A new number one contender’s match has been confirmed for NJPW’s upcoming Windy City Riot event.

NJPW revealed that on April 11, AZM will go head-to-head with Mina Shirakawa in a bout to determine the next challenger for the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship, currently held by Mercedes Moné.

This announcement follows recent developments in Shirakawa’s career, as she declared her departure from Stardom to relocate to the United States and join AEW. She previously shared the ring with Moné at Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, where Moné successfully retained the Strong Women’s title and also captured the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship in the same match.

Meanwhile, AZM most recently challenged Mayu Iwatani for the IWGP Women’s Championship on January 4, but came up short in her title pursuit.

Windy City Riot will emanate from Wintrust Arena and air live as a pay-per-view on NJPW World. The latest lineup for the event is as follows:

• Hiroshi Tanahashi’s final U.S. match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Konosuke Takeshita

• 30-minute Iron Man Match for the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

• David Finlay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

• NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship: Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson (c) vs. KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight

• Tetsuya Naito & Titan vs. Rocky Romero & El Phantasmo

• Number One Contender’s Match for the Strong Women’s Championship: AZM vs. Mina Shirakawa

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— Ben Kerin Mar 30, 2025 03:39PM