Intro
My name is Zach 28 years old, I am a compulsive gambler from the Gold Coast, Australia. I have been gambling for close to 10 years now. My losses would be somewhere in the hundreds of thousands now without a doubt. I live a good life, I live close to the beach, have a fantastic border collie called Switch, and I have my dream job for where I am at in my career at the moment that pays me six figures. I also have a fantastic family, that are somewhat aware of the gambling problem, but definitely have no idea as to how bad it truly is.
But due to gambling, I have basically not a cent to my name, and I have lost a lot of good friends, especially over the last 3-4 months. So a lot of the above has been what has been able to keep me going in life, and not look to drastic measures.
I have been trying to stop gambling for the better part of three years now.
Where it began
Gambling started for me back when I was about 18. I had some mates that I would go down to the pub with and we would have some beers together and then go to the pokies(slot machines) and put maybe $20 through, and it seemed fun and innocent at the time. Little did I know that my addictive personality would take a hold of this and drive my life to where it currently is.
My biggest weakness would be the pokies, especially once I discovered online casinos.
But it was never really an issue through my early 20’s, as I usually only gambled what I could afford to lose and it never affected my day to day life such as paying bills or anti social behaviour. It was just a “casual” gamble at the time.
Where it got bad
It was probably around the age of 24-25 where it got really bad. I was dating a girl at the time, where from the early stages I would manage to weasal money out of her to feed my addiction of the pokies. She would lend me money or give me money not realising what the problem was. I truly took advantage of her in this situation. There were even a couple of nights where we had been drinking with friends, and she passed out to go to sleep and I would take her bank card and go withdraw $1000 or so, just so I could go play the pokies.
She forced me to go to GA at one stage, I went once, but I was no where near ready to give it up. I mean why would I when I could keep syphoning money out of her?
After that relationship ended, things calmed down a little bit. I was still gambling in a bad way, but I wasn’t stealing money to feed the addiction. I did it through my own means. From time to time I would need to borrow money from friends or family to keep my head afloat, but I always paid it back to them.
In the last 2-3 months is where the addiction has got me real bad. I was living a bad living situation with a housemate that basically forced me to keep to myself in my room or the study. This is where I really discovered online pokies.
I put $300 in, over the course of about 3-4 days I managed to get that up to around $80k. I said alright I am gonna withdrawal at least 60k of this, but going to see if I can use the other 20k to see if I can turn it into more.
As online pokies have it, they really draw out the verification process. They do not make it easy to get your money. It goes without saying that within 3 days I managed to take that $80k and turn it into $0. Because I am a compulsive gambler and self control around gambling is not something that I have.
The follow on effect
Having gotten up to $80k, I was convinced that I could easily get up to like $10k or something. This resulted in me using money I didn’t have and borrowing money, and lying to borrow money in order to gamble.
As I sit here now and write this up. I went from having no debt, to now about $5k in debt and having blown around $15-20k over the last 1-2 months.
Going forward
Now I sit here contemplating the road ahead of me. Here is what I have done so far
- Called my bank and banned any form of gambling transactions
- Installed Gameban on my phone and computer
- Told a friend about my gambling and the true extent of it.
- Looking into counselling and GA meetings around me.
It’s a long road ahead, but I have to start somewhere.

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Another benefit is the site's popularity on the online gambling community. Many people from around the world make use of the casino when they have some spare time to spend. Some refer to the online casino as their home away from home because it gives them the option to play with people from any part of the globe. These people include those living in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia among others.
The website also has a very popular video slot machine called Agen Jokeller. This slot machine is exclusively for the Indonesian People. The machine offers four different jackpots of $2021 each, which include the usual small and big prizes. Although the website does not mention anything about which version of the Agen Jokeller you would be playing, we can assume that the player can choose the machine according to his preference.

Good morning from the UK.
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Virus statistics (as of 09:30 UK time)
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Region	Today	Yesterday	% change
Global	198,179	182,424	+8.6%
China	81,087	81,053	+0.4% (once again)
Italy	31,506	27,980	+12.6%
Iran	16,169	14,991	+7.9%
Spain	11,826	9,942	+18.9%
Germany	9,360	7,272	+28.7%
South Korea	8,413	8,320	+1.1%
France	7,695	6,655	+15.6%
USA	6,496	4,661	+39.4%
Switzerland	2,700	2,330	+15.9% (they have been suspiciously round numbers every day this week)
UK	1,960	1,553	+26.2%
Netherlands	1,710	1,414	+20.9%
Norway	1,471	1,347	+9.2%
Austria	1,332	1,018	+30.8%
Belgium	1,243	1,058	+17.5%
Sweden	1,196	1,121	+6.7%
Denmark	1,024	932	+9.8%

