NJPW Announces Full Acquisition Of Joshi Promotion World Wonder Ring STARDOM

It's been a whirlwind 2024 for Joshi promotion World Wonder Ring STARDOM so far, from the firing of founder Rossy Ogawa to the beginning of a working relationship with AEW. An even bigger change is on the horizon, however, as STARDOM's relationship with sister promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling gets set to make a major transition.

On their official website earlier this morning, New Japan announced that they had acquired STARDOM from Bushiroad during a board of directors meeting held on Monday. As such, STARDOM will become a "fully owned" subsidiary promotion of New Japan and will see its corporate title switch from Bushiroad Fight Co. Ltd. to STARDOM Co. Ltd. The sale will be officially finalized on June 28, two days before New Japan and AEW hold their third Forbidden Door event in Long Island, New York, where a STARDOM presence is expected.

New Japan's purchase of STARDOM will see Taro Okada continue under his current positions as STARDOM President and CEO. In separate statements, both Okada and New Japan President Hiroshi Tanahashi expressed their belief that the acquisition would be a benefit to both promotions, with Tanahashi stating it would "speed up decision-making processes and improve our operating efficiency, freeing both companies up to further professional wrestling in the eyes and hearts of fans in Japan and worldwide."

STARDOM and New Japan's relationship began back in October 2019, when Bushiroad, New Japan's parent company, acquired STARDOM. Since then, the promotions have frequently worked together, with STARDOM talent appearing at New Japan events in both Japan and America. The two promotions held their first co-promoted event, Historic X-Over, in November 2022, which saw the crowning of the first-ever IWGP Women's Championship.