I feel like there are a couple of top companies in Japan
when it comes to women's pro wrestling,
and Stardom is the pinnacle.
In the States, female wrestling kind of piggybacked as
side story to accompany the main male characters.
Here, it's been looked at more as a sport.
You gotta watch your hand placement 'cause
you're gonna hit yourself in the face like that.
- Yeah, oh, sorry. - No, no, no, it's not.
I did have a little notion of what wrestling was like
in the States because in my head,
I thought wrestling was just tall, busty women
coming at each other and then grappling on the ground
and then, I don't know,
sometimes mud is thrown on them.
Women's pro wrestling has a
complicated and challenging history.
While there's always been incredibly talented
female wrestlers, their in-ring skills were often
valued less than their sex appeal.
In North America, many promoters look to
modeling agencies and swimsuit calendars
for their female talent.
Japan had a very similar system,
yet achieved a very different result.
While many of the country's biggest female stars,
as far back as the 1970s, started out as models,
actors, or pop stars, Japan's intensive
Joshi Puroresu dojo-style training system,
transformed them into some of the
world's best wrestlers.
In my humble opinion, it's amongst the
greatest wrestling ever, period.
Japanese women's wrestling is still amongst the world's best.
Leading the charge is the relatively new
independent promotion, Stardom.
I'm in Tokyo to learn firsthand why young and
ambitious female wrestlers the world over see Stardom
as the launching pad to the main stages
of women's wrestling.
For years, fans that have come to Korakuen Hall have
lined up on the staircase in anticipation of the
show they're about to see.
And while they were doing it,
they've sat here and
wrestlers that they're excited to see,
events they're excited for.
And it's incredible to think of the unbelievable
historical matches these people got to see.
It's a lot of stairs.
What is it about the women in Stardom that is more
appealing than the women's wrestling that's going on
in America right now?
And so, do you-- you go and see other wrestling as well?
Only Stardom?
Oh!
Are all you big Stardom fans?
- - Whoa!
Oh! A title change!
♪
I don't think he necessarily cares too much or
too little about anyone, really.
I think he's mostly just a business man.
I don't think he dislikes me.
I don't think he necessarily cares for me either;
that's how he feels about most people,
except that he can see who makes him
more money or profit.
He's okay with whatever you do
as long as you show up to practice.
As long as you work, he doesn't really care.
I've yet to see any other wrestlers train with the
intensity and consistency shown by the Stardom squad.
On top of their own individual workout regimes,
they train together five days a week for at least
two-and-a-half hours each day.
You have to be incredibly disciplined,
I would imagine.
Have you seen women that have come through and
not be able to cut it and have left?
Yeah.
Mentally, physically, emotionally,
they weren't prepared for the amount of sweat and work.
Fuka is the General Manager of Stardom,
but she also trains all the new girls.
Fuka Kakimoto is a former professional wrestler,
mixed martial artist, and model.
Known to her many adoring fans simply as Fuka,
she is one of the company's most beloved idols.
Given that you're a lot of these women's teacher,
does it ever make you nervous before they
go out and wrestle?
She drills really hard; she has high expectations.
In a sense, she is like a Ogawa because it is
about the money, but she does take care of the girls.
Ah!
After having lived in Japan and seeing the limited roles
that women get to play, seeing strong women
perform in the ring...
Oh!
And showcase such raw emotion...
...That really moved me.
So, looking back four years ago,
what was it about Mayu that first attracted you to her,
made you a fan of hers?
Look at that!
Did you make this?
- Beautiful work. -
Mayu Iwatani is one of Stardom's top babyfaces and
the only remaining wrestler from the company's original roster.
Just last year, the highly regarded Wrestling Observer
newsletter touted Mayu alongside her fellow
Stardom workers of Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo
as three of the best wrestlers in the world.
Soon after, Io and Kairi left Stardom to pursue
offers from the WWE, briefly leaving Mayu
as Stardom's only ace.
Last year there was a major shift in the Stardom roster
and you were suddenly thrust into a position where
you had to carry the company on your back.
What's it like...
being the ace of a company?
And what kind of pressure does that bring with it?
Top rope.
What's she gonna do?
