You could see greatness in Mayu Iwatani early, as luminous and obvious as a beacon from a lighthouse.

Even as a rough-around-the-edges rookie, it was clear Mayu would connect with people. She exuded likeability. Nimble. Magnetic. Emotive. She was everything one needs to be to thrive in a ring.

And thrive she did.

Iwatani eventually became the ace of STARDOM, the premier joshi promotion today. Along the way, she collected accomplishments in abundance.

Mayu is a Tokyo Sports Women’s Award winner, a three-time winner of STARDOM’s Best Match award, a two-time World of STARDOM champ. She’s held essentially very title in STARDOM. She’s won the Goddess Tag League, the Cinderella, the 5-Star Grand Prix. Beyond that, she’s long been the heart and soul of the promotion.

But how did it all begin?

It starts with the foundation of World Wonder Rings of Stardom, an upstart joshi promotion, in 2011. That January, the company put on its inaugural show, a five-match card in Shin-Kiba 1^st RING. The bout just before the main event featured a skinny, short-haired teenager from Yamaguchi.

Little did we know that kid would go onto to rule this place, to become an icon.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Arisa Hoshiki

Stardom Birth of Nova (January 23)

Like Iwatani and the promotion itself, Hoshiki was a rookie here, too.

It’s striking how baby-faced they both look here. And Iwatani’s overall look is not exactly what we’re used to. Her fighting garb is a pair of shimmery blue dance pants and sneakers with a large yellow star emblazoned on her top. The fuzzy tails and rainbow war paint are nowhere to seen just yet.

It’s not a bad match but not exactly a foreshadowing of all-time greatness.

At times, the exchanges aren’t crisp. Some of the blows aren’t emphatic enough. It looks as if Iwatani is understandably unsure of herself. Her move set is limited at this point. She repeats moves, pulling the same few tools from her toolbox.

But what is a hint of things to come with Mayu is the realness of the struggle we see on the mat.

Iwatani yanks on her opponent’s hair. She howls in frustration. She clamps on Hoshiki’s limbs with pure intensity. There are times where this feels desperate and dramatic, a palpable authenticity bolstering their combat.

A kick to the head from Arisa does Mayu in. The eventual Queen of STARDOM starts things off with a loss, a result that becomes a familiar one in the months ahead.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Mika Nagano

Stardom Debut Series (February 12)

In just her second singles match, Mayu’s already closer to her current self. There’s a touch of comedy. Her timing is better. She’s busting out springboard moves. She seems more comfortable as a whole.

Nagano snatches her up in an armbar and Iwatani is absolutely flailing. It’s a brief sample of Mayu’s selling skills, a hallmark of her later work.

The story is that Nagano is overpowering, overwhelming her. Iwatani is valiant but bullied. It’s a short outing, one that ends with a submission loss for Mayu in just over eight minutes.

Its early goings still, but Iwatani’s potential is clearer.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Nanae Takahashi

Stardom Debut Series (February 27)

Holy shit is Mayu getting good at this wrestling thing fast. This is only her third singles match and she’s already delivering a banger.

She’s right at home in the center of a slugfest. She’s fast, fierce, a cornered animal screaming at Takahashi.

Iwatani holds her own in there with the bruising Takahashi. She fires off some excellent slaps and forearms in a whirlwind of strikes. But she is on a different tier than her foe. For now.

Nanae is stronger. She’s impressively resilient. She takes all of Mayu’s offense and hits back harder. In the end, a nasty splash from the top rope does Mayu in.

That’s an 0-3 start in one-on-one action. But numbers don’t matter so much here unless you count flashes of star power which we’ve seen plenty in just two months.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Arisa Hoshiki vs. Yuzuki Aikawa

Stardom Grows Up Stars (April 24)

This is when you can notice the audience becoming more vocal in support of Mayu. Blue streamers cascaded down to the mat. The cheers for have grown into a real rumbling. Fans are getting behind the lovable loser.

Mayu takes a ton of punishment here. Arisa and Aikawa twist her body, pound her with strikes, even use her as a weapon against her. Yuzuki absolutely clocks her in the head with a roundhouse kick.

Iwatani compels both in the process of absorbing all that abuse and in showing fighting spirit in fending them off.

She’s looking compelling. Everything is dramatic. She’s convincing as someone slugging it out and as an underdog pushing through punishment.

This three-way dance is a fun little match, her best to this point.

Of course, Mayu takes the pin. She’s lost all seven matches before this. STARDOM is clearly going the Kenta Kobashi route with her, building sympathy for her with defeat after defeat.  

