Event: Hana Kimura Memorial “MATANE”
Date: May 23rd, 2021
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 714
Broadcast: Streamed on FITE TV

Reviewing wrestling events can bring many different emotions, but an emotion you never want to have is sadness. I knew, like many others, that watching this event was going to be hard. A year ago today, Hana Kimura tragically passed away, and her death impacted people across the globe. Hana had everything – she was a great wrestler, charismatic, had a great look, and had fans invested in everything she did. But more importantly she was a great, loving, and incredible person that had her whole life in front of her. Having her Memorial show on the one year anniversary is fitting, as it brought new attention to the circumstances of her death and gave her friends a way to publicly celebrate her life, which I 100% support. But its going to be hard, the hardest wrestling event I’ve watched in 30 years of being a wrestling fan. Here is the card:

• HUB, Shisao, and Eisa8 vs. Shota, FUMA, and Mil Mongoose
• Battle Royal with Menso-re Oyaji, Tsutomu Oosugi, Hagane Shinnou, Yuko Miyamoto, Shotaro Ashino, Banana Senga, Gabai Ji-chan, Lingerie Muto, Yusuke Kodama, Super Delfin, Fuminori Abe, Miyuki Takase, Mika Iwata, DASH Chisako, Chihiro Hashimoto, Hanako Nakamori, Ram Kaicho, Cherry, Moeka Haruhi, Yuki Miyazaki, Eiger, Andras Miyagi, Kyusei Hana Kimura (Sakura Hirota), Jun Kasai, Masato Tanaka, Jinsei Shinzaki, and CIMA
• Kagetsu, Konami, Hazuki, and DEATH Yama-san vs. Natsupoi, Syuri, ASUKA, and Mio Momono
• ASUKA vs. Kagetsu

As you can see, a very interesting cast but it is filled with wrestlers that had a real life connection with Hana Kimura or her mother Kyoko Kimura (or both) as this memorial event is as much for them as it is for us, to say their final goodbyes. You’ll note only a few active Stardom wrestlers make an appearance, which is at least partly because Stardom opted to run an event on the same day, but that’s another topic for another time. I’m not going to do my typical review for this one as I’m probably going to be too emotionally into the event to be typing constantly, but I hope to not only discuss the matches but help newer fans that may not watch a lot of Joshi matches with who all the wrestlers are. As always, you can click on the Joshi wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City.

After a musical and dance opening, the show began after a quick video montage of Hana Kimura.

HUB, Shisao, and Eisa8 vs. Shota, FUMA, and Mil Mongoose

I haven’t watched men’s promotions in Japan with any regularity in probably five or six years, so this was a fun throwback for me as I remember these guys from when I used to review every small underground indie promotion I could find. These six all are seasoned vets and know their way around the ring, and a six wrestler tag is a pretty straight-forward opener. Shota played the Face in Peril here which made sense – its not about the quality of wrestler but everyone loves wrestlers with masks and Shota probably had the least intimidating look of everyone in the match. So he got beaten for the first third of the match by HUB and Shisao in particular until the crowd finally spurred him to get out of the match.

They wrestled this under Lucha Tag Rules, meaning a wrestler didn’t have to make a tag to no longer be the legal wrestler, they just had to bail out of the ring and reach the floor. I wish the commentators had explained this as new fans were no doubt confused on why wrestlers weren’t always tagging, but in a laid back affair like this one I doubt anyone was too concerned. After five minutes they gave up with the “focus on one wrestler” plan which was for the best as all six of these guys have cool looking moves so no reason to not show off. HUB whipping everyone with his mask tail was entertaining as was HUB in general, Hana had good taste in wrestlers as HUB was always my favorite small-time indie wrestler. Great look, great wrestler. The match ended up being the HUB Show which was the way I would I gone too, honestly he at any point in his career could have been a player in a larger promotion. In the end, HUB planted Mil Mongoose into the mat and picked up the easy three count. The winners are HUB, Shisao, and Eisa8!

For an opener, I enjoyed it, but honestly they didn’t even need the first five minutes. The Shota beatdown segment was fine but was really just filler as once that was over, they just started quickly changing the legal wrestlers while everyone got a chance to hit their moves. That part of the match was quite enjoyable, the “lucharesu” style is entertaining with its quick speed and all six know the style well so there were no hiccups. HUB was and is great, so him being featured was a big plus not just for me personally but also considering his background with Hana Kimura. Overall a fun way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Battle Royal

A quick run-down of the Joshi wrestlers among the opening group:

• Miyuki Takase – The Ace of Actwres girl’Z, frequently wrestles in WAVE and Diana as well
• Mika Iwata – Young wrestler from Sendai Girls’, had a feud with Hana Kimura from 2017 to 2018 that led to several fun matches
• DASH Chisako – Veteran wrestler from Sendai Girls’
• Chihiro Hashimoto – The Ace of Sendai Girls’
• Ram Kaicho – Started as a child wrestler in Triple Six and went to school with Hana Kimura, she is still affiliated with Triple Six but also wrestles in Ice Ribbon
• Cherry – Long time veteran wrestler that wrestled most of her career in DDT, currently a Freelancer
• Yuki Miyazaki – Long time veteran wrestler from Pro Wrestling WAVE
• Hanako Nakamori – The Ace of PURE-J
• Moeka Haruhi – Long time Freelancer

With more wrestlers to come, it is assumed there would be some surprise entries from Hana and/or Kyoko’s past as the match progressed. In fact before the match could even start we got our first surprise, as Super Delfin makes his way down to the match. Super Delfin is a legend from indie wrestling’s past and also wrestled in New Japan, everyone knows and loves Super Delfin which I think is safe to assume includes Hana as well. The match starts pretty standard and playful, it should be noted that Battle Royals in Japan tend to be more lighthearted affairs than those in the US. But soon we get three new entries as Eiger, Andras Miyagi, and Yusuke Kodama come down! Quick recap of the Joshi wrestlers:

• Eiger (or Aiger) – A “ghost” wrestler who officially hails from LLPW-X but mostly wrestles in Sendai Girls’, likes to scare children
• Andras Miyagi – Also known as Cassandra Miyagi, current a Freelancer but known for her work in Sendai Girls’ and Stardom

They immediately go after Moeka, who is creeped out by the group and in short order is eliminated by them. Ram Kaicho appears to join them as they all pose together, they turn to Gabai Ji-chan but he outsmarts them and with help he pins Eiger and Yusuke Kodama, so they are eliminated as well. Ji-chan loses his cane and turns it on, as everyone in the match stands around and watches his brand of comedy. They help him eliminated Miyagi, and then hold down Ji-chan so that both are eliminated. Hana Kimura’s music starts playing as someone dressed as her comes down to the ring, and it turns out to be the cosplay legend Sakura Hirota! 

• Sakura Hirota – Veteran from WAVE, best known for being a comedy wrestler and sometimes cosplaying as her opponents

Once Sakura is in the ring, things settle down as we get the usual Battle Royal fare (big group moves, isolated strike-fests, and the like). We do get a Super Delfin Tornado DDT and Delfin Clutch though on Menso-re Oyaji to eliminate him, which is always a pleasure, before he is quickly pinned himself. Iwata and Hirota trade kicks which is fitting as Iwata is a wrestler that had a feud with Hana Kimura, but everyone breaks them up and Sakura is the next one eliminated (along with Lingerie Muto). While I definitely appreciate Sakura’s contribution to the match, eliminating her quickly was probably a good move as once she did her Hana tribute it may have felt a little too ‘off’ to have someone in Hana’s gear hanging around the match long term.

After Miyuki Takase is eliminated a minute later, some new music plays as Jun Kasai comes down to the ring! One of the biggest hardcore legends still active in Japan, Kasai comes in with his skewers (to jam in people’s heads) which leads to the ring clearing out. Mika Iwata returns first but asks him for an autograph, which he gives before he is attacked from behind. Chihiro Hashimoto and Shotaro Ashino pair up in a Hoss Battle, but the ring slowly fills back up as Chihiro and Shotaro slam everyone. Deadlift German by Chihiro but the blob covers both of them after the move, so both are eliminated! While this happens, more music plays as ZERO1 veteran Masato Tanaka comes down to the ring!

Tanaka cleans house a bit as he eliminates Shinnou and Kodama, Miyazaki puts him in the Shy Hold but it gets broken up. Cherry gets involved but she is covered by the wrestler blob and is eliminated. Music plays again, as another legend comes to the ring – Jinsei Shinzaki! Shinzaki is from Michinoku Pro but has wrestled in WWE and New Japan as well. He goes for one of his signature moves on the majority of the wrestlers at the same time, the rope walk, but gets pushed out of the ring for his trouble and is eliminated. No one appreciates Banana Senga and Tsutomu Oosugi eliminating Shinzaki so quickly everyone pins them, eliminating the tag team as well. We get music over the loudspeaker which means a new participant – CIMA!

That is all the wrestlers we are getting as CIMA goes after Abe and eliminates him. Miyazaki goes after CIMA but gets knocked out of the ring and eliminated, and then CIMA eliminates Nakamori. CIMA doing God’s work and clearing the ring a bit as we are down to seven wrestlers. Chisako appears with a chair but Miyamoto takes it from her, Tanaka then takes the chair from him but Kasai takes it from Tanaka. Chisako dropkicks the chair into Kasai but Mika Iwata saves him. Pearl Harbor Splash by Kasai to Chisako and he gets the three count! DASH Chisako is eliminated. Miyamoto hits Iwata and Kasai with the chair but Kasai takes it and hits Miyamoto in the head with it. Iwata cradles Miyamoto afterwards, and he is eliminated! Iwata high fives Kasai but then kicks him low and tosses him from the ring, as Jun Kasai is eliminated. CIMA and Tanaka dump Iwata out of the ring to eliminate her, leaving us with three wrestlers – CIMA, Masato Tanaka, and Ram Kaicho.

Kaicho steps right up to them while CIMA and Tanaka trade shoves, they push her out of the way and continue going at it. DDT by Tanaka but CIMA hits a Lung Blower, Tanaka gets CIMA onto the apron but Ram Kaicho pushes CIMA to the apron as well. Ram Kaicho gets a running start and she dropkicks them both to the floor! Ram Kaicho is the last woman standing and is the winner!

As I mentioned a few times, Battle Royals in Japan are not serious, as no one is really claiming that Ram Kaicho could beat CIMA or Masato Tanaka in a regular match. But there is no shame in being defeated in a Battle Royal, and giving Hana’s old childhood friend the win was a touching tribute. There were fun spots throughout the match (loved seeing Super Delfin and Jinsei Shinzaki), and the surprising Mika Iwata/Jun Kasai subplot was entertaining. These matches are a little too long for my taste considering the entertaining sections are so spread out, but there were many fun moments and for fans that are familar with the wrestlers I am sure there will be something here that fans will enjoy.

Up to this point, the event has been pretty lighthearted. We started with music and dancing, a lucharesu match, and a mostly comedic Battle Royal. The tone is going to change a bit, as while the next two matches won’t be ‘downers’ they will be more serious with wrestlers that have more of a recent connection with Hana Kimura. We knew going into the show that Kagetsu was making a one-time appearance after retiring over a year ago, but we didn’t know she was bringing a special friend with her to really honor Hana the best way they knew how.

Kagetsu, Konami, Hazuki, and DEATH vs. Natsupoi, Syuri, ASUKA, and Mio Momono

They are against four quality wrestlers with various connections to Hana. ASUKA was the closest to Hana, as they were also a tag team (when Hana wrestled outside of Stardom) and were friends. They are joined by Stardom wrestlers Natsupoi (formally Natsumi Maki) and Syuri, along with Mio Momono from Marvelous. All eight of these wrestlers are great and I am expecting a combination of tributes to Hana and the fast paced Joshi action that we are all accustomed to.

Kagetsu and Hazuki both have incorporated tie dye into their gear as a homage to Hana, giving them a fitting different look. One thing you should know about these wrestlers is that even though its a memorial match for Hana Kimura, and they are here for her, they are also incredibly competitive and no one was going to take it easy. While it is true that DEATH is more of a comedy gimmick and she did bring that to the table, at the end of the day she was far from the focus of the match as the others went in hard on each other. Seeing Hazuki again is such a treat as she was one of the most exciting wrestlers in Stardom, and the fact she seemed to have lost her passion for wrestling but still prepared for this event just really puts over how important it was to her to take part.

Kagetsu hasn’t missed a beat either and its kinda amazing that they are so good to not show an ounce of ring rust. If fans coming into the show didn’t know about the retirements, you’d have thought they were still active competitors. They didn’t go heavy with Hana-related spots, although Jungle Kyona did make a surprise appearance to pose with Konami and DEATH as she was in Tokyo Cyber Squad as well (she is currently unable to wrestle due to an injury). The fact they opted to not just make this a tribute match from bell to bell made the moments more special when they did honor Hana. Every segment was great – Kagetsu and Syuri had a quality exchange as did Mio Momono and Hazuki, and seeing Hazuki and Kagetsu do a final double tope suicida was an incredible moment. ASUKA being the wrestler that had to “overcome the odds” was a smart move due to their close connection to Hana Kimura, and their final exchange with Hazuki was well done. In the end, ASUKA took out everyone and made the cover on Hazuki, picking up the three count! Natsupoi, Syuri, ASUKA, and Mio Momono are the winners!