Ah!
Oh!
Oh, whoa!
You're not originally from Tokyo, are you?
What was it like, then, moving from like a place
that small to one of the biggest cities in the world?
So how long have you lived in Japan now?
Ah, in October it'll be five years.
It seems like a place that would be...
almost seemingly impenetrable for an outsider.
There's no real permanent place that's crafted for foreigners.
Everyone kind of expects you to leave
after a certain amount of time.
Kris Wolf is an American-born graphic designer and
photographer, who came to Japan on a whim.
Unlike almost every other wrestler I've met,
she wasn't a fan of wrestling and
only started training in her late 20s.
Three years later, she's become an integral part of
the company, helping her fellow foreign wrestlers
adjust to life in Japan and the Stardom system.
I wore makeup because I wanted to try it out 'cause
all the foreign wrestlers were wearing makeup,
and then everyone was like, "Kris, what the fuck?
Why don't you wear makeup all the time?"
And I said, 'cause I'm lazy.
And that's the story of makeup.
Right, Fuka-san?
Yep, yep.
I try.
My character is hungry, angry, and energetic.
And, for a little bit,
I get to be myself and let it all out.
This is quite nice, actually. Thank you.
- - Ah!
Oh god. I spoke too soon.
Yes!
Toni Storm and Xia Brookside are two young wrestlers
from outside Japan who have been marked for success.
Toni, just 21 years old, is widely considered
one of the top talents in the world.
As the daughter of Robbie Brookside,
a highly successful wrestler and talent developer,
Xia comes from wrestling royalty.
It would seem to me this would be the
best place on earth to wrestle.
Being in Tokyo is like being in a wrestling bubble,
like a little wrestling dreamland.
If you're a wrestling fan it's not as accepted as it here.
Over here, it's just like any other sport.
Being a fan of wrestling everywhere and
watching it everywhere, the thing about
Japanese wrestling is it just seems like it's a...
a different kind of training approach.
I feel like it's so much more intense,
like, especially, like-- as well,
not exactly knowing what they're even saying.
The hardest part is the language barrier, definitely.
So that's what I meant about...
the ah, communication issue.
I'm in, like, the group chat for the Japanese girls and stuff,
but I still do feel kind of outside of it.
But, I think that's just kind of the nature of
being a foreigner in Japan.
It's really hard for a foreigner to
live here and feel accepted.
I don't feel like I have a place here,
and I don't think it's because it's malicious or anything.
They don't have a place for foreigners because
they don't normally have foreigners in the system.
Dealing with the other way that people kind of get
started at Stardom is that kampai system
that you mentioned.
- Ah, the...? - Kam, kam...
Kanpai is when you drink.
Oh, sorry. What's it called? What's the, ah...
- Senpai-kohai system. - Senpai-kohai system
- - Hello.
The senpai kohai system has existed since
the beginning of Japanese history.
At its core, it's a philosophy that aims to
create an educational relationship,
not unlike that of a western-style
master and apprentice.
The system strives to eliminate internal competition,
and to reinforce the unity of the organization
as a whole, in this case, Stardom.
Some of these kids are, obviously,
already in the ring, very advanced,
and there are a few kids here that look newer to
the process of starting becoming a professional wrestler.
You get pushed up as new girls come in...
You can become a senpai regardless of your skill,
it's just time.
And that's basically universal throughout
Japanese culture, like, in all sports systems,
in all businesses.
In some cases, the senpai-kohai relationship
can lead to a very rigid hierarchy,
resulting in bullying, hazing, and violence.
In 2015, this manifested itself between Stardom wrestlers,
Act Yasukwa and Yoshiko Hirano,
when their World of Stardom championship match
turned into a horrific shoot.
In the end, it has been said that Act was
conducting herself too far outside of
the senpai-kohai system for
the tastes of some of her senior wrestlers.
The brutality and raw emotion of the match was a
clear indicator to Stardom that the hierarchy
had been taken too far.
The culture itself is...
effective, clean, strong,
but inside the individual is the one that
suffers because they're constantly
thinking about the wellbeing of the group...
and the performance.
It's also, like, what about the person's soul?
