7 Major All-Women Wrestling Events Before WWE Evolution

7. STARDOM Ryogoku Cinderella

It's somewhat ironic given the heightened esteem of joshi puro in contrast to its North American equivalent that the erstwhile emblem of Japan's top female promotion of the 21st century, Stardom, enjoyed a career trajectory typical of any mid-'00s 'Diva'.

Yuzuki Aikawa, in her role as a gravure idol, was effectively eye candy for consumption by a host of horny Japanese teenagers, and bally good at it too. As one of the country's most popular teen icons, it came as something of a surprise when she announced her serious intention to break into pro-wrestling. The recently founded World Wonder Ring Stardom took notice, and promptly installed Aikawa as the first holder of their Wonder of Stardom and Goddess of Stardom titles.

Aikawa though, was not your typical great model-bad worker crossover, and took to her new profession in earnest. Her titles remained untouchable during her Stardom run, until age - or at least, the localised fear of age - caught up with her, and in 2013 she decided to call quits on the business.

Stardom didn't go light on her valediction, hosting their biggest ever event, Ryogoku Cinderella, at Tokyo's legendary Sumo Hall. The card, featuring stars of tomorrow (Io Shirai, Jazzy Gabert) and of the past (Meiko Satomura, Manami Toyota), ended with Aikawa symbolically laying down her long-term rival, Yoshiko.