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All other countries with under 1000 identified infections not listed. Total countries infected worldwide = 155, same as yesterday. Source for all countries (as discussed above): the John Hopkins University dashboard (Link). (Personal note: Western countries infection counts are increasing each day much faster than Asian countries but that may be due to cultural differences or it may be that they're doing my testing, if anyone can shed light on this please do).
Reminder, these are identified case counts and medical experts are reporting this virus has a long incubation period with people being infections despite displaying no symptoms; the true infection figures are likely to be much higher. Note that some countries are reporting shortages of test kits which further skews the data available; assume true cases are much higher.
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Other virus news in brief (Guardian live blog source, no time to check anything else)
- The world famous Glastonbury music festival just got cancelled
- The Edinburgh film festival has been cancelled
- The BBC has suspended production of multiple tv shows including its popular soap show Eastenders
- Prof Neil Ferguson, one of the top UK Covid-19 govt advisors has caught it and is self isolating
- Scottish regional airline Logan air (a crucial airbridge link provider to isolated communities) is cutting its flights in half
- Chelsea FC has turned over its hotel for NHS staff for two months (the owner Roman Abramovitch is waiving all charges) and may extend further if necessary
- The catholic church in Scotland has suspended all masses until further notice
- Several fast food chains are offering free drinks to health workers including McDonalds and Pret
- More supermarket chains around the world are offering extra opening hours for accessibility only by the elderly and vulnerable including Sainsbury's in the UK
- Central Brussels is reported as being deserted (Belgium is in lock down)
- Iran study: 3.5m Iranians could die if government guidelines are not followed (some Iranian worshippers are attempting to break into holy shrines and mosques, defying Iranian leaders who are trying to bar access to religious sites because of coronavirus).
- Global stock markets remain volatile - futures suggest further drops in Dow Jones when it opens in approx 2:15 time
- Amazon workers say the hectic pace of work amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak is devastating for their physical and mental health as they try and keep up with massive new demand. There are complaints the company is doing nothing to look after the welfare of its workers.
- Dozens of new cases of the virus have been found in South Korea
- NZ continues to have problems with tourists failing to self-isolate. The police are getting involved to enforce it, two visitors have been deported so far.
- Tom Hanks feels "blah" but says he's no longer feverish, he remains in precautionary self isolation with his wife
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Supply chain specific virus news in brief
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- Matt Colvin and his brother (who hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitiser before being banned by Amazon for price gouging) has donated the product but is being investigated by his state's attorney general. He says he's received death threats over the matter.
- Nissan suspends production at Sunderland plant (UK) as coronavirus crisis hits supply chain and sales (Local newspaper source). Ford and Vauxhall are following suit (source)
- UK chemicals supply chains prepare for ‘major impact’ from coronavirus restrictions (source)
- China’s southern manufacturing hub facing supply shortage as global fears grow (source) with 15% having already run out of some supplies
- Pending “Buy America” Executive Order Threatens Coronavirus Response - Forbes agues that a pending executive order to force federal agencies to buy American made products will slow down the country's ability to respond to the virus. "Now is not the time to shutter our borders and prevent global cooperation. Americans already face massive shortages of diagnostic tests and vital supplies, like face masks and ventilators.... By forsaking an all-hands-on-deck approach, the president would exacerbate the public health crisis at hand and put more American lives at risk" the article says.
- Brazilian meatpackers JBS and Minerva Foods are considering suspending operations at some slaughterhouses in Brazil due to supply chain issues from China (source)
- UK grocery pro tip - if the online grocers have no slots available and you don't want to be customer 6023 in the Ocado queue, check out Gousto (if you're already a customer) or Hello Fresh.
- A Houston distillery is starting to making hand sanitiser Link - I've seen other reports of distilleries doing similar including Scottish whisky ones
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Economics
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Boeing seeks $60 billion in government aid for aerospace industry hit by coronavirus - Link : CNBC says that Boeing said Tuesday that it is supporting $60 billion in government support for the aerospace industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump earlier said his administration would support Boeing, a top U.S. defense contractor and one of the two biggest airplane makers in the world. The company has been grappling with the fallout of two fatal crashes of its 737 Max.
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Supply chain deep dive
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Industry experts say, yes, more medical ventilator devices are desperately needed, but warn against unrealistically heightening public expectations (Link) - One doctor described the machines as being like "gold." Ventilators have quickly become the most sought-after medical device in the world because of their ability to help save the lives of some of the sickest coronavirus patients. The U.S. currently has an estimated 160,000 ventilators, far short of the 740,000 it would need in a "severe" pandemic like the Spanish flu of 1918, according to a study by the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins. It's because of this that governments around the world have been scrambling to buy and make as many ventilators as possible. President Donald Trump even suggested that states might be better off not waiting for federal help, "if they can get them faster by getting them on their own." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked large companies that don’t make ventilators, like Rolls Royce and the domestic appliance firm Dyson, to pivot toward the production of medical equipment in a way not seen outside war.
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The great toilet paper shortage of 2020 - CNN reports on supply chain issues relating to the toilet paper panic purchasing (Supply chain students - this is a great example of the bullwhip effect in real time). Many were already operating their manufacturing facilities 24/7 prior to the pandemic. Now, some are limiting their facilities to essential workers and contractors. It's unclear, however, what they will do in the event that those workers get sick. "If you ask me why everyone is grabbing toilet paper, I can't really explain it," said Tom Sellars, CEO of Sellars Absorbent Materials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His company is a processor and converter of paper and related products. "It's not like we are suddenly using more of it. But the surge in demand could strain the supply chain," he said. Georgia Pacific, the maker of Angel Soft and Quilted Northern toilet paper, said that last week, some orders from retailers nearly doubled. The company managed to ship out 20% more than its normal capacity. And the American Forest & Paper Association, an industry group representing paper product makers, noted the industry is working hard to respond to the sudden spike in demand.
Another big worry: stockpiling toilet paper now could eventually hurt manufacturers' sales down the road. "We've all seen photos of people carrying shopping carts filled with toilet paper out of stores. They probably won't buy more for three to four months," Baron said. "There will be a demand shock, and it will again strain the system."
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Coronavirus exposes the weak links in the pharma supply chain - The Pharmaletter has an opinion piece from Madhav Durbha, group vice president, industry strategy, LLamasoft (link). Key takeaways:

1. China is a rapidly growing consumer market as average disposable income grows - A recent study of large pharma companies’ earnings shows that revenues in China grew by 29% as compared to a growth of 8.2% in the USA for a comparable period.
2. China and India are big players in pharma manufacturing. Example: last year China accounted for 95% of US imports of ibuprofen, 91% of US imports of hydrocortisone, 70% of US imports of acetaminophen, 40% to 45% of US imports of penicillin and 40% of US imports of heparin, according to Commerce Department data. Even as India rises as an alternate source to China for generic and over-the-counter medications, it depends heavily on Chinese sources for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and key starting materials (KSMs).
3. Due to sizeable inventory buffers in the industry, the effects of manufacturing downturns will take time to impact; the median inventory is about 180 days for the industry as a whole. However, given the long lead times associated with drug manufacturing, the effects will take time to cycle through the supply chain. If and when this gets on the critical path, missed deliveries can be punitive for pharma companies due to penalties by purchasing entities. Switching sources is not a trivial task in the pharma industry given the highly regulated nature and rigorous compliance requirements by regulatory bodies.
4. Individuals and governments alike are competing for availability of medical PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) exacerbating the global supply shortage). Personal note: I've flagged up shortages over the past few weeks in multiple country health systems. If your politicians say they're about to fix it or more supplies are imminent be very sceptical; my country's government is competing against yours (and we're all competing against individual demand too) and there won't be enough for everyone because manufacturing capacity cannot keep up with current demand (I've posted links before on this topic).

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Warehousing sector well-positioned to weather coronavirus disruption, report finds - Supplychaindive reports that the logistics real estate sector could be among the best positioned to handle inventory supply and demand disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak due to standard long-term occupancy contracts and a potential shift to more regional supply chains in the future, according to a report from Prologis released in March. Key takeaways from the article:

1. Lessons learnt from widespread stockouts could cause supply chain managers to bump up their safety stock levels which means more warehouse space will be needed (safety stock means the inventory level limit at which you ideally should never go below so you should order replenishments to arrive just before you hit that limit).
2. Consumer demand for fresh and online grocery is set to increase in the coming years; in 2019 CBRE (major global player in warehouse real estate) projected this trend would translate into industry demand for 100 million square feet of additional cold storage warehousing space over the next five years
3. Some supply chains may de-risk from centralised warehousing (e.g. running a NDC - national distribution centre) into running several smaller RDCs (regional distribution centres) to spread out the risk.

