In 2024, WWE has been like a kid in a candy store, teaming up with every promotion in sight. From All Japan Pro Wrestling to GCW and TNA, they’ve been spreading the love far and wide. But hold on to your suplexes, folks, because the latest partnership to hit the ring is with none other than Rossy Ogawa’s new promotion, Marigold. And it’s about to bloom into something spectacular!
On June 11, it was confirmed that former WWE Women’s Champion IYO Sky would be heading back to her roots. She’s set to face off against Utami Hayashishita at Marigold’s Summer Destiny event on July 13 at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo. This marks Sky’s first match in her home country in six years. Talk about a homecoming queen!
According to the ever-watchful Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this collaboration was brewing long before WWE CCO Triple H came into the picture. The backstory? Triple H had his eye on working with Ogawa and STARDOM in late 2023. But when Ogawa revealed he was leaving STARDOM to start Marigold, Triple H, in his infinite wrestling wisdom, decided to stick with Ogawa. After all, who wouldn’t want to team up with a wrestling mastermind?
Now, STARDOM has cozied up with AEW, making Meltzer wonder just how much WWE will invest in Marigold. Especially since Ogawa’s old promotion moved on faster than a wrestling heel after a cheap shot. Meltzer predicts that Hayashishita will take the win in July, as Marigold is keen on building new stars. And with Giulia set to join WWE soon, Marigold is all about grooming the next generation of wrestling legends.
This whole scenario is a far cry from the old WWE regime, which Meltzer believes would have demanded a Sky victory—or, more likely, not sent her over at all. Ah, how times have changed!