The first event took place on October 16th, 2015 in Covina, CA. Here is the full card:

• Act Yasukawa, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura vs. Brittany Wonder, Datura, and Shayna Baszler
• Mayu Iwatani vs. Nicole Savoy
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kellie Skater vs. Kahmora and Kairi Hojo
• Hudson Envy and Thunder Rosa vs. Melina Perez and Santana Garrett
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs Mia Yim

All the matches are shown in full, but none are terribly long, as the in-ring time for the event was a little over an hour. Let’s get to the first match.

Act Yasukawa, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura vs. Brittany Wonder, Datura, and Shayna Baszler

Wolf and Datura kick things off but after trading holds they tag in Wonder and Yasukawa. Yasukawa spits Sake in Wonder’s face and dropkicks her, Wonder gets Yasukawa in the corner but she avoids the charge and tags in Kimura. Baszler is also tagged in, Baszler gets Kimura’s leg but Kimura rolls out of it. Datura is tagged back in and is quickly triple teamed by Oedo Tai, she temporarily gets away but Kimura whips Datura down by her hair. Datura finally armdrags her way out of the situation and tags in Baszler, Baszler stacks up Oedo Tai in the corner and hits a body avalanche. Kimura pokes Baszler in the eyes to calm her down, twice, Wolf rolls up Baszler but it gets a two count. Baszler for reasons unknown tags in Datura, and Wolf quickly gets in control, hitting a high knee in the corner. Wolf tags Yasukawa, rollings reverse STOs by Yasukawa and she covers Datura for two. Kicks by Datura and she dropkicks Yasukawa, getting a two count cover. Datura goes for a moonsault but misses, giving Yasukawa time to tag in Kimura. Wonder is also tagged in, and they trade hip attacks and elbows. Wonder wins the battle, Baszler comes in and she slams Kimura to the mat. Banzai Drop by Wonder, but Wolf saves Yasukawa from being pinned. Kimura gets a metal pole and cleans house, Yasukawa spits Sake at Wonder and Kimura puts her in a sleeper. Wonder struggles for a moment but has to submit! Oedo Tai win the match.

My lasting impression from this match was Baszler. This was only her second match and she really seems like a natural, wrestlers strong enough to deadlift and toss other wrestlers around are ok in my book. I didn’t mind Oedo Tai cheating to win, that is what they do, and all the wrestlers got a chance to do a little something in the match. It didn’t get a ton of time but it got enough to get their point across, and overall I thought it was a solid opener. Keep an eye out for Baszler, if she keeps into it she could be something special down the road. Mildly Recommended

Mayu Iwatani vs. Nicole Savoy

Savoy and Iwatani roll around on the mat to begin but they quickly return to their feet and start trading elbows. Savoy gets Iwatani’s arm but Iwatani crawls to the ropes, Iwatani springboards off the ropes and armdrags Savoy into the ropes. Running dropkick by Iwatani and she hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Another bridging suplex by Iwatani gets two and she hits a third with the same result. Savoy takes back over and hits a suplex, she applies a cross armbreaker but Iwatani gets out of it and kicks Savoy in the back. Diving footstomp by Iwatani but Savoy fires back with a kick to the chest and they trade shots. Savoy gets the armbreaker put back on but Iwatani gets to the ropes. Jumping knee by Savoy but Iwatani rebounds out of the corner with a dropkick. Kick by Iwatani, she goes up top and hits another diving footstomp for a two count. Savoy goes for a tiger suplex but Iwatani switches positions with her and hits the dragon suplex hold for the three count! Iwatani is your winner.

This was too condensed of a match to impress. Savoy going for armbreakers is fine but there was no buildup to them or other arm work, it was just random armbreakers. Same with Iwatani, she didn’t really have time to build up to the ending, they were trading moves and suddenly Iwatani won. There was nothing bad here, both wrestlers were smooth and they had solid chemistry, it was just too short to get anything going.