For fans of Stardom back in 2018, this really felt like an Oedo Tai throwback match with Kagetsu and Hazuki leading the way (with a little bit of cheating from Kyoko Kimura). I’ve said before that eight wrestler tags can make it hard for some wrestlers to shine and that was still the case here, as while Natsupoi and Syuri both hit their spots well and contributed, there are only so many opportunities and the match was simply laid out to make others shine. ASUKA, Hazuki, and Kagetsu all looked incredible and you’d have thought from watching this that these eight had wrestled many times before, due to the fluidity and pace they kept up. Mio Momono was the stealth star of the match, she not only is fierce but is sneakily charismatic and draws attention to whatever she is doing. While this may have been a bit better as a six wrestler tag due to the length of the match, the Oedo Tai/Tokyo Cyber Squad team needed four to really salute Hana Kimura so no complaints from me. This would have been an A+ match from me regardless just for the joy of seeing Kagetsu and Hazuki again, but when taking into account the meaning behind the match both for fans and the participants, its a no-breaker recommendation to watch.  Highly Recommended

On paper, that was the main event of the evening, but ASUKA had other plans. After the match, they challenged Kagetsu to a singles match, which needed approval from Kyoko Kimura and the crowd. All parties naturally agreed, so we are ending the show with a special first-time singles match between ASUKA and Kagetsu!

ASUKA vs. Kagetsu

ASUKA and Kagetsu clearly felt the best way to honor Hana Kimura was to put on a banger, and that is exactly what they did. Kagetsu was flying outside the ring like it was 2019 all over again, and ASUKA laid in the strikes hard. I have to respect their cardio as both were just in a match, then immediately jumped into a singles match without missing a beat. Kagetsu went out of her way to put over ASUKA, as ASUKA handled all of her offense while dishing out plenty in return. Which shows the level of unselfishness that Kagetsu has – she frequently put other wrestlers over even when she didn’t “have” to and knowing she is retired, she lost nothing by taking all of ASUKA’s offense. That’s not to say it was a one-side match as it was far from it – Kagetsu got to use the Oedo Tai board and nailed the Oedo Coaster for old time’s sake as they went back and forth, but once ASUKA got back in control the match was over. After a Blue Thunder Bomb, heel kick, chokeslam, and the Benibana Koromo, ASUKA was able to hold down Kagetsu for the three count. ASUKA is the winner!

A really entertaining sprint as they took their short time and did everything with it. ASUKA’s kiss to the sky before drilling Kagetsu with the Benibana Koromo was the perfect tribute, as they treated the match like a “regular” match but the meaning was always there – this was for Hana. Kagetsu returning from retirement to put on two great matches is pretty incredible, and she delivered everything in this match. The strikes, the pace, the heart, everything was there. And ASUKA was able to keep up, they have really been killing it the last couple years and hopefully this will give ASUKA more attention which is no doubt what Kagetsu wanted, and also what Hana Kimura would have wanted. A fantastic match to end a very memorable event.  Highly Recommended

After the main event, things got very emotional as Kagetsu spoke and a longer video package was shown with clips from Hana Kimura’s career. Once the video package was over, back to a live view of the ring, Kyoko Kimura was standing alone and holding a photo of Hana. Jungle Kyona performed the ten bell salute while the wrestlers stood at ringside, with their heads down as they no doubt were saying their own silent goodbyes. The video concluded with a video package with dozens of wrestlers from around the globe saying “Matane,” in memory of Hana.

The post Hana Kimura Memorial “MATANE” on 5/23/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Yokohama Cinderella
Date: October 3rd, 2020
Location: Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,007

For Stardom, this is a massive event at Yokohama Budokan, as they stack the card with surprises and title matches. Four titles are on the line here, although the High Speed, Trios, and Future of Stardom championships are not represented (Stardom has a lot of titles). We have two matches with “mystery opponents” plus the random one night return of former Stardom wrestler Yuna Manase. At the top of the card, both major single titles are being defended, and we will crown a new SWA Undisputed Women Women’s Champion after the title was vacated due to Jamie Hayter not being able to travel. On top of that, Oedo Tai and Tokyo Cyber Squad battle it out to see which faction will have to disband…… forever! Here is the full card:

• High Speed Championship: AZM vs. Starlight Kid
• Hanan vs. X (Mina Shirakawa)
• Natsu Sumire and Yuna Manase vs. Riho and Saya Iida
• Death Yama-san vs. X (Natsupoi)
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe
• Losing Unit Must Disband Match: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Natsuko Tora and Saki Kashima
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita vs. Himeka and Maika
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Giulia vs. Tam Nakano
• World Of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Syuri

Big show! Since it was shown on PPV and was uploaded on Stardom World, all matches will be shown on full. You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City.

AZM vs. Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid goes off the ropes to start but AZM dropkicks her to the mat, stomps by AZM and she Irish whips Starlight Kid from the corner and dropkicks her to a seated position. AZM flips Starlight Kid back to the middle of the ring and performs a cocky cover, scoop slam by AZM near the ropes and she stands on her arm. Slingshot footstomp to the arm by AZM, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Starlight Kid tries to fight back with elbows but AZM levels her, AZM picks up Starlight Kid and Irish whips her but Starlight Kid jumps out to the apron and elbows AZM as she charges in. DDT onto the apron by Starlight Kid, AZM falls out of the ring and Starlight Kid goes up top and dives down onto her with a plancha. Starlight Kid picks up AZM and slides her back into the ring, she goes off the ropes and hits the Tiger Feint Kick. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. Starlight Kid Irish whips AZM to the corner but AZM rebounds out of it with a dropkick, vertical suplex by AZM and she covers Starlight Kid for two.

Fujiwara Armbar by AZM but Starlight Kid quickly gets to the ropes, AZM goes up top but Starlight Kid avoids the diving footstomp. Starlight Kid catches AZM’s kick and delivers a dropkick, Backstabber by Starlight Kid out of the corner and she goes up top, but AZM recovers and joins her. Starlight Kid boots AZM back to the mat and delivers the swivel body press, but AZM kicks out and kicks her in the head. AZM then goes up top and hits the diving footstomp, but it gets a two count. Back up, head kick by AZM but Starlight Kid snaps off a DDT, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They both kip-up and trade elbows, Starlight Kid charges AZM but AZM kicks her in the head and sits on the top turnbuckle. Kick to the arm by AZM and she hits another diving footstomp, but again it gets two. AZM picks up Starlight Kid and hits La Mistica, she switches it to a seated armbar but Starlight Kid gets a foot on the ropes for the break. AZM picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid reverses the triple jump move into a Codebreaker, cross-legged suplex by Starlight Kid but AZM kicks out at two.

Starlight Kid picks up AZM but AZM blocks the Ki-chan Bomb, Starlight Kid ducks AZM’s kicks however and delivers another Codebreaker. Tiger Feint Kick to the back by Starlight Kid and she nails the Ki-chan Bomb, but AZM is too close to the ropes and gets a foot on one to break up the count. Starlight Kid goes to the second turnbuckle but AZM avoids the moonsault, they trade flash pins but neither can get the three count. Kick to the head by Starlight Kid, she goes to the top turnbuckle but AZM joins her, slamming her arm-first down to the mat. Cross armbreaker by AZM, but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes. AZM goes back to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp to Starlight Kid’s arm, she pulls Starlight Kid to the corner and hits an armbreaker to the mat. Double armbar by AZM, she switches it to another modified armbreaker hold and Starlight Kid has to submit! AZM wins and is still the champion.

A great way to kick off the show. I liked that AZM’s focus on the arm wasn’t just for killing time or for the fun of it, but it continued to be her main target and then she won the match with an arm submission. What else could one ask for? Normally the opener in Stardom doesn’t try to steal the show but they still put on some high flying moves to show they weren’t just two kids putting on an exhibition, and both hit their moves flawlessly. There were a few weird selling parts, which they will get better at as they continue having longer and more important matches, but overall I thought this delivered. An entertaining match between two of the promotion’s best rising stars.  Recommended

Hanan vs. Mina Shirakawa

They tie-up to start and trade wristlocks, Hanan gets Mina to the mat but Mina gains the dominate position as they trade holds. Irish whip by Mina and she hits an armdrag, she goes for a submission but Hanan quickly crawls to the ropes for the break. Mina goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a dropkick, dropkick in the corner by Hanan and she covers Mina for two. Hanan goes for a cross armbreaker but Mina blocks it, Hanan stomps on Mina’s arm but Mina elbows her and the two trade blows. Jumping double chop by Mina and she hits an elbow in the corner followed by another double chop for a two count cover. Mina puts Hanan in the Mexican Surfboard before releasing her after a moment, Mina goes off the ropes but Hanan hits a judo toss. STO by Hanan and she hits a double wrist armsault for two. Hanan goes off the ropes but Mina hits a Lou Thesz Press for two. Hanan ducks Mina’s back elbow and cradles her for two, Hanan goes off the ropes but Mina hits the backfist. Mina goes up top the top turnbuckle and hits a twisting crossbody, Impact DDT by Mina and she covers Hanan for the three count! Mina Shirakawa is the winner.

Its an odd choice to me to have Mina debut for the promotion and have a back-and-forth match with a 16 year old. Clearly Mina isn’t going to be used towards the top of the card and knowing that Stardom is also an “idol” promotion I think we all know the reason that Mina is here. The match had nothing wrong with it, it was technically sound and Hanan seems to have worked the rust off after her time off. This felt more like an opener, a slightly confusing match but non-offensive.

Natsu Sumire and Yuna Manase vs. Riho and Saya Iida

Riho and Saya attack before the bell rings and isolate Yuna, double teaming her. Yuna regains the advantage and lariats both of them, Yuna picks up Saya and hits a scoop slam. Yuna tags in Natsu, Natsu comes in with her whip and hits Saya in the midsection with it. Natsu throws Saya into the corner and mounts her, Yuna comes in to help but Riho breaks it up. Natsu hits the gyrating bronco buster on Saya while Yuna keeps Riho occupied, Natsu tags in Yuna, lariat by Yuna to Saya and she covers her for two. Saya fights back and goes for a scoop slam, but Yuna blocks it and hits a slam of her own. Yuna throws Saya into the corner and hits a lariat, big boot by Yuna and she covers Saya for another two count. Saya finally hits a slam and makes the hot tag to Riho, spinning headscissors by Riho to Yuna and she follows with a Tiger Feint Kick. Riho gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but Yuna rolls through it and throws Riho to the mat.

Yuna kicks Riho in the back before sitting on Riho for a two count. Yuna goes off the ropes but Riho rolls her to the mat and hits a footstomp. She tags in Saya, dropkick by Saya and she chops Yuna against the ropes. Yuna returns with shots of her own but Saya chops Yuna to the mat, they both go off the ropes and Yuna delivers a lariat. That gives her time to tag in Natsu, knees by Natsu and she boots Saya while she is against the ropes. Bridging slam by Natsu, but it gets a two count. Riho runs in to help her partner and they both dropkick Natsu, Saya goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Natsu for two. Saya picks up Natsu but Natsu blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, DDT by Natsu and she connects with the Shining Wizard. Natsu picks up Saya and drops her with the Demon, but Riho quickly breaks up the cover. Yuna shoulderblocks Riho, Natsu gets her whip but Saya avoids it and dropkicks her. Elbows by Natsu and Yuna comes in, but she boots Natsu by accident. Saya picks up Natsu and nails the Northern Lights Suplex, picking up the three count Riho and Saya Iida are the winners!

One of the issues with many Joshi fans online is an unwillingness to admit when a wrestler isn’t good in-ring. Even wrestlers that clearly aren’t very skilled are heavily praised, in cases starting ironically but then somehow becoming real just from persistently being said over a long period of time. I set that up to say – Yuna Manase and Natsu Sumire both aren’t very good wrestlers. Yuna has never been good, there is a reason she jumps from promotion to promotion and if anyone else but Natsu was doing whipping and gyrating bronco busters (particularly to children) everyone would be up in arms about how overly sexual and inappropriate it is. But I don’t get paid to lie (or at all) so the fact of the matter is this match had three ‘average to below average’ wrestlers and Riho, who is good but not good enough to drag everyone else to a good match. I don’t know why his match happened, this combination of wrestlers will never be in the ring together again (hopefully) and we can move on.

Death Yama-san vs. Natsupoi

Death of course poses off the start while Natsupoi ignores her, Natsupoi finally gets into it with her as they go off the ropes before Natsupoi hits an armdrag. Natsupoi throws down Death by the hair a few times, stomps by Natsupoi in the corner but Death grabs her by the nose. Death applies an abdominal stretch (while posing of course), she lets go after a moment and throws Natsupoi into the corner, but Natsupoi boots her when she charges in. Dropkick by Natsupoi but Death hits a throat trust, running senton by Death and she covers Natsupoi for two. Death goes for a suplex but Natsupoi lands on her feet and applies a tilt-a-whirl into a standing armbar. Death gets into the ropes for the break, cradle by Natsupoi but it gets two. Dropkicks by Natsupoi, she goes off the ropes and dropkicks Death in the head. Natsupoi goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, picking up a two count. Natsupoi goes for a neckbreaker but Death rolls out of it, Natsupoi hits a running neckbreaker but Death reverses the cover into a cradle of her own for two. Superkick by Natsupoi, and she nails a German Suplex Hold for the three count! Natsupoi is the winner.

Even though the match was a joke, Natsupoi looked really good as she tends to do so I wouldn’t consider it a wasted debut. Making a grand return to Stardom against a comedy wrestler is still an odd decision for Natsumi and there had to have been better options, but she made the best out of the situation and showed that she belongs. I look forward to more matches with Natsumi in the future, hopefully ones that will last longer and will be against better opponents.

Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

They immediately get into it trading elbows, Momo goes for a dropkick but Bea avoids it and stomps her in the back. Momo throws Bea out of the ring and goes out after her, snapmare by Momo and she kicks Bea in the back. Momo puts Bea on the apron and goes for the B Driver, but Bea blocks it. Kicks to the chest by Momo but Bea avoids one and Momo kicks the ring post by mistake. Bea pulls Momo back to the floor and stomps on her leg, she picks up Momo and throws her into the ring apron. Bea returns to the ring but Momo follows, Bea twists Momo’s leg around the bottom rope and stomps on it some more. Bea picks up Momo and throws her into the corner, as she continues working on her leg. Bea picks up Momo and hits a scoop slam, cover by Bea but it gets a two count. Bea keeps on Momo’s leg, Irish whip by Bea to the corner but Momo avoids her charge and delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Momo, she gets on the second turnbuckle and dropkicks Bea in the back. PK by Momo and she kicks Bea in the corner, cover by Momo but it gets two. Momo applies the chickenwing but Bea blocks the suplex, she rolls Momo to the mat and applies a kneelock. Momo gets out of it, Bea picks her up and hits a snap suplex for two.

