Stardom Cinderella Summer In Tokyo on 7/26/20 Review
|Event: Stardom Cinderella Summer In Tokyo
Date: July 26th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 483
After a summer of setting up new storylines, much of it leads to a climax here in Tokyo! This is a big seven match card with three title matches, including the crowning of a new Wonder of Stardom Championship and Goddesses of Stardom Championship as both were vacated prior to this event. Beyond the three title matches, we also get some special attraction style matches featuring Donna del Mondo and Natsu Sumire gets to wrestle a child which is in her Stardom contract for big events. Here is the full card:
- Hina vs. Saki Kashima
- Death Yama-san and Rina vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire
- Maika vs. Momo Watanabe
- Himeka and Syuri vs. Mayu Iwatani and Saya Iida
- High Speed Championship: Riho vs. AZM vs. Starlight Kid
- Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita
- Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Giulia vs. Tam Nakano
As this streamed on Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. All wrestlers on the card have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.
Hina vs. Saki Kashima
We start the show with Saki Kashima taking on a child. Saki journeys up and down the card at will, as just a week ago she was in the main event going for a title and here she is in the opener against one of the youngest wrestlers on the roster. Saki is a safe bet to win here, just interesting that they couldn’t find something more useful for her to do on the card.
Hina charges Saki to start and elbows her against the ropes, but Saki drop toeholds her into the ropes and kicks her in the back of the head. Saki picks up Hina and slams her head into the turnbuckle, she flings Hina to the mat and puts her in a stretch hold. Cover by Saki, but it gets a two count. Saki kicks Hina towards the corner before picking her up, Hina elbows her but Saki kicks her back to the mat. Hina keeps fighting back and eventually is able to sneak in a schoolboy for two, Saki boots Hina and goes off the ropes, but Hina catches her with a judo toss. Hina goes for a slam but Saki blocks it, toss by Hina and she delivers the scoop slam for a two count. Hina picks up Saki and elbows her against the ropes, Irish whip by Hina but Saki slides out to the apron and kicks Hina when she charges in. Saki goes up top but Hina avoids her diving footstomp and puts her in the Gedo Clutch for two. Hina goes off the ropes but Saki catches her with a double underhook facebuster, but Hina sneaks in a small package. Saki has finally had enough and drops Hina with the My Emblem, picking up the three count! Saki Kashima is the winner.
The “surprise cradle after taking a big move” is such a weird spot, but particularly when its a 13 year old doing it. I’m not going to really sweat it in an opener, but Hina blowing off the double underhook facebuster to get a flash pin attempt is one of those things that promotions need to be more careful about. Anyway, for an opener there was nothing wrong with this, Hina got in her hope spots as you’d expect before Saki put her away without taking much damage. I hope they find a better spot for Saki down the road, but a reasonable way to kick things off.
Death Yama-san and Rina vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire
If you want to see the current state of Oedo Tai, look no further than this show. In the opener, Oedo Tai’s Saki Kashima wrestled a kid and now the leader of Oedo Tai and her sidekick are in the second match against a comedy gimmick and another child. And this is the last we’ll see of Oedo Tai the rest of the night. The faction will get stronger by default if/win Bea and Jamie return, but things are pretty dire for them right now as they are just levels behind the other factions. They’ll no doubt pick up a win here, but its not the type of win that is going to help them much long term.
Natsuko and Death start the match, Death goes right to posing until Natsuko finally attacks her from behind. Natsu comes in and they double team Death, running senton by Natsuko and she covers Death for two. Rina gets on the apron and elbows Natsuko, Death tags Rina but Natsuko avoids her dropkick attempt. Elbow by Natsuko and she throws down Rina by the hair before delivering a running bootscrape. Natsuko tags in Natsu, Natsu stomps on Rina and elbows her in the corner. Natsu gets Rina down in a seated position so she can deliver her gyrating Bronco Buster, cover by Natsu but it gets a two count. Natsu nudges Rina against the ropes and chokes her with her boot, Rina fights back with elbows but Natsu knees her and boots her in the face. Natsu picks up Rina but Rina hits a scoop slam, giving her time to tag in Death.
