The CMLL Japan Women's Championship, also known as the CMLL–Lady's Ring Japan Women's Championship and the CMLL Japanese Women's Championship, is a women's professional wrestling championship, promoted by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Japanese joshi puroresu promotion Lady's Ring. India Sioux is the current champion, the eleventh overall champion and her reign is the eighth since the championship was reactivated in 2020. She won by the title by defeating Hazuki at Stardom Cinderella Tournament: Night 5 on March 15, 2026, in Yokohama, Japan.

The championship was first introduced in 1999 as the CMLL Japan Women's Championship, when CMLL was touring Japan in hopes of expanding into the Japanese market. By 2000 CMLL ceased promoting shows regularly in Japan, loaning the CMLL Japan Women's Championship to Osaka Pro Wrestling, who kept promoting the championship until June 2001. The championship was reactivated as the CMLL Japanese Women's Championship in 2020 by CMLL and their Japan-based partner Lady's Ring, and would later also be recognized by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The inaugural and youngest champion is Chikako Shiratori at 26, while Dalys la Caribeña is the oldest at 44.

Background Lucha libre, or Mexican professional wrestling, is a form of entertainment where matches are presented as being competitive, but the outcome of the matches are pre-determined by their promoters.Hornbaker (2016) p. 550: "Professional wrestling is a sport in which match finishes are predetermined. Thus, win–loss records are not indicative of a wrestler's genuine success based on their legitimate abilities - but on now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters" As part of presenting lucha libre as a genuine combat sport, promoters create championships that are used in the storylines presented on their shows but are not won as a result of genuinely competitive matches. The championship is typically represented by a belt for the champion to wear before or after a match.Madigan (2007) p. 115: "With the victory, Médico Asasino brought some much-needed importance to the heavyweight division where the championship belt had been passed around in lackluster matches. He, in turn, wore it proudly to the ring."

In 1999, lucha libre promotion CMLL began to tour Japan, promoting a series of wrestling shows under the name "CMLL Japan" in association with booker Mr. Cacao. The shows featured a mixture of CMLL and Japanese wrestlers. CMLL partnered with smaller Japanese promotions such as Osaka Pro Wrestling (OPW) for these shows, as well as freelance Japanese wrestlers. As part of their efforts to establish themselves in Japan, CMLL introduce three CMLL Japan championships, the CMLL Japan Super Lightweight Championship,Duncan and Will (2000), p. 388: [Japan] CMLL Japan Super Lightweight Title [Lutteroth] the CMLL Japan Tag Team Championship,Duncan and Will (2000), p. 388: [Japan] CMLL Japan Tag Team Title [Lutteroth] and the CMLL Japan Women's Championship.Duncan and Will (2000), p. 388: [Japan] CMLL Japan Women's Title [Lutteroth] The CMLL Japan Women's Championship was retired in June 2001.

In 2020, CMLL began working with the newly founded Japanese, all-female joshi puroresu Lady Ring promotion. CMLL had previously collaborated with Reina Joshi Puroresu for all-female shows in Japan and recognized the CMLL-Reina International Championship and the CMLL-Reina International Junior Championship but the collaboration would later end, with CMLL withdrawing their recognition of the championships. When the Lady's Ring collaboration was announced, CMLL also revealed that they were bringing back the CMLL Japan Women's Championship after 19 years of inactivity.

Reigns The CMLL Japan Women's Championship was unveiled on October 17, 1999, on a show in Osaka, Japan. Chikako Shiratori defeated Lady Apache, in a best-of-five match series to become the inaugural champion.Duncan and Will (2000), p. 388: "Chikako Shiratori 1999/10/17 Osaka Wins three out of five matches against Lady Apache to become the first champion." Her initial reign lasted until sometime in November 1999 where La Diabólica won the title on a CMLL Japan show in Tokyo.Duncan and Will (2000), p. 388: "La Diabolica 1999/11 Tokyo, JPN" La Diabólica's reign lasted only a matter of weeks before Shiratori regained the championship on November 25, 1999, in Kyoto, Japan.Duncan and Will (2000), p. 388: "Chikako Shiratori 1999/11/25 Kyoto" The CMLL Japan Women's Championship was actively defended in Japan after CMLL stopped touring. Shiratori's last documented championship defense took place on January 7, 2001, where she defeated Policewoman to retain the title. When Shiratori retired in June 2001, the CMLL Japan Women's Championship was also retired. On January 22, 2020, CMLL and Lady's Ring held their second joint show, Numero Dos, where the main event saw CMLL representative Dalys la Caribeña defeat Lady's Ring representative Mina Shirakawa in a best two-out-of-three falls match to win the reactivated championship.

India Sioux is the current champion, in her first reign. Her reign is the eleventh overall reign and she is the eighth person to hold the championship. La Diabólica's reign lasted between 1 and 25 days and is the shortest reign on record. Dalys la Caribeña's reign lasted 1,326 days, the longest of any of the championship reigns.

Title history

Combined reigns As of , . †Indicates the current champion.¤The exact length of a title reign is uncertain; the combined length may not be correct. RankWrestlerNo. ofReignsCombinedDays1 1 1,3262 2 381–404¤3Dark Silueta 3534 Unagi Sayaka 1 2465 India Sioux † +6Hazuki 1557 Lluvia 1258Koguma 319 1–25¤

Notes

References