Bea sets up Momo’s leg across the rope and goes up top, but Momo recovers and elbows her before she can jump off. Bea knocks her back but Momo catches her coming off the top and delivers a uranage. Momo picks up Bea, kick combination by Momo and she puts Bea on the top turnbuckle. Momo joins her and goes for a B Driver, but Bea flips over her and goes for a powerbomb. Momo blocks it but Bea then goes for a German suplex, which Momo blocks as well. Momo turns around and hits a Diving Somato, picking up a two count. B Driver by Momo, but that gets a two count as well. Momo picks up Bea and puts her on the turnbuckles again, but Bea slides away and superkicks Momo in the head. Queen’s Landing attempt by Bea but Momo rolls out of it, Knee by Momo and she covers Bea for two. Momo applies the chickenwing, release suplex by Momo and she delivers a Somato for a two count. Momo goes for a head kick Bea catches her leg, Momo goes for a suplex but Bea blocks it. Dragon Screw Leg Whip by Bea and she nails the Bea Trigger, Regal Plex by Bea but Momo kicks out at two. Bea hits another Bea Trigger in the corner, she gets Momo on the turnbuckles and drops her with the Queen’s Landing, picking up the three count! Bea Priestley is the new champion!

While I probably could have done without such a focus on the leg work in such a short title match, overall this was really good. Bea’s leg work was excellent but Momo didn’t do a whole lot to sell it when it wasn’t actively being worked on, which only matters when it is such a big part of the match. But Bea didn’t forget as really she set up the end run by hitting the Dragon Screw, so I appreciate her dedication to it. Besides the leg selling issue, Momo looked great and is stealthily one of the best wrestlers in Stardom, even if she doesn’t get much of a chance to show it. Everything looked crisp and they kept the match moving, which is good since it was only ten minutes long. I wish they could have gotten more time and a better spot on the card, but still an entertaining match between two quality wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Natsuko Tora and Saki Kashima

Oedo Tai set up a little chair tower in the corner before the match started, which I appreciate so they don’t waste time during the match doing it. Oedo Tai attacks before the match starts, Jungle fights back against Natsuko and the two trade blows. Jungle tries to throw Natsuko into the chair tower but Natsuko slams on the breaks, Konami returns but Natsuko spears both of them. Saki comes in and they both throw Jungle into the chair tower in the corner, Natsuko hits Jungle in the midsection with a chair and Saki hits a facebuster onto it. Senton by Natsuko and a cover, but it gets a two count. Saki chokes Jungle with the chair and then hits both Konami and Jungle with one, she puts the chair on both of them and Natsuko hits a senton. Saki throws Jungle into the corner and tags in Natsuko (I guess this match has tags), Natsuko throws down Jungle by the hair, bootscrapes by Natsuko and she hits a running boot. Natsuko and Saki both try to suplex Jungle but Jungle reverses it into her own double suplex, giving her time to tag in Konami.

Konami delivers strikes on both opponents before putting Saki in a leg submission, Natsuko breaks it up but Konami kicks her in the head. Saki cradles Konami before kicking her, double arm suplex by Saki but it gets two. Konami catches a Saki kick and applies an ankle hold, but Saki quickly gets out of it and hits a hurricanrana. Running boot by Saki and she tags Natsuko, running elbow by Natsuko in the corner and she hits the cannonball. Samoan Drop by Natsuko, but it gets two. Natsuko gets a chain and puts it down on the mat, she picks up Konami and tries to slam her onto it, but Konami slides away. Kicks by Konami and she hits a German suplex onto the chain for a two count cover. Konami tags Jungle, shoulderblocks by Jungle to Natsuko but Natsuko doesn’t go down. She finally knocks Natsuko over, Jungle throws Natsuko into the corner but Natsuko avoids her charge. Saki comes in but they get stacked in the corner as all of TCS come in the ring to hit running strikes. Jungle goes to the top turnbuckle and hits the diving body press, but Natsuko barely kicks out. Jungle goes for the Hammer Throw Bomb but Natsuko gets away, Jungle goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a lariat for two.

Natsuko gets her chain and chokes Jungle with it, but Konami breaks it up. Kick by Konami to Natsuko but Natsuko levels her with a lariat, swinging side slam by Natsuko to Jungle and she covers her for two. Saki and Bea set up a table, Jungle is put on the table as Natsuko goes up top, but she is grabbed from the apron which gives time for Jungle to recover. Jungle sets up Natsuko for a powerbomb while Konami simultaneously hits a missile dropkick, but Natsuko barely kicks out. They set the table back up while Jungle picks up Natsuko, Jungle drags Natsuko onto the table with her and drops her with a piledriver. Cover by Jungle, but Saki breaks it up by chucking a chair at her. Natsuko tags in Saki, she hits Jungle with the chair and puts it on top of her before hitting a diving footstomp. Konami comes in with a chair but Saki knocks it away form her, she goes to hit Konami with her own chair but stops. Konami picks up a chair but she hits her own partner Jungle with it, Kishikaisei by Saki to Jungle and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins the match and Tokyo Cyber Squad must disband!

I am going to try not to go on a rant so I’ll keep it brief. As wrestling fans we have accepted that some things don’t make sense and are just tropes we deal with, but matches like this take it a bit too far for me. I don’t mind partners turning on each other but it should be early in the match, or part as a run-in, not after 13 minutes. If Konami was going to change sides there were many many nearfalls that could have ended the match prior to her turn and she beat the crap out of her future partners – its just a major logic jump for a partner to ‘play along’ for that long. I don’t mind the heel turn, but I would have preferred she just not be in the match and do it via interference if that was the way they were going.

Anyway, complaints of the structure aside, this was actually a really good ‘hardcore’ style match. They fought like four people that hated each other (which is part of the issue with my above point) as they were using weapons whenever possible but not taking excessive time in the process. There weren’t any long beatdown segments or slow parts, there was non-stop action and everything they did made sense. Jungle was fighting with a lot of passion and in general I thought their ‘acting’ was good as the match felt important. The illogical way they went about the turn brings down the match some for me, but the action was great and its worth watching in that regard for sure.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita vs. Himeka and Maika
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Utami and Maika start the match, they start slow as they trade holds until Utami shoulderblocks Maika to the mat. Saya comes in and they double team Maika, she leaves after a moment as Utami stomps on Maika. She tags Saya, stomps by Saya in the corner but Maika blocks the scoop slam attempt and hits one of her own. Maika tags Himeka and they double team Saya in the corner, Himeka tosses Saya around by her hair before hitting a scoop slam. Himeka picks up Saya and hits another slam before tagging Maika back in, slam by Maika and she stands on Saya’s back. Maika didn’t need help but Himeka comes in anyway, PK by Himeka and Maika covers Saya for two. Saya flips away from Maika and delivers a dropkick, giving her time to tag in Utami. Hard shoulderblocks by Utami but Maika gets her to the mat and applies an armbar. Utami wiggles to the ropes and makes it to force the break, Maika goes off the ropes and boots Utami in the head. STO by Maika and she tags Himeka, lariat by Himeka in the corner and she knees Utami in the face for a two count. Crab hold by Himeka but it gets quickly broken up, Saya stays in but Himeka stacks them in the corner and hits a lariat. Himeka puts both Utami and Saya up on the corner before putting both in an Argentine Backbreaker.

She drops them after a moment and puts Utami in a crab hold, but Utami gets to the ropes. Utami slips away from Utami and dropkicks her, hip toss by Utami and she hits a STO for two. Sleeper by Utami but Maika gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Utami picks up Himeka and tries to put her in the Argentine Backbreaker, but Himeka blocks it and hits a lariat. Utami stays up as they both trade lariats, Himeka knocks over Utami first but Utami quickly gets back up and returns the favor. They keep trading lariats until they both collapse to the mat, Utami makes the hot tag first and Saya hits a diving crossbody onto Himeka. Saya goes up top again and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Saya but it gets two. Himeka knocks down Saya with a lariat, Maika comes in and they both hit sliding strikes to Saya. Cover by Himeka, but it gets two. Himeka positions Saya and goes up top, and with Maika’s help she hits a front flip senton for a two count. Himeka picks up Saya and puts her in the Argentine Backbreaker, she slams Saya in front of her but Utami breaks up the cover. Himeka goes for the powerbomb but Utami breaks it up with a lariat. Release German by Utami to Himeka but Maika lariats her, Maika jumps back onto the apron so that Himeka can tag her in.

Maika tosses Saya around the ring but Saya recovers and slaps Maika, elbows by Saya but Maika knocks her back to the mat. Saya gets back up and they trade elbows again until Maika hits a side slam for two. Maika goes for a suplex but Saya reverses it into a guillotine choke, Maika muscles out of it however and still hits the vertical suplex. Maika goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick, crab hold by Saya but Maika gets to the ropes. Saya goes up top but Maika joins her, hitting a superplex down to the mat. Cover by Maika, but Utami breaks it up. Maika goes off the ropes but Saya dropkicks her, kneedrop by Saya and she charges Maika but Maika catches her with a slam. Cross-arm STO by Maika, but Utami makes the save. Maika picks up Saya but Saya slides away and delivers a heel kick. Saya positions Maika and delivers the running Shooting Star Press, but Maika barely kicks out. Fisherman Driver by Saya, but Himeka runs in and breaks up the cover. Utami joins Saya and they hit the Magic Killer onto Maika, Saya goes to the top turnbuckle and she hits the Phoenix Splash! Cover by Saya, and she gets the three count! Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita are still the champions.

One thing that always fascinates me about Utami tag team matches is her partner always seems to do the bulk of the work. Saya was both the Face in Peril and the one that got the last hot tag, as she spent far more time in the ring. Since I love Utami, I’d like to see more of her but I liked her segments with Himeka and she hit a boss German suplex so I’ll let it slide. This match did have an identity issue, for a match that got plenty of time they didn’t really have a story to tell. The submissions were random and without meaning, and Saya seemed to be dominated for the bulk of the match before suddenly winning after hitting a few moves in a row. The action was really good though even if it wasn’t always cohesive, and they didn’t wrestle like a bunch of wrestlers early in their careers. A fun hard hitting match, didn’t quite reach that upper level but entertaining nonetheless.  Recommended

(c) Giulia vs. Tam Nakano
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They charge each other to start and immediately start throwing elbows, they go off the ropes and Tam elbows Giulia to the mat. Giulia gets back up and catches a Tam kick, Tam connects with the next one however and throws Giulia into the corner. Giulia avoids her charge and boots Tam in the corner, DDT by Giulia and she covers Tam for two. Giulia goes up top but Tam joins her, they trade slaps until Tam kicks Giulia in the head, sending her down to the floor. Tam goes back up top and dives out onto Giulia with a plancha, Tam slides Giulia back in but Giulia goes back to the apron. Tam grabs her and applies a dragon sleeper over the top rope, the referee gets her to break it so Tam tries to suplex Giulia back to the mat. Giulia blocks it and elbows her, she turns around while still on the turnbuckle and applies a stretch hold while still perched up top. They finally leave the turnbuckles with a powerbomb by Giulia, she goes back up again but Tam grabs her from behind and hits a German suplex off the turnbuckles.

They both slowly recover and trade elbows, backslide by Giulia and she knees Tam. Giulia puts Tam on the top turnbuckle and joins her, hitting a Glorious Buster down to the mat for a two count cover. Giulia picks up Tam and she goes for another one, but Tam blocks it. Heel kick by Tam but she is too hurt to capitalize, they get to their knees and trade strikes. As they get up, Tam hits a German Suplex Hold and then a Tiger Suplex Hold, but Giulia kicks out at two. Tam picks up Giulia but Giulia snaps off a backdrop suplex, she goes for the Stealth Viper and gets it locked in, but Tam barely gets a foot on the bottom rope to break it up. Giulia drags up Tam but Tam headbutts her, Tam charges Giulia but Giulia gets her in a headlock. Michinoku Driver by Giulia, she goes off the ropes and boots Tam in the head. Tam fires back with a heel kick, more kicks by Tam but Giulia boots her to the mat for a two count. Giulia quickly picks up Tam and drops her with the Glorious Driver, but Tam quickly kicks out. Giulia charges Tam but Tam schoolboys her for a two count. Front dropkick by Giulia, she picks up Tam and hits a final Glorious Driver for the three count! Giulia wins and retains the championship.

I have to say, they wanted to go in a certain direction with this match and they certainly went for it. From the start they were throwing bombs and doing high impact moves, as it felt like 20% of the match took place with one or the other (or both) on the top turnbuckle attempting to do something extra painful. It was a 15 minute dash with little time for breathing, which sometimes is needed just to let the moves have more of an impact with the viewer. They both showed off their toughness, and the match was smooth, it just felt at times like they were trying to do too much to try to one-up their previous match. Giulia stayed in control which made sense as she was the favorite going in, and she came across like she deserves to be in one of the top spots in the promotion. Certainly an entertaining match with a lot of memorable spots, it just needed a little more of a break at some point to let their moves have more meaning.  Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Syuri
World of Stardom Championship

Syuri pushes Mayu into the ropes to start and they end up on the mat as they jockey for position. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Mayu blocks it, Syuri goes for Mayu’s leg but Mayu gets to the ropes. Back on their feet they trade wristlocks, Syuri works a headlock and gets Mayu to the mat. Back up, Syuri goes off the ropes and stomps on Mayu, Syuri kicks Mayu repeatedly but Mayu fires back with an elbow. Kick to the midsection by Mayu and they both kick each other in the leg, sending them to the mat. Syuri quickly regains the advantage and hits a running knee, sending Syuri fallout out of the ring to the floor. Syuri goes to the apron and hits a jumping knee, Syuri gets Mayu back into the ring and starts working on her leg. Syuri hits a running knee in the corner followed by another one, cover by Syuri but it gets a two count. Syuri applies a figure four leglock, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Mayu in the back. PK by Syuri, but Mayu kicks out of the cover. Syuri picks up Mayu and continues to kick her, double arm suplex by Syuri and she covers Mayu for another two count. Syuri goes back to the leg but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break, Mayu rolls to the apron but Syuri goes out after her.