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How long will essentials like toilet paper be hard to get? It depends. - Vox reports (credit to them for the follow on links) that while the biggest grocery chains, food suppliers, and consumer goods brands are generally well-equipped to handle this kind of surge in demand, experts say the global reach of their supply chains is contributing to the problem. Additionally this is a global surge in demand. Retailers are capable of handling emergency deliveries for impacted areas (e.g. post hurricane or earthquake), but it's difficult to keep up with a country-wide surge in demand. Reallocating inventory requires some cost-benefit analysis, however. “If you divert that normal shipment that goes from your regional distribution center to your network of stores close to that regional center, and all of a sudden you haul it twice the distance to New York City, that’s twice the cost,” a partner from Cap Gemini said.
3M, the Minnesota-based manufacturer of N95 respirator masks and other protective medical products, has so far avoided supply chain disruptions by sourcing materials like straps and metal nose clips from regional suppliers and producing the filters in house. The company has also ramped up production from five days per week to seven in response to the surge in demand. According to Panjiva, the supply chain research unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence, P&G significantly ramped up its shipments of soap and hand sanitizer in late 2019 and early 2020, with imports increasing 221.9 percent year over year in the three months to January 31. Competitor Johnson & Johnson increased imports of the same categories by 72.7 percent during the same period. Even with the short supply, US hand sanitizer sales were up 470 percent in the first week of March, according to Nielsen. Small-batch distilleries are supplementing their product assortments with hand sanitizers that meet the CDC’s 60 percent alcohol guidelines. New York state has turned to prison labor to boost its supply by 100,000 gallons per week.
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Donations
Several asked if they can send me $/£/€ via Patreon (in some cases because I've saved them time or money, others for no reason at all). I don't need the cash (that's lovely though) but food bank charities are getting really hit hard with all this panic buying. Please consider giving whatever you'd have given me to a foodbank charity instead:
UK: https://www.trusselltrust.org/
France: https://www.banquealimentaire.org/
Germany: https://www.tafel.de/
Netherlands: https://www.voedselbankennederland.nl/steun-ons/steun-voedselbank-donatie/
Spain: https://www.fesbal.org/
Australia: https://www.foodbank.org.au/
Canada: https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/
USA: https://www.feedingamerica.org/
Thanks in advance for any donations you give. If there's foodbank charities in your country and it's not listed above, please suggest it and I will include it going forward.

EDIT: Minor correction to definition of safety stock and replenishments

These days, the only thing more popular than tinder itself is complaining about tinder. Women complain that they can't find good guys on there, only fuckbois and deadbeats, and men sign up, get one match in 6 months and wonder "where are all da ho's at?!" It seems neither sex is happy with online dating.
And yet, the Match Group (Tinder's parent), is on track to exceed $2 Billion in revenue this year. Clearly, they're doing something right. And men and women, despite all their bellyaching, are ponying up big cash to use the app. What gives?
They key is to understand *why* OLD sucks: they suck at doing what they say they're going to do for you, and excel at doing what you really want them to do. Hence, you complain in public, while still swiping like an addicted monkey in private.
Here is what OLD *says* they're going to do: they're going to help you meet The One: your soulmate, your spouse, your partner-in-crime, ride-or-die, yadda yadda yadda. Here's what they really do: they preserve and feed your fantasy of who that soulmate actually is, tantalize you with the possibility that that soulmate is just barely, almost, oh-so-close to being yours, and hide any sort of hard truths about relationships and people that gets in the way of your delusions. And then, you pay them for helping keep your delusions alive, while publicly complaining that they're not helping you make those delusions become reality.
BTW, this is not a secret that only Tinder knows. It's called marketing 101. A beer commercial is ostensibly about selling you a nice tasting beverage that you enjoy drinking. Yet the commercials have bikini clad women surrounding the beer drinkers while they lounge around on a beach. A pickup truck is ostensibly a practical vehicle used by people who need to haul stuff around all day. Yet their commercials are all about exploring the great outdoors and tearing up trails in forests and mountains. And most of them are bought by people who'll never haul more than a "Just Married" sign and will never drive on anything more off-road than a highway with a few potholes on it.
So how does this marketing delusion work in online dating? To explore that, we have to first analyze how people found relationships before online dating. At that time, you relied pretty exclusively on your social network, e.g. friends, family, co-workers, church, and other social networks you were in. Unlike Tinder, these social networks really *do* want to see you happy and in a stable relationship (generally speaking; and yes, they may be bad at it, but most of the time, their heart is in the right place). This is for several reasons:

1. They care about you and genuinely want to see you happy
2. Since you're a member of their social network, it actually helps everyone else if you're stable and happy, and not miserable and always needing support from the social network rather than contributing back
3. Conversely, if someone sets you up with a horrible person (or even a very mismatched person), they will face repercussions from you and everyone else when the relationship inevitably blows up. You can't sue Tinder for a date gone wrong. But you can certainly disown your friends if they set you up with a serial killer. IOW, the social network can bite back if you willfully mess things up.