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kellie Skater vs. Kahmora and Kairi Hojo

Matsumoto and Hojo are the first legal wrestlers and go right at it with elbows, Matsumoto wins the exchange and drops a knee onto Hojo’s chest. Skater comes in but Hojo armdrags both of them and gets help from Kahmora to knock Matsumoto over. Skater is tagged in and she suplexes Hojo for a two count. Kicks by Skater and she knees Hojo hard in the chest before tagging Matsumoto back in. Hojo is double teamed as the referee hopelessly tries to keep control, and Matsumoto hits a backbreaker. Hojo plays Face in Peril, at least Hojo is putting the work in since she is no doubt one of the main wrestlers the American crowd came to see. Course she is getting her ass kicked but thus is life. Hojo finally hits a nifty headscissors and makes the hot tag to Kahmora, and Kahmora quickly takes control of Skater before Hojo runs back in and Kahmora slams Hojo onto Skater.

Hojo stays in and elbows Skater, neckbreaker by Hojo and she gets a two count. Hojo applies a cross-arm submission but it is broken up, and Skater plants Hojo with a DDT. Hojo goes off the ropes but Skater kicks her and drops Hojo in the corner. Lariat by Skater, but it gets two. Skater tags Matsumoto but Hojo kicks her, Kahmora comes in but Matsumoto puts them both in the corner and hits a body avalanche. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto to Hojo but Hojo ducks the backfist and hits a spear. Hojo goes up top and hits a diving forearm smash before tagging in Kahmora. Kahmora hits a seated senton in the corner and applies a jackknife pin for a two count. Dropkick by Kahmora and she powerslams Matsumoto, but Skater breaks up the cover. Kahmora and Hojo try to double team Matsumoto but they eat a double backdrop suplex for their trouble, Matsumoto and Kahmora trade elbows, with Matsumoto winning the exchange. Big backdrop suplex by Matsumoto to Kahmora, and she picks up the three count! Matsumoto and Skater win the match.

They structured this match really smartly, as Skater and Hojo did the bulk of the work. That isn’t a knock on Matsumoto, but Skater and Hojo were able to get a bit of a flow going so the match wasn’t just constant tag-ins and tag-outs. Skater looked great here but everyone held their own, Kahmora was the least smooth of the four being with wrestlers she probably wasn’t very familiar with, but there were no awkward moments or anything like that. The match got enough time to tell the story, and while the offense was a bit random it stayed entertaining throughout. Another solid match but not overly memorable, although it was a pleasure getting to see Skater again. Mildly Recommended

Hudson Envy and Thunder Rosa vs. Melina Perez and Santana Garrett

Melina finally hits a seated senton on Melina to change the momentum, but Envy kicks Melina hard in the chest. Bridging suplex hold by Envy, but Melina ducks her lariat attempt and kicks Envy out of the ring with a splits kick. Garrett comes in but she gets double teamed, Envy returns to the ring and she hits a Samoan Drop on Melina followed by a rolling kick. Both wrestlers slowly crawl to their corners and tag out, lariats by Garrett to Rosa and she kicks Rosa in the chest. Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett but Rosa hits a full nelson twisting slam. Rosa stretches Garrett and slams her to the mat, Rosa gets on the second turnbuckle but Garrett recovers and headscissors Rosa back down to the mat. Garrett applies a submission but Envy breaks it up, Melina comes in too and she hits Envy with the splits legdrop. They roll out of the ring, Garrett kicks Rosa to the mat and she nails the Shining Star Press for the three count! Melina Perez and Santana Garrett are your victors!

