Stardom to become fully owned subsidiary of NJPW this June

NJPW and Stardom are making a move to increase operational efficiency between the two promotions.

It was announced today that Stardom will become a fully owned subsidiary of NJPW starting on June 28. The parent company of both promotions is Bushiroad, which acquired women's wrestling organization Stardom in 2019.

The goal of the reorganization is to "improve operating efficiency and reduce redundancies within Bushiroad’s sports unit."

NJPW wrote:

At a meeting of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s board of directors April 22, it was determined that NJPW will fully acquire all stakes in Bushiroad Fight Co. Ltd. (henceforth 'Bushiroad Fight,' due to rename itself STARDOM Co. Ltd. from June 28) from parent company Bushiroad Inc. With this acquisition, Bushiroad Fight will become a fully owned subsidiary of New Japan Pro-Wrestling effective June 28.

NJPW English-language commentator Chris Charlton explained how better operational efficiency could benefit fans:

While this isn’t a ‘front of house’ affecting situation, it is great news for fans indirectly. Operational efficiency = no tripping over one another with big events on the same day, better/more effective cross promotion, and better ways for the whole family to experience pro wrestling.

NJPW's announcement included statements from Taro Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi, the respective presidents of Stardom and NJPW. Okada said:

Since STARDOM joined the Bushiroad Group in 2019, our co-operation with New Japan Pro-Wrestling has seen STARDOM matches in the Tokyo Dome, the establishment of the IWGP and NJPW STRONG Women’s Championships, and our first co-promoted event in November 2022. Now more than four years into this relationship, and with changes being undertaken in the management and operating structure of the company, there was a desire for a stronger connection between our offices, which is being put into place with this announcement. I hope we can find new ways to show the world just how impressive Japanese pro-wrestling can be, and as athletes in both STARDOM and NJPW rings continue to push new boundaries, we look forward to your continued support.

Tanahashi said:

Our fans have seen a lot of crossover between NJPW and STARDOM with our co-promoted event, as well as the IWGP and STRONG Women’s titles, but there is still a lot that can be done to strengthen connections between our companies behind the scenes. From arranging event schedules and building reservations to make sure fans have time to take in big matches from both companies, to improving our promotional efforts and sponsor acquisition, I’m excited at the opportunity to further both NJPW and STARDOM’s appeal to a broader audience. This acquisition will speed up decision making processes and improve our operating efficiency, freeing both companies up to further professional wrestling in the eyes and hearts of fans in Japan and worldwide. I look forward to fans’ continued support of both NJPW and STARDOM.