NJPW has booked a major cross-promotional showdown for its U.S. audience. The company announced that ROH Women’s World Champion Athena will challenge Syuri for the IWGP Women’s Championship at New Beginning USA on February 27.
The match adds real intrigue to a card built to showcase NJPW’s global reach. It also continues the steady flow of collaborations between New Japan, Ring of Honor, and the broader AEW ecosystem—especially in women’s wrestling, where true inter-promotional title matches are still a rarity on North American soil.
Athena’s inclusion alone makes this one feel big. She’s been the backbone of ROH’s women’s division, presenting a sharp, high-intensity style that’s connected with both hardcore fans and new viewers. Her run in ROH has carried an aura of finality—once the bell rings, there’s a sense she’s not leaving without making a statement. Now, she’s aiming to take that momentum outside the ROH banner and stack another major championship on top of an already decorated resume.
On the other side is Syuri, a standout from STARDOM who brings a striking-heavy, technical approach tailor-made for the IWGP Women’s title scene. She’s precise, punishing, and thrives in high-pressure situations. As the standard-bearer for NJPW and STARDOM’s women’s initiative, she represents a distinct style contrast with Athena—one that screams “big fight feel” even before the first lock-up.
Introduced in 2022 by NJPW in partnership with STARDOM, the IWGP Women’s Championship has become a vehicle for matches that bridge audiences across Japan, North America, and Europe. Featuring that title in a prominent spot on a U.S.-branded New Beginning event signals New Japan’s continued commitment to growing its women’s footprint outside Japan, not just as a showcase, but as a true competitive platform.
The stakes are straightforward and compelling. If Athena wins, ROH’s top women’s champion would also hold NJPW’s premier women’s hardware, instantly creating fresh matchups and forcing both promotions to navigate a dual-champion schedule. If Syuri retains, it reinforces the IWGP Women’s title’s prestige within the NJPW/STARDOM orbit while giving Syuri a signature defense in front of a U.S. audience hungry for more high-level women’s bouts. Either result sets up meaningful directions for both rosters.
There’s also the macro story at play. NJPW and AEW/ROH have nurtured a productive talent exchange through tentpole events and touring stops—think Forbidden Door and past New Beginning cards—where dream matches aren’t theoretical; they’re booked and delivered. Bringing Athena into the IWGP women’s title picture continues that thread and gives fans a fresh matchup that isn’t available on weekly TV.
Stylistically, this could be a tone-setter for the year. Athena’s power and explosive bursts meet Syuri’s measured pace and surgical striking. Expect a war of adjustments: Athena trying to force a faster tempo and bully Syuri into corners; Syuri chipping away with kicks, controlling distance, and hunting for transitions once the fight hits the mat. If they hit their rhythms, this could anchor the night and raise the bar for future NJPW women’s title defenses in the U.S.
From a business lens, this is smart placement by NJPW. New Beginning USA typically blends core New Japan names with international cameos that appeal to traveling die-hards and local fans alike. Anchoring the card with a cross-promotional women’s title match creates a different kind of hook—one that can pull in ROH/AEW viewers, highlight STARDOM’s elite talent, and give the IWGP Women’s Championship more visibility with Western audiences.
As for the rest of the show, NJPW also listed a defense of the NJPW World TV Championship with El Phantasmo slated as the defending champion. Full match order and additional bouts are still to be finalized, but the early board suggests a night that blends speed, stakes, and a few potential style clashes—exactly what New Beginning has built its brand around.
For ROH, this is an opportunity to keep its champion front-and-center beyond pay-per-views and HonorClub programming, reinforcing the brand’s identity as a destination for top-tier, no-nonsense wrestling. For NJPW and STARDOM, it’s a chance to underscore that the IWGP Women’s Championship isn’t confined to Japan; it’s a world title in practice, not just in name.
What comes next will depend on how much risk each side is willing to take with its champion. A title change would reshape booking boards across two promotions and open doors for rematches, revenge tours, and more joint events. A successful Syuri defense would keep the belt parked in NJPW/STARDOM while still elevating its profile with a high-caliber challenger. Either way, the match gives both companies actionable momentum heading deeper into the calendar.
NJPW announced the bout via social media; fans can see the confirmation here: NJPW Global on X. New Beginning USA is set for February 27, with additional event details and card updates to follow from NJPW.
Bottom line: this is the kind of inter-promotional title fight fans have been asking to see more often. It matters for the belt, for the brands involved, and for the continued growth of women’s wrestling on major stages in the U.S. Circle the date.
