Participants In STARDOM's Cinderella Tournament Revealed

By Dylan Murray
Mina Shirakawa Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Fames joshi promotion World Wonder Ring STARDOM is known to hold tournaments multiple times throughout the year to keep things interesting. With the recent introduction of the Triangle Derby, STARDOM now presents four major tournaments per year, with two designated for individuals, one for tag teams, and one for trios. While STARDOM's most recent singles tournament saw Giulia defeat Tam Nakano to win the 2022 5STAR Grand Prix back in October, it is once again time for singles competitors to take the stage when the 2023 Cinderella Tournament begins on March 26.

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The single-elimination Cinderella Tournament has been a recurring fixture on the STARDOM schedule since its debut in 2015 and has since become a springtime tradition for the company. This year's tournament will be the biggest singles tournament that STARDOM has ever done, with 36 participants planned for the 9th annual tournament. Of these 36, 34 competitors were revealed at the STARDOM 12th Anniversary Supreme Fight event on February 4, while two entrants remain unknown at this time.

The 34 announced members of the tournament are as follows:

  • MIRAI (2022 Winner)

  • Saya Kamitani (2021 Winner)

  • Giulia (2020 Winner)

  • Momo Watanabe (2018 Winner)

  • Mayu Iwatani (2015/2016 Winner)

  • Utami Hayashishita

  • AZM

  • Hazuki

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  • Koguma

  • Momo Kohgo

  • Tam Nakano

  • Natsupoi

  • Thekla

  • Mai Sakurai

  • Maika

  • Himeka

  • Lady C

  • Hina

  • Miyu Amasaki

  • Natsuko Tora

  • Mina Shirakawa

  • Mariah May

  • Ami Sourei

  • Tomoka Inaba

  • Ruaka

  • Rina

  • Syuri

  • Starlight Kid

  • Haruka Umesaki

  • Saki Kashima

  • Saya Iida

  • Hanan

  • Nanae Takahashi

  • Yuna Mizumori

Who will the final two entrants?

MIRAI holding 2022 Cinderella Tournament trophy Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

While it is unknown when the two unannounced participants will be unveiled, some notable admissions could potentially fill the final two slots. While outsiders such as Haruka Umesaki and Tomoka Inaba will appear in this year's tournament, other frequently used freelancers like Suzu Suzuki, Yuu, and SAKI are unaccounted for. Furthermore, Cosmic Angels members Waka Tsukiyama and Unagi Sayaka are also absent from the lineup, making Tam Nakano, Natsupoi, and Mina Shirakawa the group's only representatives in this year's tournament.

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Another possibility is that the final two members of the tournament could be competitors from overseas. With the recent arrival of Mariah May and Kilynn King teasing that she will be appearing for STARDOM at some point this year, the Cinderella Tournament could see the long-awaited arrival of more foreign talent in 2023 — perhaps even former multi-time WWE women's champion Mercedes Moné, who debuted at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom event back in January.

For those unaware, the winner of the Cinderella Tournament is presented with a dress, a tiara, and a "wish" of their choosing as their prize. While this could theoretically be anything, the wish has only ever been used to grant the winner a championship match at a date of their choosing. While the previous winners have traditionally sought either the World of Stardom or Wonder of Stardom Championships after their victory, the introduction of the IWGP Women's Championship could add an interesting wrinkle to this year's Cinderella Tournament.

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