Just to get it out of the way, the mere fact that Melina was in the match elevated it, I haven’t seen her in a long time and it felt like a big deal that she was involved. And she didn’t just stay on the apron, as she hit most of her big moves and was the Face in Peril at one point. It wasn’t 100% smooth, there were a few timing issues which you’d expect after a long layoff, but overall I was impressed by her performance. Everyone was on their game actually and the match stayed engaging from start to finish. Definitely an enjoyable experience for me personally, but even without the Melina factor it was an entertaining match. Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs Mia Yim

Yim and Shirai go straight into a Test of Strength, Shirai pushes Yim into the ropes and gives a clean break. Shirai tries to shoulderblock Yim over with no luck, Shirai rolls up Yim but she quickly kicks out. Shirai armdrags Yim out of the ring, Shirai goes to do a dive but Yim hits her before she can dive through. Yim rolls Shirai out of the ring and kicks her into chairs at ringside, she gets on the apron and kicks Shirai as she stands up on the floor. Back in the ring, Yim applies a camel clutch before hitting a vertical suplex. Big boot by Yim and she applies a crab hold, Shirai reverses it into an ankle hold but Yim quickly grabs the ropes. Kicks to the chest by Yim but Shirai catches her leg and hits a dragon screw. Space Rolling Elbow by Shirai and she dropkicks Yim in the head for a two count. Shirai goes up top but Yim kicks her in the leg before she can jump and plants her with a powerbomb for two. PK by Yim and she puts Shirai in a stretch hold, she releases her after a moment and hits a few knees. Shirai cartwheels away from Yim and dropkicks her out of the ring, Shirai goes out to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down to the floor. Back in, swandive missile dropkick by Shirai followed by the Tiger Feint Kick. Palm strike by Shirai but Yim comes back with a high kick. German suplex hold by Yim, but Shirai kicks out. Yim goes up top but Shirai joins her and hits the Frankensteiner. German suplex hold by Shirai, but it only gets two. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, she goes up top and she nails the moonsault for a three count! Shirai is still your champion!

This didn’t quite reach the level I was hoping for, maybe I was just still on a high from the last match. The match wasn’t as long as I would have expected, so in some ways it was a more condensed version of a normal Shirai title match. They did take it up a step, with high flying moves and dives that I think other matches were intentionally not doing to make this one feel more special. It was smooth and well-executed, and it was fun to see Shirai against a different opponent that presented different challenges. A fitting way to end the show, it just didn’t reach that higher level I have learned to expect from Stardom main events. Recommended

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Event: Stardom Year End Climax 2015
Date: December 23rd, 2015
Location: Korakuen Hall, in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,380 (Super No Vacancy)

It is time for Stardom’s big year end event! And what a big event this is, as not only is Shirai challenging Satomura for the World of Stardom Championship, but we get the Retirement Match of crowd favorite Act Yasukawa. There is also a Artist of Stardom Championship Match as well. Here is the full card:

• Azumi vs. Starlight Kid
• Kaori Yoneyama and Mayu Iwatani vs. Alex Lee and Datura
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Hiromi Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, and Momo Watanabe
• Act Yasukawa Retirement Match: Act Yasukawa, Haruka Kato, and Kairi Hojo vs. Holidead, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura
• World of Stardom Championship: Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

Some of this will be clipped but the big matches shouldn’t be, let’s get rolling.

  
Azumi vs. Starlight Kid

This was clipped and wasn’t smooth. Azumi yelled at Starlight Kid and the referee after the match so there is some character development going on here, but this wasn’t a good match. Both are really young and/or rookies so its hard to get down on them too much, but very skippable.

   
Kaori Yoneyama and Mayu Iwatani vs. Alex Lee and Datura

They played this one smart by only showing four minutes of it. I could never recommend an eight minute match clipped down to four, but the four minutes they showed were well paced and easy to watch. Disappointing to see Iwatani in such a minor match, but still better than I expected.

   
(c) Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Hiromi Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, and Momo Watanabe

Mimura is triple teamed right off the start to set the tone, Watanabe comes in but she doesn’t fare much better. This match has some comedy spots, the Artist of Stardom Championship is the most playful title in Stardom, it isn’t taken quite as seriously as the other championships. Watanabe gets the better of Skater and tags Kyouna, shoulderblocks by Kyouna and she throws all three of her opponents in to the same corner so the rookie team can hit running strikes. Kyouna slams Skater and Watanabe hits a tornado DDT, as the rookies are working really well together. Skater finally is done playing around and boots Mimura hard in the chest, Evie comes in and kicks everyone she can find in the face. She goes for the double footstomp but Mimura moves and applies La Magistral for two. Kick combination by Evie, both teams run in and everyone brawls on the floor except for Mimura and Evie. Backbreaker by Evie, Matsumoto comes in with a confetti gun but she hits Evie by accident. Superkick by Skater on Mimura, Matsumoto gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double knee drop. She throws Evie on Mimura, and Evie gets the three count! The Hyper Destroyers retain the titles!

