Major Free Agent To Delay Signing With WWE

This top free agent's arrival in WWE is being postponed.

Giulia WWE
WWE/STARDOM

With Giulia expected to sign with WWE when he current STARDOM contract expires in March, it appears fans will have to wait a little longer to see the NJPW Strong Women's Champion under the WWE banner.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio (via WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer noted that Giulia is going to help launch Rossy Ogawa's new promotion before joining WWE. With Bushiroad firing STARDOM co-founder Ogawa on Sunday, today brought news that Rossy plans to start his own new wrestling company.

Per Meltzer:

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"The reason that [Giulia] is delaying her WWE start is so she could at least be there to kick off the promotion for a while and get the promotion going. And then, you know, she is going to end up with WWE at some point, but when WWE was interested in her, she basically gave her word she would help when [Ogawa] started out, and that's what she's gonna do. She's actually postponing her WWE debut because she'd given her word."

Bushiroad accused Rossy Ogawa of poaching talent for a new promotion when they announced his firing, with reports claiming STARDOM could soon be set for a mass talent exodus. With the majority of STARDOM talent under contracts that expire in March, the belief was their strong loyalty to Ogawa - who gave so many of them their big break - would see them depart STARDOM. In fact, the only STARDOM star said to be under a long-term deal is IWGP Women's Champion Mayu Iwatani.

So, while Giulia is indeed said to be heading to WWE, she'll first be taking a detour with Rossy Ogawa's to-be-named new promotion.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.