STARDOM Star Hazuki Suggests Change To Mercedes Mone's Upcoming Title Defense Against AZM

March has already been a newsworthy month for the STARDOM promotion in Japan. Starting things off with a rare outsider tournament victory by Prominence at the Triangle Derby Finals on March 4, STARDOM star KAIRI has also recently teased the arrival of a star who will "shake things up" within the company set to appear at All-Star Grand Queendom on April 23.

Amid all these things, one thing that seemingly got lost in the shuffle could have major implications for Mercedes Mone's first IWGP Women's Championship defense in Japan. At the press conference for the first round of the upcoming Cinderella Tournament, former High-Speed Champion Hazuki announced her intentions to challenge for the IWGP Women's Title, a statement that the current High-Speed Champion took umbrage to.

A subtitled version of the interaction between AZM and Hazuki at the presser was recently posted on Twitter by Himanshu Doi. In the verbal exchange, Hazuki noted that the presumed singles match between Mone and AZM is yet to be announced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling and that Mone has yet to make an official statement regarding AZM's challenge. "The match isn't decided yet, so I want to join in, too," Hazuki announced, "[I] want to do a three-way!" While AZM tried to dispute the idea, both women agreed that it was up to NJPW and Mone herself to decide if the match should be made a three-way.

If the match at NJPW Sakura Genesis on April 8 does become a three-way, it will mark the fourth time AZM and Hazuki have competed against one another in a championship match of that kind. Despite Mone not yet commenting on the development, she has recently acknowledged Hazuki's physicality, reacting in awe to Hazuki's signature brainbuster on Twitter last week.