This was fun even though the outcome was never in doubt. There were a few small awkward moments but most of it was fine, and I really liked Watanabe hitting the Somato to break up a pin. Skater and Evie are a pleasure to watch and all the rookies are solid. A bit silly but a good midcard match, just keep in mind these are somewhat comedic matches with the Artist of Stardom Championship. Mildly Recommended

   
Act Yasukawa, Haruka Kato, and Kairi Hojo vs. Holidead, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura

Act wants to start and does so as she pairs against her friend Kimura, quickly hitting a reverse STO. Act tries to spit sake (I assume) at Kimura but Kimura puts her hand over Act’s mouth to block it and rolls up Act for two. Wolf comes in and bites Act’s arm before hitting a jumping knee and kick to the back, but Act grabs her tail to trip her. Kato and Hojo come in, they want Act to pose all cute with them but Act pushes them off. They try again and finally get Act to pose (against her will), but Kimura and Holidead run in to even the numbers. Act helps for a moment but then remembers what team she is on, and we get the spot where everyone attacks Act in the corner. Including all the wrestlers are ringside (that is a staple spot in Joshi Retirement Matches). Things resume to “normal” as Holidead comes in but she eats a double dropkick. Sliding D by Hojo to Wolf, she goes up top but Act stops her. Act goes up top instead but Hojo knocks her off.  This pisses Act off so she chases Hojo into the crowd, and at some point during all this the referee waves the match off.

Act grabs the mic, and the end result is that the match restarts, but with different teams…

  
Act Yasukawa and Kyoko Kimura vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo

Next they had Act Yasukawa’s Retirement Ceremony. If you’ve never seen one, for both male and female wrestlers in Japan these are emotional events. This was more low-key than most Retirement Ceremonies, I don’t have an explanation as to why since she is rather loved by the fan base, but it was just a promo by Act followed by streamers and her being carried away. But it was cut for TV so I don’t know what else went on that we didn’t see. Still sad to watch, and tears were certainly shed in the arena that day.

This match was more about the journey then the in-ring action, but I though that “Part 2” of the match was quite entertaining. I could have done without the original six man tag, it had a few cute spots but mostly was just killing time to get to the regular tag match. Act still looks good, I know she is retiring due to injury but she still could hang with everyone. The ceremony was sad but not as sad as others since it was clipped a bit. A must for any Act Yasukawa fan, but casuals can probably safely skip straight to the second tag team portion. Recommended

  
(c) Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

After feeling each other out, Satomura hits the first big blows of the match and she goes for Shirai’s leg, but Shirai quickly gets into the ropes. Knees to the gut by Satomura and she works over Shirai on the mat, Shirai returns to her feet but Satomura kicks her square in the head for her trouble. Shirai rolls out of the ring but returns before the count, promptly eating a Satomura suplex. More strikes by Satomura but Shirai flips away from her and dropkicks Satomura out of the ring. Shirai goes off the far ropes and sails out onto Satomura (and other miscellaneous wrestlers) with a plancha suicida. Shirai takes Satomura up the aisle and they brawl near the entrance, Shirai gets up on the balcony and dives down with a moonsault to Satomura! She sticks the landing and smiles, clearly proud of herself.