Syuri tries to suplex Mayu off the apron but Mayu blocks it, Mayu grabs Syuri and nails a German suplex on the apron. Mayu gets back in the ring, she goes off the ropes and sails out onto Syuri with a plancha suicida. Mayu slides Syuri back in, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Mayu, but it gets a two count. Mayu goes for the dragon suplex but Syuri grabs the ropes to block it, stomps by Mayu and she dropkicks Syuri while she is against the ropes, sending Syuri back out of the ring. Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle  but Syuri gets on the apron to stop her from jumping off, she tries to kick Mayu off the turnbuckle but Mayu catches her leg and snaps it over the ropes. Syuri sits on the top turnbuckle but Mayu joins her and hits a Frankensteiner, Mayu goes back up top and nails the Frog Splash for a two count. Mayu returns to the turnbuckle but Syuri moves out of the way of the moonsault, Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri but she is too hurt to capitalize. Syuri recovers first and elbows Mayu while they are on their knees, but Mayu elbows her back and they trade blows. They keep exchanging elbows as they return to their feet, Syuri hits a Codebreaker and delivers a head kick.

Another kick by Syuri but Mayu rolls out of the ring to recover, she returns after a moment and is immediately grabbed by Syuri. Kicks to the chest by Syuri, cover by Syuri but it gets a two count. Syuri gets Mayu on her shoulders but Mayu hits the Dodonpa for a two count. Syuri goes for a kick but Mayu hits a second one, which gets a two count as well. Mayu goes up top and hits the moonsault, but Syuri barely gets a shoulder up. Mayu goes off the ropes but Syuri nails a head kick, they both slowly get back up and they elbow each other. Superkick by Mayu and she hits a German Suplex Hold, getting a two count. Half and half suplex hold by Mayu, but that gets a two count as well. Syuri grabs Mayu’s leg and puts her in a Stretch Muffler, but Mayu gets to the ropes for the break. Syuri picks up Mayu and gets her on her shoulders, hitting the double knee gutbuster for two. Running knee by Syuri, she picks up Mayu and knees her in the back of the head for a two count. Syuri picks up Mayu but Mayu grabs her and hits a Tombstone Piledriver, Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers another moonsault for two. Superkicks by Mayu and she kicks Syuri in the head again, Mayu hits the Two Stage Dragon Suplex Hold and she picks up the three count! Mayu Iwatani remains the champion.

This was a very different match stylistically than we have seen up to this point, which I think helped it after the higher paced match that went on previously. Syuri’s leg work felt old school and certainly lasted awhile, the only small issue being Mayu was running around after it and didn’t seem to remember to limp around until later in the match. Mayu always comes across as borderline invincible in her title matches but not necessarily in a bad way and its going to mean a lot when someone finally takes the title off of her. Mayu sells strikes really well and her offense is fun, it was an interesting contrast to Syuri as Mayu really didn’t bother with submissions as she just went for high flying and high impact moves. Even with their style differences they worked together well and nothing felt awkward or out of place. It may have been a few minutes longer than it needed to be and may have taken too long to ‘get going’ for some but overall a fitting main event to a big show.  Recommended

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Event: STARDOM 5☆STAR GP 2020 – Day 3
Date: September 5th, 2020
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 140

The 5★STAR GP is an annual round robin tournament in Stardom with two blocks, and in 2020 each block has eight wrestlers. So its a long tournament as it runs from August 8th to September 19th. Here are the standings going into the show:

The rules are pretty simple. This year, there is a 20 minute time limit for each match, which is an increase from the usual 15 minutes so hopefully we will see less Draws. The point system is easy enough to remember: a win is worth two points, a Draw is worth one point for both wrestlers, and of course the loser gets no points. Tie-breakers to win the Block can get weird but if the tie is just between two wrestlers, the wrestler that won the Head to Head match moves on. If more than two wrestlers tie (or if the two wrestlers tied went to a draw) there will probably be a wacky tie-breaker match.

To visit each wrestler’s profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. To make my life slightly easier, I will only be reviewing the tournament matches on each show.

We had a bit of a pause in the tournament due to a COVID situation, so going forward the cards will be further condensed to have more tournament matches. Therefore, Day 3 now has six matches, here is the full card:

• Red Block: DEATH Yama-san vs. Tam Nakano
• Red Block: Himeka vs. Starlight Kid
• Blue Block: AZM vs. Jungle Kyona
• Red Block: Giulia vs. Saya Kamitani
• Blue Block: Momo Watanabe vs. Natsuko Tora
• Red Block: Konami vs. Mayu Iwatani

This event was uploaded to Stardom World, so all matches will be reviewed in full. Lets get to it!

DEATH Yama-san vs. Tam Nakano

DEATH poses to start while Tam poses behind her, but Tam finally kicks DEATH from behind. Armdrag by DEATH but Tam trips her, schoolboy by DEATH but it gets a two count. DEATH throws Tam into the corner but Tam kicks her when she charges in and boots DEATH in the chest. Tam picks up DEATH and goes for a backdrop suplex, but DEATH lands on her feet and thrusts Tam in the chest. Running senton by DEATH, but her cover gets two. DEATH picks up Tam and applies a stretch hold, but Tam gets into the ropes for the break. DEATH picks up Tam gets out of the backdrop suplex attempt. Another throat thrust by DEATH and she goes off the ropes, but Tam finally catches her with a backdrop suplex. Tam goes up top and hits the Destiny Hammer, cover by Tam but it gets a two count. Tam picks up DEATH but DEATH blocks the Tiger Suplex, cradle by DEATH but it gets a two count as the two trade flash pins. DEATH goes off the ropes but Tam kicks her in the head, she goes for a running knee but DEATH avoids it and rolls her up for two. Chaos Theory attempt by DEATH but Tam rolls through it and hits a heel kick. Tiger Suplex Hold by Tam, and she picks up the three count! Tam wins and gets two points in the tournament.

For the first tournament match of the day, it was short and inoffensive. DEATH serves a purpose as she gives the other wrestlers in her block a ‘chill’ match, similar to what Yano does for New Japan in the G1 Climax. You know you aren’t getting a high end match, but it wasn’t bad either, it just existed. An easy two points for Tam as she gets her second win.

Himeka vs. Starlight Kid

They lock-up to start, Himeka pushes Starlight Kid into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Starlight Kid slaps her, Irish whip attempt by Starlight Kid but Himeka doesn’t budge. Elbows by Starlight Kid and she goes off the ropes, but Himeka knocks her over with a hard shoulderblock. Himeka goes off the ropes, Starlight Kid goes for a crossbody but Himeka catches her. Starlight Kid spins out of it and cradles Himeka for two, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Himeka hits a backbreaker. Camel Clutch by Himeka into a chinlock, but Starlight Kid gets into the ropes for the break. Himeka kicks at Starlight Kid and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Himeka but Starlight Kid ducks her lariat attempt and hits a satellite DDT. Starlight Kid goes up top but Himeka recovers and elbows her, Himeka goes for a powerbomb but Starlight Kid reverses it with a hurricanrana. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for a two count. Starlight Kid picks up Himeka but Himeka blocks the cross-legged suplex, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and she delivers a spinning headscissors. Irish whip by Starlight Kid to the corner but Himeka reverses it, Starlight Kid avoids Himeka’s charge in the corner but Himeka knees her in the face.

Single leg crab hold by Himeka but Starlight Kid gets into the ropes, Himeka charges Starlight Kid and knees her in the back. Cover by Himeka, but it gets a two count. Himeka picks up Starlight Kid and gets her on her shoulders, but Starlight Kid quickly slides off and hits an armdrag. Himeka gets on the second turnbuckle but Starlight Kid armdrags her back to the mat, Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and hits the swivel body press for a two count cover. Starlight Kid picks up Himeka and delivers the cross-legged suplex hold, but Himeka gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid picks up Himeka and goes off the ropes, but Himeka levels her with a jumping knee. Lariat by Himeka, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Himeka picks up Starlight Kid and goes for the running powerbomb, but Starlight Kid spins out of it and cradles Himeka for two. Starlight Kid charges Himeka but Himeka hits another lariat, she goes for a cover but Starlight Kid quickly rolls her up for a two count. Himeka picks up Starlight Kid and nails a short-range lariat, crab hold by Himeka but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes. Himeka picks up Starlight Kid and puts her in the Argentine Backbreaker, and Starlight Kid has no choice but to submit! Himeka wins and gets two points in the tournament.

A solid little match. This went exactly as you’d expect it to, with perhaps Starlight Kid getting more offense than I expected which just shows they aren’t booking her as just a feisty underdog but a serious competitor as well. They worked well together and there wasn’t any awkwardness, with both hitting all of their moves well. It felt like it went the right amount of time even though it wasn’t a long match, as the work that Himeka was doing on Starlight Kid’s back was convincing enough that it didn’t need another five minutes. Nothing mind-blowing but entertaining.  Mildly Recommended

AZM vs. Jungle Kyona

AZM offers a handshake to start but kicks Jungle instead, Irish whip by AZM but Jungle avoids her as they go into a fast exchange. Hard shoulderblock by Jungle and she stomps on AZM, but AZM hits an armdrag followed by a satellite schoolboy for two. AZM picks up Jungle but Jungle drops her with a vertical suplex, Jungle picks up AZM and puts her in a backbreaker. Jungle drops AZM so she is hanging on the top rope, she gets a running start and dropkicks AZM in the back. over by Jungle, but it gets a two count. Jungle applies a single leg crab hold, she lets go after a moment and hits a body press to AZM’s back. Jungle stomps on AZM’s back while AZM tries to get up, AZM fights back with elbows but Jungle elbows her into the corner. Irish whip by Jungle but AZM jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. AZM applies a standing armbar before rolling Jungle to the mat and going for a suplex, eventually getting Jungle over for a two count cover.

AZM picks up Jungle, Jungle throws her into the corner but AZM grabs her arm and slams Jungle down to the mat. Double armbar by AZM but Jungle gets a foot on the ropes for the break. AZM goes off the ropes and hits La Mistica, but Jungle rolls out of it. Head kick by AZM, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving footstomp for a two count. AZM goes off the ropes and goes for a hurricanrana, but Jungle blocks it and puts AZM in a crab hold. AZM struggles and eventually gets to the ropes for the break. Jungle positions AZM and gets on the second turnbuckle, but AZM avoids her dive and goes for the Fujiwara Armbar. Jungle rolls out of it so AZM applies a double armbar instead, but Jungle makes it to the ropes. AZM picks up Jungle and goes for a triple jump move out of the corner, but Jungle catches her with an elbow to the face. Lariat by Jungle and she hits a sliding lariat for a two count cover. Jungle picks up AZM and goes for the Hammer Throw Bomb, but AZM reverses it into a quick pin for two. Swinging Sleeper by Jungle and she keeps the hold applied on the mat, she lets go after a moment and goes up to the top turnbuckle. Diving Body Press by Jungle, and she picks up the three count! Jungle Kyona wins and gets two points.

This felt a little out of focus at times but I still enjoyed it. AZM being good isn’t really a surprise to any regular fans of Stardom but the promotion kept her hidden in the opener and mid-card for a long time so its nice she is finally getting a chance against wrestlers higher than her on the pecking order. It will take some time for her to get respect just from being lower on the card for so long, but she’ll get there. Jungle’s offense is a little all over the place as she was going after mostly AZM’s back before winning with a diving body press, the Hammer Throw Bomb would have made more sense but its still a move worthy of a victory. A little disjointed at times story-wise but the action was smooth, a good match.  Mildly Recommended

Giulia vs. Saya Kamitani

They tie-up to start, Giulia pushes Saya into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Saya gets Giulia into the ropes the next time and hits a series of elbows, dropkick by Saya but Giulia dropkicks her back. Giulia smashes Saya into the corner and knees her in the midsection, she stands on top of Saya for a moment until the referee gets her off. Snapmare by Giulia and she applies an armbar, but Saya gets to the ropes for the break. Saya tries to fight back with elbows but Giulia boots her in the head, running knee by Giulia and she flings Saya to the mat for a quick cover. Scoop slam by Giulia and she works a chinlock, but again Saya gets to the ropes. Elbows but Giulia but Saya elbows her back, Irish whip by Giulia but Saya reverses it and hits a knee in the corner. Giulia smacks Saya to the mat and goes off the ropes, but Saya flips away from her and hits a dropkick. Kip-up by Saya and she hits a jumping knee in the corner followed by a dropkick for two. Sickle Hold by Saya but Giulia muscles out of it and applies a STF.

