Rossy Ogawa, the founder of and Executive Producer of STARDOM Wrestling, has been cut from the promotion with immediate effect.
Bushiroad, the parent company of STARDOM and New Japan Pro Wrestling, issued a statement on Monday announcing the news. According to a statement issued by Bushiroad:
“We have recently become aware that Mr. Rossy Ogawa has been poaching a number of Stardom athletes and staff members, and we have decided to terminate this agreement.”
This is a major shakeup to the Japanese women’s wrestling scene that will bring far-reaching ramifications. A talent exodus could be coming, because many STARDOM wrestlers are loyal to Ogawa. According to the Wrestling Observer, Bushiroad was of the mindset that Ogawa was as going to leave and start his own company with a lot of the Stardom talent.
Bushiroad ‘sincerely apologized’ for any concerns fans may now have regarding Stardom’s future and vow to ‘make concerted efforts to further develop Stardom and to deliver excitement to our fans.’
AEW President Tony Khan apparently shares this view, and tweeted out the following .GIF in response to the news of Ogawa’s exit.
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) February 5, 2024
Who will replace Ogawa?
Taro Okada and Oyama, the Bushiroad Fight merchandise manager, will immediately take over as the bookers for STARDOM. Neither has any previous experience as bookers, though Okada was part of a pro wrestling club that held matches during his college days.
