In a game-changing revelation, Yahoo Japan reported that Bushiroad —the parent company of New Japan Pro Wrestling — acquired World Wonder Ring Stardom. They expect to make an official announcement tomorrow after the venture is approved by their executive board of directors.
Having the popular Joshi promotion and New Japan under the same umbrella makes this is a monumental move.
It seems Bushiroad has been planning to make a foray into women’s wrestling since last fall. They contacted Stardom back in February after Director Takaaki Kitani became interested in the women’s promotion.
Stardom’s owner and co-founder, Rossy Ogawa, met with Kitani in April. The plans to move forward with the transaction came to fruition in August.
According to Bushiroad, Kitani has acknowledged the growth of women’s wrestling for some time, particularly here in the US. In truth, it is possibly more popular than it has ever been with WWE currently promoting their “Women’s Revolution.”
“I’m sure that Japan will eventually have such an era,” an official said. “I don’t want to regret it. It is natural that a white arrow was standing on the advancing Stardom ”
This is a great opportunity for Stardom to expand its reach beyond its niche audience. It’s unclear how this will affect their current business model but this is exciting news.
What do you think of this historic acquisition? Drop a comment below and be sure to check back with Bell to Belles for further updates.
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