Hanan And Mariah May Qualify For STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2023

As tournament season steadily approaches in Japan, today saw the finalized lineup for this year's 5STAR Grand Prix, STARDOM's yearly round-robin extravaganza. While the first 18 participants in "The Summer's Hottest Tournament" were announced earlier this month, today's STARDOM event in Tokyo declared that Hanan and Mariah May would be the final members of that star-studded lineup.

The two women fought their way into the tournament by winning a Last Chance Rumble in the main event of today's show. After outlasting 16 other competitors, the two last eliminated Mai Sakurai and Mei Seira to win the 20-minute bout.

For Hanan, this will be the young star's second appearance in the yearly tournament, with her finishing with a 2-10 record in her debut entry last year. However, At only 18 years old, the Mayu Iwatani protege has been poised for a breakout year in 2023 following her graduation from high school last April. While an injury nearly killed her chances to enter this year's tournament, the "Young Lioness" persevered and fought her way in via the Last Chance Rumble.

Mariah May, on the other hand, will be making her very first appearance in the 5STAR Grand Prix when it begins next month. While the British import debuted in STARDOM just six months ago alongside Xia Brookside and Mina Shirakawa, she has quickly become one of the company's most noteworthy competitors. While she is relatively unproven as a singles star, the Club Venus stalwart plans to live up to the nickname "Future Foreign Ace" in the coming months.

Elsewhere in Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH's N1 Victory and NJPW's G1 Climax are set to begin shortly, as well. While only the blocks for the G1 are currently announced, further announcements regarding the N1 and the 5STAR are likely to come shortly.