donsem43

This has been happening on the regular happening since the mid-90's, since GAEA and Jd' started up. Look at how many companies sprung up when both AJW and GAEA shut down. I just roll my eyes when I see other people proclaiming something like "This is a new era in joshi wrestling!" Karen Peterson of Post Wrestling did a good job explaining the mentality behind this on the Pollock & Thurston podcast. She also did a thread on her twitter feed linking the articles she used as reference material. I would also highly recommend watching the documentary "Tokyo Idols" if you have trouble wrapping your head around how in Japan it's accepted to market young women, even in their early teens, to middle-aged men or older.

Quick and dirty about Rossy Ogawa's new promotion Marigold. It's Stardom before it was sold to Bushiroad but with a yellorangey aesthetic. As more time passes, the more it looks like Rossy just pulled a Bert Prentice. Also, six wrestlers from Actwres girl'Z, which still exists somehow, have jumped along with Fuka, who was helping run the company. So now Marigold reunites the original management team of Stardom (Rossy, Fuka and Nanae Takahashi) because that ended so well last time. Don't ever let anyone tell you the joshi wrestling isn't as carny as any other part of pro wrestling. Rossy was asked about more talent joining, he replied that there might be a couple more joining but that's it so don't wait around expecting another wave of Stardom defections in the near future. First show is on May 20th with the main event being a tag match Giulia and a mystery partner vs. Sareee and a mystery partner.

Over the last week or so, there have been Japanese fans tweeting publicity shots of the Stardom roster to Starlight Kid asking her why she's not in them. There is a poster for All-Star Grand Queendom that doesn't feature either SLK, Koguma or Ami Sohrei. So, were any of them on their way out only to be talked into staying in the last few weeks. It's weird that advertising for one of the companies biggest shows of the year doesn't have arguably the most marketable wrestler in SLK or the woman who just got a push to the Cinderella final in Sohrei. It's possible that either of contracts are expiring at a later date but at the moment this comes off as a weird coincidence.

Unemployed 30 year old layabout crashes Noah show.

Not quite TV but still: If you want the definitive "Rossy is gone, Stardom is under NEW management!" match booking:

So, Tokyo Sports is reporting that five members of the Stardom roster will be leaving at the end of March. Following the previously reported Giulia are Utami Hayashishita, MIRAI, Mai Sakurai and rookie Yuzuki. All are expected to join Rossy Ogawa's new group, with Giulia eventually moving on to WWE. Earlier this week, Stardom announced that they had signed Saori Anou to a one year "exclusive" contract, although she will still be able to take some outside bookings. Edit: Stardom has officially confirmed the departures.

Stardom president Taro Okada is at Dynamite.

Pretty interesting episode of the Pacific Rim Pro Wrestling Podcast with Jim Valley and Fumi Saito. The points that I took away from it: Rossy's new promotion will be self-funded. No corporate investor, no WWE. Everything is setup on the legal/government end. Title belts already designed and ordered. Wants to try to run big buildings and set up a dojo for the wrestlers to train. Cited Rossy's main reason for leaving as corporate interference. Gave the Halloween show and shows full of gimmick matches (I assume the Showcase shows) as things he hated. Would also have finishes of matches switched on him. Apparently, Bushiroad suits order around the Stardom wrestlers in ways that they don't or wouldn't even try with New Japan wrestlers. Has been approached by about a dozen wrestlers about leaving Stardom. At the start, Rossy will only have six "main event" wrestlers because their contracts will be up by that time. Although it's assumed that the rest will leave when each of their contracts run out at a later date. Fumi went out of his way to say that this is not a Noah-like situation because it has only been the dozen or so wrestlers that have expressed interest in leaving, expects the rest to stay put. Given the size of Stardoms that would still give them about 20 wrestler, give or take. This was a bit confusing but I think out of the wrestlers that are waiting out their contracts there are two "jr. heavyweight" if they were men type wrestlers (I assume he ment High Speed.) "One cute one and one with a hood." Also two "golden rookies." New promotion will have five "American" wrestlers at the start. Rossy wants more foreigners. Mayu Iwatani isn't taking the situation very well but she's under contract. With Bushiroad having just made a movie about her life, they're unlike to let her go early. Giulia gave her notice in November. She wants to move to the U.S. and join WWE but has not signed yet. She must have no understanding of how to use leverage in a contract situation. They mention Tam Nakano staying with the belief that this will allow her to firm up her main event spot with Stardom.

Well on the February 4th show, right before Rossy got fired, it was announced that there would be a IWGP title defense between Mayu Iwatani and Mina Shirakawa on the February 23rd show. The first on a New Japan show in Japan since last April. Then it was announced that Starlight Kid and Ruaka would be on the Fantastica Mania show on the 17th. The first time Stardom wrestlers have had a match against CMLL wrestlers in Japan. So either Rossy was blocking Stardom wrestlers from working New Japan shows or their office didn't want to deal with him.

Tam Nakano has told Tokyo Sports that she is staying in Stardom.

Imagine paying $300 for ringside tickets to that Stardom show Mania weekend...

Don't know for sure, but I would imagine TJPW pays well enough. Maybe some of the lower level members of the roster would still need some sort of side hustle.

Another thing to consider is that Bushiroad is paying everyone on the roster enough to be a wrestler full-time, not needing a second job. If Rossy ends up somewhere that isn't capable of doing that then how many members of the roster are actually going to follow him.

So, theoretical, this would be like Jim Crockett selling JCP to Turner. Then Turner contracting out the booking of WCW back to Crockett for four-ish years but ultimately giving him the boot for trying to steal talent for that WWN/NWA deal that he tried to start up in 1994.

There are many shoes yet to drop. Knowing specific examples of what Meltzer referred to as "outlandish booking decisions" would probably explain a lot.