Quoted By:
>"For a normal person, there would be no reason for her to leave Stardom. I think it's stupid. If she wants guaranteed stability, she should just stay there. However, it's just that there is nothing more for Mayu Iwatani to do at Stardom."
>It is true that she was unsure when the split occurred in February 2024. Iwatani thought about going to a new organization, but after discussing it with the company, she felt that "without Rossy Ogawa, Stardom would no longer be Stardom if Mayu Iwatani were also gone."
>"I felt like I wanted to protect my stardom. I was actually glad that I stayed. I'd been there for 14 years, so when that time came, I shed some tears."
>Iwatani spoke about her thoughts on becoming the IWGP Women's Champion.
>"It was disappointing that I couldn't become the first champion, but I was able to wear the belt two years ago. Every time I defended the title I thought, 'If I lose IWGP, I'll probably quit.' That's how much I depended on IWGP. So I couldn't lose. If I lost the belt, it was over, that would be the end of Mayu Iwatani in Stardom. It's not a red belt or a white belt anymore. For the past two years, I'd staked my pro wrestling career on IWGP. I had decided that the time I would leave Stardom would be when I lost IWGP. I had told President Okada (Taro) about that feeling for a while."