Additionally, your social networks know a lot about you and (usually) a lot about the people they're matching you with. Which means they can often see through your own BS (in the way that good friends and close family usually can), and find good matches for you that you would never have considered yourself.
This system has worked for thousands if not millions of years. And most notably, OLD has none of the advantages listed above. Yet OLD has been incredibly successful and pretty much completely replaced the IRL social networks of the past. We even pay them to do what our social networks used to do for free. Why is that?
Because the mortal weakness of your IRL social networks is this: since they're not in the marketing business, they tell you hard truths you don't want to hear. I'll give you an example. When I was in my early thirties (pre-tinder), one of of my co-workers, also in her early thirties, was telling me about a date her friends had set her up with. Apparently it was a mid-forties man, balding, divorced, with a kid. She was in shock the next day. Not so much about the guy, who was nice enough. But that her friends thought that was her appropriate match. In her mind, she was still the mid-twenties hot young thing who would get cat-called in the bars. More than the guy himself, just the idea that now she was only fit for older, frumpy, divorced dads, and that furthermore *that was what her friends thought*, was too much for her to bear. But her social networks were doing the right thing. They didn't want to see her end up single and alone in 10 years. And regardless of whether that guy was the absolute best she could do, they saw her relationship value far more clearly than she did. They were a lot closer in their estimates of her value than she was.
In contrast, Tinder will happily whisper lies in your ear all day as long as you pay it to do so. In fact, for them, it's a *failure* if you find your perfect partner and ride off into the sunset, because that means you'll soon delete their app. Let me repeat that: Tinder does not want you to get married. It doesn't even want you to find someone for a year. If all of their customers found a mate within a month of being on the app, and then not check the app again for a lifetime or even a year, they'd run out of customers and go out of business. And their profits are far more important to them than your happiness.
So what are these lies?
1.
(If you're a woman), your perfect match is a billionaire convict outlaw church-going surgeon who cries during weddings. Also has 6-pack abs and a footlong. (If you're a man), your perfect match is a Victoria's Secret Angel madonna in public, whore in bed, who does yoga 6 hours a day and gets wet just thinking about your mastery of obscure Star Wars trivia. Also has no problem blowing you in public.
Yeah, neither of these people exist. Your friends will tell you that. But Tinder never will. Not only will it never tell you that, it actively encourages everyone to lie and puff themselves up into those fantasy matches. A guy who insists on talking about his "amazing trip to Machu Pichu" 5 years after he went is considered a blowhard in real life. On Tinder, that's the picture he uses to make his life seem more exciting than it really is. Every person on Tinder is trying to convince you that they are that billionaire convict, or that yoga-addicted underwear model. Your IRL social network would weed out the phonies real quick. Tinder prefers to bump them up in your queue.
2.
That man / woman of your dreams is just a swipe away. Who knows? They could even be the very next swipe! So just... flick your finger... one more time... Even if the people above actually exist, very, very few people can even meet them in real life. That billionaire dude doesn't hang out at Applebee's. Just getting into the restaurants / hotels / vacation resorts he stays at in order to run into him requires knowledge, money, and enough time spent studying the subtle class markers of the ultra-rich that you can pass yourself off as one of them. Similarly, just meeting a Victoria's Secret model requires running in their social circles, which typically means you're either a rich person, in the fashion and entertainment industry, or at least live in NY / LA and are willing to blow huge amounts of money on bribing the bouncers and hosts to let you into the closed clubs they hang out in. If you're really, really lucky, you might score a date because you're neighbors with their grandmother back in Kansas and she somehow convinces her granddaughter to give the nice neighborhood boy a chance when she's back home for Christmas and bored out of her skull. And even that's not as easy as a quick swipe, is it?
Everyone knows that to make a million dollars, you need to study hard, get into a good career, work your ass off, have a little luck, etc. Just like how your friends will tell you that to get a good girl, you need to work hard, lift, be sociable, and overall become a desirable guy. Tinder is the equivalent of the casino slot machine, which tempts you that that million dollar prize is just a dollar and a quick pull away. Similarly, Tinder tells you that dream guy/girl is just a quick swipe away. At least casinos are legally required to list the actual probability you have of winning that prize. Tinder doesn't even do that.
3.
Even if your perfect match exists, and you end up meeting them, you will often find out, much to your disappointment, that they're not a great match for you. There's a great saying: "behind every beautiful woman, there's a guy tired of fucking her." That glossy exterior image is often radically different than the inside. Every guy who has dated at least a few incredibly hot women will tell you that many of them (though not all!) are not worth the hassle. It may not even be that the other person is a "bad" person. Even a good person from a radically different environment can be a bad match. For example, if you can't name at least 5 different forks and which foods to use them with, and you think being a foodie means using A1 steak sauce instead of ketchup, then you probably won't even enjoy that 3-star meal your billionaire boyfriend buys you in Paris, while he will look on in disgust at your local hometown's "world famous" hamburger you buy him.
Birds of a feather flock together. Your social network is comprised of people who are similar to you in many aspects of your life, which makes it very difficult to find people radically different in life experience / values / outlooks than yourself. Which is actually a *good* thing because people from radically different walks of life tend not to be compatible enough to build a life together. Again, say somehow through Tinder you score a date with your movie actress celebrity crush. What would you actually talk about? Do you know anything about the movie business? Could you relate to her insecurities and what she deals with going on auditions every day where random strangers tell her she's too fat / too blonde / not blonde enough / too flat-chested / too busty to ever make it in this town? Heck, forget all that: do you even know what's a fun date thing to do in LA outside of the tourist traps that locals can't stand? Conversely, what's the chance she knows anything about your life? Is there any shared experience between you two that could form the basis for a real relationship?
Again, IRL social networks know this, because they generally know both people well, and have a good sense of who's a good match for whom. There have been plenty of times when I asked my friends about a hot girl I saw at a party, and they warn me off, telling me "dude, stay away from her. She's smoking hot, but batshit crazy." Or conversely, seat me next to someone I might never have noticed, who ends up being a great person that I want to spend more time with. Tinder doesn't ever do this. If you swipe right on someone their algorithm tells them will only lead you to misery, does it ever flash a big warning sign "Caution: Do you really want to date this loser?". Of course not. It only wants to feed whatever notion of a "perfect match" you already have. And if you think a recently paroled ex-felon is your perfect match, then that's perfectly fine with them. Don't think for a second that Tinder doesn't know that 90% of a match is based on looking at the first few photographs. It doesn't care. There's a reason Tinder is more popular than eHarmony. People don't want to be told who their best match really is (often because who your match is usually reflects who *you* are...). People dream of their soul mate since they're kids. The last thing they want is someone who pours cold water all over that dream. And if your soul mate is someone from your neighborhood that went to your high school or plays softball with your friends, then you don't need Tinder to meet them. So unless Tinder can feed your fantasy that your best life partner is someone totally outside of all your social networks (a ludicrous proposition when you consider it on its merits), someone only Tinder can hook you up with, it won't be able to convince you to trust Tinder over your IRL social networks.
4.
There's an old saying: if at first you don't succeed, redefine success. Tinder has redefined success in the relationship world to "getting a match from someone." In the real world, it never mattered how many "matches" you got. There wasn't even a concept of that. It only mattered if you eventually found someone to spend your life with. When your friends set you up and you two decide after a couple of dates that it's not going to work out, your friends usually consider that a failure, because their goal is to help you get into a relationship, not just to go on a single date. Tinder's standards for success are much lower.
Of course, Tinder has been helped in this regard by the slut-pride movement that states the marker of a woman's success and worth is the number of dicks she's had inside her, rather than the quality of the man she actually ends up with. But Tinder's measure of success is even shallower. They consider it a success if you "match" even if that never even leads to a meeting in real life. More importantly, they've convinced *us* that the app was successful if it "matched" you with someone, regardless of whether that match went anywhere. It's instructive to see women write in their Tinder bios that they're "sick of fuckbois, not looking for hookups," etc. Yes, they're stupid because they're on a hookup app saying these things, but the amazing thing is, they don't blame the app itself, they blame the people on it. Because Tinder has redefined success in OLD as getting a match. Everything else is the responsibility of the person they matched you with, even if Tinder is the one that made the match on shoddy criteria that were destined to fail. In the early days of OLD, dating sites used to advertise the number of marriages that occurred from their site. You'll notice no one does that now. Because they realized marriages are bad for business, but to avoid the dearth of marriages being viewed as a product failure, they had to redefine success and make you accept the new definition as merely being "matched". Which we have.
5.
Let's say you make it through all of this. Your dream mate actually exists. He / She actually happens to be on Tinder and both of you somehow decide to swipe on each other. Then you navigate the minefield of messages / texting / phone calls until you finally manage to get coffee together. And despite your dream match being a ski instructor from Switzerland who only speaks French, while you've never made it past your high school Spanish classes and haven't traveled outside of your state, you realize he shares your passion for watching Kim Kardashian on E!. The final question: why do you think he'd be interested in you? We laugh at the women featured on WAATGM who are all looking for some incredibly desirable guy while offering nothing of value themselves. But we all fall into that delusion, and Tinder feeds that. Once they've redefined success as getting a match, something that can even happen on accident (oops! I meant to swipe left! Crap!), then you feel like someone actually likes you if they match you. Again, we laugh at instagram ho's who define their life's worth by the number of likes their ass shots get. We wonder if they ever consider that 90% of those likes are from thirsty dudes in India and Saudi Arabia that they would never even touch with a 10-foot pole. And yet, if you get a "match" from some hot girl, even if she unmatches you right away, or after a couple of text messages, we take that as a sign that, "if a girl that hot matched with me, then surely one of them will actually go on a date with me soon!" And you keep swiping. We criticize women who think that just because some dude had a one night stand with her, that she's close to getting a relationship with him. And yet Tinder has convinced us that just because we occasionally get a match with a random hot guy/girl that if we keep swiping, eventually one of those matches will turn into a real date which will turn into a steady relationship, which will turn into...all your dreams coming true! But just like a fuckboi is only into fucking you, Tinder is only into getting you "matches". It has no interest in things proceeding further, and its algorithms are not designed to help their matches do so. Indeed, just like a fuckboi hopes you don't actually find a real relationship since then you might cut him off, Tinder hopes that match doesn't lead to anything beyond a one night stand, because otherwise, you might delete their app.
Needless to say, IRL social networks are very aware of this. Which is why sometimes they tell you a hard truth like, "dude, don't bother. That girl is way out of your league. She only dates football players." Because the last thing they want to see is you getting shot down unnecessarily.
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So back to my co-worker, the 30 year old who got setup with a 45 year old divorced dad by her friends. Her friends knew she was finally looking for a serious relationship (she probably told them she was "tired of fuckbois" or whatever they were called back then :-), so they eliminated all the players and even the potentially good guys who weren't ready to settle down yet. Then they waded through whatever BS checklists she had and tried to figure out what was truly important and what wasn't, then eliminated guys who didn't at least have the important stuff. Then they eliminated people that had nothing in common with her, or who wouldn't be a good match for her personality. Lastly, there were probably a few amazing guys that checked all her boxes, but who her friends knew were way out of her league and were probably dating younger, hotter girls. And they eliminated them so that my co-worker wouldn't get her heart broken when (after sleeping with her) they decide she's not up to their standards for an LTR. Finally, after all that weeding out, they figured maybe this 45 year old divorced dad, who may not have all his hair or 6-pack abs but was still a good guy who was genuinely interested in settling down, and was still young enough to be willing to have kids with a new wife, and who was at the peak of his career and could provide a good life for her and any future family, is not such a bad match for her. But all she could see was that accepting him would mean she was no longer that hot girl at the club that all the guys would buy drinks for and she wasn't ready to do that yet.
At that point, if Tinder existed, she probably would have gone on the app, started swiping left and right, get quick reassurance that indeed, she was still that hot girl thanks to all the matches she got from hot guys in random towns 50 miles away, none of whom she'd actually ever meet, reject her friends' advice and trust Tinder instead. Later that night, when she was lonely and wondering if she'd every find a guy to love her, she'd still reject calling that 45 year old guy, who would have taken her out to dinner and maybe even found a lot of common ground and shared experience despite their age difference. Instead, she'd swipe right on a random guy who Tinder selected for her mainly based on the fact that he was within her listed age range and was only 1 mile away (even if he was only a tourist visiting from Australia for 3 days), since that's the only real piece of data Tinder actually has on anyone. And she'd fuck him that night. He'd leave before she wakes up, to get to the airport and fly home halfway around the world. And in the morning, waking up to an empty bed, she'd blame a) the guy for skipping out, even though she knew he's from Australia; b) the 45 year old dude for not being younger / hotter / fashionable enough to give her the tingles; c) her friends for thinking he was in her league; d) the entire world for being cruel and leaving her single and unhappy despite being such a great catch. IOW, she'd blame every thing out there, except the one thing that actually was preventing her from doing the work and making the sorts of compromises and decisions necessary to find and keep a long-term, happy relationship. Nope. Far from blaming Tinder, she opens her phone, starts up the app again, and goes through the swiping drill again, hoping that this time, finally, she hits that jackpot the app keeps telling her is right around the corner...
All of a sudden, Tinder making $2 billion doesn't seem so far fetched, does it?