Saya gets to the ropes for the break, Giulia picks her up but Saya blocks the suplex attempt and kicks Giulia in the face. Scoop slam by Saya and she cover Giulia for a quick two. Saya goes up top but Giulia recovers and grabs her, she goes for the Glorious Driver but Saya reverses it into a cradle for two. Heel Kick by Saya, she picks up Giulia and hits a scoop slam. Saya hangs Giulia on the top rope and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving double knee for a two count cover. Saya applies a single leg crab hold but Giulia gets to the ropes, Saya goes for the Running Shooting Star Press but Giulia reverses it into a Triangle Choke. Saya rolls around in it but gets a foot on the bottom rope for the break, Giulia picks up Saya but Saya fights back. Saya goes off the ropes but Giulia hits a boot, backdrop suplex by Giulia and she covers Saya for a two count. Giulia picks up Saya and drops her with the Glorious Driver, cover by Giulia and she gets the three count! Giulia is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

While they didn’t really go away from the formula here, it was still a good match. I just wish they had done a bit more to differentiate it from just about every other veteran vs. rookie match that has ever taken place. Giulia controlled the action, stopped a few Saya comebacks, finally Saya got her comeback and hit some big moves, then Giulia catches her and wins. It doesn’t make the match a bad watch, and Giulia gave Saya quite a bit of offense, it just doesn’t make it special. My only structure-related complaint is the random crab hold by Saya which meant nothing and wasn’t necessary, otherwise the action itself was well done and both hit their moves well. A solid match with two good wrestlers, but we may have to wait a bit to see these two in a legitimately competitive match.  Mildly Recommended

Momo Watanabe vs. Natsuko Tora

Natsuko attacks Momo on the ramp before she even makes it to the ring so we are off to a good start, she brings Momo to the ring and tosses her in so that the match can officially start. Natsuko beats Momo with her own mask before throwing her down by the hair, bootscrapes by Natsuko but Momo catches her with a dropkick. Stomps by Momo but she is tripped from the floor by it looks like Saki Kashima, Momo falls out of the ring and Natsuko goes after her. Natsuko gets a chair and throws it at Momo, she eventually slides Momo back in and hits a few more bootscrapes followed by the running boot. Natsuko throws Momo into the corner and hits a running back elbow, cannonball by Natsuko and she covers Momo for two. Natsuko picks up Momo and throws her back into the corner, but Momo avoids her charge and delivers a dropkick. Natsuko falls into a seated position and Momo hits another dropkick, kicks to the chest by Momo and she hits a vertical suplex for two. More kicks by Momo but Natsuko catches one and hits an elbow, Momo elbows her back and the two trade blows. Backfist by Natsuko and she hits a lariat, cover by Natsuko but it gets two.

Scoop slam by Natsuko, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving body press for another two count. Swinging Side Slam by Natsuko, but that gets a two count as well. Natsuko drags up Momo but Momo gets away and kicks her, she goes off the ropes but Natsuko pulls the referee in front of her and Momo knocks him over by mistake. Momo slams Natsuko to the mat anyway and hits the Somato, the recovered referee makes the count but it only gets two. Momo goes to the top turnbuckle  and nails the Diving Somato, but Natsuko barely gets a shoulder up. Momo goes for the Tequila Sunrise but Natsuko blocks it, she applies the crossface chickenwing but Natsuko gets to the ropes for the break. Momo goes off the ropes but Natsuko has gotten her chain and hits Momo with it, she ties the chain around Momo’s neck and throws Momo over the top rope so she can hang her from it. The referee of course is being distracted during this, Natsuko eventually lets go and covers Momo for the three count! Natsuko Tora wins and gets two points.

I can see why this match got a mixed reaction online. They finally did what I’ve been talking about, have Natsuko actually succeed with her cheating to get a win, but they did it in a stupid way. The referee bump earlier in the match was pointless since Momo stayed in control, and when they really needed the referee to be unconscious he instead was standing five feet away and pretending not to see Natsuko trying to kill Momo. Its a fine line as some weapon usage is allowed in Stardom, and some things like the green mist aren’t punished, but this went beyond that and it wasn’t believable that the referee wasn’t aware. Its still a step in the right direction, I just hope they improve the execution as its a tricky situation to get just right.

Konami vs. Mayu Iwatani

They start the match carefully as they trade holds, Mayu gets Konami to the mat first but Konami muscles away from her and applies a side headlock. Mayu gets out of it and goes for a sleeper hold but Konami has none of that and she gets Mayu’s back. She works a headlock as they return to their feet but Mayu reverses it, Irish whip by Konami but Mayu avoids her kicks. Irish whip by Mayu from the corner, reversed, Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Mayu is too close to the ropes and gets a foot on them for the break. Mayu rolls out of the ring to recover but returns after a moment, but Konami strikes her as she gets on the apron and hits a DDT through the ropes. Konami applies a headscissors and slams Mayu’s head into the mat repeatedly, but Mayu rolls into the ropes for the break. Mayu tries to fight back but Konami stomps her down, Mayu catches Konami with a Sling Blade but is too hurt to capitalize. Kick by Konami but Mayu delivers a superkick, Mayu goes off the ropes and dropkicks Konami hard in the chest. Konami falls out of the ring, Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle and dives down onto Konami with a crossbody.

Mayu slides Konami back in and goes to the top turnbuckle again, delivering a missile dropkick. Mayu sets up Konami in the corner to go for the Running Three, but Konami squirms away. Dodonpa by Mayu, but it gets a two count. Mayu goes up top and hits the diving body press, but Konami gets a shoulder up on the cover. Mayu goes up again but Konami avoids the moonsault, Buzzsaw Kick by Konami and she hits a release German for two. Konami picks up Mayu and goes for the Triangle Lancer but Mayu slides away and hits a Dragon Suplex Hold for two. She goes for another one but Konami gets away and puts Mayu in the Triangle Lancer. Mayu gets a foot on the ropes to force the break. Konami gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a footstomp to Mayu’s arm, she then goes all the way up but Mayu recovers and joins her. Konami slides between her legs and kicks Mayu in the head, Konami puts Mayu in a chokehold while hanging from the turnbuckle until the referee gets her to let go. Konami goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to the back of Mayu’s head, getting a two count. Konami picks up Mayu and applies a guillotine choke, but again Mayu gets to the ropes. Sleeper Suplex by Konami and she delivers a Buzzsaw Kick, picking up another two count. Mayu tries to get up but Konami quickly puts her in a modified Triangle Lancer, and Mayu taps out! Konami wins and gets two points in the tournament.

This was an entertaining match between two quality wrestlers. Mayu is so good at making all offense look painful, its really hard to dislike any big match she is in as she hooks you in to anything she is doing. She is one of the best sympathetic wrestlers on the scene. Konami’s kicks and suplexes were all on point and her focus on the arm was good, and then she won with an armlock which is even better as all her hard work wasn’t just wasted offense. I do wish Mayu had a bit longer of a run on offense though as she wrestled the match as the underdog and then tapped out even though she’s at the top of the food chain. Not that I mind her losing but normally she’s incredibly hard to beat so a longer end-stretch would have made the match feel more complete. Still though, a really good match between two really good wrestlers and a fitting main event.  Recommended

The post STARDOM 5☆STAR GP 2020 Day 3 on 9/5/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: STARDOM 5☆STAR GP 2020 – Day 1
Date: August 8th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 445

Time for the 5★STAR GRAND PRIX 2020!  The 5★STAR GP is a round robin tournament with two blocks, and in 2020 each block has eight wrestlers. So its a long tournament as it runs from August 8th to September 19th. Here are this year’s participants:

The rules are pretty simple. This year, there is a 20 minute time limit for each match, which is an increase from the usual 15 minutes so hopefully we will see less Draws. The point system is easy enough to remember: a win is worth two points, a Draw is worth one point for both wrestlers, and of course the loser gets no points. Tie-breakers to win the Block can get weird but if the tie is just between two wrestlers, the wrestler that won the Head to Head match moves on. If more than two wrestlers tie (or if the two wrestlers tied went to a draw) there will probably be a wacky tie-breaker match.

To visit each wrestler’s profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. To make my life slightly easier, I will only be reviewing the tournament matches on each show.

Day 1 has a full slate of matches, here is the full card:

• Red Block: DEATH Yama-san vs. Starlight Kid
• Blue Block: AZM vs. Saya Iida
• Red Block: Konami vs. Saya Kamitani
• Blue Block: Maika vs. Momo Watanabe
• Blue Block: Natsuko Tora vs. Syuri
• Red Block: Himeka vs. Tam Nakano
• Blue Block: Jungle Kyona vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Red Block: Giulia vs. Mayu Iwatani

I am watching the version uploaded to Stardom World, for better or worse, so all matches will be reviewed in full. However, I am cheating and using Samurai TV for the GIFs, just to get the better camera angles. Lets get to it!

DEATH Yama-san vs. Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid charges DEATH to start but DEATH swats away her dropkick, armdrag by Starlight Kid and they trade trips before DEATH cradles Starlight Kid for two. DEATH picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid elbows her, DEATH throws Starlight Kid into the corner but Starlight Kid kicks her back when she charges in twice. Dropkick by Starlight Kid, she goes off the ropes but DEATH does too and thrusts her in the throat. Running senton by DEATH, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. DEATH goes to pick up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid hits a spinning headscissors, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up DEATH but DEATH slides away, Starlight Kid blocks the Chaos Theory but DEATH hits a DDT for two. Starlight Kid charges DEATH, they trade cradle attempts until Starlight Kid holds down DEATH for two. Starlight Kid charges DEATH and gets her back, Ki-chan Bomb by Starlight Kid and she gets the three count! Starlight Kid wins and gets two points!

I’ve said it before but if I keep up with tournament reviews you are going to hear it six more times after this – I really wish Yoneyama would wrestle as herself in Stardom in some situations as she’s too good to just be a low rent comedy gimmick. Anyway this was really short so not much to it and a few spots looked not very crisp, which is unusual for these two. A forgettable way to begin the prestigious tournament.

AZM vs. Saya Iida

They start slow (for an AZM match) as they trade holds, Saya gets a headscissors applied on the mat but AZM gets out of it as they return to their feet. Kick by AZM but Saya dropkicks her, AZM fires back with her own dropkick which sends Saya to the mat. AZM picks up AZM and throws her down by the hair, snapmare by AZM and she kicks Saya in the back for a two count. Scoop slam by AZM and she hits another one, she waits for Saya to get up and kicks her in the head. Hard elbow by AZM, she picks up Saya but Saya ducks her elbow and delivers a dropkick. Scoop slam by Saya and she puts AZM in an elevated crab hold, but AZM manages to roll out of it. Stomps by Saya, AZM elbows her and the two trade shots. AZM grabs Saya’s arm and applies a double reverse armbar, she lets go after a moment and goes up top but Saya avoids the diving footstomp. Chops by Saya and she double chops AZM to the mat, she goes up top but AZM recovers and joins her. Saya gets above AZM and goes for a powerbomb back to the mat, AZM blocks it but Saya pulls AZM from the turnbuckle down to the mat. Saya goes up top again and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up AZM and delivers the Northern Lights Suplex, but AZM kicks out. She goes for the Iida Bridge, AZM blocks it the first time but Saya gets it applied on her second attempt for a two count. Saya goes off the ropes but AZM kicks her, head kick by AZM and she covers Saya for two. Rolling vertical suplexes by AZM, she picks up Saya and…. well she goes for La Mistica but Saya is out of position so she spins her to the mat and puts her in an armlock for the submission win! AZM wins the match and gets two points.

Well that was one of the uglier finishes I’ve seen in Stardom, as Saya managed to mess up taking the same move twice in a five second period. Stardom usually is one of the most polished promotions I watch, they train together quite a bit and have so many shows they are generally on the same page. Definitely not the case with this one. It wasn’t a memorable match even leading up to that, with AZM changing her style to match Saya, but the ending will leave any fan with a bad taste in their mouth. Not AZM’s fault, she’s great, but just not a good combination here.

Konami vs. Saya Kamitani

Tie-up to start, they trade holds until Konami knocks over Saya with a kick to the chest. She goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding kick, Konami picks up Saya and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Headscissors by Konami but Saya gets to the ropes, Konami twists Saya between the ropes and pulls on her head until the referee gets her to stop. Konami throws Saya into the corner and kicks her a few times, Saya fights back with elbows but Konami elbows her back to the mat. Konami goes off the ropes but Saya does as well, cartwheel into a flip by Saya and she dropkicks Konami. Konami ends up in the corner, running knee by Saya and she follows up with another dropkick for a two count. Saya picks up Konami but Konami puts her in an armbar, Saya rolls out of it and applies a Sickle Hold. She lets go after a moment and switches to a single leg crab hold, but Konami gets into the ropes for the break. Scoop slam by Saya, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Konami recovers and throws her back to the mat. Dropkick to the head by Konami and she applies a guillotine choke, but Saya gets to the ropes. Konami goes off the ropes and knees Saya in the back of the head, she goes off the ropes again but Saya drops her with a pump kick. Spinning heel kick by Saya, and she covers Konami for two. Saya goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, but Konami kicks out of the cover. Saya quickly picks up Konami and hits the Pele Kick, running Shooting Star Press attempt by Saya but Konami rolls out of the way and applies a sleeper hold. Sleeper suplex by Konami, she picks up Saya and hits a PK. Triangle Choke by Konami, and Saya taps out! Konami is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

My favorite thing about this match was just the definitiveness of the ending. I don’t mind matches with hope spots, 2.9999 nearfalls, etc. as those elements can add a lot to a wrestling match. But sometimes, especially in a midcard situation, its better when a wrestler just pounds someone into the dirt. The sleeper/sleeper suplex/PK/Triangle Choke combination without Saya doing a damn thing to stop it was really great and put over Konami as a threat, which was more important than her trading nearfalls with a rookie. A very talented rookie that held her own, but this match was about Konami and she delivered. Short and pretty basic, but it accomplished its goal and was entertaining.  Mildly Recommended

Maika vs. Momo Watanabe

Maika charges Momo as soon as the match starts and boots her in the face, she stomps down Momo in the corner before bringing her to the middle of the ring and stomping her in the back. Maika goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock, Momo goes for the dropkick but Maika swats her away and armdrags her. Scoop slam by Maika and she hits a couple more, Maika stomps down Momo in the corner and Irish whips her, but Momo rebounds out of the corner with a dropkick. Maika lands in the other corner, kicks to the chest by Momo and she stomps down Maika. Momo picks up Maika and hits a vertical suplex, Maika elbows her and goes off the ropes, but Momo levels her with a dropkick. PK by Momo and she applies the crossface chickenwing, but Maika gets into the ropes for the break. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers the Diving Somato, but Maika kicks out.

