KAIRI (aka Kairi Sane, Kairi Hojo) will compete in the upcoming tournament to crown the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion.
NJPW and Stardom have announced that KAIRI is the third entrant in the tournament, for the International Bracket. She will compete in the semi-finals after receiving a first round bye.
KAIRI will face the winner of Ava White vs. Alpha Female on Sunday, October 23 at the Stardom Tag League event. The winner will then advance to the tournament finals at the NJPW X STARDOM Historic X-Over joint event on Sunday, November 20 in Tokyo, Japan. The tournament winner will be crowned the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion.
Seven competitors have been announced for the tournament. The Alpha Female vs. White first round match will take place on Sunday, October 2 at Night 2 of the NJPW Royal Quest event in London, England. This will be a part of the International Bracket. The first round participants for the Stardom bracket will be determined by the results of Stardom’s 5 Star Grand Prix. They will do battle on Saturday, October 22 at the Stardom event that night.
KAIRI returned to Stardom in February of this year after her WWE contract expired in December 2021. She returned to Japan in July 2020 and began working as a WWE Ambassador in the country, until her contract expired late last year.
For those who missed it, you can click here for the first look at the IWGP Women’s Title belt. NJPW and Stardom originally announced the new title back in late July. It was then announced that the tournament will begin at Night 2 of Royal Quest II on October 2 in London, and that the quarter-finals will then continue at Stardom’s event on October 22, with the semi-finals taking place on October 23 at the Stardom event. The finals of the tournament will be held at NJPW and Stardom’s Historic X-Over joint show on November 20 in Tokyo. The new IWGP Women’s Champion will then make her first title defense at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on Wednesday, January 4 at the Tokyo Dome.
The IWGP Women’s Title will be defended at events in Japan and the United States, mainly on NJPW shows, but also at top Stardom events. The new title will not replace the main titles used for Stardom – the World of Stardom Title (the Red Belt) and the Wonder of Stardom Title (the White Belt). NJPW also announced earlier this summer how they will begin to feature Stardom women’s matches on NJPW events in the United States while focusing on a “gender-less and more integrated” scene in Japan.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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