Being dubbed "The Icon of Stardom" is no easy title to bear, but Mayu Iwatani not only deserves that recognition, but wears it with pride. While she is only 29 years old, Iwatani was a part of Stardom's first class of trainees when the company made its debut over ten years ago, and has remained a staple through today.
With so many title reigns under her belt, including two reigns with the World of Stardom Championship, Iwatani has managed to remain a figurehead of NJPW's sister-brand for her entire career, and it does not appear that her time is coming to an end anytime soon.
10 Mayu Iwatani & Io Shirai vs Kairi Hojo & Meiko Satomura (Stardom The Highest 2016) - 9.10
For non-Stardom fans looking at a place to dive in, this match might be one of the best options, as not only is it a great wrestling match, but there are also a number of recognizable faces in it. For WWE fans, Meiko Satomura, known for her work in NXT UK, Io Shirai, former NXT Women's Champion, and Kairi Hojo (aka Kairi Sane), are all featured within this tag team affair, as well as Mayu Iwatani herself.
The match itself was for the Goddesses of Stardom Championship, the brand's regular tag-team belts, with Iwatani & Shirai defending against the duo of Kairi & Meiko, a pairing that had never tagged before. With the talent on hand, this was guaranteed to be fantastic, and it ended up being one of the best Goddesses of Stardom title matches ever.
9 Mayu Iwatani vs Kagetsu (Stardom Year-End Climax 2019) - 9.13
A former World of Stardom Champion, Kagetsu would find herself in a major championship match at the end of 2019, challenging Mayu Iwatani for that same belt at the annual Year-End Climax event. At 22 minutes, the match was filled with high octane energy, with finisher kickouts and hard-hitting action across the board.
Shortly after this match, Kagetsu would announce her retirement from wrestling, with it taking effect in February 2020, meaning that this bout between her and Mayu Iwatani will likely be the final singles meeting between these two, and it shows, with the two wrestling as if they were running out of time.
8 Mayu Iwatani vs Io Shirai (Stardom Gold May 2016) - 9.15
At the time of this World of Stardom Championship match between Mayu Iwatani and Io Shirai, the latter was the undeniable ace of the company, being one of the hottest stars in the entire women's wrestling scene. While Iwatani is still young now, at 29 years old, she was 23 at the time of this match, meaning it was a big step-up for the future Icon of Stardom.
After winning Stardom's Cinderella Tournament, Mayu would find herself facing off against Io Shirai with the World of Stardom belt on the line. These two went to war, and while Mayu Iwatani would fail to win the title, she dominated Io to a point where it looked like she might have had a chance, before falling victim to a major comeback from Shirai, which led to the champion retaining.
7 Mayu Iwatani vs Giulia (Nagoya Supreme Fight) - 9.15
The most recent bout on Mayu Iwatani's Cagematch.net profile that manages to be one of her greatest matches, came at the 2022 Nagoya Supreme Fight. At the event, Iwatani would take on one of the most recognizable stars within current day Stardom; Giulia.
With Giulia being one of the fastest rising stars in the company, one of the current figureheads of the promotion, a big-time, marquee singles match against Iwatani marked one of Stardom's biggest matches in 2022. The two would end up fighting to a 30-minute draw during the PPV, and while that finish may not be for everyone, the fight between Giulia and Mayu is certainly worth seeking out.
6 Mayu Iwatani & Kagetsu vs Momo Watanabe & Jungle Kyona (Stardom 9th Anniversary) - 9.19
With this match serving as the farewell match for Kagetsu in Stardom, she would be teaming with Mayu Iwatani, a former rival, against the duo of Momo Watanabe and Jungle Kyona. With it being such a special event, the match itself was surely going to be treated as such, and by the time the bell rang, fans knew that it delivered.
In a big moment, Jungle Kyona would be the one to pin Kagetsu in the center of the ring, getting the final pinfall victory over her in a Stardom ring as a way to potentially elevate Kyona to the next level.
5 Mayu Iwatani vs Takumi Iroha (Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League 2020) - 9.20
A month after beating Mayu Iwatani, who then held the World of Stardom Championship, Takumi Iroha would take her shot at the red belt during the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League in March 2020.
Going into the match, the story was all dedicated to the fact that Iwatani had never beaten Iroha in singles action, and with the World of Stardom title on the line, the drama was elevated even further. While, according to Cagematch.net, this title match is ranked below their prior match, it is far from bad with an impressive 9.20 rating.
4 Mayu Iwatani vs Takumi Iroha (Stardom The Way To The Major League) - 9.24
A match that was not originally planned, Mayu Iwatani vs Sareee (Sarray in NXT 2.0), would be called off last minute due to the latter beings sick. Instead, Takumi Iroha would be slotted in as a last-minute replacement. In somewhat shocking fashion, Takumi Iroha would find herself victorious over Mayu Iwatani here, pinning the World of Stardom Champion, something that is not a very common occurrence.
It took the entire final minutes of the match for Iroha to get the victory, with a head kick, a powerbomb, a Last Ride, another kick combination, a head kick, and a Running Three, all coming in quick succession to guarantee victory. With this win, Iroha would earn the Championship match during the 2020 Tag League.
3 Mayu Iwatani vs Kagetsu (Kagetsu 10th Anniversary Show) - 9.26
A year prior to this singles meeting between Mayu Iwatani and Kagetsu, the roles would be reversed, with the Icon of Stardom holding the coveted red belt, the World of Stardom Championship. The two would meet in singles competition with Mayu retaining over Kagetsu, though the roles would be reversed in this 2018 battle.
With Kagetsu retaining the World of Stardom Championship following a crazy combination of offense with a Michinoku Driver, followed up with a Death Valley Driver, and finally, the Oedo Coaster, the champion would come up with victory over the younger Iwatani, marking another memorable match in their rivalry.
2 Mayu Iwatani vs Io Shirai (Stardom Galaxy Stars 2017) - 9.41
After Io Shirai turned her back on Mayu Iwatani, throwing away years of friendship, the two would battle in 2016 over the World Championship, with Mayu coming up short. In 2017, the two would face off again in another legendary bout, with a different outcome.
After the match, fans would find out that Io Shirai was working with an injured neck, something that played a key factor in the match, with Iwatani targeting it repeatedly. Coming out of this match, Mayu Iwatani would be crowned the dual World of Stardom and Wonder of Stardom Champion, with this being another legendary match for the Icon.
1 Mayu Iwatani vs Io Shirai (Stardom Year-End Climax 2016) - 9.44
Likely coming without any sense of surprise for Stardom fans, Mayu Iwatani's top-rated match on Cagematch.net is her legendary singles match against Io Shirai at Stardom's Year-End Climax 2016. By the time the final bell had rung, the match just had an epic feeling about it, even watching now, years removed from the event.
With this being a battle between former best friends, the emotions and stakes were even higher than most world title matches. While Mayu Iwatani would fail to win the World of Stardom Championship during this match, she brought all the fight in her body against Io Shirai, with the champion powering through in proper Shirai fashion, with the two having an extremely memorable clash.