(born February 19, 1993) is a Japanese

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, currently signed to

Dream Star Fighting Marigold Dream Star Fighting Marigold (stylized as Dream Star★Fighting Marigold), referred to simply as in shorthand, is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion founded in April 2024. History Formation Marigold wa ...

, where she is the current Marigold Super Fly Champion in her first reign. She is best known for her tenure with

World Wonder Ring Stardom , is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in September 2010 by former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) co-producer Ross ...

, where she was the leader of

Stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...

. She also wrestled for

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional-wrestling promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV Asahi and Amuse Inc. owning minority shar ...

, where she is a former IWGP Women's Champion, which was the longest reign in the title's history. Since making her debut in January 2011, she became a two-time

World of Stardom Champion The is a women's professional wrestling world 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 champion ...

, two-time

Wonder of Stardom Champion 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 ...

, one-time High Speed Champion, one-time

SWA World Champion The was a women's professional wrestling championship promoted by the Japanese World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Though the Japanese name of the title translated to "SWA World Championship", the title was also referred internationally to as t ...

, two-time Goddesses of Stardom Champion, and a five-time

Artist of Stardom Champion The is a professional wrestling six-woman tag team championship owned by World Wonder Ring Stardom. 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 "Artist of S ...

, while also having won the

Cinderella Tournament is an annual single-elimination tournament created and promoted by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event has been held since 2015 and aired domestically on Tokyo MX, Fighting TV Samurai and Nippon TV, ...

back to back in 2015 and 2016, and the 2018 5Star 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; the promotion was subs ...

, 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, author, and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter' ...

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 Wee ...

'' has called Iwatani and fellow Japanese workers

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women's World Championship (WWE), Women’s Wo ...

and

Kairi Hojo is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name . From 2012 to 2017, she wrestled for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name . Em ...

"three of the best wrestlers in the world". She was also recognized as the "

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

" of Stardom.

Early life

Iwatani grew up in the countryside of

Mine, Yamaguchi file:Mine city office.jpg, 270px, Mine city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 21,919 in 10661 households and a population density of 46 persons per km2. The total ar ...

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

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

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, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

after seeing a Dragon Gate event. She contacted Fuka, the general manager of the

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

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 2010 to pursue a career in professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2011–2025)

Early years (2011–2017)

Iwatani was part of

's first class of trainees. She made her

debut at Stardom'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 and 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 establis ...

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. Afterwards, Iwatani and Hoshiki became part of

's Planet

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

, 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. Iwatani also became part of a stable named Tawashis with

Hiroyo Matsumoto is a Japanese Professional wrestling, 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 ...

and

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 Professional wrestling tag team match types#Multiple man teamed matches, six-woman tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The title was first announced dur ...

on December 29, 2013, by defeating

Alpha Female Marie Kristin Gabert (June 4, 1982) is a German Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former professional Powerlifting, powerlifter, strongwoman, Bodybuilding, bodybuilder, and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist under the names A ...

, Female Predator Amazon and

Kyoko Kimura is a Japanese retired 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, a ...

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

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, working as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit. Yoneyama started her career in 1999, working with the JWP Joshi Puroresu Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. During the following years, ...

Tsubasa Kuragaki is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, 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 Championship, JWP Junior and two-time ...

on August 10, 2014. In October and November, Thunder Rock participated in the

2014 Goddesses of Stardom Tag League The is a professional wrestling Round-robin tournament, round-robin tag team professional wrestling tournament, tournament List of major World Wonder Ring Stardom events, held annually by the Professional wrestling in Japan, Japanese professiona ...

. They reached the finals, where they were defeated by

and

Nanae Takahashi (born December 23, 1978) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and the founder of Seadlinnng, as well as a co-founder of World Wonder Ring Stardom. She was signed to Dream Star Fighting Marigold, where she held her final match at Marigo ...