Death charges Natsu but Natsu boots her back, she boots her a second and third time but Death hits a throat thrust. Natsu avoids her running senton though and boots her in the back of the head, Natsuko hits Death from the apron and Natsu connects with a bridging suplex for two. Natsuko is tagged in but Death avoids her charge and makes the tag to Rina. Rina dropkicks Natsuko a few times but can’t knock Natsuko over, elbows by Rina and she finally dropkicks Natsuko over. STO by Rina, and she covers Natsuko for two. A schoolboy by Rina gets two as well as does a backslide, jackknife by Rina but that also gets a two count. Rina goes for the Hydrangea and gets it applied, but Natsu breaks it up. Double Irish whip to Natsu but Natsu hits a double jumping lariat, Natsuko picks up Rina and hits the Kamikaze. She goes up top and nails the diving body press, cover by Natsuko and she gets the three count! Oedo Tai are the winners.
Besides the general humor of Natsuko struggling at times against Rina, not a whole lot to this one. Some of the usual comedy sections you’d expect in a match with Death and Natsu, but not every many as they mostly played it straight. I like Yoneyama but I’m not a huge fan of the Death gimmick, I just think they could get more out of her skills than being a goofy character that isn’t taken seriously. Rina looked pretty good and didn’t look out of place at all, not sure if that says more about her or the other wrestlers in the match. For where it was on the card, nothing really wrong with it but a pretty forgettable match overall.
Maika vs. Momo Watanabe
Now this is a fun midcard match that I approve of. Momo Watanabe went from looking like the future Ace of the promotion to being surpassed by a few peers, but she is still highly thought of in the promotion and considering her age (she is only 20 years old) she has plenty of time to regain her previous status. She is against one of the newest members of Stardom, as Maika joined the promotion last week from JUST TAP OUT. She is only in her second year so this will be a tough fight for her to win, but its a big chance for her to show what she has against one of the best wrestlers in the promotion.
Maika and Momo circle each other before locking up, Momo pushes Maika into the ropes and gives a clean break. Waistlock by Maika but Momo reverses it as they trade holds, they reach a stalemate but Momo quickly delivers a running kick to Maika’s chest. Scoop slam by Momo and she kicks at Maika, snapmare by Momo and she kicks Maika in the back. Another kick to the back by Momo, Maika returns fire with elbows but Momo knocks Maika back to the mat. Snapmare by Momo but Maika catches her kick attempt and puts her in an ankle old. Momo quickly rolls away but Maika stays on the offense as she gets the hold re-applied. Momo gets to the ropes to force the break, Maika puts her leg in the ropes before delivering a running kick to it. Kneelock by Maika but again Momo gets to the ropes, Maika puts Momo’s leg over the second rope and kicks it repeatedly. Irish whip by Maika to the corner but Momo avoids her charge and kicks her in the chest.
Maika boots Momo in the head but Momo comes right back with a dropkick, another dropkick by Momo and she delivers a third in the corner. Vertical suplex by Momo, and she covers Maika for two. Momo picks up Maika, Maika wiggles away but Momo kicks her in the chest. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Momo but it only gets a two count. Momo goes all the way up but Maika recovers and tosses her back to the mat, Maika flings around Momo by the arm before hitting a side slam for a two count. Fujiwara Armbar by Maika but Momo rolls out of it, Momo goes for a kick but Maika catches it and puts Momo in an ankle hold. Sleeper by Maika, Momo almost goes out but gets a hand in the ropes for the break. Maika goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the head and hits a uranage. Somato by Momo, but it only gets two. Momo quickly goes up top and nails the diving Somato, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe is the winner.
