BUSHIROAD and the STARDOM promotion in Japan have announced that they have cancelled the contract of founder Rossy Ogawa, stating that Ogawa poached many STARDOM wrestlers and staff.

The translated announcement reads, “To whom it may concern, and to our fans. Thank you very much for your continued support of Stardom. We would like to inform you that Bushiroad Fight Inc. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a business consignment agreement (the “Agreement”) with Mr. Rossy Ogawa. We are pleased to inform you that we have terminated the business consignment agreement (the “Agreement”) with Rossy Ogawa as of February 4, 2024. Since 2019, the Company has entered into the Agreement with Rossy Ogawa, the founder of Stardom, and has invited him to serve as Executive Producer and has entrusted him with Stardom-related tasks. However, we have recently become aware that Mr. Rossy Ogawa has been poaching a number of Stardom athletes and staff members, and we have decided to terminate this agreement. We sincerely apologize for any concern this may have caused. We, the players and staff of Stardom, will continue to make concerted efforts to further develop Stardom and to deliver excitement to our fans. We look forward to your continued support.”