Maika, the “Empress” of women’s pro wrestling promotion Stardom, is looking beyond a victory in the “5★STAR GP 2026” tournament. However, her sights are not set on the World Championship… instead, she is eyeing a challenge for the STRONG Women’s Championship.
Having achieved the first-ever undefeated tournament victory in the 2024 edition, Maika is competing in the midsummer festival for the first time in two years following a prolonged absence. At the August 19th Korakuen Hall show, she defeated Saya Iida to secure her spot in the final four, bringing her one step closer to a comeback tournament victory.
Traditionally, the tournament winner goes on to challenge for the World Championship, the promotion’s highest prize. However, when speaking to the press, the Empress firmly denied following this path, stating, “I’ll just say this: the belt I’m targeting isn’t the Red one.”
She revealed her true intentions, showing a particular interest in the STRONG Championship: “The two belts I want to challenge for are ones that can truly shine on a global stage… Well, you can probably guess I mean either the IWGP [Women’s] or the STRONG title.”
The STRONG title is currently held by US-based AEW wrestler Alex Windsor. The last time the belt was defended was Windsor’s V1 match against Saya Iida (April, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA).
Dreaming of becoming a “champion who flies around the world,” Maika explained her shift in direction: “My personal philosophy is that the Red Belt shines brightest when it’s held domestically in Japan.” Building on that, she aggressively made her case for the global title: “Right now, isn’t everyone thinking, ‘Wait, who even holds the STRONG title?’ The belt itself would be a lot happier with me than with someone who carelessly neglects it like that.”
Furthermore, citing Saya Kamitani—who expanded the promotion’s name recognition as World Champion last year—Maika revealed that her resolve is also fueled by a sense of rivalry. “I wasn’t able to create that kind of momentum myself, which is exactly why I want to broadcast to the world and make Stardom go viral globally.”
By breaking away from the “expected path,” can the Empress lead the promotion to new horizons?
Translator’s Notes
- The “Expected Path” (既定路線): The article heavily references the longstanding tradition where the winner of the 5★STAR Grand Prix uses their victory to challenge for the World of Stardom Championship, much like the G1 Climax winner in NJPW. Maika rejecting this “status quo” is the core hook of the Tokyo Sports headline.
- The “Red Belt” (赤いベルト): Maika’s colloquial reference to the World of Stardom Championship. She contrasts its domestic importance with the international touring nature of the NJPW STRONG and IWGP Women’s Championships.
- V1: A common Japanese wrestling shorthand for “Victory 1,” referring to a champion’s first successful title defense.
- US/AEW’s Alex Windsor (米国・ＡＥＷのアレックス・ウィンザー): While Western fans might traditionally associate Windsor with the UK scene or RevPro who makes a transatlantic commute every week for AEW and ROH tapings, Tokyo Sports distinctly bills her here as an AEW-affiliated wrestler based in the US, likely to emphasize the overseas, global nature of the STRONG belt to their Japanese readership.
- “Go Viral” (バズらせたい): Maika uses the Japanese slang bazurasetai (from the English word “buzz”). In modern contexts, especially regarding global reach and social media momentum, translating this as wanting to make Stardom “go viral globally” perfectly captures her intent to aggressively market the promotion overseas.