Mayu Iwatani

Mayu Iwatani

Iwatani in August 2014
Birth name Mayu Iwatani
Born (1993-02-19) February 19, 1993[1][2][3]
Mine, Yamaguchi[1][2][3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Mayu Iwatani
Mayuchica[4]
Mayuchika[5]
Mayucica[6]
Yurei[7]
Billed height 162 cm (5 ft 4 in)[1][2]
Billed weight 52 kg (115 lb)[1][2]
Trained by Fuka[8]
Nanae Takahashi[8]
Debut January 23, 2011[1][2]

Mayu Iwatani (岩谷 麻由 Iwatani Mayu, ring name: 岩谷 麻優) (born February 19, 1993)[1] is a Japanese professional wrestler. Ever since making her debut in January 2011, she has worked for the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, becoming a one-time Wonder of Stardom Champion, one-time High Speed Champion, one-time Goddess of Stardom Champion and a three-time Artist of Stardom Champion, while also having won the 2015 and 2016 Cinderella Tournaments. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has called Iwatani and her fellow Stardom workers Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo "three of the best wrestlers in the world".[9]

Early life

Iwatani grew up on the countryside of Mine, Yamaguchi with her family, which includes two older brothers. In primary school, she practiced judo and high jump, but in high school, she began isolating herself from society, spending three years mostly indoors. After quitting high school, she fell in love with professional wrestling after seeing a Dragon Gate event. She contacted Fuka, the general manager of the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, who were looking for new wrestlers, and eventually moved to Tokyo in 2010 to pursue a career in professional wrestling.[10][11][12][13]

Professional wrestling career

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2011–present)

Iwatani in March 2013

Iwatani was part of Stardom's first class of trainees.[2] She made her professional wrestling debut at the promotion's inaugural event on January 23, 2011, facing fellow debutante Arisa Hoshiki.[1] Afterwards, Iwatani and Hoshiki formed a tag team named AMA,[14] which became one of Stardom's most popular acts.[15][16] Desptite her popularity, Iwatani was the last of the class one trainees to obtain a win in a professional wrestling ring. In June, she was defeated by Eri Susa, the other winless Stardom trainee, and subsequently became known as Stardom's weakest wrestler.[12] Iwatani was winless for the first eleven months of her career, before finally defeating Susa in a rematch on December 25, 2011.[14] Afterwards, Iwatani and Hoshiki became part of Io Shirai's "Planet" stable, along with Natsumi Showzuki.[17]

Following Hoshiki's retirement from professional wrestling in June 2012,[18] Iwatani began teaming with Io Shirai under the team name "Thunder Rock".[19][20] She also became part of a stable named Tawashis with Hiroyo Matsumoto and Miho Wakizawa.[21] The three went on to win the Artist of Stardom Championship on December 29, 2013, by defeating Alpha Female, The Female Predator "Amazon" and Kyoko Kimura.[22] On July 27, 2014, Iwatani won her first singles title, when she defeated her teammate Miho Wakizawa for the vacant Wonder of Stardom Championship.[23] After a record-setting eight-month reign, Tawahis lost the Artist of Stardom Championship to Hatsuhinode Kamen, Kaori Yoneyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki on August 10, 2014.[24] On January 18, 2015, Iwatani lost the Wonder of Stardom Championship to Act Yasukawa.[25]

