STARDOM’s annual Cinderella Tournament has been a fun event since its inception back in 2015. The 5-Star Grand Prix serves as the main tournament in STARDOM, on a similar scale to New Japan’s G1 Climax. The Cinderella Tournament acts as a secondary tournament with decently high stakes, just not on the same level as the 5-Star. 

The winner of this single-elimination tournament earns a “wish,” which has usually been represented as a title match. Most winners have chosen to challenge for the White Belt, though there have been a few times the Red Belt was picked. There have been 11 tournaments with nine winners between them, so let’s waste no further time, discuss, and rank all of the Cinderella winners and the title match they received.

11. Giulia (Cinderella) vs. Tam Nakano (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ Cinderella Summer in Tokyo

Shockingly, a match between Tam Nakano and Giulia places last out of all the Cinderella wish matches that have taken place. Giulia earned this match by beating Natsuko Tora in the finals of the 2020 Cinderella Tournament. The Wonder of STARDOM title would be vacant, though, as Arisa Hoshiki had to retire due to her accumulating injuries.

Tam Nakano would be chosen to challenge for the vacant title alongside Giulia, a one-on-one match that fans hadn’t yet seen. Viewers have claimed that this match didn’t have the amount of heat that STARDOM tried to pretend there was. People have also pointed out that Giulia was a bit more on the sloppy side, maybe having an off night for whatever reason.

Giulia would pick up the win via referee’s decision and officially became the third person to succeed with their wish. The reign Giulia ended up having with the White Belt was outstanding and lasted a total of 220 days. It came to an end by Tam at the 10th Anniversary show in a match that was a complete 180 from the Cinderella Summer match they had.

10. Sayaka Kurara (Cinderella) vs. Saya Kamitani (World Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen

This is the most recent edition of the Cinderella Wish as Sayaka Kurara announced her plan to challenge the winner of Saya Kamitani and Tam Nakano after All-Star Grand Queendom. Sayaka won the tournament in a good match against Rina, while Saya would retain the title in Tam’s final STARDOM match.

With the stage set for Saya vs. Sayaka, it was confirmed they would face off at STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen. The match ended up being a decent showcase for Sayaka and the improvements she has made as a wrestler in recent times, there just weren’t many people who had any expectation of Saya losing so quickly after the Tam match.

One fun thing to note about this match was that Sayaka made her STARDOM debut back in December 2023 in a match against Saya. It will be interesting to see where both women go after this, seeing as Sayaka hasn’t yet won a title in STARDOM.

9. Arisa Hoshiki (Cinderella) vs. Momo Watanabe (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Gold May 2019

It is a bit tough not to look back on this match with the power of hindsight, as Arisa would be retiring from in-ring competition just about a year after this match. That would be due to nagging issues that she was suffering involving her head and neck.

Arisa won the Cinderella tournament by beating Konami in the finals, choosing Momo Watanabe as her challenge. The two fought for the White Belt, a title that Momo was having a pretty incredible 350-plus day reign with, at STARDOM Gold May in 2019.

The actual bout was around 13 minutes and kept a decent pace, but the action within the ropes wasn’t the greatest of all time. Momo wasn’t able to put on the typical matches she was around this time, and Arisa, as mentioned earlier, was a bit held back by her injuries. Plenty of kicks and an exciting title change, just far from a perfect contest. Arisa held the title for 370 days and would vacate the title upon retiring, leading to the Giulia vs. Nakano match that kicked us off.

8. Saya Kamitani (Cinderella) vs. Tam Nakano (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ Yokohama Dream Cinderella 2021 in Summer

Saya Kamitani and Tam Nakano in 2025 put on one of the best matches at All-Star Grand Queendom and an easy top-five contender for match of the year. They, back in 2021, just didn’t have the same chemistry and acclaim.

The reception among fans for this match is quite mixed, with a common trend being that fans didn’t think Saya was good enough to be a top star in this position. Some say it was the match of the night, while others have called it a complete disaster.

Overall, it was a decent contest, but looking back after their more recent matches over the Red Belt makes this look rather awful. Saya would drastically improve during her reign with the Wonder of STARDOM title and go on to have the second-longest reign with that belt at 480 days.

7. Hanan (Cinderella) vs. Saori Anou (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM All Star Grand Queendom 2024

It was brought up at the beginning, but most of the wishes granted for the Cinderella winner have been a challenge for the White Belt. The first three contests were targeting the Red Belt, but Momo Watanabe would be the first to start the trend of switching it up.

Hanan continued that trend and would defeat Ami Sohrei and state her challenge for Saori Anou, which took place at All-Star Grand Queendom. Such a great contest between these two that was hindered by what it had to follow up, the amazing match between Mayu Iwatani and Sareee. Watching it in a vacuum without the rest of the card makes this stand out as a wonderful affair between two solid workers.

Hanan wouldn’t be successful in capturing the title that night, but would move on by continuing her reign as New Blood Tag Team Champion and, more recently, as one-half of the Goddess of STARDOM Champion. Saori would eventually drop her title to Mika Iwata but was able to regain it not long after. That second reign became the shortest in White Belt history at 12 days.