What is Stardom?

World Wonder Ring Stardom, or just Stardom for short, is a Joshi Puroresu(Japanese Women's Wrestling) company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 2011, and it's currently one of most successful Women's promotion in the world. As of October 2019, it's subsidiary of Bushiroad. That's the same parent company as New Japan Pro Wrestling. Stardom is a separate entity from NJPW managed by a different wing of Bushiroad.
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What is Stardom Wrestling like?

Most Stardom Wrestlers wrestle a mix of traditional Japanese Strong Style, Lucha Libre, and American Wrestling. Most matches are 5-15 minutes long. Singles, tag team, and trios matches are common. Three way, and Fatal Fourway matches are also common on the under cards. Most shows feature 5 or 6 matches. There is also a little bit of comedy mixed into the product without taking away from the sportsmanship. Overall, it's a very fun brand of wrestling.
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What are the rules for Stardom matches?

• For most matches, victories come via 3 count pinfalls or submissions. In the case of rope breaks for submissions, a wrestler must be in full possession of the rope before the rope break is activated. Only touching the ropes is not enough.
• There is a 20 count outside the ring. Although that the count starts at the referee's discretion. Usually wrestlers are allowed to brawl for minutes on the outside until one has incapacitate the other and then the count starts.
• There is a 5 count for rope breaks or general misbehavior inside the ring.
• Some matches have over the top rope eliminations. These are common as a part of the Cinderella Tournament.
• Some tag team matches have lucha rules, so there is no tag necessary. In general, the ref will allow some freedom for double teams in the ring.
• Weapon use is prohibited, although it's not an automatic DQ. The ref will usually do his best to stop it and let the match continue.
• Disqualifications are possible, but very rare. The ref will allow the action to go as long as he can. A wrestler has to be extremely out of control to earn a DQ.

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How often do Stardom Shows run?