Limb work is always tough in a ten minute match, and I would have preferred they just not bother as it looks a bit off when Maika works on the leg for 20% of the match but five seconds later Momo is running around the ring hitting dropkicks. Then she never went back to it. Not that its a major infraction, its just an easily avoidable one and was a bit of a distraction. Momo is stealthily one of the best wrestlers in Stardom, she isn’t getting the push right now but she will again, and she’ll be ready. Maika kept up pretty well, but this was mostly about Momo asserting herself as still a force to be reckoned with. A fun little match, not without its flaws but Momo delivered as she tends to do. Mildly Recommended
Himeka and Syuri vs. Mayu Iwatani and Saya Iida
Rolling right along, we have more Donna del Mondo in action. Himeka also recently joined Stardom to join the invader faction, she began her career wresting in Actwres girl’Z. She teams with former MMA fighter Syuri to make quite the formidable team. They take on the highest and lowest members of STARS (that are adults), as Mayu is arguably the current Ace of the promotion and Saya Iida is a popular but undersized wrestler that rarely wins. The match seems lopsided towards Donna do Mondo, but with Mayu in the match, her team can still pick up the win if Saya stays on the apron.
Syuri and Mayu start the match, Mayu goes for Syuri’s leg but Syuri easily gets out of it as they jockey for position. Syuri gets away from Mayu as they both return to their feet and tag in their partners. Saya asks for a knuckle lock and the much taller Himeka obliges, pushing Saya to the mat. Side headlock by Himeka but Saya reverses it, shoulderblock by Himeka but Saya manages to stay on her feet. Saya tries to shoulderblock Himeka over but fails to do so, as Himeka sends her to the mat again. Syuri comes in and they hit a double vertical suplex on Saya, cover by Himeka but it gets two. Himeka throws Saya in the corner and tags Syuri, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Saya in the back for two. Syuri sets up Saya in the ropes so that Himeka can assist in the attack, Syuri throws Saya to the mat before tagging Himeka. Scoop slam by Himeka and she applies a crab hold but Saya makes it to the ropes for the break. Himeka stomps on Saya but Saya dropkicks her in the knee and hits a hard shoulderblock. This gives her time to tag in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu but she bounces off Himeka. Irish whip by Himeka but Mayu reverses it and kicks her in the midsection, superkick by Mayu but Syuri comes in and kicks her. Double Irish whip to Mayu but she blocks it and hits a double springboard armdrag before dropkicking both of them. Irish whip by Mayu, reversed, and Himeka hits a lariat in the corner. Saya runs in but Himeka throws Saya in the same corner as Mayu, she then grabs them and puts both on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker.
She can’t really hold it as they crumble to the mat, Himeka goes off the ropes and levels Mayu with a hard lariat. Cover by Himeka, but it gets two. Himeka rolls to her corner and tags Syuri, kicks to the chest by Syuri and she knees Mayu. Double underhook suplex by Syuri, and she covers Mayu for two. Syuri picks up Mayu and the two trade elbows, Mayu elbows Syuri to her knees but Syuri knees her. Mayu fires back with a dropkick, Saya comes in and they both chop Syuri. Sliding Kick by Mayu and Saya hits a Northern Lights Suplex, Mayu goes up top and nails the Frog Splash but Himeka breaks up the cover. Mayu picks up Syuri but Syuri kicks her in the head, Mayu kicks her back however and hits a German suplex. Syuri rolls through it and hits a suplex of her own, both wrestlers get up and both hit head kicks, sending them crashing to the mat. Mayu tags in Saya, she goes up top and hits Syuri with a missile dropkick for two. Saya picks up Syuri, elbows by Saya and she hits a scoop slam for two. Saya goes off the ropes but Himeka kicks her from the apron, DDT by Syuri and Himeka drops Saya with a Samoan Drop. Running knee by Syuri, but Saya gets a shoulder up on the corner. Syuri goes for Saya’s arm and applies a seated armbar, but Mayu breaks it up. Footstomp by Saya, she picks up Syuri but Syuri blocks the Northern Lights Suplex. She gets Saya on her shoulders and hits a double knee gutbuster, but Mayu breaks up the pin. Syuri goes for a Buzzsaw Kick but Saya blocks it, she goes for a few flash pins including the Iida Bridge, but she isn’t able to get to three. Saya goes off the ropes but Syuri kicks her in the head, Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri and she covers Saya for the three count! Syuri and Himeka are the winners.