. On January 18, 2015, Iwatani lost the Wonder of Stardom Championship to

Act Yasukawa , better known by the ring name , and currently performing under the mononym , is a Japanese professional wrestler. She currently wrestles for Actwres girl'Z. Making her pro wrestling debut in 2012, she wrestled exclusively for the joshi purore ...

. On April 23, 2015, Iwatani won the first annual

, defeating

Koguma is a Japanese professional wrestler. She currently works for World Wonder Ring Stardom. Koguma is a former two-time Goddesses of Stardom Champion, one-time Artist of Stardom Champion, and one-time High Speed Champion. Koguma is one of the wi ...

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 professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championship, world championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The title, which is situated at the top of Sta ...

, but was defeated by the defending champion, Kairi Hojo, on May 17. On May 6, Iwatani & Io Shirai, Thunder Rock, defeated Chelsea & Kairi Hojo to win the vacant

Goddesses of Stardom Championship The is a women's professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship created and promoted by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion, promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom hel ...

. On October 11, Iwatani defeated

Rosa Negra Nilka García Solís (born November 14, 1981) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler She is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) known as Black Rose or ''La Rosa Negra''. Professional wrestling career García began wrestling in ...

to also win the

High Speed 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 was originally created on May 5, 2009, in the NEO Japan Lad ...

. During their tag team title reign, Thunder Rock also won the

2015 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 ...

. 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,

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

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, United Artists Media Group. ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured List of former Lucha Underground p ...

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 Goddesses 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 professional wrestler. She worked for Japanese promotions such as World Wonder Ring Stardom and Wrestle-1, in addition to making appearances for foreign companies such as Ring of Honor, Pro-Wrestling: EVE, and some independent pro ...

, Kagetsu & Kyoko Kimura in their third defense. On November 11, 2016, 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 announc ...

in the finals of the

2016 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 ...

. 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 mem ...

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 signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the epithet "Timeless" Toni Storm and is the reigning AEW Women' ...

. 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, 2017, 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 ...

Stars leadership (2018–2021)

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

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

Tam Nakano , better known by her ring name is a Japanese singer, former idol, dancer, and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she was the leader of the Cosmic Angels stable. Nakano began her ca ...

challenged

Oedo Tai (Stylized OEDotai, also known as "Oedo Corps" in Japanese) was a villainous professional wrestling stable mainly performing in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom and the Japanese independent scene between 20 ...

(

) for the

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 professional wrestler. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a member of God's Eye. Kashima was the inaugural and is a former five-time Artist of Stardom Champion, a title she held with multiple wrestlers throu ...

, defeated Hana Kimura & Kagetsu to win the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. On September 24, Iwatani won the 2018 5 Star Grand Prix after defeating

Utami Hayashishita is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to Dream Star Fighting Marigold where she is the current Marigold World Champion. She is best known for her time in World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the former leader of Queen's Quest. ...

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 Goddesses of Stardo ...

Natsuko Tora is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the leader of H.A T.E. Tora is a former two-time Artist of Stardom Champion, a one-time Goddesses of Stardom Champion and a one-time World of Sta ...

), however, Iwatani & Kashima lost the Goddesses of Stardom Championship to Kyona & Tora during the evening show. On December 15, Iwatani tore her MCL in an Artist of Stardom Championship defense against

Queen's Quest was a professional wrestling stable which mainly performed in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom and the Professional wrestling in Japan, Japanese independent scene between 2016 and 2024. History Formation ...

(

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a member of H.A.T.E. Since Watanabe made her Stardom debut on November 16, 2014, she became a three-time Artist of Stardom Cha ...

and Utami Hayashishita). She wrestled in one more match on December 16 before taking a one month break to recover. In April 2019, Iwatani took another month long break to recover from her knee injury. On May 16, 2019,

(Iwatani,

) lost the

to Tokyo Cyber Squad (

& Konami). 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 is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by her ring name . She is currently part of the freelance group "Nomads". Professional wrestling career Pro Wrestling Wave (2013–2017) On February 13, 2013, Urabe p ...