Momo picks up Maika but Maika blocks the B Driver, head kick by Momo and she goes up top but Maika avoids her dive and hits an armdrag. Maika tosses Momo around the ring and hits a STO, side slam by Maika and she covers Momo for two. Maika gets on the second turnbuckle but Momo kicks her before she can jump off, Maika puts her in a hanging chokehold but lets go after a moment and hits a Reverse Splash. Delayed vertical suplex by Maika, and she covers Momo for two. Maika applies a sleeper but Momo quickly gets to the ropes, Maika goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the head. Momo goes off the ropes but Maika does as well, she slides behind Momo and puts her in a sleeper hold. Momo almost gets to the ropes but Maika drops her to the mat while maintaining the hold, and Momo eventually taps out! Maika wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

A well constructed short tournament match. Maika coming out of the gate firing on all cylinders was a smart way to go, as generally she is seen as more methodical so it shows her more urgent side. It also helps put over Maika as more than just a new almost-rookie, as DDM is getting a push right now and needs all four of their wrestlers to be seen as threats. The sleeper hold at the end went on for maybe a tad long but it helped keep Momo strong since she fought so long before tapping out. A fun match and one of the better singles matches I’ve seen from Maika. Mildly Recommended

Natsuko Tora vs. Syuri

Natsuko attacks Syuri from behind before the match starts, she throws down Syuri by her hair but Syuri drop toeholds her into the second rope and kicks her in the back. Running knee by Syuri as Natsuko tumbles out of the ring, Syuri stays on the apron and hits a jumping knee off of it down to the floor. Syuri picks up Natsuko but Natsuko throws her into the guard rail and then the ring post, Natsuko throws Syuri into the railing again before sliding her back into the ring. Natsuko clubs on Syuri and throws her into the corner, elbow by Natsuko and she hits another running elbow followed by a Cannonball for a two count cover. Natsuko throws down Syuri by the hair and gives her some bootscrapes, running boot by Natsuko and she hits a second one. Natsuko gets Syuri on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, cover by Natsuko but it gets a two count.

Natsuko goes off the ropes but Syuri knees her, DDT by Syuri and she covers Natsuko for two. Elbows by Natsuko but Syuri kicks her in the chest, running knee by Syuri and she hits a half hatch suplex for two. Crab hold by Syuri but Natsuko gets to the ropes, she picks up Natsuko but Natsuko elbows her and the two trade strikes. Kick to the midsection by Syuri but Natsuko blocks her next kick and hits a short range lariat. Natsuko picks up Syuri and hits a swinging side slam, she drags Syuri up and slams her in front of the corner. Natsuko goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving body press, but Syuri barely kicks out of the cover. Natsuko gets her chain and wraps it around her knee, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Syuri avoids her diving leg drop. Running knee by Syuri, she goes for another one but Natsuko hits a lariat. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Syuri delivers a head kick, Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri and she covers Natsuko for the three count! Syuri wins and gets two points in the tournament.

Natsuko continues her trend of rule bending but losing anyway, although I assume at some point she will get some wins in this tournament. The match was ok but pretty by the numbers, also it was the shortest match since the opener so they had limited time to get in a groove. Natsuko did stand tall against Syuri and put up a good fight, which was needed, and it took a series of strikes to get Natsuko to stay down. Good enough for what they were going for but it felt like just a standard forgettable tournament match since it didn’t do anything outside of the norm. A small step down from the last two matches, but just slightly.

Himeka vs. Tam Nakano

They lockup to start, Himeka pushes Tam into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Takedown by Tam but Himeka gets in the dominate position, side headlock by Himeka but Tam gets out of it and they return to their feet. Tam quickly kicks Himeka, snapmare by Tam and she kicks Himeka in the back. She goes for a PK but Himeka catches it and hits a Samoan Drop. Scoop slam by Himeka and she puts Tam in a Camel Clutch, she lets go after a moment and stomps on Tam’s back. Single leg crab hold by Himeka but Tam gets to the ropes to force the break. Himeka pushes Tam under the under rope and cranks back on her head, the referee gets her to let go and Himeka elbows Tam before hitting a hard shoulderblock for two. Himeka picks up Tam and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Himeka but Tam rebounds out of the corner with a crossbody. Running elbow by Tam and she kicks Himeka in the back of the head for a two count cover. Tam picks up Himeka and flips her to the mat, she goes for a cross armbreaker but Himeka blocks it for Tam’s first few attempts. Tam keeps cranking on the hold and almost gets it applied, but Himeka gets into the ropes to force a break. Tam stomps on Himeka and throws her towards the corner, but Himeka reverses it and hits a hard shoulderblock. Himeka puts Tam in a crab hold but Tam crawls to the ropes for the break. Himeka quickly re-applies it but Tam gets to the ropes again, Himeka goes off the ropes and knees Tam in the back for a two count.

Himeka goes for the Argentine Backbreaker and gets it applied, but Tam doesn’t submit so after a moment she drops her. Tam fires back with a kick to Himeka’s leg and they trade strikes until Himeka knocks over Tam with a hard lariat. Himeka goes off the ropes but Tam delivers a heel kick, Tam slowly recovers and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Himeka recovers and elbows her before she can jump off. Himeka grabs Tam but Tam gets away from her, Tam kicks Himeka down and goes to the top turnbuckle again, delivering the Destiny Hammer for a two count. Tam drags Himeka up and goes for the Tiger Suplex, but Himeka blocks it. Heel kick by Tam and she goes off the ropes, but Himeka levels her with a jumping knee. Himeka picks up Tam but Tam reverses the powerbomb attempt, spinning heel kick by Tam and she hits the sliding knee for a two count. Tam picks up Himeka and delivers the Tiger Suplex Hold, but Himeka gets a shoulder up. Tam elbows Himeka as she picks her up, she goes off the ropes but Himeka avoids the sliding knee and hits a lariat. Another lariat by Himeka, she picks up Tam and hits another big lariat for a two count. Himeka picks up Tam and goes for the powerbomb, but Tam back bodydrops out of it. Himeka immediately lariats Tam in the back of the head and puts her up on the turnbuckles to get her in the powerbomb position. Running Powerbomb by Himeka, and she picks up the three count! Himeka wins the match and gets two points.

This wasn’t the smoothest match we’ll see in the tournament, but it was pretty logically laid out anyway. I am not sure if Himeka was legitimately struggling with some of her power moves or just selling, but a few spots didn’t look quite right and its possible that Himeka isn’t quite as hoss-y as she tries to wrestle. But I liked her attention on Tam’s back and she was pretty consistent with it. Tam didn’t have as much of a plan, mostly spamming strikes which isn’t necessarily a bad way to win but it didn’t work out for her. This got a couple more minutes than it needed as long singles matches probably aren’t Himeka’s strength right now, but still more good than bad and I am looking forward to seeing Himeka improve as the tournament goes along.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyona vs. Utami Hayashishita

They lock-up to begin, Jungle ends up pushing Utami into the corner and goes for a lariat, but Utami moves out of the way. Jungle avoids Utami’s charge as well, side headlock by Jungle but Utami Irish whips out of it and the two try to knock each other over. Utami wins the battle but Jungle quickly gets back up and they trade elbows. Elbows by Utami but Jungle shoulderblocks her to the mat, Jungle throws Utami into the corner and hits a body avalanche followed by a front dropkick. Utami lands near the ropes and Jungle lariats her over the top rope down to the floor. Jungle jumps out to the apron but Utami lariats her legs out from under her, she gets Jungle on her back out on the floor but Jungle wiggles out of her grasp. Utami throws Jungle into the guardrail but Utami returns the favor, and Jungle lariats Utami over the railing to the other side. Jungle grabs Utami and powerbombs her into the apron, she slides Utami back in and she hits a scoop slam. Falling body press by Jungle, and she covers Utami for two. Jungle picks up Utami hits a fallaway slam, single leg crab hold by Jungle but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Stomps by Jungle, she picks up Utami and throws her into the corner before hitting a hard shoulderblock.

Jungle goes off the ropes but Utami dropkicks her, running elbow by Utami and she dropkicks Jungle in the back for a two count cover. Utami applies a sleeper but Jungle gets out of it, she goes for a sliding lariat but Utami ducks it and hits a dropkick. Utami goes up top but Jungle joins her, they trade elbows until Utami gets Jungle on her shoulders. Jungle luckily slides off since nothing good could come of that, Jungle picks up Utami and slams her off the turnbuckle to the mat. Lariat by Jungle in the corner, she puts her on the turnbuckle and goes for the Kinniku Buster, but Utami gets out of it. Lariat by Jungle, she picks up Utami and hits a scoop slam. Jungle goes up top and delivers the diving body press, but Utami kicks out at two. Jungle grabs Utami and drops her with the Hammerthrow Bomb, but Utami barely kicks out of the cover. Jungle drags up Utami but Utami ducks the lariat attempt, hitting a STO. Both wrestlers are down and slow to recover, Jungle is up first and grabs Utami, but Utami gets away. Elbow by Jungle but Utami hits the Air Raid Crash, cover by Utami but it gets two. Utami picks up Jungle and puts her in an Argentine Backbreaker, she spins her around into a powerbomb but Jungle gets a hand on the ropes to break up the pin. Utami grabs Jungle around the waist and drops her with a German suplex, she keeps the hold applied and hits a second German suplex. Utami rolls Jungle over and delivers a final German suplex hold, picking up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins the match and gets two points.

This felt like a really good match that just never made it to the next level. I enjoyed much of it, as Utami continues to improve so much and Jungle is a solid base for anyone that hits her moves very crisply. There were a few little awkward moments but nothing that broke the match. I really liked the ending with the rolling Germans, it made Jungle look stronger for it to take three Germans to keep her down, which she needed after Utami kicked out of her Hammerthrow Bomb. Entertaining for sure but I think with a little more time and with something on the line these two could have a real banger.  Recommended

Giulia vs. Mayu Iwatani

They trade holds to start, Giulia gets Mayu to the mat but Mayu gains the dominate position as they struggle for control. They end up back on their feet, Mayu works a headlock but Giulia gets out of it. Slap by Mayu and she snapmares Giulia before kicking her in the back. Scoop slam by Mayu and she stomps on Giulia, dropkick by Mayu while Giulia is against the ropes and she covers her for two. Giulia throws Mayu into the corner and hits a hanging neckbreaker, snapmare by Giulia and she applies an armbar. Mayu gets into the ropes to force a break, she rolls out of the ring to re-group before returning to the ring. Giulia stomps on Mayu, Mayu elbows her but Giulia boots Mayu in the head. Hammerlock by Giulia but Mayu quickly gets to the ropes again, Giulia goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with the Sling Blade. Mayu rolls Giulia to the mat and dropkicks her, suplex by Mayu and she holds down Giulia for two. Mayu grabs Giulia but Giulia gets her back and puts Mayu in the grounded octopus hold, but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break. Giulia picks up Mayu and goes off the ropes, booting her in the head. Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Mayu but it gets two. Giulia goes for a suplex but Mayu lands on her feet and hits a superkick, but Giulia boots her back. Another superkick by Mayu as they go back and forth, Giulia goes off the ropes but Mayu superkicks her again and hits a German suplex hold for two.

Mayu goes up top but Giulia recovers and joins her, headbutt by Giulia but Mayu headbutts her back. More headbutts by Giulia and she delivers a superplex. Cover by Giulia, but Mayu bridges out of the cover. Giulia picks up Mayu but Mayu gets out of the Glorious Driver, reversing it into a Tombstone Piledriver. They slowly recover and trade strikes on their knees, they keep it up as they get back to their feet, head kick by Mayu and she drops Giulia with the Dodonpa for a two count. Mayu gets Giulia on the second turnbuckle and nails the Running Three, Mayu goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press, but Mayu barely kicks out of the pin. Dragon Suplex Hold by Mayu, but that gets a two count as well. Mayu goes up top again but Giulia avoids the moonsault attempt, sliding kick by Giulia but she is too hurt to capitalize. Mayu is up first and goes for a dragon suplex, but Giulia blocks it and drops her with a backdrop suplex. Giulia picks up Mayu and hits a Falcon Arrow, cover by Giulia but it gets two. Giulia applies a seated armbar but Mayu gets into the ropes to force the break, Mayu picks up Giulia and hits the Glorious Driver. Giulia keeps Mayu clutched however and hits a second Glorious Driver, cover by Mayu and she gets a three count!  Giulia wins and picks up two points in the tournament.

In the main event slot, these two stepped up and delivered. It had the big match feel even with the sparse crowd, as both were dropping bombs to win. Mayu pulled out the Running Three (which she learned from Chigusa Nagayo directly) and it really looked killer, I love how wrestlers in Stardom are always adding to their move arsenal as it keeps the matches fresh. Giulia is so good with her strikes, whether they be boots or headbutts, and with her expressions always presents matches as a real struggle and not just choreographed violence. If I had to quibble, I wish Mayu had gotten to kick out of a few of Giulia’s big moves just to make it more fair (such as the Glorious Buster) since Giulia did it to her, as it made the end stretch feel short, but they only had two more minutes left so they had to wrestle within the time restrictions. Overall a pretty great match, and easily the best of the night.  Highly Recommended

The post STARDOM 5☆STAR GP 2020 Day 1 on 8/8/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Stardom Cinderella Summer In Tokyo on 7/26/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “New Summer” Day 1
Date: July 11th, 2020
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 140

Since Stardom is currently the most popular Joshi promotion among Western fans, for the sake of general interest in my reviews its a good idea if I give them extra attention. Its not a hard decision anyway, since I like so many of Stardom’s wrestlers and they rarely put on a bad show. This isn’t a big event, as there are no title matches, but with wrestling finally back in swing these shows are important to set up storylines. Plus we get Syuri vs. Starlight Kid, what’s not to love about that. Here is the full card:

• Death Yama-san and Rina vs. Jungle Kyona and Konami
• Saya Iida and Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita
• Starlight Kid vs. Syuri
• AZM and Momo Watanabe vs. Mayu Iwatani and Riho
• Giulia, Himeka, and Maika vs. Natsuko Tora, Natsu Sumire, and Saki Kashima

As this aired on Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Death Yama-san and Rina vs. Jungle Kyona and Konami

Kyona and Death start the match, Death poses around the ring but kicks Kyona when she gets her to do the same. Hard shoulderblocks by Kyona and she hits a body press for a two count. Kyona throws Death into the corner but Death avoids her charge and makes the tag to Rina. Double Irish whip to Kyona and she eats a double boot, they pick up Kyona but Kyona hits a double vertical suplex. Wristlock by Kyona to Rina and she gets her to the mat with an armbar, she keeps twisting on the wrist before feeding her to Konami so that Konami can apply an armbar over the top rope. She lets go after a moment and Kyona tags her in, Konami keeps on Rina’s arm and puts her in a stretch hold. She lets go and covers Rina, but it gets a two count. Konami picks up Rina but Rina fights back with elbows, she goes for a judo toss but Konami blocks it. Scoop slam by Rina and she tags Death, but Konami avoids Death’s running senton. Kyona comes in but Death avoids both of them and hits a senton/dropkick combination on both opponents before hitting a running senton on both of them. Kyona leaves the ring, Death picks up Konami but Konami catches her in a Fujiwara Armbar. She switches to a cross armbreaker but Rina breaks it up, Death tags in Rina and Rina dropkicks Konami in the corner. STO by Rina and a second one, cover by Rina but Konami kicks out. Rina picks up Konami but Konami gets away from her, backslide by Rina switched into a jackknife hold but it gets two. Rina goes for the Hydrangea and gets it applied still on their feet, but Konami gets into the ropes for the break. Kyona comes in to help and hits a sliding lariat, Konami picks up Rina but Rina avoids the Triangle Lancer and schoolboys Konami for two. Kick to the chest by Konami, she picks up Rina and applies the Triangle Lancer. Rina struggles for a moment but has to tap out! Jungle Kyona and Konami are the winners!