While I’m not a huge fan of tag matches with an obvious fall person, its a staple of Japanese Wrestling so it seems silly to complain about. At times this was a bit awkward and they never really got into a strong rhythm since the wrestlers have such different styles. Himeka failing in her feat of strength was probably due to the wrestlers being stacked backwards (I imagine she’d want Mayu on the bottom), but it took some of the wind out of the match. Syuri and Mayu are both great and their pairings were the best parts of the match, but they weren’t paired very often. A step down from the last match, not a bad one but it really only existed so that Syuri could challenge Mayu for the red belt.
(c) Riho vs. AZM vs. Starlight Kid
High Speed Championship
We have reached the title match portion of the show, as Riho defends her High Speed Championship against AZM from Queen’s Quest and Starlight Kid from STARS. To say Riho’s title reign has been underwhelming would be an understatement. Part of the issue was no one’s fault as the pandemic cancelled a few months of shows, but even before that her attention was often towards AEW and in her almost year-long reign this is only her second defense (and first since last September). Most fans watching were hoping/assuming they’d get the title off of her while they can, but all three of these wrestlers are quality so it should be a good match regardless of the outcome.
This may be a bit fast paced. Riho is attacked first as they quickly get into a fast paced exchange, Starlight Kid hits a double crossbody but both opponents bridge out of the pin. They eventually reach a stalemate, AZM is double teamed and hit with a double knee to the back by both opponents. Cover by Riho, but Starlight Kid breaks it up. Riho and Starlight Kid trade elbows, dropkick by Riho to Starlight Kid and she hits a bridging vertical suplex for two. Riho throws Starlight Kid into the corner and hits a jumping knee, AZM runs in and dropkicks Starlight Kid. AZM knocks Riho into the corner and kicks trips Starlight Kid into her, she then grabs Starlight Kid’s wrist and hits an armdrag/headscissors combination. AZM picks up Riho but Riho kicks her, rebound armdrag by AZM and she applies a reverse double armbar. Riho gets a toe on the ropes to force the break, AZM charges Riho but Riho drops her onto the apron. AZM quickly gets back in but Starlight Kid arrives and jackknifes Riho for a two count.
Riho drop toeholds AZM into the ropes and goes for the Tiger Feint Kick, AZM catches it but Starlight Kid hits a Tiger Feint Kick on both of them. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid on both of them, she picks up AZM but AZM kicks her in the head. Riho knees Starlight Kid in the head and then knees AZM as well, and all three wrestlers end up on the mat. The all kip-up and get back into it, Starlight Kid elbows Riho but AZM catches Starlight Kid with La Mistica. Starlight Kid quickly gets to the ropes for the break, AZM gets on the second turnbuckle but Riho walks over and joins her. Starlight Kid recovers but she gets booted back, Riho and AZM both go for footstomps on Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid moves. AZM hits a PK on Starlight Kid, but Starlight Kid ducks Riho’s Somato attempt. Diving footstomp by AZM to Riho, but Starlight Kid breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid boots AZM, she goes back to Riho and hits the Ki-chan Bomb, but AZM breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid and AZM trade flash pins, but AZM gets the Azumi Sushi applied and picks up the three count! AZM is the winner and the new champion!