. On November 4, 2019, Iwatani defeated

Bea Priestley Beatrice St. Claire Terry (née Priestley, born 22 March 1996) is an English-New Zealander professional wrestler. She is a freelancer, performing for various promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). She previously performed in WWE und ...

to win the

for the second time. At

Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2020 The was the Stardom Cinderella Tournament, sixth annual professional wrestling single-elimination tournament List of major World Wonder Ring Stardom events, promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom in Tokyo, Japan. The event took place on March 24, ...

, Iwatani wrestled

into a time-limit draw during the first-round matches from March 24. At

Stardom Yokohama Cinderella 2020 was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on October 3, 2020, in Yokohama, Japan, at the Yokohama Budokan, with limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. Storyline ...

on October 3, 2020, she successfully defended the

against

Syuri , better known simply as , is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the leader of God's Eye as well as the current IWGP Women's Champion in ...

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

, ending her reign at 377 days. At Stardom Osaka Dream Cinderella 2020 on December 20, Iwatani teamed up with Stars stablemates

Starlight Kid is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom where she is the leader of Neo Genesis. Kid is the current Wonder of Stardom Champion in her first reign, as well as the current Artist of Stardom Champion in her ...

& 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 primarily consists of the assumed defacto leader(s), Natsupoi and Saori Anou, along with Yuna Mizumori ...

(

Mina Shirakawa is a Japanese professional wrestler and Television personalities in Japan, ''tarento''. , she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). Shirakawa first gained ...

Unagi Sayaka is a Japanese professional wrestler working as a freelancer. She is best known for her time with World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a former Artist of Stardom and Future of Stardom Champion. In the Japanese independent scene, she worked f ...

) for the

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

2021 Cinderella Tournament 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 ...

, making it into the quarterfinals from May 14 where she fell short to Himeka. Iwatani teamed up with

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 , often stylized as 5★Star GP 2021 was the tenth annual professional wrestling tournament under the Stardom 5Star Grand Prix Tournament branch promoted by the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place between July 31 and Se ...

, Iwatani fought in the "Red Stars" block and scored a total of eleven points. At

Stardom 10th Anniversary Grand Final Osaka Dream Cinderella was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on October 9, 2021, in Osaka at the Osaka-jō Hall with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. The pay-per-view marke ...

on October 9, 2021, she unsuccessfully challenged

for the

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

2021 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 (née Sugiura) better known by her ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure with the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Wave where she is a former Wave Tag Team Champion. Professiona ...

as "Blue MaRine" and fought in the "Blue Goddess" block where thet scored a total of seven points. At Osaka Super Wars 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 become ...

IWGP Women's Champion and departure (2022–2025)

Stardom Nagoya Supreme Fight was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place on January 29, 2022, with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time. It was the first pay-per-view of 2022 hosted by the ...

on January 29, 2022, Iwatani went into a time-limit draw against Giulia in a

#1 Contender's Match. On the first night of the

Stardom World Climax 2022 The Stardom World Climax 2022 was a two-day professional wrestling List of major World Wonder Ring Stardom events, event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event took place on March 26 and 27, 2022, in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan at the Ryōgoku K ...

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 Thekla (, ''Thékla'', ) is a Greek feminine given name made famous by Saint Thecla, a 1st-century Christian martyr. In English, it is more commonly romanized as Thecla. In modern Russian language it is known as Fekla/ Fyokla and considered to be ...

to win the

SWA World Championship The was a women's professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship promoted by the Japanese World Wonder Ring Stardom Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. Though the Japanese name of the title translated to "SWA ...