Mayu Iwatani vs. Yuzuki Aikawa

Stardom Season 2: Grow Up Stars (May 29)

Ooh! Iwatani has some added nastiness to her attack. Her strikes are on point. She jumps on Aikawa’s leg and kicks it like she wants to break it and have candy bust out of it.

The lovable underdog act is best paired with a potent offense. Iwatani is beginning to put those elements together well.

Overall, her in-ring arsenal is expanding. The pace of her work is quickening. She’s like the rookie NFL quarterback the coach is starting to trust with more pages from the playbook. And she’s nailing them.

Thanks to amped up aggression and a good amount of tension, this match outdid her previous best. She looked most like a threat here even though a murderous knee to the head does her in.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Eri Susa

STARDOM Season 2: Grow Up Stars (June 26)

Mayu faces a young woman who looks like she came to the arena straight from high school, plaid shorts and all.

Right after the bell rings, Iwatani and Susa dropkick each other and we’re off. It’s a fun, well-paced outing. Mayu cracks her forearm on her opponent’s sternum, something’s she mastered over the years. The match features plenty of primal, hard moments.

The matchup is framed as even-Steven despite Mayu being so much taller.

The young athletes go back and forth with flash pin attempts. They trade holds. They are presented as equals. But regardless of the booking, Mayu stands out far more.

She has more presence, delivers more impact. She lands some absolute thudding strikes to the chest, some real battering ram energy blows. On the flip side, Mayu sells an ankle lock as if the move chipped a bone. Classic Mayu.

Yes, there are unpolished moments. There are some minor slips, some moves that don’t quite land, and an awkward drop on Susa’s head. As good as Mayu has been already, she is still less than six months into this and at times we get that reminder.

A flash pin leads to another Mayu loss. Months later, she will however get a chance for revenge in the rookie tournament.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Stardom Season 3 Wonderful Stars 2011 (September 20)

This is the night’s opening match, a familiar spot for Iwatani thus far.

Matsumoto has a substantial strength and size advantage. Mayu initiates a test of strength anyway, though. This is a precursor to the heart the future Icon of STARDOM will show here.

For the most part, Matsumoto overwhelms her. She abuses her, pulls her cheeks apart, dominates. While in control of the action, Matsumoto bends Iwatani’s body and hits big-time backbreakers.

This gives Mayu a chance to show one of her most enduring qualities. The bout turns into a showcase of her inner fire as she shrieks in agony, in defiance.

Still, the inevitable happens. Hiroyo puts away the scrappy challenger, the bulldozer finally toppling the stubborn tree that would not fall. This is a role Mayu looks mighty comfortable with, something that would be key to her success in years to come.

Mayu Iwatani and Io Shirai vs. Nanae Takahashi and Saki Kashima

STARDOM Year End Stars 2011 (December 23)

In a preview of Thunder Rock, Iwatani teams up with Shirai here.

The match is heavily clipped on STARDOM World. In the footage shown, you see a lot of Takahashi and Kashima mercilessly chopping Mayu.

In response, Iwatani tries to use her speed to upend the more powerful Nanae. She’s fast and fluid, and fun to watch. Mayu’s dropkick is a work of art already.

There’s not enough in this edited version of the match to figure out if it’s a legit banger, but it does offer more glimpses of what’s in store for future Mayu. The whole year has seen a natural progression play out as she has grown more confident, more deft, more outstanding.

It’s worth nothing that this ends with a rare win for Mayu, even if Io was the one doing the pinning.  

Conclusion

Mayu’s rookie year saw her form the AMA tag team with Arisa Hoshiki. The duo competed in the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League against women like Yoko Bito, Io Shirai, Saki Kashima, and Takahashi.

Whether competing in singles or tag action, Mayu didn’t taste a whole lot of victory in year one.  In fact, Cagematch.net only lists four team wins for Mayu. As a solo act, it wasn’t until December that she won a singles match when she defeated Eri Susa in the Rookie of the Year tournament.

No, they weren’t a lot of wins, and they were no classic matches in Mayu’s rookie year. Instead, her 2011 offered a window into which fans could see future greatness.

Iwatani displayed so many of the traits that make her a main-event mainstay today. Her charisma, her charm, her swiftness, her heavy-handed strikes were all there in the beginning.

It was very obvious she was going to blossom into something special. No crystal ball needed.

All of these matches are available on STARDOM World.

Bookmark RESURA and come back to see more editions of this ongoing series.