Top 10 Joshi wrestlers Stardom could recruit

Now that the all-female Japanese wrestling company World of Stardom (a niche but highly acclaimed indie promotion that's graced the internet for nine years) has been acquired by anime trading card maker Bushiroad, it's the perfect opportunity for expansion.Bushiroad, the parent company of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), invested millions in the King of Sports brand and has consequently reaped the rewards. New Japan has enjoyed a profitable rebirth in their home country after once going on the verge of bankruptcy. The company has also simultaneously experienced an explosion of Western fan interest over the last several years.According to the Wrestling Observer, Japan's top female grapplers once drew ratings of 10,000,000 television viewers (more than RAW and Nitro combined) and sold out the Tokyo Dome in the heydey of the now defunct All Japan Women (AJW) promotion. Given this history, it's quite possible that Bushiroad's investment in Stardom could lead to a major resurgence of women's action, as long as the right booking and business decisions are made.For regular viewers of Stardom, one of the most pertinent of those business decisions would have to be improving the roster.With a small talent pool of less than twenty full-time wrestlers, Stardom frequently relies on teenagers and poorly-trained foreigners from the US and UK indie scenes to fill its cards. This is unsustainable because the joshi scene has a history of premature retirements, and because Stardom itself has been recently plagued by injuries which could inevitably threaten its growth.Now with a financially strong corporate parent backing them up, it would be wise for Stardom to consolidate the relatively fragmented joshi scene by recruiting freelance talent from smaller, more obscure promotions in The Land of the Rising Sun. This would no doubt elevate their level of quality and ultimately, put them on equal footing with NJPW.These are the top 10 joshi wrestlers Stardom could potentially recruit.--------------------------------------------------#10 Ayako HamadaHamada in TNAAyako Hamada, former ace of Pro-Wrestling WAVE, was terminated by the promotion last year after some unfortunate legal issues related to drug abuse. A career rejuvenation in Stardom would make for a wonderful redemption story, if the powers that be at Bushiroad were willing to give her a second chance.Hamada, former TNA Knockouts and SHIMMER Tag Champion, is one of the most talented and respected women wrestlers in the world. Born in Mexico City to a family of luchadors, she has bridged her Latin American and Japanese heritage through professional wrestling, frequently traveling between both countries and performing a lucha/joshi hybrid style. Her resume includes epic matches against the likes of Kana (WWE's Asuka) and Meiko Satomura.While she was previously thought to be retired, she has in fact quietly rebounded her career as a freelancer in Mexico and made it clear that she can return to Japan whenever she'd like, opening the door for the possibility of an olive branch from an expanding Stardom.

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