Mariah May recently departed from STARDOM to join All Elite Wrestling.
In 2018, the 25-year-old started her wrestling career and later joined STARDOM in 2022. During her time in the promotion, she became a Goddess of STARDOM Champion alongside Mina Shirakawa. Prior to this, May had worked as a model for WWE merchandise.
Speaking on AEW Unrestricted, May discussed how the deal came together.
“I was in STARDOM, I had just done the big pay-per-view, All Star Grand Queendom and I did commentary on it, which actually got me a big buzz, doing commentary. I had been wrestling there for maybe four or five months, and then AEW reached out and Tony reached out. They enjoyed what I was doing and they wanted me to come to AEW, which I was very surprised. I didn’t think I was ready to go to America, to be on TV, I just didn’t know where it came from. I really wanted to go, but for me, going to STARDOM and Japan, that was something I wanted when I started training and I felt like I was just scratching the surface of what I could do and how I could grow as a performer, especially in ring. I said, ‘I really want to come, I can’t believe you guys want me, but I do want to finish off things I want to do in Japan.’ So, I did the 5-Star Grand Prix. That was such an amazing experience and I learned so much and I improved so much, so now when I come to AEW, I have a lot more to offer than I did in May. That was our original conversation and we talked about idea and I was really excited. I was in Japan, doing what I was doing, but AEW…it was a lot happening in my mind of, I’m really excited about this next step, but I wanted to finish off this chapter I had in STARDOM. That was our first chat,” she said.
May also discussed how she was able to keep her signing a secret.
“I didn’t tell anybody. I guarded that secret with my life. I saw it leak. I actually woke up in the middle of the night in Japan. At the time it leaked, it was like 5 AM. I remember waking up, picking up my phone, and I never had that many notifications in my life. Some of the girls asked. ‘Mariah. Maybe AEW?’ ‘Ah, no.’ [Laughs]. Obviously, STARDOM is run by Rossy [Rossy Ogawa], who I have a very good relationship with. I felt bad not telling him, but somebody, I’m not going to name names, but somebody in the staff does leak stuff about the westerners in particular about where they’re going to go, what they’re going to do. I would have a direct conversation with somebody and they would put it on the dirtsheets. I shutdown my merch store, and the exact conversation I had about it ended up on the dirtsheets. I really wanted to be very honest with Rossy because I have a lot of respect for him, but I couldn’t tell him until literally the day I was going to debut. I sent him a message and thanked him and let him know I was going to AEW. He would instantly be like, ‘Mariah can’t come back next year, she’s going to AEW,’ and then it would all leak so I had to really keep it a secret. I had to keep it to myself and then towards then end, I let some of the girls know.”
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Mariah May, a talented wrestler, recently made headlines by departing from STARDOM and joining All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The 25-year-old began her wrestling career in 2018 and gained recognition when she joined STARDOM in 2022. During her time with the promotion, May achieved great success, becoming a Goddess of STARDOM Champion alongside Mina Shirakawa. Before her wrestling career, May also worked as a model for WWE merchandise.
In a recent interview on AEW Unrestricted, May shared the details of how her deal with AEW came about. She revealed that after participating in the All Star Grand Queendom pay-per-view event and doing commentary for it, she caught the attention of AEW and its president, Tony Khan. Despite feeling surprised and unsure if she was ready to go to America and appear on TV, May expressed her excitement about the opportunity. However, she also wanted to finish off her commitments in Japan and fulfill her desire to grow as a performer in STARDOM before making the move to AEW.
May emphasized that her time in Japan allowed her to learn and improve significantly as a wrestler. She participated in the 5-Star Grand Prix, which provided her with an amazing experience and further honed her skills. As a result, when she eventually joins AEW, she believes she will have much more to offer than she did back in May.
Keeping her signing with AEW a secret was a challenge for May. She guarded the news with her life and refrained from telling anyone. However, leaks started to surface, and even some of her fellow wrestlers questioned her about the rumors. May acknowledged that leaks within the industry were not uncommon, especially regarding the plans of Western wrestlers. She decided to keep the news from STARDOM’s management until the day of her debut. Despite feeling guilty about not informing Rossy Ogawa, the head of STARDOM, May wanted to avoid any premature leaks. She eventually sent him a message expressing her gratitude and informing him of her move to AEW.
In conclusion, Mariah May’s departure from STARDOM to join AEW has created a buzz in the wrestling world. Her journey from starting as a model for WWE merchandise to becoming a successful wrestler in Japan and now joining AEW showcases her dedication and talent. Wrestling fans can look forward to seeing May bring her improved skills and unique style to the AEW roster.