They return to the ring, Shirai hits the swandive missile dropkick but when she goes for another one, Satomura uppercuts her out of the ring. Satomura goes for a kick but Shirai catches her leg and slams it into the second rope. Shirai dropkicks Satomura out of the ring, she goes up top but Satomura kicks her before she jumps off. Overhead Kick by Satomura and she keeps kicking Shirai until she flops down to the floor. Shirai makes the count again, more kicks by Satomura with a head kick sending Shirai crashing to the mat. Modified STF by Satomura but Shirai gets to the ropes, kicks by Satomura, she goes off the ropes but Shirai catches her with a hurricanrana for a two count. Head kick by Shirai but Satomura returns the favor, Shirai hulks up and they trade elbow shots. Package suplex by Shirai, she goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her hard in the head again. Cartwheel kneedrop by Satomura, and she covers Shirai for two. Satomura goes for the Death Valley Bomb but Shirai blocks it and hits a piledriver for two. Double knee strike by Shirai and she dropkicks Satomura, but the cover gets another two.

Missile dropkick by Shirai, she goes up top and she delivers a second one as Satomura returns to her feet. Satomura goes for a backdrop suplex but Shirai reverses it into an armtrap crossface. After Satomura gets to the ropes, Shirai goes up top but Satomura joins her and hits a superplex. They slowly get up, slaps by Shirai but Satomura hits a heel kick. Satomura drops Shirai with a backdrop driver, kick to the head by Satomura and she hits another backdrop driver for two. Satomura applies a modified choke hold but Shirai gets into the ropes, strikes but Satomura but Shirai catches her with rolling package suplexes. Shirai goes up top but Satomura gets both feet up on the moonsault attempt, overhead kick by Satomura and she plants Shirai with the Death Valley Bomb for two. She hits a second one, she picks up Shirai but Shirai wiggles away from the third and hits a dragon suplex. Shirai goes up top and she hits Hojo’s Diving Elbow Drop! Shirai goes up top again and nails the moonsault, cover by Shirai and she gets the three count! Io Shirai is the new World of Stardom Champion!

This was an unreal match from start to finish. Satomura may have lost the match but she made sure that Shirai would never forget it as she was just drilling her with kicks the entire match. Shirai, as Ace, has a bit more Fighting Spirit than the average wrestler so is given a bit of leeway, she bounced back quickly but Satomura frequently cut her off anyway. It was just non-stop excitement, even the submissions that are sometimes rest holds here were cranked on so you never got the feeling they were just getting a breather. I wish it actually had gone a few more minutes, which is an odd complaint for a 25 minute match, but I was really enjoying it and didn’t want it to end. A masterful performance by both and one of the top Joshi matches of the year. A must see. Highly Recommended

Results Recap:

• Starlight Kid defeated Azumi
• Kaori Yoneyama and Mayu Iwatani defeated Alex Lee and Datura
• Artist of Stardom Championship Match: (c) Evie, Matsumoto, and Skater defeated Mimura, Kyouna, and Watanabe – Mildly Recommended
• Act Yasukawa Retirement Match: Act Yasukawa, Kato, and Kairi Hojo {No Contest} Holidead, Kris Wolf, and Kimura
• Act Yasukawa Retirement Match #2: {W} Act Yasukawa and Kimura defeated {L} Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo – Recommended
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai defeated (c) Meiko Satomura – Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Year End Climax on December 23rd, 2015 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Goddesses of Stars #3”
Date: December 6th, 2015
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 365 (Super No Vacancy)

There have been a lot of changes in Stardom not only in 2015, but just in the last few months. More rookies debuted in October, and now we have Kellie Skater back! I love Kellie Skater for many reasons, so I am stoked to see her. Not only that but she brought a friend with her, Evie, a wrestler I have heard about but have not had the pleasure of watching. The rest of the card is pretty weak as three of the other five matches are rookie matches, and the other two are nothing special so hopefully the main event really delivers. Here is the full card:

• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Hiromi Mimura vs. Saori Anou
• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Jungle Kyouna vs. Starlight Kid
• Alex Lee vs. Holidead
• Datura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo
• Rookie of Stardom Finals
• Artist of Stardom Championship 3 Way (Vacant): Act Yasukawa, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura vs. Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe

The middle of the card looks flat but I do enjoy these rookies so I expect the show to start and end strong.

