Stardom wrestler announces January 2027 retirement
One of the top names on the Stardom roster has set a date for her retirement.
The Japanese women’s wrestling promotion held a press conference on Thursday where it was announced that Natsupoi will retire in January 2027. This announcement comes shortly after Natsupoi unsuccessfully challenged Syuri for the IWGP Women’s Championship. At today’s press conference, Natsupoi stated that her mind was already made up going into that title bout.
January 3, 2027 at Yokohama Budokan will be the date of Natsupoi’s final match. This retirement decision comes after she started to think about what she wanted the next chapter of her life to look like. Though she didn’t get to completely accomplish all of the things she hoped to in wrestling, the 31-year-old Natsupoi decided that it was time to step away.
She apologized for surprising fans with this sudden announcement.
“I’m really sorry for always surprising you all. There are about five months left, and I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone and give my all in my performance in the ring as a professional wrestler so that you will continue to support me until the very end,” Natsupoi said. “I love surprises, so you never know what will happen from now until my retirement, so I hope you will all keep your eyes on me. Thank you so much.”
Natsupoi said that, on her retirement run, she hopes to have a tag team match with her husband Shingo Takagi. The Stardom-NJPW couple publicly announced their marriage at the start of this year.
When asked about potentially remaining in the public eye after her retirement, Natsupoi indicated that she was open to it but did not have any current plans. Taro Okada, the president of Stardom, said he’ll support Natsupoi however he can, and he believes fans still want to be able to connect with her.
Natsupoi was a one-time Wonder of Stardom Champion and also had reigns with the promotion’s tag team titles, six-woman tag team titles, and High Speed Championship.
Stardom president on Natsupoi’s retirement —
Natsupoi’s decision is “unwavering,” but President Okada said Stardom would welcome her back at any time if she does decide to change her mind.
“If Natsupoi’s feelings change as she proceeds down the path toward retirement, we will welcome her back at any time,” Okada said. “”As a company, we will support and realize whatever is possible. We will meet the fans’ expectations and provide the support needed for Natsupoi to complete her career as a professional wrestler without any regrets.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.