Mayu Iwatani will defend her IWGP Women’s Championship against Mina Shirakawa at the NJPW New Beginning In Sapporo show this February 23.
As previously reported, Mina Shirakawa recently challenged Mayu Iwatani for the IWGP Women’s belt at a STARDOM show in Sendai. It was only then on STARDOM’s Supreme Fight event this past February 4 that the company officially announced the title match for NJPW’s New Beginning In Sapporo later this month.
The challenger, Mina Shirakawa, briefly responded to this announcement on Twitter. “October 8, 2012, I watched the New Japan Pro Wrestling Autumn Ryogoku Kokugikan Tournament. That’s where I became a pro wrestling fan. On that day, the wheels of my destiny began to turn. On that cerulean blue mat, I challenge for the IWGP Women’s Championship. It’s the best. I will engrave Mina Shirakawa’s name into the history of IWGP,” she says. (translation via Google Translate)
Furthermore, this marks the third time that a NJPW show in Japan will feature an IWGP Women’s Championship match since the title’s inception. Prior to the upcoming show, NJPW featured defenses for the belt back in 2023 for their WrestleKingdom 17 and Sakura Genesis shows. Majority of Mayu Iwatani’s defenses for the IWGP Women’s Title were held in STARDOM shows such as Stardom x Stardom and Stardom Gate 2024. This upcoming match will also mark Mayu’s fourth defense of the title.
New Beginning In Sapporo Match Card
Following the addition of this match, the current lineup for the New Beginning In Sapporo show is as follows:
- El Desperado vs. SHO
- Never Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) vs. Shota Umino
- Tomoya & Toru Yano vs. TBA
- Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Just 5 Guys
- IWGP Women’s Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa
- NJPW World TV Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Matt Riddle
- IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: David Finlay (c) vs. Nic Nemeth