Sometimes they run multiple shows a week, and sometimes there is a small hiatus due to scheduling. Overall, it averages out to about six to nine shows a month. They regularly run shows in multiple locations in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, and a few other cities in Japan. Shows outside of Japan happen on rare occasions as well. Shinkiba 1st Ring in Tokyo is the venue that they run most often, and Korakuen Hall is where most of the big shows are held.
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Who wrestles for Stardom?

Stardom has a mix of Japanese and international talent. The international talent comes from the US, Mexico, Europe, and Australia. Big names such as Kairi Sane(Kairi Hojo in Stardom), Io Shirai, Nicky Storm(WWE's Nicky Cross), Piper Niven(AKA Viper), The Alpha Female, Taya Valkyrie, Chelsea Green and more have wrestled in Stardom. A few male names such as Minoru Suzuki, Dr. Wagner Jr, Ultimo Dragon and Kenny Omega have also wrestled in the past on rare occasions.
A breakdown of Stardom's roster:
Queens Quest: The tweener faction in Stardom. They want to push Stardom to be the best.

• Momo Watanabe - "Stardom's true heart". A fierce fighter with a bright future. She is the Ace of Queens Quest.
• AZM - Pronounced "Azumi". “The JK Fighter”(High School Fighter) and “Queens Quest's Bomb Girl”. A young & agile rebel that will stomp you to the ground. The most experienced member of Queens Quest. She's everyone's senpai.
• Utami Hayashishita – The hammer of Queens Quest. She’s a power wrestler with a judo background. She’s pushing Stardom’s best to the limit from day one.
• Hina - Sister of Stars' Hanan and Tokyo Cyber Squad's Rina. She's a no nonsense straight forward fighter with judo skills. She favors the color blue.
• Leo Onozaki - "The Lion Heart". A firey babyface with a lot of energy. She loves hitting cutters and back elbows.

Oedo Tai: The rule breaking heels of Stardom.

• Natsu Sumire - "The Minister in charge of reversing Japan's declining birthrate". She is beautiful, cowardly, and vain.
• Saki Kashima - A creative and energetic fighter. She's an old school delinquent who betrayed the Stars unit. She's not to be trusted.
• Natsuko Tora - "The Female Warrior of Joshi." She is a tough enforcer who hates to lose. She walks down her own path, and she wants to bathe Stardom in darkness.
• Bea Priestley - The Top Gaijin. An accomplished wrestler from the UK. She's a fighter with a mean streak, and an unapologetic badass.
• "Session Moth" Martina- The party don't start until Martina shows up.
• Jamie Hayter - UK based phenomenon with hard hitting offense and aspirations to be the best in the world.

Stars - The babyface stable that sticks together(sort of)

• Mayu Iwatani - "Sky-Blue Hyper Technician", "The Icon of Stardom", "The Gift". A fierce high flyer that will do anything(within the rules) to win. Master of the two stage Dragon Suplex. The first and so far only World of Stardom and Wonder of Stardom duel champion.
• Arisa Hoshiki- "The Shinning Star Of Stardom". Possibly the greatest kicker in the history of wrestling. A member of Stardom's debut class. She has a bit of a complicated relationship with Tam Nakano.
• Tam Nakano - "The Violet Kung Fu Girl". Pop singer, Kung Fu master, licensed fireworks expert, Deathmatch wrestler, die hard fan of Pandas. There are many sides to Tam Nakano.
• The Starlight Kid - "The Genius Girl". A high flying technician. The only masked wrestler currently in Stardom. The first Future Of Stardom champion.
• Hanan - H-A-N-A-N. She uses Judo to get an advantage her opponents.
• Saya Iida - "The Little Giant"/"Giant Saya" - A little wrestler with a big heart. She's currently the smallest member of the roster. She'll dropkick you across the ring.

Tokyo Cyber Squad - Everyone is different. Everyone is good. The revolutionary non-conformists of Stardom.

• Hana Kimura - The charismatic and chaotic cybergoth leader of TCS. Hana Kimura does as Hana Kimura wants to do.
• Jungle Kyona - "Jan-Kyo". A high energy dynamo. She has Jungle Power and she will use it to clothesline people's heads off. The former leader of the now dead Jungle Assault Nation group.
• Konami - A student of WWE's Asuka(Kana). A fierce shooter with amazing kicks and submissions. If she locks in her Triangle Lancer submission she wins 100% of the time.
• Kaori Yoneyama - AKA Death-Yama-San. A joshi legend. Former OZ Academy Tag Team Champion. Former Stardom Tag Team champion. Runs her own shows under the YMZ brand. Often teams with and against rookies. Loves Dragonball and cosplay.
• Rina - Sister of Stars' Hanan and Queens Quest's Hina. She's mini-Hana Kimura.
• Ruaka - "The Future Warrior". She's not a Kappa, she's a monster. But don't let that fool you. She's also powerful.
• Bobbi Tyler - A promising up and coming UK talent. Gets along very well with Hana.
• Rebel Kel - A tall American power house with a lot of potential.
• Zoe Lucas - Charismatic and sometimes duplicitous. She wants to outsmart her opponents.

Donna Del Mondo - Stardom's newest unit. Their goal is disruption.

• Giulia - The serpent that seeks chaos. She's a powerful foe with hard hitting offense. She's formerly from the Ice Ribbon promotion.
• Maika Deadly serious. She's a hard hitting rookie from the JTO promotion.
• Syuri Konno - Giulia's hired gun. A former UFC fighter and a member of the Makai specialty promotion and a one of the most feared freelancers in Japan.

Miscellaneous - Free talent that aren't associated with one unit and can team with everyone

• Riho - Formerly of Ice Ribbon and Gatoh Move, and currently of AEW. She's a young veteran technical wizard.
• Saya Kamitani - "Future Star Candidate". She's an athletic idol in her rookie year. She has a lot of fire and cool dance moves.
• Itsuki Hoshino - "The Shiny Rookie". The newest Stardom rookie. She's all heart.
• Andras Miyagi - A former member of the Sendai Girls promotion and former member of Oedo Tai. she is a head banging psycho hybrid wrestler who can beat you in many different ways. Her current whereabouts are unknown.

World Selection - Miscellaneous foreign wrestlers from the US, UK, Europe, Mexico, and other parts of the world that happen to be touring Stardom. Sometimes they are loosely associated with the other units.

• Zoey Sky
• Leyla Hirsch

Sendai Girls: At least once a year for the past few years Stardom and Sendai Girls have cooperated to share talent. You may see some Sendai Girl talent appear on Stardom shows and vice-versa.

• Meiko Satomura - A joshi legend. The leader of the Sendai Girls company. Usually comes to Stardom to destroy Io, and Mayu.
• Chihiro Hashimoto - A highly accomplished amateur wrestler turned pro. In her young career she has managed to become two time Sendai Girls champion.
• Mika Iwata - A protege of Meiko. She is deadly with her kicks.