Somewhat interesting the effort they made to ease Kyona back into it, not only putting her in the short opener but having Konami pick up the win. Nothing I’d look into too deep and probably a good idea, as she took Hana’s death the toughest of the current roster members. A pretty short match, not a whole lot to it. Rina doesn’t look out of place which is probably the best compliment I can give her at this point in her career, and everything was smooth. A step better than your average opener and an easy watch to start the show.

Saya Iida and Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita

Tam and Kamitani start the match, they lock knuckles and go into a Test of Strength which Kamitani wins as she pins Tam down to the mat. Tam pushes her off and they both bridge before returning to their feet, headlock by Tam but Kamitani Irish whips out of it. Armdrag by Kamitani but Tam returns the favor and the two reach a stalemate. They both tag out, Utami pushes Iida into the ropes but she gives a clean break. They tie-up again, this time Iida gets Utami into the ropes and she elbows her repeatedly in the chest. Irish whip by Iida but Utami hits a hard shoulderblock, Kamitani comes in and they double team Iida. Kamitani leaves the ring as Utami stomps on Iida, Utami tags Kamitani back in and Kamitani stomps down Iida in the corner. Kamitani picks up Iida and hits a scoop slam, cover by Kamitani but it gets a two count. Kamitani applies a leg submission while Utami protects her she lets go after a moment and puts Iida in a Sickle Hold. She releases it so she can apply a crab hold, but Iida crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Kamitani tags Utami, scoop slam by Utami and she hits a second one. Iida pushes Utami back but Utami tags in Kamitani, scoop slam by Kamitani but Iida dropkicks her twice. This gives her time to tag Tam, Tam goes off the ropes but Kamitani avoids her running boot. Utami comes in to help but Tam fights them both off, ending with her hitting a cutter on Utami. Cartwheel into a double kneedrop by Tam to Kamitani, and she covers her for two.

Back up, Kamitani elbows Tam off and they trade blows, back kick by Tam but Kamitani knocks her down with a heel kick. She tags in Utami, shoulderblock by Utami to Tam and she hits a running elbow in the corner followed by a dropkick for a two count. Utami picks up Tam but Tam slides away from her, Tam goes for a suplex but Utami blocks it as they struggle for position. Tam gets away but Utami hits a Samoan Drop, sleeper by Utami but Tam wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Utami picks up Tam in a waistlock but Tam blocks the suplex, kicks by Utami but Tam gets her back and hits a backdrop suplex. She makes the hot tag to Iida, dropkick by Iida to Utami and she chops her in the chest. A double chop by Iida sends Utami to the mat, she goes off the ropes and hits a running back elbow for two. Tam gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers the Destiny Hammer, Iida then goes up and hits a missile dropkick for two. Iida picks up Utami but Utami blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, she gets Iida’s back but Iida gets away and puts Utami in the Iida Bridge for two. Superkick by Tam to Utami, Iida delivers the Northern Lights Suplex but Kamitani breaks it up. Iida goes off the ropes but Kamitani dropkicks her, lariat by Utami and she covers Iida for two when Tam breaks it up. Utami and Kamitani take care of Tam, Utami goes back to Iida and with Kamitani they hit the Magic Killer. German suplex hold by Utami, and she gets the three count! Utami Hayashishita and Saya Kamitani are the winners!

Even though the end result was obvious, I’ll give Stardom credit for how quickly they have elevated Kamitani up the card. It doesn’t feel forced, she fits right in with Tam and Utami, aided of course by her size and general demeanor in the ring. Iida has her fans but her ceiling is Hiromi Mimura, so there really isn’t any reason for them to give her much focus in a match like this where the others have stories to tell. She kept up however, which helped make the Queen’s Quest team look stronger in the end. For a lower card match, this was pretty entertaining and maybe a sign of things to come with Utami and Kamitani if they continue to rack up wins.  Mildly Recommended

Starlight Kid vs. Syuri

They circle each other to start, Syuri slams Starlight Kid into the corner but Starlight Kid switches positions with her and gives a clean break. Waistlock by Syuri, reversed by Starlight Kid but Syuri reverses it back and gets Starlight Kid to the mat. Starlight Kid quickly returns to her feet as they go through a quick exchange, but they reach a stalemate. Armdrag by Starlight Kid and she hits another off the ropes before dropkicking Syuri out of the ring, she goes to do a dive but feints back into the ring instead. Syuri elbows Starlight Kid as she gets back on the apron, she returns to the ring and catches Starlight Kid’s crossbody attempt. Syuri slams Starlight Kid to the mat, stomps by Syuri and she snapmares Starlight Kid before kicking her in the back for a two count cover. Syuri twists Starlight Kid’s arm around the top rope, she lets go after a moment and kicks Starlight Kid in the back. She goes for the cross armbreaker and gets it locked in, but Starlight Kid quickly gets to the ropes to force the break. Stomps by Syuri, she picks up Starlight Kid and throws her into the corner. Running knee by Syuri, she pulls Starlight Kid back to the the middle of the ring and covers her for two. Syuri applies an armlock but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes again, stomp by Syuri and she knees Starlight Kid in the midsection.

Irish whip by Syuri but Starlight Kid ducks the lariat and delivers the tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Tiger Feint Kick attempt by Starlight Kid, Syuri ducks down but Starlight Kid hits it anyway over the bottom rope. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, but it only gets a two count. Starlight Kid picks up Syuri but Syuri blocks the suplex attempt, elbows by Starlight Kid but Syuri knees her in the gut. Syuri connects with a DDT, she goes for the cross armbreaker again but Starlight Kid blocks it so she switches to a seated armbar. Starlight Kid inches to the ropes until she gets the break, Syuri picks her up and hits a double underhook suplex for two. Syuri goes off the ropes but Starlight Kid does too and hits a satellite DDT, she goes up top and connects with the diving crossbody. Starlight Kid quickly grabs Syuri and nails the cross legged suplex, but Syuri barely kicks out. Starlight Kid gets Syuri up and hits the cyclone neckbreaker, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the swivel body press, but again Syuri kicks out. Starlight Kid goes for the Ki-chan Bomb but Syuri blocks it and hits a running knee for two. Syuri goes for the Buzzsaw Kick but Starlight Kid ducks it, Syuri picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid applies a sunset flip for two. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes bu Syuri drills her with a head kick. Cover by Syuri, but Starlight Kid kicks out. Syuri gets Starlight Kid on her shoulders and drops her with a double knee gutbuster, she puts Starlight Kid in the Suzaku Armbar and Starlight Kid is forced to submit! Syuri is the winner.

This was straight-forward, but still solid. The match was structured exactly how you would have expected, which I guess isn’t a big surprise for a random midcard match. If they ever want to go outside the box with these two, this probably wasn’t the time. So it has the Syuri control segment, some Starlight Kid hope spots and nearfalls, then Syuri regaining control and getting the tap out. Just because its predictable doesn’t mean it wasn’t good, but the first part did seem to be going at a slower speed before they really got into it. Starlight Kid is so smooth, I’ll always have nice things to say about her, but nothing here was really special. Just her usual fun self. A good midcard match, but nothing more than that.  Mildly Recommended

AZM and Momo Watanabe vs. Mayu Iwatani and Riho

AZM and Riho start the match, they immediately go into a fast exchange but they end up in a stalemate. They tag out, Mayu and Momo circle each other more methodically and tie-up, Momo pushes Mayu into the ropes and she gives a clean break. They trade waistlocks and then wristlocks, they end up on the mat but Momo quickly gets away from Mayu as they return to their feet. Snapmare by Mayu and she kicks Momo in the back, she then stands on Momo’s back before stomping down on it. Mayu picks up Momo and tags Riho, Riho throws down Momo by the hair before stomping her in the corner. Riho puts Momo in a Camel Clutch as Mayu comes in to pose with her, double knee to the back by Riho and she tags Mayu back in. Scoop slam by Mayu and she covers Riho for a two count. Armdrag by Mayu and she puts Momo in a stretch submission hold, AZM comes in to try to help but Riho cuts her off. Mayu lets go after a moment and stomps on Momo’s back, kick to the back by Mayu and she tags Riho. Dropkick by Riho, and she covers Momo for a two count. Riho goes for a suplex but Momo blocks it, Riho goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the chest and makes the tag to AZM. Dropkick by AZM, Mayu comes in but AZM stacks them both in the corner and hits a dropkick. AZM tosses them both to the mat and connects with a double dropkick, cover by AZM to Riho but it gets a two count. Riho goes off the ropes but AZM cradles her and the two trade flash pins. Knee by Riho but AZM kicks her in the head before tagging in Momo.

Momo gets Riho up for the B Driver but Riho wiggles away, she drop toeholds Momo onto the second rope and hits the Tiger Feint Kick. She rolls over to her corner and tags Mayu, Irish whip by Mayu to the corner but Momo reverses it. Mayu slides out to the apron when Momo charges in but Momo kicks her back into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Momo, she picks up Mayu and hits a vertical suplex for two. Momo applies an armlock but Riho breaks it up, Irish whip by Riho to Momo and both she and Mayu dropkick her. Mayu picks up Momo and hits a dragon screw, Scorpion Deathlock by Mayu but AZM breaks it up. Mayu picks up Momo and they trade kick attempts, high kick by Momo but Mayu delivers a superkick and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Momo makes the tag first, AZM cuts off Mayu from tagging out and hits a vertical suplex for two. Fujiwara Armbar by AZM, she switches it to a double armbar but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break. AZM goes up top and delivers a diving double footstomp, she picks up Mayu and hits the La Mistica but Riho quickly breaks it up. Momo takes care of Riho, she tries to catapult AZM onto Mayu but Mayu moves out of the way. Riho returns to even the odds, they take care of Momo before hitting a double suplex on AZM. Buzzsaw Kick by Mayu to AZM, but AZM kicks out of the cover. Mayu goes up top and connects with the Frog Splash, but Momo breaks up the cover. Riho knees Momo in the face, Mayu picks up AZM and she applies the Child Crusher (modified Dragon Sleeper), leading to the quick tap out! Mayu Iwatani and Riho win!

I can’t think of any other time Mayu has won with that dragon sleeper than against AZM since it requires a tiny person to put it on, but it does look really good. This match got a fair amount of praise online which I think says more for Stardom than anything else as its a pretty standard tag match. But, its a standard tag match with four quality wrestlers that know how to put on a tight and entertaining match, even though there were no particular blow-away moments. Its just solid from bell to bell, well-worked with a nice variety of offense to keep it going for 13 minutes. In a way this is a “normal” meaningless tag match in Stardom but “normal” is better than most promotions can pull off on their best day. A fun match and a key one for Riho as it shows she can hang with the Stardom wrestlers without any issue.  Recommended

Giulia, Himeka, and Maika vs. Natsuko Tora, Natsu Sumire, and Saki Kashima

Natsuko and Giulia start the match, punch to the guy by Natsuko but Giulia quickly gets her to the mat with a headlock. Natsuko reverses it into a hammerlock as the two struggle for position, Natsuko pulls on Giulia’s hair to get an armlock applied but Giulia pushes Natsuko into the ropes. Armdrag by Giulia but Natsuko trips her and the two end up in a stalemate. They tag out as Maika and Saki come in, Saki throws down Maika by the hair but Maika gets her in a Fujiwara Armbar. It quickly gets broken up but Giulia and Himeka both run in the ring to help. Maika gets the hold sunk back in but Saki gets to the ropes for the break, Maika stomps on Saki’s arm and throws her into the corner so her teammates can help with the beatdown. She tags Giulia, Giulia applies a choke before eventually letting Saki go and hitting a scoop slam. Giulia tags Himeka who hits a slam before tagging Maika, who hits a slam as well. Donna del Mondo take turns on Saki until Giulia ends up the legal wrestler again, Natsuko tries to help Saki but Giulia tosses her out of the ring and Saki is triple teamed. Giulia goes off the ropes but Natsuko trips her from ringside, giving Saki time to tag her in. Natsuko bootscrapes Giulia and nails a running boot, she tags in Natsu who come in with her whip. Natsu hits Giulia with the whip a few times until she tosses it out of the ring, she kicks at Giulia before tagging in Saki. Saki throws Giulia down by the hair a couple times and stands on her neck, she tags in Natsuko who comes in the ring with her chain.

