram Kaicho is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions Ice Ribbon and Wrestling of Darkness 666. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2006–2009) Ra ...

and Maika. Iwatani became a participant in a tournament to become the inaugural IWGP Women's Champion. In the first round of the tournament, she defeated Odeo Tai's Momo Watanabe on October 22. At Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2022 Night 1 on October 23, 2022, Iwatani defeated Utami Hayashishita in a semi-final match of the tournament. After the match, Iwatani stare down at her opponent whom she will be facing in the finals at

Historic X-Over Historic X-Over (pronounced: Historic Crossover) was a professional wrestling event co-promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom (Stardom). It took place on November 20, 2022, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Tokyo, Jap ...

, Kairi as both women got a hold of the IWGP Women's Championship belt in the middle of the ring. At Hiroshima Goddess Festival on November 3, 2022, she defeated

to retain the SWA World Championship. After the match, Iwatani relinquished the title to concentrate on the IWGP Women's Championship match from Historic X-Over on November 20, 2022. Iwatani failed to win the championship at Historic X-Over after losing to Kairi.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020, 2021, 2022)

On January 4, 2020, Mayu along with

, Giulia and

made their debut in

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome was a two-night professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2020, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 29th January ...

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

in a special Stardom tag team exhibition match. Iwatani continued to work in these kinds of matches, making her next appearance at

Wrestle Kingdom 15 Wrestle Kingdom 15 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place over two nights, on January 4 and 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 30th Ja ...

on January 5, 2021, where she teamed up with

and fell short to

's Syuri and Giulia. At

Wrestle Kingdom 16 Wrestle Kingdom 16 was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) promotions. The event took place on January 4 and 5, 2022, at the Tokyo Dome, in To ...

on January 5, 2022, she teamed up with Starlight Kid and fell short to Tam Nakano and Saya Kamitani.

Ring of Honor (2017–2019)

On December 15, Iwatani made her debut for American promotion

(ROH), when she was announced as part of a tournament to crown the inaugural

Women of Honor Champion The Women of Honor World Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). History At Final Battle, December 15, 2017, it was announced th ...

. At Bound By Honor, Iwatani challenged champion

Kelly Klein Kelly Klein (born January 28, 1986), is an American professional wrestler who is currently a free agent. She is best known for her time in Ring of Honor, where she was a record three-time Women of Honor World Champion. Professional wrestling ...

to a title match, in which she defeated Klein for the title. Iwatani successfully defended the title twice before losing the title back to Klein at the

G1 Supercard G1 Supercard was a professional wrestling supershow co-produced by the American Ring of Honor (ROH) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions. It was the 13th annual Supercard of Honor event and took place on April 6, 2019, at Madis ...

on April 6, 2019.

Championships and accomplishments

*''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' **Ranked No. 9 of the top 50 female singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI Female 50 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...

'' in 2018 **Ranked No. 16 of the top 100 female singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 100 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...

'' in 2019 **Ranked No. 10 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the ''PWI Female 100'' in 2020 **Ranked No. 65 of the top 150 female singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 150 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

'' in 2021 **Ranked No. 27 of the top 150 female singles wrestlers in the ''PWI Women's 150'' in 2022 *

Women of Honor World Championship The Women of Honor World Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). History At Final Battle, December 15, 2017, it was announced that ...

( 1 time) *''

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' mag ...

'' **

Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize The are Japanese professional wrestling, or ''puroresu'', awards that have been handed out by the ''Tokyo Sports'' magazine annually since 1974. The most publicized awards in Japanese professional wrestling, they are recognized by all the major pr ...

(2019) *

( 5 times) – with

& Miho Wakizawa (1),

(1), Io Shirai &

(1), and Saki Kashima &

(2) **

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with

(1) and Saki Kashima (1) **

( 1 time) **

(

) **Wonder of Stardom Championship tournament (2014) **

(

) **

( 1 time) ** Second Grand Slam Champion ** Cinderella Tournament (2015, 2016) **Goddess of Stardom Championship Tournament (2015)– with Io Shirai **

(2015) – with Io Shirai ** Moneyball Tournament (2022) – with

and Koguma ** 5★Star GP (2018) **5★Star GP Award (4 times) ***5★Star GP Best Match Award (2015) vs. Io Shirai on August 23 ***5★Star GP Best Match Award (2017) vs.

on September 18 ***5★Star GP Red Stars Best Bout Award (2021) vs Giulia on August 1 ***5★Star GP Outstanding Performance Award (2014) **Stardom Year-End Award (9 times) ***Best Match Award (2016) vs. Io Shirai on December 22 ***Best Match Award (2018) with Io Shirai vs. Kagetsu and

on June 17 ***Best Match Award (2020) ***Best Tag Team Award (2015) with Io Shirai ***Fighting Spirit Award (2017) ***Technique Award (2014, 2015) ***MVP Award (2019) ***Special Award (2021)

References

External links

Official blog

World Wonder Ring Stardom profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwatani, Mayu 1993 births Living people Japanese female professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Yamaguchi Prefecture Masked wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers World of Stardom Champions Wonder of Stardom Champions Goddess of Stardom Champions Artist of Stardom Champions High Speed Champions SWA World Champions Women of Honor World Champions