Marvelous: Another promotion that Stardom has worked with recently.

• Takumi Iroha - Former member of Stardom. Currently one of the bright stars of Marvelous.
• Rin Kadokura - Tag team partner of Takumi. Together they are New-Tra.

GPS-Pro: The former home promotion of Konami. Tam has also worked there. Act Yasukawa currently works there as a ring announcer and office member.
Miscellaneous: Other people that you are likely to see around Stardom:

• Rossy Ogawa - The President of Stardom.
• Takaaki Kidani - Bushiroad executive. Sometimes shows up to get smacked around by Hana Kimura.
• Fuka - One of the founders of Stardom and the former General Manager. She also trained rookie wrestlers, and was the ring announcer for many years. She's retired.
• P(with his niece, Panko) - Tam's manager and right hand panda.
• Kagetsu - The Prime Minister of Stardom. A high flying, powerful rule breaking badass. Her last match in Stardom was in January 2020 and she retired February 2020.
• Hazuki - "The Assault Commander." Formerly known as HZK and Reo Hazuki. A young & badass rebel that will kick you in the face. She's all about high speed all out offense. She retired December 2019.
• Prince - Konami's mask and friend. Here to make sure that the world gets #KonamiAllBelts and #KonamiAllPoints
• Yurie Kozakai - Stardom's newest ring announcer and a voice actress.
• Io Shirai - "The Genius of the Sky". An all-time great legend level wrestler. The founder of Queens Quest.
• Kairi Hojo- "The Pirate Princess." Known as Kairi Sane in WWE. One of the most decorated champions in Stardom history.
• Yuzuki Aikawa - The first Wonder of Stardom champion. She retired years ago, but she pops up on occasion as a guest in various Stardom related events. She's retired.
• Madusa - Stardom's commissioner. WWE Hall of Famer. She comes to Stardom about once a year to make sure things are operating properly and give some wisdom.
• Bull Nakano - A joshi legend. She does commentary for the Samurai TV broadcasts and serves as a mentor for the roster.
• Act Yasukawa - Creator of Oedo Tai. One of the most popular wrestlers in Stardom history. She's retired. Currently works for GPS-Pro as a ring announcer.
• Michiko Ohmukai - A legend from Arsion(a late 90's-early 2000's company. A spiritual predecessor to Stardom). Last time we saw her, she was aligned with Oedo Tai. She's retired.
• Hiromi Mimura - "The Indomitable Princess". Charisma personified. A short but fierce technician. Shout! She's retired.
• Kris Wolf - An American Wolf in Japan. Founding member of Oedo Tai. She loves meat, and you are her prey. She's retired.
• Hiroyo Matsumoto - Lady Godzilla. A joshi legend. She works with almost every Women's promotion in Japan and is highly successful.
• Kyoko Kimura - Hana Kimura's mom, co-founder of Oedo Tai, and Joshi legend. She's retired. She runs a very popular pink food truck and can often be seen outside of wrestling shows.
• Nao Yamaguchi - She is an Axe-Bomber throwing Gravure idol. Former member of Oedo Tai. She's retired.
• Shiki Shibusawa - The new heroine. She was a former member of stars and regular tag team partner with Starlight Kid and Tam Nakano. Known for her dropkicks. She's retired.
• Chardonnay - A well traveled UK wrestler with multiple Stardom tours under her belt.
• Mary Apache - She's a lucha libre legend out of Mexico. She comes from a legendary family, and she is a former High Speed Champion.
• Natsumi - She is the latest in the Apache Dynasty from Mexico. A fresh face with a lot of moves up her sleeve. She is the daughter of Mary Apache.
• Xia Brookside - A young wrestler out of the UK. She's the daughter of Robbie Brookside, and she has a bright future.
• Viper - The Scottish giantess. She is a mighty powerhouse.

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What's the deal with the kids?

This is something that western fans might find odd, but it's not that big a deal when you put it into it's proper context. There are no age limits to Wrestling in Japan. They train anyone that seeks training and is capable of doing the work. Which has lead to children as young as 9 or 10 years old to wrestle. It's no different than kids going to martial arts classes in America. Stardom has very experienced trainers. The kids are trained to wrestle in a very safe and basic style. The super young kids only wrestle short exhibition matches until they reach a certain age(11 if I'm not mistaken). And wrestling doesn't interfere with their school.
There is a very large sample size of Joshi wrestlers starting their careers before the age of 16. Way more than I could possibly list in various companies across many years. Wrestlers under 12 years old are far more rare, but there are a few success stories. For example, Riho debuted full time for the Ice Ribbon promotion when she was 9 years old. She has well over a decade of experience today and is one of the best wrestlers in the scene. Stardom's AZM started training when she was 9 years old and made her debut when she was 11 years old. Based on years in the ring, she's currently the second most experienced Stardom original. You can read AZM's own words on the subject here.
Overall, this is the equal of an after school martial arts career or contact sport like Football or Hockey for them.
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Who are the current Stardom Champions?

• World of Stardom Championship(“The Red Belt”, the main title) - Mayu Iwatani
• Wonder of Stardom Championship(“The White Belt”, second most important title) - Arisa Hoshiki
• SWA World Championship(Inter-promotional Belt defended around the world) - Jamie Hayter
• High Speed Championship(Formerly the NEO High Speed Championship) - Riho
• Goddess of Stardom Championship(Tag Team Titles) – Oedo Tai(Bea Priestley & Jamie Hayter)
• Artist of Stardom Championship(Trios Titles) – Queens Quest(Momo Watanabe, AZM, & Utami Hayashishita)
• Future of Stardom Championship - Utami Hayashishita

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Are there any annual tournaments or special events?

Yes, a few:

• Cinderella Tournament - A one night, single elimination tournament held in the spring. The winner gets any match that they want. Last year's winner is Arisa Hoshiki.
• 5 Star Grand Prix - A two bracket, round robin tournament held at the end of Summer. The winner gets a shot the World of Stardom title. Last year's winner is Hana Kimura.
• Tag Team League - A single bracket, round robin tournament held in the Fall. The winners get a shot at the Tag Team titles. The last winners were Arisa Hoshiki & Tam Nakano.
• Rookie of Stardom Tournament - A one night tournament for the rookie class. The Winner is declared the Stardom Rookie of the Year. The last winner was Saya Kamitani.
• Janken Tournament - Rock, Paper, Scissors and cosplay. For Ogawa's money, or at least some of Ogawa's money. The last winner was Jungle Kyona.
• Masked Fiesta - Every Halloween the Stardom roster are replaced by a strange band of masked wrestlers.
• Dream Come True Tournament - A two show, one day tournament held for the first time July 2018. It's unknown if there will another edition this year. The first winner was Tam Nakano.
• High Speed League - Currently ongoing High Speed style tournament.

