STARDOM'S Himeka Retires After Facing Entire Roster In Gauntlet Match

One of the most popular names in STARDOM has hung up her boots following an intense gauntlet match with the entire roster.

During the promotion's most recent event inside Korakuen Hall, Himeka confirmed her retirement but had to go through the match first. The bout was promised by Mina Shirakawa and saw Himeka face each member of the roster for one minute each. This match type may seem odd to fans in the West but has been a feature of Joshi wrestling for many years. STARDOM has used this unique gauntlet match in the past many time to signal the end of a wrestler's career. Many of the matches went to the sixty-second time limit, allowing Himeka to have one last match with everyone.

With the gauntlet match finished, the retirement ceremony was able to begin, and each faction from STARDOM bid farewell. Himeka nicknamed the 'Jumbo Princess,' was presented with gifts and posed for photos with her fellow wrestlers. Himeka's mentors, Jun Akiyama and Yumiko Hotta also appeared and presented their protege with flowers to celebrate her retirement.

Himeka announced her plans to retire in February of this year, and has spent the past few months on her 'Retirement Road' in preparation for this latest event. Himeka leaves wrestling a one-time Artist of Stardom Champion, one-time Goddess of Stardom Champion and one-time recipient of the 5-star GP Award for Best Match (against Maika in 2022.) She is also a one-time Beyond the Sea Tag Team Champion for the Seadlinnng promotion.