. 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 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 part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time ...

on May 28, 2022, she successfully defended the SWA title against Fukigen Death. At

Stardom Fight in the Top was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom. The event took place on June 26, 2022, in Nagoya, Japan at the Nagoya International Conference Hall, with a limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemi ...

on June 26, 2022, Iwatani teamed up with Hazuki &

and defeated Queen's Quest's Utami Hayashishita,

Saya Kamitani is a Japanese professional wrestler and former Japanese idol, idol. She is signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the current World of Stardom Champion in her first reign and a member of H.A.T.E. (professional wrestling), H.A.T.E. In ...

& AZM in one of Stardom's first steel cage matches. At the

Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix 2022 , often stylized as 5★Star GP 2022 was the eleventh annual professional wrestling tournament under the Stardom 5Star Grand Prix Tournament branch promoted by the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. It took place between July 31 and ...

, Iwatani fought in the "Blue Stars" block where she scored a total of fifteen points. On August 27, 2022, 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 Hiroshima Goddess Festival on November 3, 2022, she defeated

to retain the SWA World Championship. On November 3, Iwatani vacated the SWA World Championship in order to focus on the

IWGP Women's Championship The is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling promotion. The title is defended on shows promoted by NJPW in Japan, with talent from NJPW's sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom featuring as i ...

, as she was announced as a participant to crown its inaugural champion. Iwatani reached to the finals which took part on November 20 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, Japan. Pr ...

, where she lost to Kairi. On April 8, 2023, after the IWGP Women's Champion

Mercedes Moné Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. , she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné () and is the current AEW TBS Champio ...

retained the title against AZM and Hazuki in a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "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 storyline. ...

, Iwatani challenged Moné for the title at Stardom All Star Grand Queendom, which Moné accepted, and slapped Iwatani across the face before leaving the ring. Iwatani defeated Moné at Stardom All Star Grand Queendom to become the new IWGP Women's Champion. On August 13, during Stardom x Stardom: Osaka Summer Team, Iwatani had her first successful title defense against

. On January 4, 2024, at Ittenyon Stardom Gate, Iwatani defeated Syuri to retain the IWGP Women's Championship in the main event. She would also successfully defend the title against

Sareee is a Japanese professional wrestler. She primarily performs in Japan as a freelancer under the ring name Sareee, and is signed to the American promotion Sukeban (professional wrestling), Sukeban under the ring name Sareee Bomb and is the reignin ...

Tsukasa Fujimoto is a Japanese '' joshi'' professional wrestler and actress. She is signed for Ice Ribbon as a wrestler and as the co-head trainer of their training facility. She is a record seven-time ICE×∞ Champion, six-time International Ribbon Tag Tea ...

and

throughout 2024. During the 5 Star Grand Prix 2024, Iwatani would win her block, advancing to the quarterfinals where she defeated

Natsupoi , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler and singer. She is currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom where she is the assumed defacto leader of Cosmic Angels, along with Saori Anou. Natsupoi is a former two-time ...

, but would lose to Maika in the semifinals. On April 27, 2025, at All Star Grand Queendom 2025, Iwatani lost the IWGP Women's Championship to Syuri, ending her reign at 735 days. On the following day, Iwatani announced her departure from Stardom.

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. At Bound By Honor, Iwatani challenged champion

Kelly Klein Kelly Klein (born January 28, 1986) is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Ring of Honor (ROH), where she was a record three-time and the final Women of Honor World Champion. Professional wrestling car ...

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.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020–2025)

On January 4, 2020, Iwatani along with

, Giulia and

made their debut in

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

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 Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

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 J ...

on January 5, 2021, where she teamed up with

and fell short to

Donna Del Mondo was a professional wrestling stable in the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Founded by Giulia, the stable finally consisted of Mai Sakurai, Maika and Thekla. It was often known by Giulia's catchphrase ''arrivederci'' ("goodbye" in Italia ...

'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 T ...

on January 5, 2022, she teamed up with Starlight Kid and fell short to Tam Nakano and Saya Kamitani. On October 28, 2022, at Rumble on 44th Street, Iwatani successfully defended the

against

KiLynn King KiLynn King (born May 4, 1991) is an American professional wrestler, signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a former one-time Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. Prior to Impact, she wrestled for All Elite Wrestling ...

