Oedo Tai

On Christmas day, Japanese wrestler, Kagetsu, announced her plans to retire next year. The leader of Oedo Tai had a memorable run as World of Stardom Champion, but she also cemented her legacy as a tag team specialist.

In June of 2016, she and Kyoko Kimura ended Thunder Rock’s historic reign to become the new Goddess of Stardom Champions. Later that year, they set their sights on the six-woman tag titles, as well. At Shin-Kiba Taikai, Kagetsu and Kimura teamed up with Kiyoko’s daughter, Hana Kimura, to defeat Threedom for the Artist of Stardom Championship.

The popular heel stable picked up two high-profile wins over two of the most successful fan-favorite team in the company in 2016. However, they didn’t reach the popularity they enjoy today until 2017. That’s thanks in part to Kagetsu’s role as a leader and her drastic improvement as a character.

To compare Oedo Tai to New Japan counterparts, they went from a stable with a revolving door of “gaijin” heels like Bullet Club to a consistent group of lovable scoundrels like Los Ingobernables de Japon. This iteration of the stable can be credited with much of the success of Stardom.

In June of 2017, Kagetsu won the Goddess of Stardom Championship for a second time with Hana Kimura. It became their more well-known reign as they held the titles for 347 days. In addition, Kagetsu currently holds the longest combined reign with the titles.

This summer, Kagetsu also became a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion with Andras Miyagi and Natsu Sumire. As such, she was one of the most accomplished tag team wrestlers this decade.

What do you think? Drop a comment below and let us know your favorite women’s tag teams of the 2010s.