Always a bit of a downer when the champion isn’t pinned to lose their title, but politics may have gotten in the way here. This was as fast paced as you’d expect and 99% of it they hit very smoothly. AZM and Starlight Kid are clearly very familar with each other but Riho fit in fine, with lots of segments with all three flying around going off without a hitch. I’m happy for AZM finally winning a singles title but I wouldn’t have complained if Starlight Kid had won as she is fantastic, maybe now they will feud so the belt actually gets defended. A high energy entertaining match even if it wasn’t terribly long, certainly worth a casual watch. Mildly Recommended
Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita
Goddesses of Stardom Championship
The Goddesses of Stardom Championship had to be vacated due to Jamie and Bea not being able to get into the country, but this match is a banger. Utami and Saya have gotten a push as a tag team since Stardom resumed shows in June, getting a new look and a new attitude. On the other side, Jungle and Konami represent Tokyo Cyber Squad in their quest to regain the championship that they lost in January. Either team can win here, which always helps the drama as the match reaches its conclusion.
Saya and Jungle are the first two in, they trade wristlocks until Jungle knocks over Saya with a shoulderblock. Jungle goes off the ropes but Utami grabs her from the apron, allowing Saya to hit a dropkick. Utami comes in but she dropkicks Utami while Konami kicks Saya, they end up out of the ring and Konami hits a double baseball slide. Jungle then goes to the ropes and dives out onto both opponents with a pescado, Jungle picks up Utami and throws her into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Jungle twists on Saya’s arm some before tagging in Konami. Konami stays on Saya’s arm, she throws Saya into her corner and tags Jungle back in. Scoop slam by Jungle and she hits a body press onto Saya’s arm, cover by Jungle but it gets two. Seated armbar by Jungle but Saya inches to the ropes and forces the break. Jungle kicks at Saya’s arm before tagging in Konami, Konami kicks Saya in the arm and holds it so that Jungle can club her arm, Jungle is tagged in as Saya finally starts to fight back. It ends poorly for her as Jungle clubs her to the mat, Jungle goes off the ropes but Saya cartwheels past her and hits a dropkick.
This gives her time to tag Utami, dropkick by Utami and she knocks Konami off the apron. Utami throws Jungle into the corner and hits a running elbow, dropkick to the back of the head by Utami and she covers Jungle for two. Konami runs in but Utami throws Jungle into Konami and Saya hits a spinning heel kick on both of them. Utami picks up Jungle and hits a STO, elbow drop by Utami and she covers Jungle for two. Sleeper by Utami but Jungle drops backwards to get out of it, both wrestlers go for a lariat but they remain on their feet. Utami finally knocks down Jungle with a lariat, Saya comes in and they go for a double vertical suplex, eventually hitting it. Jungle gets up quickly however and hits a double lariat, Konami arrives and they both deliver running strikes. Jungle gets Utami up in a powerbomb and nails the move right as Konami hits a missile dropkick, but Utami barely gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt. Jungle goes for the Hammerthrow Bomb but Utami blocks it, running elbow by Utami but Jungle hits a hard elbow. Jungle tags Konami, Konami stomps Utami from tagging out and hits a head kick followed by a release German. Buzzsaw Kick by Konami, but the cover gets two.
Konami applies the Triangle Lancer but Saya quickly breaks it up, Jungle takes care of her while Konami picks up Utami, but Utami avoids her kick and applies a reverse neckbreaker. Schwein by Utami, but Konami kicks out of the cover. Utami goes off the ropes but Jungle hits her from the apron, sunset flip by Konami but Jungle lariats Konami by accident. Backdrop suplex by Utami to Konami and Saya hits the running Shooting Star Press, deadlift German suplex by Utami but Konami barely kicks out. Utami picks up Konami and puts her in the Argentine Backbreaker, she spins Konami into a powerbomb but Jungle breaks up the cover. Utami drags Konami to her feet, Jungle comes in but again she accidentally lariats Konami. Saya dropkicks Jungle out of the ring, they pick up Konami and deliver the Magic Killer. Utami puts Konami on her shoulders before spinning her to the front and delivering a German suplex hold for the three count! Utami Hayashishita and Saya Kamitani are the winners and new champions!