 
Hiromi Mimura vs. Saori Anou

This was a pretty straight-forward match, as you probably figured out. They started with wristlocks, Anou knocks Mimura to the mat a few times with shoulderblocks and covers her for two. Scoop slam by Anou and she works on Mimura’s leg, but Mimura pushes her away and applies a rolling leglock. Anou crawls to the ropes to force a break and they trade elbows, sidewalk slam by Anou and she covers Mimura for two. Quick schoolboy by Mimura but it gets two, another roll-up by Mimura but that gets a two as well. Dropkick by Mimura, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Anou elbows her repeatedly and hits a rolling bridging fisherman suplex for a two count. A backslide with a bridge gets the same result, and as Mimura flips out of the hold she covers Anou for the three count! Hiromi Mimura wins the match!

What was memorable here is just how nice of a bridge Anou has. The rolling fisherman suplexes, the backslide with a bridge, all beautiful. Beyond that it was basic and short, it clocked in at under five minutes. A few nice spots and they both show potential, overall a decent way to start the show.

Jungle Kyouna vs. Starlight Kid

Kyouna pushes Starlight Kid hard to the mat right off the bat but Starlight Kid elbows her and they trade shots. Dropkick by Starlight Kid but Kyouna blocks the Irish whip attempt, elbows by Starlight Kid but Kyouna hits a shoulderblock. Cartwheel into a swinging headscissors by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Kyouna again, Starlight Kid goes for a scoop slam but Kyouna reverses it. Starlight Kid sneaks in an inside cradle for two, tilt-a-whirl cradle by Starlight Kid but that gets a two as well. Standing Moonsault by Starlight Kid, but Kyouna bridges out of the pin. Starlight Kid applies a crab hold but Kyouna muscles out of it and applies  a crab hold of her own. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes to force a break, Rainmaker by Kyouna but Starlight Kid barely gets a shoulder up. Kyouna goes for the Hammerthrow Powerbomb but Starlight Kid reverses it with a hurricanrana, dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits the Shiranui for a two count. Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle but Kyouna grabs her and hits a powerslam for two. Kyouna grabs Starlight Kid and this time nails the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kyouna is the winner and moves onto the finals of the Rookie of Stardom Championship.

This started slow, but the last minute or so was entertaining. I though the first Hammerthrow Powerbomb would work and it would just be an uneventful match, but Starlight Kid surprised me by reversing the move and then delivering a string of offense to almost pick up the win. That salvaged the match a bit, it still wasn’t top level as Kyouna literally just debuted and is learning still, but it made the match more memorable. Starlight Kid is itty bitty but that makes the moves look more impactful, it may limit how far she can go up the card but she is fun to watch. A solid rookie match.

Alex Lee vs. Holidead

They kick off with a knuckle lock and arm work. I do wish that wrestlers with a “I’m crazy” gimmick did less cooperative limb work, seems a bit out of character. Lee boots Holidead hard in the head for the first advantage, she dumps Holidead out to the apron and then kicks her down to the floor. Lee goes out after her, but Holidead beats Lee with a chair (that is more like it) and throws Lee into the ring post. Back in the ring Holidead applies a Dragon Sleeper before kneeing Lee in the back, sleeper by Holidead but Lee gets a foot on the rope. Holidead goes up top but Lee avoids the diving legdrop, back kick by Lee and she dropkicks Holidead in the chest. Lee kicks Holidead into the corner and hits an ugly pedigree of sorts, covering Holidead for two. Missile dropkick by Lee but Holidead hits a lariat, schoolboy by Lee but it gets two. Superkicks by Lee and she hits a hard elbow for a two count. Holidead blocks a superkick and elbows her back, she gets Lee on her shoulders and hits the Snake Eyes. Holidead legdrops Lee while her head is hanging over the apron, back in the ring Holidead picks up Lee and hits a Samoan Drop. She goes for another one but Lee wiggles away and they trade pin attempts. Holidead boots Lee as she gets up, Samoan Drop by Holidead and she gets the three count! The winner of the match is Holidead.

