“The phoenix must burn to emerge.”

― Janet Fitch, White Oleander

Following a gutting of its roster, Actwres girl’Z finds itself in a familiar position—in need of rebuilding and rebirth.

Up until Rossy Ogawa’s official unveiling of his new promotion MARIGOLD, on April 15, AWG was having one hell of a year. Mari’s AWG Championship title defenses rocked. CatMASK Calico had a standout, emotional performance in a gauntlet match in January. The tag team scene buzzed with strong showings from various duos.

Then came the press conference.

STARDOM founder Ogawa, decked out in a blaring yellow suit, announced the formation of DREAM STAR FIGHTING Marigold. He then showed off the initial roster for his new joshi promotion.

We expected the names from STARDOM. Utami Hayashishita. Giulia. MIRAI. It was far from a secret that these women were leaving STARDOM to help Rossy build his new brand.

But MARIGOLD wasn’t going to just be an offshoot of STARDOM. It would have plenty of Actwres girl’Z flavor, too. Rossy raided their roster, bringing over a bevy of top AWG stars.  

Kouki. CHIAKI. Chika Goto. Misa Matsui. Miku Aono. Current AWG champ Natsumi Sumikawa. They are all team MARIGOLD now.

Not to mention Rossy took Fuka, AWG’s trainer and producer.  

The number of people departing alone hurts Actwres girl’Z. This isn’t a WWE-sized roster losing six wrestlers. This is the equivalent of an NFL team suddenly without its entire offensive line.

But more than that, AWG is losing some of its biggest names and best talents.

Miku Aono grew into an absolute rock for the company last year. She exudes star power. She kicks ass in the ring. Time and again, she produced top quality bouts. Now Actwres girl’Z cannot turn to her.

Losing her to MARIGOLD would be a leg-crumpling blow on its own, but that’s just the beginning of the punishment.

Matsui is the company’s speed demon, perhaps the most athletic and dynamic act on its card. Her AWG title match against Aono last year was arguably the best of that acclaimed reign. Matsui was well on her way to doing some special things for them.

Losing her stings bad.

And damn does it hurt to have your top champion walk out. Sumikawa is fresh off dethroning Mari. Hers was a reign that had plenty of intrigue. With as much presence and poise as she has, with as skilled as she is in the ring, Sumikawa was bound to be successful in the AWG throne.

Unfortunately, that title reign ended early with a screech and a switch to plan B.

Sumikawa exits alongside many of her stablemates. The Royal was the deepest faction in AWG. They had a main-eventer in Sumikawa, a star primed to be in that spot in Kouki, the dependable bruiser CHIAKI, and the underrated Goto. All of them are gone, leaving that posse legless. The Royal is now just Natsuki alone in a room with a bunch of memories.  

The reality is MARIGOLD is boosted big time by these acquisitions. With these gets, Rossy again shows off his eye for talent.

AWG, meanwhile, has to rethink everything. Crown a new champ. Build a new faction. Figure out who to slide up into that now mostly empty top tier. That’s all long, arduous work.

The bright side, however, is that they’ve done this before.

We are not that far removed from this company doing a complete rebuild. As Issa Marie noted for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, “In 2022, Actwres girl’Z relaunched and reorganized, splitting the company into ‘ACTRING’ and ‘ACTwrestling.’”

AWG branded its talent performers rather than wrestlers, shut down the Color’s and Beginning stables and got rid of names like SAKI and Miyuki Takase as they trimmed their roster to the bone. Uncertainty hung over the whole operation.

What did this move away from wrestling mean? What would the shows look like with so much of the roster’s depth hacked off?

It turns out the wrestling terminology stuff was largely semantic. Yes, there was a focus on dramatic performance in the ring, but this was still wrestling. And quite good wrestling to be exact.

Matsui improved. Aono grew into a real star. Act Yasukawa reinvented herself as a dangerous and graceful warrior who chugs wine before battle.

The factions blossomed thanks to the vibrancy of the characters, the talent they boasted, and the striking aesthetic these groups had going.

Beastz Rebellion were AWG’s bad girls, dark and brooding. Later came, The Royal, a collection of cocky, elegant, immensely skilled women.

The whole place had a buzz to it. There was a newness, a reawakened energy in the air.

For Voices of Wrestling in 2022, Alex Richards wrote, “It is still one of the most entertaining and interesting promotions on the scene.”

And now here we are again, a fog of doubt stretched over Actwres girl’Z. Their supply of star power in severe decline. They must start anew. Again.

As the company rethinks who to spotlight, who to make champ, who they can rely on, the good news is they have options.   

Kanamic is an often-underrated wrestler with just a year of experience. She has a striking personality, a brightness that stands out. And she’s slowly added to her in-ring game.

We saw that on display in her singles bout against Miku Aono at the March AWG show at Korakuen Hall. Kanamic was fiery, aggressive, dynamic.

She’s among the talent sure to get more opportunities after the MARIGOLD exodus.

Natsuki is on that list, as well.

She’s an energetic wrestler who wields a big, winsome smile. Her bright orange gear matches her personality. In the ring, Natsuki has shown she can bring it in singles matches against Mari, Matsui,and Sumikawa.

She has that ideal blend of personality and physical ability that leads to success in AWG.

Actwres girl’Z also still has someone who it knows can be an anchor in Mari.

She’s a former AWG champ, an imposing figure in ninja-inspired garb, a woman with absolutely punishing kicks. In terms of style and presentation, she’s the Miyu Yamashita of this promotion.

Add the compelling babyface CatMASK Calico, and Act, the veteran with a snappy gimmick, complete with blindfold and sword. Then assume that a few of the lesser-known names are sure to develop and rise to the occasion. It’s easier to feel optimistic about what’s ahead.

It will not be easy to thrive with a thinned-out roster. But AWG has enough talent it can move from the bench to starting roles to give it momentum right away.

It’s also a place that allows wrestlers to grow. It puts unpolished folks in positions that force them to learn. You get chances with this company early on, and you simply have to sink or swim. That will be even more true with so many main eventers heading to MARIGOLD, leaving space open for new stars to rise.  

It is not time to ring the funeral bells for Actwres girl’Z. Wrestling is an ever-changing landscape where its inhabitants must evolve and adapt. AWG has done that and will do it again.

It will play the phoenix once more, a bird bathed in fire as fans watch intently to see what is forged in those flames.