Now this was an entertaining match. One thing I love about Stardom is if they see potential in a wrestler, they go ahead and push them instead of making them “work their way” up the card. We saw it with Utami and now we are seeing it with Saya Kamitani, as she wins her first title just 50 matches into her career. Even with the miscommunications, Jungle and Konami have such great chemistry and I liked both were going for Saya’s arm as they were on the same page on what the easiest path to victory was. It just didn’t work out, and I also liked that Utami never tagged Saya back in once she finally tagged out. So often we see the ‘face in peril’ immediately get tagged back in after finally getting the hot tag, but its much smarter to just let the injured wrestler stay on the apron. The ending was exciting as all four were in the ring together more often than not, giving the match that Joshi Chaos feel that we all love and enjoy. Overall a great effort by all four, I wouldn’t have complained if it was a little longer but everything they did clicked. Recommended
Giulia vs. Tam Nakano
Wonder of Stardom Championship
Six months ago, this was definitely not the planned match-up for the Wonder of Stardom Championship. At the time, Arisa Hoshiki was the champion, and Giulia was in a feud with Hana Kimura while Tam had her own thing going on. Sadly a lot has changed since then, as Arisa Hoshiki retired in May which vacated the title. Then a week later, Hana passed away, leaving not only the promotion’s plans changed but devastating her fans around the world. But the show must go on and Stardom re-adjusted, as now Giulia and Tam are locked in a blood feud. They got right into it at Stardom’s first event back on June 21st, and both won semi-final matches in the tournament to crown a new champion to face off in their first ever singles match. Giulia has a ton of momentum going in as she has taken over Stardom, and winning another title would really cement her as the new leader of the promotion.
They start slow as they fight for control, Giulia pushes Tam into the ropes and she bops Tam in the head before backing off. They lock knuckles, Tam pushes Giulia to the mat and slaps her, leading to Giulia returning to her feet as the two trade elbows. Reverse cutter by Tam, she grabs Giulia and hits a scoop slam. Tam stomps on Giulia’s leg and kicks her in the head, snapmare by Tam and she kicks Giulia in the back. More kicks to the leg by Tam and she applies an inverted figure four leglock, Giulia crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break. Sliding kick to the leg by Tam and Giulia rolls out of the ring, Tam goes up top and dives out onto Giulia with a plancha. Tam picks up Giulia and hits a German suplex hold, hurting both Giulia and herself in the process. Tam recovers first and picks up Giulia, but Giulia throws her into the railing before hitting a big boot. Giulia gets Tam up and drops her in the floor with the Glorious Driver. Giulia slides back in the ring to beat the count with Tam following behind, Giulia rolls Tam to the mat and applies a guillotine but Tam gets into the ropes. Giulia picks up Tam and hits a neckbreaker, but Tam bridges out of the pin and hits a running neckbreaker.
Kick to the head by Tam, she picks up Giulia but Giulia blocks the suplex attempt. Backdrop suplex by Tam, she goes up top but Giulia recovers and joins her before she can jump off. They trade elbows while on the second turnbuckle, superplex by Giulia but Tam quickly recovers. Giulia drops Tam with a release German and follows up with a dropkick for a two count cover. Giulia picks up Tam but Tam kicks her in the leg, Giulia boots her back as they trade strikes. Tam kicks Giulia in the leg until she collapses to the mat, she picks her back up but Giulia boots her in the head when she goes off the ropes. Tam grabs Giulia and connects with a heel kick, they both kick each other in the head which sends them both crashing to the mat. They slowly get up, Tam goes for a shoulderblock but Giulia stays up. Tam finally manages to shoulderblock Giulia, she applies a cross kneelock but Giulia gets to the ropes. Irish whip by Tam but Giulia collapses, knee to the back of the head by Tam and she covers Giulia for two. Tam goes up top and nails the Destiny Hammer, she picks up Giulia but Giulia lands on her feet on the attempted German suplex. Waistlock by Giulia and she elbows Tam in the back of the head before hitting a heel drop. Giulia throws Tam into the corner, she sets up Tam over the second rope before hitting a neckbreaker. Giulia gets up Tam and hits the Glorious Buster, but it only gets a two count. Giulia goes up top but Tam recovers and grabs her from behind, avalanche German suplex by Tam but she is too hurt to take advantage.