This was pretty much all my worst dreams come true. There was one segment of the match I enjoyed, when Holidead was taking it to Lee outside the ring, but everything else was disjointed and sloppy. It is unusual to see genuinely sloppy wrestling in Stardom so I will be surprised with the new wrestlers coming in if they will continue using Lee and Holidead until they get a bit more seasoning. Not a good showing by either one and a match that can be safely skipped.

    
Datura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo

Kato and Yoneyama are the first two in and do some intro level mat work, Kato goes for the arm but Yoneyama shakes her off and applies a leglock. They eventually return to their feet and tag out, bringing in Hojo and Datura. Datura gets the early advantage but Hojo stomps on her, armdrag by Datura but Hojo flips her out to the apron. Datura goes up top and hits a diving armdrag, she grabs Hojo but Hojo elbows her off. Spear by Hojo, Kato comes in and they both apply armbars to Datura while Azumi poses on her back. They leave the ring as Hojo goes back to work on Datura before tagging in Kato, dropkicks by Kato to Datura as Azumi strolls back in, but Azumi kicks Kato so that she can attack Datura herself. I have no idea what is going on with those two. Datura splashes Kato in the corner and hits a cartwheel bodypress, picking up a two count. She tags Yoneyama, elbow drop by Yoneyama to Kato and she chops her in the throat. Kato jumps up to the top turnbuckle and applies an armbar over the top rope, diving bodypress by Kato but it gets two. Cross armbreaker by Kato but Yoneyama rolls out of it and applies a crab hold.

With Azumi’s help, Kato reaches the ropes, but Yoneyama jumps out of the ring to go after Azumi. Back in, Kato gets the cross armbreaker re-applied but Datura breaks it up. Kato tags Hojo and they double team Yoneyama, Hojo goes up top and she hits a jumping forearm smash on Yoneyama. Hojo goes for a spear but Yoneyama avoids it and knees Hojo in the back of the head. Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama and she makes the tag to Datura. Lariat by Datura to Hojo and she applies a cross kneelock, but Kato breaks it up. Yoneyama runs in and hits a bodypress on both of their opponents, Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton. Moonsault by Datura, but Azumi breaks up the pin. Datura goes up top but Hojo avoids the diving body press, Azumi comes in and clubs on Datura. Azumi kicks Hojo by accident, La Magistral by Datura but Hojo gets a foot on the ropes. Hojo applies a modified crab hold, Yoneyama grabs Kato but Azumi helps free her. Hojo slams Datura to the mat, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo win the match.

One of the few things that tends to annoy me even in the non-realistic world of professional wrestling is blatant cheating that is ignored. Unless I missed the No DQ announcement there is no reason that Azumi should have been allowed to continually help one of the teams. In Japan it is not unusual for action on the floor to be a “No DQ Zone” but she was getting in the ring and actively participating in the match. Beyond that, all four (well five I guess) of the wrestlers in the match looked good, but was just a bit disjointed and ended rather suddenly. Just a standard mid-card tag match, with some extra oddness due to the 3 vs. 2 atmosphere.

 
Hiromi Mimura vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna gets the advantage first as they end up on the mat, but Mimura slaps on a sleeper hold. Back up they trade wristlocks and strikes, until Mimura lariats Kyouna in the back of the head. Kyouna clubs Mimura to the mat but Mimura blocks the Rainmaker, rolling leglock by Mimura but Kyouna gets Mimura on her back and slams her into the turnbuckles. Sleeper by Kyouna and she swings Mimura around, cover by Kyouna but it gets two. Lariat by Kyouna, but Mimura reverses the cover into a cradle for two. Kyouna goes off the ropes but Mimura sneaks in a bodyscissors into a pin for another two count. Stomps by Mimura and she slaps Kyouna, but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam for two. Kyouna grabs Mimura around the waist and drops her with the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kyouna wins the Rookie of Stardom Tournament!

First I gotta say, this is the second match that Kyouna did or went for a Rainmaker, and it is awfully cocky for a wrestler in her second match to be doing one of the most protected finishers in wrestling as a transition move. Anyway, these two both show flashes of potential, I think they both will be good if they continue to train and improve, but right now there isn’t a lot of structure to their matches. Some of the transitions were shaky and Mimura is better than Kyouna at showing emotion to get the crowd into it. Certainly not a bad match, and considering the experience levels of the participants pretty solid, but about what you’d expect from two wrestlers still in the learning phase of their careers.