On April 23, 2015, Iwatani won the first annual Cinderella Tournament, defeating Koguma in the finals.[26][27] As a result, Iwatani was granted a shot at Stardom's top title, the World of Stardom Championship, but was defeated by the defending champion, Kairi Hojo, on May 17.[28] On May 6, Iwatani and Io Shirai, Thunder Rock, defeated Chelsea and Kairi Hojo to win the vacant Goddess of Stardom Championship.[29] On October 11, Iwatani defeated Rosa Negra to also win the High Speed Championship.[30] During their tag team title reign, Thunder Rock also won the 2015 Goddesses of Stardom Tag Tournament.[31] On February 28, 2016, Iwatani became a triple champion, when she, Shirai and Kairi Hojo, billed together as "Threedom" (a combination of the words "Three" and "Stardom"), defeated Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kellie Skater for the Artist of Stardom Championship.[32] In April, Iwatani, along with Hojo and Shirai, traveled to the United States to take part in events held by Lucha Underground and Vendetta Pro Wrestling.[33] On April 29, Iwatani won her second Cinderella Tournament in a row, defeating Hiroyo Matsumoto in the finals.[34] As a result, Iwatani received another shot at the World of Stardom Championship, but was defeated by Io Shirai on May 15.[35] After setting records for both the longest reign and most successful title defenses, Iwatani and Shirai lost the Goddess of Stardom Championship to Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura in their 11th title defense on June 16.[36][37] On October 2, Threedom lost the Artist of Stardom Championship to Hana Kimura, Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura in their third defense.[38][39] On November 11, both Thunder Rock and Threedom were dissolved, when Shirai turned on Iwatani, after the two had lost to Hojo and Yoko Bito in the finals of the 2016 Goddesses of Stardom Tag League.[40][41]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 〜スターダムのアイコン〜 岩谷麻優. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). May 21, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 スターダム３人娘が“お悩み”相談「教えて！ブル先生」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 5, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 【各界の著名人&関係者に直撃！】『Super J-Cup』優勝予想大アンケート！（スターダム編）【SJ16】. New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ 2015年10月25日　Stardom Mask Fiesta2015～Halloween Party～. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). October 25, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  5. ↑ "2014年10月26日　「Stardom Mask Fiesta2014」～Halloween Party～　新木場1stRing". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). October 26, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Season11~". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  7. ↑ Moore, John (December 1, 2016). "11/30 Moore's Lucha Underground TV Review: Pentagon Jr. vs The Black Lotus Triad in a Gauntlet, Japanese stars Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, and Mayu Iwatani make their debut, Matanza speaks". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Mayu Iwatani". Wrestlingdata. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  9. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (April 8, 2016). "News Update: New ROH PPV dates; UFC drug test failure". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ スターダム３冠王者・岩谷「重度の引きこもりだった」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 9, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  11. ↑ 私を救ってくれたドラゲーの激闘. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 15, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 最弱と呼ばれても...岩谷麻優、いつか見つける青い鳥. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. March 25, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  13. ↑ 【スターダム】岩谷麻優「牛丼屋で突然決断！これが私の数ある脱走劇の幕開け」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Stars". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ "News 2011年7月~12月". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ １５歳＆１８歳の若さと勢いでリーグ戦をかき回す！＝スターダム 星輝ありさ＆岩谷麻優『女-ＡＭＡ-』独占インタビュー. Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. October 6, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Season5~". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  18. ↑ スターダムの星輝ありさが活動休止. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Season9~". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  20. ↑ 宝城＆翔月の三期生コンビがナナミホから大金星！本命・川葛がサンダーロックに敗れ、タッグリーグ波乱の幕開け！. Battle News (in Japanese). October 27, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  21. ↑ スターダム「たわしーず」を本家本元の会社がサポート. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). January 24, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  22. ↑ JWP中島との二冠戦に引き分けたイオに新ハイスピード王者の夏樹が挑戦表明！たわしーずが涙の6人タッグ王座奪取！. Battle News (in Japanese). December 29, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  23. ↑ 2014年7月27日　Shining stars2014. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  24. ↑ "2014年8月10日　Stardom × Stardom2014". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). August 10, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  25. ↑ 2015年1月18日　スターダム4周年記念日. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). January 18, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  26. ↑ 【スターダム】シンデレラ・トーナメントは岩谷麻優が優勝「世IV虎の思い背負った」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 24, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  27. ↑ 岩谷麻優、同期の世IV虎に送るＶ. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. April 23, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  28. ↑ 傷心初防衛のカイリに強敵里村が挑戦表明. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  29. 1 2 "2015年5月6日　Golden Week Stars2015". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  30. ↑ 2015年10月11日　Appeal The Heat2015～心の叫び～. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). October 11, 2015. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  31. 1 2 2015年11月8日　Goddesses of Stardom～タッグトーナメント2015～. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). November 8, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  32. ↑ 2016年2月28日　大阪大会. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). February 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  33. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (April 10, 2016). "Big Lucha Underground Aztec Warfare 3 spoiler". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  34. ↑ 【スターダム】岩谷麻優「シンデレラＴ」連覇　４冠王へ５・１５紫雷イオに挑戦. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 29, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  35. ↑ 【スターダム】紫雷イオがＶ４　岩谷撃破も最大級の賛辞「どんだけ化けんだよ」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 15, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  36. ↑ イオ＆岩谷組 王座陥落でアフロ刑. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  37. ↑ Radican, Sean (June 22, 2016). "Radican's Playlist Vol. 2 – Big Match Highlights from AAW, ROH, Beyond Wrestling, Stardom". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  38. ↑ 2016年10月2日　新木場大会. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). October 2, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  39. ↑ 【スターダム】木村響子＆花　極悪母娘が６人タッグ王座奪取. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  40. ↑ 2016年11月11日　Goddesses of Stardom2016~タッグリーグ戦~. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  41. ↑ イオ乱心？！ まさかの造反劇で優勝決定戦ブチ壊し. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  42. ↑ 里村Ｖ1！スターダム・仙台女子抗争は最終局面に. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). November 16, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  43. ↑ 【スターダム】紫雷イオ、宝城カイリ、岩谷麻優が語る「関西本格進出」の意味. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  44. 1 2 スターダム最新テーマ曲＆選手の歌入りCDアルバム全容. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). March 11, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  45. ↑ 2015年9月23日　5★Star GP2015～シングルの覇者決定～. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). September 23, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  46. ↑ "2014年9月23日　5★Star GP2014　最終戦　後楽園ホール". World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). September 23, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  47. 1 2 2015年12月26日　スターダム・アワード2015発表会＆安川惡斗引退記念パーティーが開かれました. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). December 27, 2015. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  48. ↑ 2014年12月27日　スターダム忘年会＆脇澤美穂プロレス生活謝恩会が開かれました. World Wonder Ring Stardom (in Japanese). December 28, 2014. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.

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