Mariah May Explains Finishing 'A Few Things In Japan' Before Going To AEW From STARDOM
Mariah May is one of AEW's hottest new acquisitions. Despite having yet to make an in-ring debut, she has become a familiar face on AEW programming through her association with AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm. On a recent episode of "AEW Unlimited," May explained the lengthy timeline behind her highly anticipated AEW arrival.
"I was actually in STARDOM. I had just done the big pay-per-view over there, which was All-Star Grand Queendom. And I actually did commentary on it, which got me quite a bit of a buzz," May began. "And I had been wrestling there for maybe four or five months, and then AEW reached out...and they really enjoyed what I was doing, and they wanted me to come to AEW."
"I just didn't think I was ready to go to America, to be on TV," May explained. "For me, with going to STARDOM, going to Japan — that's something that I wanted when I started training, and I felt like I was just scratching the surface, really, of what I can do and how I can grow as a performer. So, I said, 'Look, I really want to come. Kind of still can't believe that you guys want me. But, I do kind of want to finish off things that I wanted to do in Japan.'"
Mariah May spoke about the impact STARDOM had on her career.
May is most known for her successful nine-month Japan tour with STARDOM. She and Mina Shirakawa, known collectively as Rose Gold, are former Goddess of Stardom Champions. May also found some singles success in the prestigious 5STAR Grand Prix tournament, which she credited as being essential to her growth.
"I did the 5STAR Grand Prix...and that was such an amazing experience, cause I learned so much, and I feel like I grew so much," May recalled. "So now, when I come to AEW, I have a lot more to offer than I did back in May."
STARDOM's influence on May's career cannot be understated. May credited STARDOM with inspiring her in-ring style, and after she began wrestling in Japan, STARDOM's schedule provided her with many opportunities to refine her craft. She worked 99 STARDOM matches in less than a year, and the expanding nature of the promotion pushed her to stand out. Such experience led to her being noticed by AEW, and the skills she earned in Japan have proven vital to her upward trajectory in America.
"That's why it was a really big goal for me, was because I wanted to get better — and I, selfishly, wanted to perform on that stage — but mainly, I wanted to get better, because I remember when I first got there, I was like, 'oh, God, I have to get really good really quickly.', because STARDOM now is just huge," May concluded. "Compared to years ago, it's just skyrocketed. So, yeah, it's always been a really big goal, so I'm really happy I got to do it."