Fuck, no wonder people go mad.
Thank you.
We're in the Stardom merchandise room
where all the wrestlers are signing autographs.
Every single dude that was in that hall is
in this room right now.
Another thing you can't help but notice in this room is
the amount of men here lined up with gift bags
to give these wrestlers.
The flip side of these wrestlers being given gifts
is the fact that the young wrestlers here are also
getting given gifts by the same men.
And these are older men giving them gifts.
Watching Azumi, a 14-year-old wrestler,
receive gifts from middle aged men and sell them
photos of herself in revealing outfits,
it's hard not to feel weird...
But at Stardom, it's business as usual.
While I've been told there's nothing inherently sexual
about the fans' interest in the wrestlers,
there's an element of objectification that worries me.
AZM, or Azumi,
is one of Stardom's youngest wrestlers.
She began training at 12 years old.
Now 14, she's a constant presence at their shows,
both as a wrestler in the ring,
and a member of the Hail the Queens faction.
- Ah! -
What do your teachers think about this other profession
and the fact that you have chosen profession so young?
Oh!
I'd say in Japan the average fan is 30 to late 40s.
Maybe 90% male. 95% male.
Spend any time in Japan, especially at women's
wrestling events, and you'll be surrounded by kawaii.
In its simplest sense, the word means 'cuteness'.
But kawaii is much more than just
it's a deeply complex cultural phenomenon.
Kawaii's origins date back to the 1970s.
It started as a style of intentionally childlike
handwriting, but quickly evolved into a multi-faceted
youth movement opposing the strict and depersonalized
culture of post war Japan.
Realizing there was a profit to be made,
entertainment companies began manufacturing kawaii
for mass consumption.
This gave birth to the idol, essentially a manufactured
avatar of all things cute.
It's that pure love where they can really worship that
person and never feel expected to do anything or
feel rejected, so it's kind of safe.
The popularity of idols ties into the low rate of
romantic relationships in Japan.
Idols are a way for some men to feel love and devotion
without any chance of rejection.
This devotion ensures the survival of the idols.
To be perfectly kawaii is to possess
no negative traits at all.
This place's incredible pressure on the young,
often under-aged wrestlers of Stardom to live up to the
impossible demands of their most devoted fans.
Is there ever pressure?
Do you feel that pressure ever?
When you see these streamers being thrown in the ring,
and you see the lineups for given wrestlers after the show,
how do you think these kinds of pressures
affect your daughter?
Ah!
Jungle Kyona spent two years in Senegal volunteering for
an NGO before deciding to become a wrestler.
Unlike most of her peers, she had a career before wrestling
that she sacrificed start training with Stardom.
She's developed an almost motherly role at the dojo,
helping to train the younger wrestlers.
Ah!
Yay!
Sorry.
Who are you rooting for? Who's your number one?
Jungle.
Tough loss for Jungle today though.
Whoa!
What did you think the first time you were hit in that ring?
Oh... fuck.
One hit, you go a bit numb.
Second hit, you're already numb.
And then it's just like, from then on,
you feel it, but it's like your body's already
kind of like blocked it, like mentally blocked it.
At the end of the day, wrestling is a combat sport.
And, coming along with that are
the risks of injury.
Was that something you kind of were aware of,
coming in here?
This is Mil Mascaras' ring cloak.
He would have worn this to the ring.
Mister Ogawa, obviously, has a huge passion for lucha,
and has collected one of the finest collections
I've gotten to see since we've been out here doing this.
I recognize that face immediately.
That's the thing, is like, not only do you collect
wrestling history, you produce wrestling history.
You've seen a lot of changes in wrestling in your time.
You've been in this for long enough that
you're no longer starting out.
You're now one of the top women in this company.
Is it something that you want to stick with?
I don't know. I...
It's always been really hard for me to see the future.
Agh!
I really admire people who know what they want to do
with their life, but I feel like I want to do everything,
so it's hard for me to say if wrestling is my call.
But I know I worked so hard for it,
to get to where I am right now.
I know I don't really have the passion for just wrestling,
but there is something about wrestling
that I am addicted to.
Oh!
What a match!
Mayu! Mayu!