NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 To Feature Stardom Talent

By Daniel Yanofsky

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 14 will have a different feel to it, as female wrestlers will have a prominent role. Stardom announced that the promotion will be featured on the two-day event on January 4 and 5.

"BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Stardom will have a match at Wrestle Kingdom 14!"

It was previously reported in October that Bushiroad, NJPW's parent company, had purchased the all-woman's Japanese promotion. A deal between Bushiroad's Takaaki Kitani and Stardom's Rossy Ogawa wasn't completed until August following a meeting in April. In a press conference, it was announced that World Wonder Ring Stardom will not exist following December 1. One of the perks of the deal was full-time contracts for the wrestlers.

"We will create contracts with each wrestler," Bushiroad stated. "We want to create an environment where the wrestlers can concentrate on pro wrestling, and we are expecting to bring in excellent wrestlers from all over the world. We would like to listen to the thoughts of each wrestler and take those thoughts into account when creating this new work environment."

The news comes at a surprise, considering that Dave Meltzer reported on F4WOnline that both NJPW and Stardom would be ran completely separate from one another. He did note that if there was a need by New Japan for women's matches during foreign shows, something may be able to work out.

As of now, no official match announcement has been made. Founded in 2010, Stardom has featured names like Io Shirai, Toni Storm, Bea Priestley, Hana Kimura, Kagetsu, and Mayu Iwatani.

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