6. Mirai (Cinderella) vs. Tam Nakano (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ Stardom Mid Summer Champions 2023

Let’s go back to back and talk about both of Mirai’s Cinderella Tournament wins and her following contest against Tam Nakano and Saya Kamitani. This is a pretty close contest, but the match with Tam is just a slight bit worse than the match against Saya the year prior.

Mirai beat Mai Sakurai in the finals and went on to face Tam at STARDOM Mid Summer Champions over the White Belt. In a rare moment, a title match wouldn’t be the main event of said show, as that honor went to the Indian Strap match between Saori Anou and Natsupoi. That being said, this was easily the best match of that show.

They were given 22 minutes, and both women decided to absolutely kill it in a match filled with stiff lariats, shining wizards, and the perfect amount of energy. Not exactly a five-star classic or anything, but it is a great time to go back and check out. Also, it is worth noting that Mirai would be the fourth and most recent person to be successful in her Cinderella wish.

5. Mirai (Cinderella) vs. Saya Kamitani (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Flashing Champions

Now, on to the first Cinderella win Mirai achieved. This time, she beat Koguma to earn the victory and went after the White Belt, just held by Saya Kamitani. This match was right in the middle of Saya’s 480-day reign, and Mirai became just another name on that roster of wrestlers that Saya put away.

Both stars were improving greatly and rising up the ranks of the roster, and this was a great chance for them to go out there and show what they were capable of. The pair had excellent chemistry and mixed well, with Saya being the more flashy performer while Mirai had more brute force and strength.

This slides past the Mirai vs. Tam Nakano match by just a sliver, and both matches were great performances with something to love. Personally, this match just had better emotion and hit where it needed to hit.

4. Mayu Iwatani (Cinderella) vs. Kairi Hojo (World Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Gold May 2015

We are finally now at the very first wish being granted as Mayu Iwatani won the inaugural Cinderella Tournament in 2015 (then known as the Cinderella Champions Fiesta) and chose to go after the Red Belt in one of the rare times that belt was picked. The person who would be trying to stop her was none other than Kairi Hojo.

There isn’t much that NEEDS to be said as a match between Mayu and Kairi was never going to be bad, they just couldn’t deliver anything less than great. These long-time rivals/friends would have insane chemistry, and that was on full display for this near 20-minute contest. It was also Kairi’s first title defense after beating Io Shirai to win the belt back in March that year.

It had some creative spots and was brutal without being too hard to watch. The biggest issue with this was that it was shorter than many would have preferred. The problem would be fixed with Kairi’s next challenge against Meiko Satomura, which went to a 30-minute draw and was no doubt the best match of Kairi’s reign.

3. Toni Storm (Cinderella) vs. Io Shirai (World Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Gold May 2017

Nearing the end of this list, and if you know your Cinderella winners, then you know what is waiting ahead. We have Toni Storm, who officially became the second person to win the Cinderella Tournament as Mayu Iwatani would do it twice back to back, and Io Shirai, who was challenged in the wish match the year prior by Mayu.

Io was well into her 500-plus day reign as World of STARDOM Champion, and Toni was on her way to capturing the Red Belt, it just wouldn’t be this night. Toni wouldn’t exactly come out as the loser, however, as neither woman was able to succeed, and the match instead came to a 30-minute draw as Toni seemed destined for the victory.

They were hard-hitting, and Io sold the wear and tear this match had incredibly. She would drop the belt to Mayu the next month, with Toni eventually securing her sole reign with the Red Belt a few months later.

2. Momo Watanabe (Cinderella) vs. Io Shirai (Wonder Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Gold Star

Starting to notice the trend here? For the third year in a row, the Cinderella winner would challenge Io Shirai for her belt, but this time it wasn’t for the World of STARDOM Championship. Momo would start the series of matches that targeted the White Belt, and Io just so happened to be holding that title during this year.

Io was actually capturing this belt around the time that Toni Storm was becoming World of STARDOM Champion, having beaten Yoko Bito in November of 2017. Momo challenged Io in February 2018, and the two had a very good match, but this rematch outshone that previous bout just a little bit.

This match also has the fact that Io would wrap up her time with STARDOM right after this match, leaving for the WWE in August. Momo was made a star after this win and went on to have one of the arguably best reigns with the White Belt, picking up 13 title defenses and a 358-day reign.

1. Mayu Iwatani (Cinderella) vs. Io Shirai (World Of STARDOM Champion) @ STARDOM Gold May 2016

If it wasn’t obvious by now, these final three matches were all against Io Shirai, and it is simply because she couldn’t have a bad match. This would also be the second Cinderella wish, with Mayu winning the tournament once again.

Many fans have rated this match very highly, while also noting that this isn’t even the best that Mayu and Io would have against each other. It wouldn’t have been insane to say that either one of these women was the greatest professional wrestler at that time, and this match shows why both can lay claim to such a prestigious title.

The match was stiff and technical, with a highlight being this ridiculous dragon suplex on the apron. Io would retain and keep the title until the summer of 2017, when Mayu was finally able to capture the Red Belt for the first of her two reigns.

The ending stats for the Cinderella Tournament reveal that the winner has challenged for the Wonder of STARDOM title seven times and the World of STARDOM title four times. Out of the seven challengers for the White Belt, four have won, giving us a 57.1% win rate. No one has been successful in challenging for the Red Belt, seeing Sayaka Kurara, Toni Storm, and Mayu Iwatani (twice) all fail in their attempts.