Tonight’s final episode of the 2018 Mae Young Classic left us with the two finalists that will compete this coming Sunday at WWE Evolution for their name on the trophy. Two international superstars, Toni Storm – the New Zealander raised in Australia who competes in Japan and Europe, and Io Shirai, the face of Stardom, Japan’s top joshi promotion, and widely considered one of the best pound for pound wrestlers in the world – women or men. But this match may be a dream match for some, but in reality it’s the next progression in a feud between the two that has gone on for nearly three years. This isn’t the first time these two have faced each other in singles competition, and it won’t be the last. But it is the most important one yet – it’s actually their career rubber match.
Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai
While Io Shirai has been the long time megastar for Stardom in Japan, Toni Storm also made a big name for herself and is arguably the most popular gaijin to work for the promotion. She even won the World of Stardom Championship (a feat Shirai herself accomplished twice). Naturally, these two forces of energy would be drawn to each other and collide, and collide they have.
THE EUROPEAN SUMMIT
The two would first face off on a warm May night in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the Stardom Europe tour of 2016. Stardom was launching a new title, the Stardom World Alliance (SWA) Undisputed World Women’s Championship, created by Stardom as the international World Championship to represent Stardom’s World Alliance, which includes the UK’s British Empire Wrestling (BEW), Association Biterroise de Catch (ABC) out of France, Mexico’s Women Wrestling Stars (WWS) and Revolution Championship Wrestling (RCW) in Spain. The two would make it to the finals, but ultimately Io Shirai would emerge the inaugural SWA Champion. But this chess game was just begun.
THE REMATCH
Three months later, back in Osaka, Japan, Toni Storm would face Io Shirai once again for the same title she lost out on back in Barcelona. At Stardom X: Osaka Summer Solstice Celebration in July, Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai in a near 20-minute match to finally claim gold in Japan. She would go on to hold the SWA title a record 612 days, before losing to Viper this past March, shortly before heading off to the Mae Young Classic. But at one match a piece, with gold on the line, they were now 1-1.
SHOOT FOR THE WORLD
In May of 2017, Storm would meet up with Io Shirai again in singles competition – they’d had plenty of encounters in tag team matches, but their singles matches were a rarity. At Stardom Gold (Night One), the two would compete again, this time with Io Shirai’s World of Stardom title on the line. The two fought for 30 minutes before the match went to a time limit draw. They were 1-1-1.
THE GRAND PRIX SHOWDOWN
Last August, they met in the second night of the 5*Grand Prix, both looking to gain an advantage in the most prestigious tournament in Stardom. But like their last encounter, this one once again went to a time limit draw, as the 15-minute time limit for the tournament wasn’t enough to determine a winner. They were still at a deadlock. One win a piece for glory and two back to back draws.
EVOLUTION
Which leads us to this Sunday. Once again, with another piece of glory for their trophy cabinets, another classic moment for wrestling fans around the world. Only this time, there has to be a winner. And these two combatants will finally have the rubber match to determine who will get the winning record – for now at least – in a series of battles that have captivated audiences for the past three years.