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Are there Stardom power rankings?

Not officially. If I had to do a power ranking based on my own personal opinion:

• S Level - Mayu Iwatani, Arisa Hoshiki
• A Level - Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe
• B Level - Jamie Hayter, Jungle Kyona, Konami, Hana Kimura, Utami Hayashishita, Riho, Tam Nakano, Giulia
• C Level - AZM, Starlight Kid, Saki Kashima, Natsu Sumire, Natsuko Tora, Andras Miyagi
• D Level - Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani
• E Level - Hanan, Leo Onozaki, Ruaka, Itsuki Hoshino
• F Level - Hina, Rina

This is highly debatable, but it gives you a general idea.
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How can I watch Stardom?

There are one legal option outside of Japan:
Stardom has it's own online streaming service, Stardom World. It costs 920 yen per month(roughly $8.00 ~ $9.00 USD). It's available world wide. For that you get:
Note: Some people have problems with their payment information due to the machine translation on the website. Either turn off the machine translation before hitting submit or switch the expiration month and year. That fixes the problem for most people

• 1-2 matches per day. The exact release schedule varies based on the actual show schedule. It takes time to edit and translate all the footage, and Stardom is a small company that can't afford a full media department to run the service. Normally everything is up with 5 to 6 days of a show happening.
• Special features. Hang out with Mayu Iwatani as she takes her dog to a pet shop, or watch Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo(WWE's Kairi Sane) and Mayu Iwatani answer questions. That sort of deal. These are not translated into English.
• Back cataloged shows from the early days of Stardom. These are posted when there is a long break in the show schedule.

All in all it averages out to 1 or 2 videos a day. The site is in Japanese with machine translation into English for text navigation. Some extra videos don't have translation, some extra videos have machine translation, but the main matches have very good natural English translation for pre-match promos. On occasion, in ring banter and post match promos if it's important to the story as well.
Warning:
If you pay for Stardom World on the 28th of the month you will be charged again on the 1st of the next month. It's not a lot of money, but you should know that ahead of time. This is just a quirk of the way Japanese streaming services work in general. The new version of the website is still working out some quirks with the payment processing. If you run into any issues see the section about contacting Stardom below.
Warning:
If you cancel your service will shut down and you won't be able to watch anymore. Make sure that you don't cancel before there is a show that you want to watch. Again, this is just a quirk of Japanese streaming services.
If you live in Japan you also have the option to watch Stardom's major shows on Samurai TV. They usually air a short time after the shows have taken place. Often in an edited, shorten fashion. They also show a lot of replays of older Stardom shows. Check your local listings.
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Can I watch Stardom World on (Insert Device name)?

Stardom world works on Windows Mac and Linux PC's, IOs devices, and Android devices. It's been reported to work with FireTV devices via the Amazon Silk browser, X-Box via the Edge browser, and Chromecast. Stardom World uses an HTML5 player. Other devices may or may not work. If it's a deal breaker for you it's best to ask before signing up just in case.
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I'm new to Stardom, where should I start?

Depends on how you want to watch. It's perfectly fine to jump in on the latest show. Stardom is pretty easy to follow, and it shouldn't take more than a show or two to be fully up to speed with the current roster. If you want to watch as much as you can in order, the earliest jumping on point right now is November 2018. That's well over 30 shows with over an hour of wrestling each.
Also, this:

The first six things to watch on Stardom world

These are not the best or more important matches in Stardom per say. These will just serve as a nice introduction to the roster. So you can get a feel for what people are about. In no particular order:

1. Konami & Jungle Kyona Vs Starlight Kid & Riho - The tag team champions face off against two of the representatives of the High Speed style of wrestling.
2. Bea Priestley Vs Hana Kimura - World Of Stardom title match. The charismatic challenger against the badass champion.
3. Giulia Vs Saki Kashima - Giulia is the new kid in Stardom and she wants to make a statement against one of the definative Stardom wrestlers.
4. Konami & Jungle Kyona Vs Bea Priestley & Jamie Hayter - Can the top foreigners currently in Stardom detrone the tag team champions?
5. STARS Vs Queens Quest - Six Man Tag matches are amoung Stardom's specialty.
6. Mayu Iwatani & Kagetsu Vs Momo Watanabe & Jungle Kyona - Kagetsu's last match in Stardom before her retirement tour. Four of the most important wrestlers in Stardom history in a once in a life time tag team match.

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We Are Stardom TV series

In Japan, Stardom recently got a TV time slot. It's a half hour, and they put up episodes for free on Youtube after they air. Unlike Stardom World, the shows don't have English subtitles. But they're an easy free way to sample the product.

• Episode 1
• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4

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How can I find out what's coming up?

For the most part you don't need to know that much. Stardom keeps a schedule of up coming show dates. The cards for most small Stardom shows are thrown together like a real sports league. The promoter booked it, so they must fight. If you absolutely need to know every match that is coming up then keep an eye out for Stardom's English Twitter and Stardom's Japanese Twitter accounts. They announce upcoming matches a few days before the show happens. **Spoiler Warning.** Those accounts live tweet results so you may get spoiled before you get a chance to see the match on Stardom World.
For bigger shows and long term storylines, wrestlers challenge each other on camera. So, if you watch the show you know what are the big matches that are coming up regardless.
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I'm a fan either in Japan or traveling to Japan. How do I find out the schedule and/or get tickets?

Stardom keeps a schedule here. You can reserve tickets directly with Stardom at [[email protected]](/) or [[email protected]](/). You can email them in English. You can also contact any wrestler via email to reserve tickets.
If you happen to already be in Japan, you can get Stardom tickets via most if not all wrestling ticket outlets.
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I'm a wrestler and I'm interested in traveling to Japan and working with Stardom. What do I do?

Different avenues to land a spot with Stardom:

• Stardom USA
• Contact Stardom directly

Stardom's schedule is already packed. So allow them time to consider you.
Going from experience of watching Stardom for a while I can tell you that you probably need to commit for at least a couple of months if you want a spot.
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How can I contact Stardom if I have any questions or problems?

Stardom's official email address is [[email protected]](/) and [[email protected]](/). Allow up to a day for a response due to time zones. If you don't hear back within a few days try again. Sometimes the staff is swamped with other work. For tickets you can email [[email protected]](/) or [[email protected]](/). For general information [[email protected]](/). And for the Japanese fanclub [[email protected]](/).
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I'm just a fan, but I'm willing to answer questions whenever possible.
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Visit stardomjoshi/ for more Stardom discussions, and discussions of other Joshi promotions as well.