They both slowly get up and start trading elbows, hard slap by Giulia but Tam headbutts her. Giulia gets Tam’s back and applies an armbar, she drags Tam to the mat while keeping an armbreaker applied, but Tam muscles up and slams Giulia to get out of the hold. Tam goes for a Tiger Suplex but Giulia blocks it, they trade cradles but neither can get the three count. Boot by Giulia, she picks up Tam and hits a backdrop suplex. Another backdrop suplex by Giulia and a third, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a jumping boot to the head. Sliding kick by Giulia, and she covers Tam for a two count. Glorious Driver by Giulia, but Tam kicks out of the cover. Giulia goes for the Stealth Viper but Giulia rolls out of it and hits a running knee, another running knee by Tam and she hits a third. Tam goes up top and delivers a diving kick, she picks up Giulia and hits a Tiger Suplex Hold for a two count. Tam gets Giulia back up but Giulia blocks the suplex attempt, Tam charges Giulia and kicks her in the head. Superkick by Tam but Giulia catches her with a Michinoku Driver. Giulia puts Tam in a headscissors before applying an armbreaker, she switches positions after a moment to get a better grip on Tam’s arm, using her leg for extra pressure. Giulia reaches over to choke Tam while keeping a hold on the arms, and after Tam stops responding, the referee calls for the bell! Giulia is the winner and the new champion!
There is a lot to unpack here. First, my quick reaction to the match is that I enjoyed it, it went off mostly without a hitch and both are fun wrestlers. It probably didn’t need to be quite this long but it didn’t really drag anywhere, and they have enough offense variety to keep things interesting. The leg work by Tam generally was well done and Giulia sold it the appropriate amount, you can’t expect a wrestler to limp forever but they never completely forgot about it either. The early “outside the ring” bit probably came too early and wasn’t timed great, as the Glorious Driver was done too late in the count it wasn’t really sold by Tam. In general the transitions weren’t well laid out, a lot of examples of one wrestler hitting a big move and the other quickly recovering (and not in the “fighting spirit” way). Nothing overly egregious, I just would have preferred a bit more selling of the bigger spots.
I’m not really sure what happened with the ending, or if something that sounded great on paper just didn’t execute properly. I’m still not completely sure if that was supposed to be an armbreaker or a choke, as she definitely wrapped the arms up but the referee reacted as if she was unconscious. I am guessing Giulia wanted the Stealth Viper but couldn’t get it applied from that position so she improvised. Either way it was a little deflating but didn’t take away the effort put in up to that point, as both were really laying in the strikes and suplexes for 28 minutes with very little downtime or opportunity to breath. All in all this was a very good match, and certainly exciting, but not without areas of improvement. These two may be feuding for awhile, so I’m interested to see what adjustments they make in future matches to make the action tighter and reach that high level we have come to expect from Stardom championship matches. Recommended
Final Thoughts:
The best compliment I can give this show is that it was incredibly consistent. Once you get past the opening matches, which one wouldn’t expect much from anyway, the last five matches all delivered on some level. All three title matches ranged from good to ‘almost great’ as the wrestlers were going all-out. The only thing missing from this show was that MOTYC, as while almost everything was well done nothing elevated to that highest level. They tried in the main event, there were just a few little issues they need to work out. Overall this was an enjoyable event and worth the watch, Stardom has a lot of great wrestlers that make their big shows almost always most-sees for fans of Joshi. Fans that only cherry-pick events for super high end matches can probably skip this one, but everyone else should track it down.
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