Six Wrestlers Removed From STARDOM Events Due To Illness

It's never good to hear about wrestlers missing shows due to illness, but it's even worse when multiple competitors booked for the same card are out of action. Unfortunately, that is exactly what's been happening this week, as an undisclosed sickness has struck multiple members of the STARDOM roster and two contributing outsiders. 

Ahead of STARDOM's January 6 event in Korakuen Hall, it was announced that Starlight Kid, Himeka, Momo Watanabe, and Tam Nakano of the STARDOM roster would miss the event due to poor physical condition. To add to this, Pro Wrestling Diana star Haruka Umesaki and freelancer Nanae Takahashi missed the show as well, who were both set to compete in matches as part of the ongoing Triangle Derby.

While speculation ensued, Haruka Umesaki confirmed on Twitter (translated using DeepL) that she tested negative for both COVID-19 and influenza, though she plans to continue testing until her fever subsides.

Luckily Tam Nakano was able to recover by the time STARDOM presented Triangle Derby in Nagoya on January 8 and competed in her match as it was scheduled. However, Himeka, Momo Watanabe, and Starlight Kid missed the event and will also miss Nakano's homecoming show in Aichi on January 9. This means that the rematch between Starlight Kid and AZM set for January 8, one that has been highly-anticipated since their critically acclaimed bout in Nagoya last year, was postponed to a later date. The match was ultimately replaced with a star-studded tag team match featuring Maika and Utami Hayashishita tagging for the first time ever to face the similarly odd pairing of Syuri and Mayu Iwatani.

While the current condition of the three remaining absentees is unknown, it is expected that they will be back by next weekend's Triangle Derby in Osaka event.