        
Act Yasukawa, Kimura, and Kris Wolf vs. Evie, Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and Watanabe

The match begins with Wolf, Iwatani, and Skater as the legal women, and they take turns doing cute pin spots with obviously none picking up the win. That would be an unsatisfying main event. Each trio takes turns tagging out so we get fresh match-ups, as I patiently wait for the chaos I promised a minute ago. Matsumoto is triple teamed by Team Stardom, which is quickly broken up. They all end up on the floor brawling, with Kimura eventually returning with Iwatani so Oedo Tai can triple team her. And pose on her, of course. The beatdown on Iwatani continues for a moment until finally Shirai comes in to help, but the bad girls stay in control until the Hyper Destroyers return. Oedo Tai gets the better of them also and all six are thrown in the corner and hit with running strikes. Kimura misses her running strike, leading to all six of her opponents hitting running strikes of their own. Things calm down as Kimura puts Watanabe and Skater in a submission hold, Matsumoto then stacks Iwatani onto Yasukawa and applies a double crab hold. Shirai then puts Evie and Wolf in a double wristlock until they all let go and face off again.

Shirai gains control and dropkicks everyone, she covers Kimura but it gets two. Skater is tagged in as is Iwatani, and Iwatani hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Headscissors by Iwatani and she nails a dropkick, Snake Eyes by Skater and she levels Iwatani with a lariat for two. Shirai returns but Skater kicks her in the head and tags in Evie. Kicks by Evie to Shirai and she boots her in the corner, but Wolf quickly covers Shirai for a two count. The wrestlers apply leglocks to each other in a cricle while Matsumoto puts Wolf in a Romero Special in the middle, but Watanabe runs in to get a quick cover for two. Watanabe dropkicks Skater, Iwatani and Shirai come in and all three dropkick Skater. Somato by Watanabe to Skater, but Skater kicks out. Oedo Tai triple teams Evie, but after Yasukawa’s senton the pin attempt is broken up. Iwatani grabs Wolf as Shirai goes up top, but Wolf wiggles away. Boot by Kimura to Iwatani, and Wolf covers her for a two. Kimura elbows Yasukawa by accident, Kimura goes up top with Shirai but Matsumoto grabs them from behind and they do the powerbomb/superplex. Matsumoto picks up Shirai and hits the Tornado Bomb, but Watanabe breaks it up with a Somato for a two count. Matsumoto elbows Watanabe, next Skater and Evie both kick her, then Matsumoto hits a reverse double kneedrop. Evie goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! The Hyper Destroyers are your new champions!

I feel the need to point out, if it is necessary, that these are the least prestigious titles in Stardom. That is not to downplay the victory, but rather to explain why it was kinda a silly match with so much going on and why the title match was on a B show. Still though, it is exciting to see Skater win a belt in her first match back and Evie win a belt in her first match in Stardom. Hopefully the titles will be defended more often this time so I can see more of Skater and Evie. As for the match, it was what it was. Chaotic at times, quite random, but while it dragged in a few parts overall it was pretty entertaining. The big issue with this type of match is no one really can stand out, nine wrestlers is just a lot in one match, so even though I hadn’t seen Evie before I still don’t have a great feel for her as a wrestler. Far from a classic, but it had some cute spots and some cute wrestlers, so definitely worth a casual view. Mildly Recommended

 

• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Hiromi Mimura defeated Saori Anou
• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Jungle Kyouna defeated Starlight Kid
• Holidead defeated Alex Lee
•  Haruka Kato and {W} Kairi Hojo defeated {L} Datura and Kaori Yoneyama
• Rookie of Stardom Finals
• Artist of Stardom Championship 3 Way (Vacant): {W} Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater defeated Act Yasukawa, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura & Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and {L} Momo Watanabe

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