, being the first to defend a Stardom title in NJPW. On January 4, 2025, at

Wrestle Kingdom 19 Wrestle Kingdom 19 was a professional wrestling event promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2025, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 34th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the 19th promoted unde ...

, Iwatani successfully defended the

against AZM.

Dream Star Fighting Marigold (2025–present)

On May 1, 2025, it was announced that Iwatani has signed with

at a press conference. On May 4 at Rising Spirit, Iwatani made her debut for the promotion, defeating

. On May 24, Iwatani defeated Victoria Yuzuki to win the

Marigold Super Fly Championship The , also known as the Marigold Super Flyweight Championship, is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Dream Star Fighting Marigold promotion. As the name of the title suggests, it is meant for fast and high- ...

Pro Wrestling Noah (2025–present)

On May 26, 2025, Iwatani made her Pro Wrestling Noah debut as she teamed up with the GHC Women's Champion

Kouki Amarei is a Japanese professional wrestler currently performing in the Japanese promotion Dream Star Fighting Marigold. She is previously known for her short tenure with Actwres girl'Z. Early life Amarei has studied classical ballet for 10 years duri ...

to defeat Great Sakuya and Sadie Gibbs.

Other media

In August 2020, Iwatani released her own

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

. On June 6, 2022, it was announced that a movie based on Iwatani's memoir, would be produced under the name ''Runaway Wrestler''.

Championships and accomplishments

( 1 time, current) *

( 1 time) *''

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

'' **Ranked No. 9 of the top 50 female singles wrestlers in the '' PWI Female 50'' in 2018 **Ranked No. 10 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the ''

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

'' in 2020 **Ranked No. 27 of the top 150 female singles wrestlers in the ''

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

'' 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 tha ...

( 1 time) *''

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also * Tokyo Sports Film Award * Tokyo Sports Puroresu Awards References External links

* http://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp Official website 1960 establishments in Japan Da ...

'' ** Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize (2019) ** Topic Award (2024) *

( 5 times) – with

and

(1),

and

Takumi Iroha is a Japanese professional wrestler working for 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 for World ...

(1), Io Shirai and

(1), and

and

(2) **

(

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) – with

(1) and Saki Kashima (1) **

( 1 time) **

(

) **

(

) **

( 1 time) ** Second Grand Slam Champion **

(2015, 2016) **Goddesses of Stardom Championship Tournament (2015) – with Io Shirai **

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 ...

(

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

) – with Io Shirai ** Moneyball Tournament (2022) – with Hazuki and

**Wonder of Stardom Championship Tournament (2014) ** 5★Star GP (

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

) ** 5★Star GP Award (5 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 Fighting Spirit Award (2016) *** 5★Star GP Outstanding Performance Award (2014) *** 5★Star GP Red Stars Best Match Award (

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

) ** Stardom Year-End Award (11 times) *** Best Match Award (2016) vs. Io Shirai on December 22 ***Best Match Award (2018) with Io Shirai vs. Kagetsu and Hazuki on June 17 ***Best Match Award (2020) *** Best Tag Team Award (2015) with Io Shirai *** Best Technique Award (2014, 2015) *** Best Unit Award (2022) *** Fighting Spirit Award (2017) *** MVP Award (2019) *** Outstanding Performance Award (2023) *** Special Merit Award (2021)

References

External links

Official blog

World Wonder Ring Stardom profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwatani, Mayu 1993 births Living people Japanese female professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Yamaguchi Prefecture Masked wrestlers 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers World of Stardom Champions Wonder of Stardom Champions Goddesses of Stardom Champions Artist of Stardom Champions High Speed Champions SWA World Champions Women of Honor World Champions IWGP Women's Champions Goddesses of Stardom Tag League winners Stardom 5Star Grand Prix winners Stardom Cinderella Tournament winners Marigold Super Fly Champions