This past Sunday, Amber Gallows and Maria Kanellis became the first women in 13 years to compete for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
At NJPW’s Wrestling Dontaku event in Fukuoka, Japan, Maria joined Kingdom teammates Michael Bennett and Matt Taven to take on Bullet Club members Amber, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows.
Kingdom would pick up the win, making Maria the first woman since Chyna to claim victory in NJPW. Chyna wrestled a series of matches for the company in 2002, shortly after she left the WWE.
Maria commented on the history-making moment in an exclusive statement to Diva Dirt, saying:
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to work for NJPW. I hope to open doors for more women at NJPW. The Japanese fans have been loyal and supportive of my work from WWE to now. I am so excited to be working for the largest wrestling company in Japan. The match on Sunday was a unique opportunity and as a female I am defining a new path that I hope inspires others to be original. I have had many many failures, but Sunday was a huge success.”
This moment brings the hope that New Japan will continue to work towards integrating women’s wrestling into their shows. In order for them to remain one of the most highly respected wrestling promotions in the world, it is essential that they do so.