Natsuko puts the chain in the middle of the ring, she slams Giulia on the chain and covers her for two. She tags Natsu, snapmare by Natsu and she applies a headscissors. She lets go after a moment, Giulia elbows her but Natsu boots her back and the two trade shots. Natsu gets Giulia in the corner and goes for the Bronco Buster, but Giulia greets her with a boot and tags in Himeka. Hard shoulderblock by Himeka to Natsu, Himeka picks her up but Natsuko comes in to help. She fails, as Himeka stacks them in the corner and hits a lariat, Himeka then scoops up both Natsu and Saki and puts them on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker. Natsuko breaks it up, Himeka goes off the ropes and hits a running knee on Natsu for a two count. Himeka goes off the ropes again but Natsu catches her with a small package for two. Natsu gets Himeka in the corner and nails the gyrating Bronco Buster, but Himeka muscles out of it and goes for a powerbomb. Natsu slides away but Himeka lariats her, but Natsu drops her with a sit-down double arm DDT. Both wrestlers tag out as Maika and Natsuko arrive, eye rake by Natsuko but Maika applies a Fujiwara Armbar, she switches it to an attempted cross armbreaker but can’t get it locked in. Natsuko gets into the ropes to get Maika off of her, Maika goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with an elbow. Powerslam by Maika but Natsuko nails a spear, she tags in Saki and Saki boots Maika in the head.

Irish whip by Saki and she hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, running boot by Saki but Maika tosses her to the mat. Cover by Himeka, but it gets a two count. Himeka tags Giulia, Giulia picks up Saki but Saki throws her into the corner as her Oedo Tai teammates come in. Backbreaker by Natsu to Giulia and she hold she holds her there so that Natsuko can hit a leg drop. Double arm suplex by Saki, but it gets a two count. Drop toehold by Giulia and she applies a STF, but Natsuko breaks it up. Natsuko clears the ring and Giulia is triple teamed, Saki goes up top and hits a diving footstomp on Giulia for a two count. Saki grabs Giulia and hits a double underhook facebuster, but Giulia kicks out. Giulia spins away from Saki and Maika tosses her to the mat, lariat by Himeka to Saki and Giulia hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Giulia picks up Saki but Saki blocks the Glorious Driver, Natsuko comes in but she lariats Saki by accident. Maika and Himeka chokeslam Natsu and Natsuko, they go to Saki and elevate her before dropping her onto Giulia’s knee. Giulia picks up Saki and hits a Falcon Arrow, but it only gets a two count. Giulia grabs Saki and goes for the Glorious Driver, but Saki gets away and applies a crucifix pin for the three count! Oedo Tai win!

I’m really not sold on this version of Oedo Tai. As far as in-ring goes, this is probably the least talented group of wrestlers that Oedo Tai has ever had, with all being serviceable but none really elevating beyond that. They also don’t seem to have a unifying style, with all three wrestling different (the “badass,” the comedy/playful wrestler, and the sneaky underdog) which leads to them not really meshing as a unit. I almost wish Natsuko had just made her own faction with a different name, but I guess I’ll just have to separate them in my own mind from the past versions of Oedo Tai and just pretend they aren’t the same so I stop holding them to a standard they can’t reach.

Anyway, the match was fine but nothing beyond that. As I mentioned above, with so many different styles in the ring they never really got into a rhythm, with the only particularly good parts being when one team or the other was controlling the ring with triple teams and working together so they felt like real factions. Giulia was by far the best wrestler in the match and held it together, but there were lots of just stomps and poor transitions throughout as they didn’t seem equipped to go 20 minutes. I like Maika but she didn’t add much, just some tosses and random arm submissions, and she didn’t leave much of an impression. I can get why Saki picked up the fluke win as it gets in Giulia’s head but even though I’m not a fan of long undefeated streaks I think they could have at least had her drop her first fall on a bigger show. As much as I love, love, love Giulia I didn’t love this match, it was just ‘decent’ at best and a bit boring and meandering at worst. Should have been a 10 to 12 minute midcard match, not a 20 minute main event, it would have worked better that way.

The post Stardom New Summer on 7/11/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom FC My Stardom ~ Stardom Is Again!
Date: June 21st, 2020
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 100

It has been almost three months since we last saw Stardom. To say a lot has changed in that time would be a tragic understatement. First, on May 20th, Arisa Hoshiki announced she was retiring from wrestling due to persistent injuries. As she was the Wonder of Stardom Champion and one of the most pushed wrestlers in the promotion, this was a sudden and unfortunate development that saddened fans worldwide. That news quickly felt insignificant however on May 23rd, when Hana Kimura passed away. Hana’s death was heartbreaking and devastating, not only to fans but more importantly to her friends, family, and co-workers. But here we are, almost a month after Hana’s passing, as Stardom still honors and remembers her but hopes to pick up where they left off as the promotion was really gaining steam before the pandemic hit. This isn’t a big show, as there are no title matches and some key wrestlers are not here, but it still should be a fun and emotional one. Here is the full card:

• Hina vs. Natsu Sumire vs. Rina
• Death Yama-san vs. Saki Kashima
• Konami vs. Natsuko Tora
• AZM and Momo Watanabe vs. Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita
• Giulia, Maika, Syuri, and X vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saya Iida, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano

As this aired on Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. To go to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City (including X), click on their names above to go straight to it.

Hina vs. Natsu Sumire vs. Rina

The sisters go after Natsu to start and pull on her arms until Natsu gets to the ropes, double Irish whip to Natsu but she hits a crossbody on both of them. Natsu stomps on them, she kicks Hina down in the corner and then does the same to Rina in the same corner. Natsu gets a running start and hits the gyrating Bronco Buster on both of them (see, I told you), she picks up Rina but Rina blocks her suplex attempt and her sister Hina helps her suplex Natsu to the mat. Rina monkey flips Natsu, they then hit a double monkey flip and Hina dropkicks Natsu, but Rina then dropkicks her sister. Rina throws down Hina by the hair a few times, but Natsu returns and hits Rina from behind. Natsu picks up Rina and hits a scoop slam, running boot by Natsu and she covers Rina for two. Rina puts a bag over the referee’s head and spins him around to get him out of the way, she grabs her whip and hits Rina in the midsection with it. Natsu puts Rina in the ropes and nails a running facewash, bridging vertical suplex by Natsu but Hina breaks it up. Stomps by Hina and she elbows Natsu in the chest, but Natsu hits her back and they trade blows. Hina tosses Natsu to the mat three times and covers her, but she only gets two. Gedo Clutch by Hina, but that gets a two count as well. Hina charges Natsu but Natsu boots her back and chokes her with the whip, Rina comes in and grabs the whip from her before putting Natsu in the Hydrangea. Hina breaks it up, she picks up Rina and goes for a toss but Rina drops her with a STO. She then puts Hina in the Hydrangea, and Hina submits! Rina is the winner.

Rumor has it that Natsu Sumire is still smiling to this day. All kidding aside, if you just are looking at the in-ring content, this wasn’t very good. Hina and Rina are 13 years old and I am never one to criticize children excessively, but they still have a ways to go. Rina does show the personality to excel, so there is that anyway, and her winning the match with Hana Kimura’s move made her understandably emotional. Natsu isn’t anywhere near good enough to elevate the children, and she didn’t really try to anyway. A skippable opener, aside from just seeing that Rina will continue to wrestle in a style that Hana would surely approve of.

Death Yama-san vs. Saki Kashima

Describing what happens in a match with Death is always difficult since she isn’t your traditional wrestler. She poses for the crowd to start but Saki attacks her from behind and she throws down Death by the hair into the corner. Saki picks up Death and throws her into the ropes on each side of the ring, allowing her to pose at each stop before kicking her. The referee gets into it too but Saki pulls down Death by the hair and chokes her. Saki knocks Death down in the corner and applies a Fujiwara Armbar, she picks her up after a moment and pushes her into the ropes. Saki goes for a scoop slam but Death blocks it, Saki kicks Death into the corner but Death reverses the Irish whip. Saki boots Death when she charges in twice, another boot by Saki but Death ducks her lariat attempt and thrusts her to the mat. Running senton by Death and she applies a chinlock while forcing Saki to do her pose. Death picks up Saki but Saki snaps off a vertical suplex, she goes off the ropes and delivers a running facewash. Saki goes up top and hits the diving footstomp, cover by Saki but it only gets a two count. Double underhook by Saki but Death reverses it into a Backslide for two. Double underhook facebuster by Saki, but again Death kicks out. Saki goes for My Emblem but Death reverses it into a crucifix pin for the three count! Death Yama-san is the winner.

Unless the goal here was to give Tokyo Cyber Squad a win in each match to honor Hana, I’m not really sure what this accomplished. Saki Kashima just joined Oedo Tai not long before the pandemic and seemed to be getting a bit of a push from the midcard she was stuck in, but losing to a comedy act (although also a respected veteran) feels like an odd decision. The action wasn’t overly smooth or inventive anyway, with a lot of stomps and posing before it suddenly ended at just over five minutes. An odd choice for a big return show, seems like they could have found a better spot for both wrestlers.

Konami vs. Natsuko Tora

They circle to start, takedown by Konami and they jockey for position on the mat. Natsuko gets to the ropes and Konami picks her up, the pair trade elbows until Konami elbows Natsuko to the mat. Natsuko rakes Konami in the eyes and goes off the ropes, but Konami catches her with a kick to the stomach. Natsuko pulls Konami to the mat and hits a series of running sentons, Natsuko throws down Konami by the hair and kicks her against the ropes. Natsuko throws Konami by the hair again and facewashes her before delivering a boot to the head. Natsuko gets her chain but the referee stops her from using it, stomps by Natsuko but Konami blocks the Irish whip out of the corner. Hard elbow by Natsuko and she Irish whips Konami, but Konami reverses it. Natsuko avoids Konami’s charge however and chops her in the chest. More chops by Natsuko and she clubs Konami to her knees, she goes off the ropes but Konami catches her with a Fujiwara Armbar. She switches it to a cross armbreaker attempt but just as she gets it locked in, Natsuko gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Konami kicks Natsuko repeatedly in the chest, sliding kick by Konami and Natsuko falls out of the ring. Konami slides Natsuko back in and puts her in a choke, sleeper suplex by Konami and she delivers a Buzzsaw Kick. Konami picks up Natsuko and goes off the ropes, but Natsuko pushes the referee into Konami and hits an uppercut. Kamikaze by Natsuko and she gets her chain, putting it on Konami’s chest. Natsuko goes up top and hits the diving body press, cover by Natsuko but the referee sees what she did and doesn’t do the count. Natsuko pushes down the referee and hits a lariat with the chain, she starts choking Konami with it while using the ropes for extra leverage. The referee recovers and finally has seen enough, calling for the DQ. Konami wins!

For what they were going for, I thought this went pretty well. Natsuko isn’t a high end in-ring wrestler and probably never will be, so she needs to really get over her character if she is going to be seen as the leader of Oedo Tai. Its going to take some time for the act to really gain steam but having her go full-chain is a good idea, even though the entire faction is still struggling since Saki as we just saw isn’t really doing well and Natsu is more of a comedy wrestler. Konami held the match together as far as the action went, and her offense looked smooth and impactful as always. I’m willing to keep an open mind and see where this goes, but Stardom will have to really stick with it if it is going to work, if Natsuko has too many matches where she is just another random person in a six wrestler tag the character will never succeed beyond the midcard.  Mildly Recommended

AZM and Momo Watanabe vs. Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita

Utami and AZM kick things off, Utami pushes AZM to the mat and goes off the ropes as they get into a fast pace exchange. AZM hits a hurricanrana and a dropkick, she goes off the ropes but Utami catches her with a dropkick of her own. Saya comes in and they both shoulderblock AZM, Utami puts AZM in a Camel Clutch and Saya dropkicks her. Utami picks up AZM and tags Saya, scoop slam by Saya and she hits a second one. Irish whip by Saya to the corner but AZM avoids her charge, Momo runs in and dropkicks Saya and AZM puts her in a Camel Clutch so that Momo can kick her repeatedly. AZM throws down Saya by the hair and tags Momo, Momo stomps Saya in the corner and she hits a scoop slam. Saya tries to fight back but gets kicked in the chest for her troubles, they trade elbows until Saya cartwheels out of Momo’s way and hits a dropkick. She tags in Utami, shoulderblock by Utami and she throws AZM at Momo in the corner. Running back elbow by Utami and she dropkicks Momo in the back for a two count. Utami picks up Momo but Momo slides away and kicks her in the chest. Momo tags AZM but Utami drops her with a sidewalk slam before tagging in Saya. Saya throws AZM in the corner but AZM slips out to the apron, she quickly gets back in and temporarily gets control until Saya dropkicks her in the knee.

Sickle Hold by Saya, she lets go after a moment and applies a single leg crab hold but AZM eventually gets to the ropes for the break. Saya quickly pulls AZM to the middle of the ring and puts her in a full crab hold, but Momo breaks it up. Scoop slam by Saya, she’d get on the second turnbuckle but AZM armdrags her back to the mat. Vertical suplex by AZM, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp. La Mistica by AZM into a seated armbar, but Utami quickly breaks it up. Utami hits a Samoan Drop on AZM, dropkick by Saya and she covers AZM for two. Saya goes for a running Shooting Star Press but AZM moves, Saya trips her and hits a handstand into a double kneedrop. Pele Kick by Saya but AZM kicks her back and the two are both down on the mat. AZM tags in Momo before Saya can tag out herself, Momo grabs Saya but Saya blocks the B Driver. Dropkick by Saya and she tags in Utami, Utami throws Momo into the corner but Momo avoids her charge and hits a dropkick. Hard shoulderblock by Utami, Momo gets back up quickly and the two trade elbows. Momo gets Utami’s back and applies a crossface chickenwing, Utami gets out of it however and puts Momo in a reverse neckbreaker. She finally drops Momo with the Schwein, Saya comes in and Utami helps her hits a standing moonsault. They pick up Momo and hit a double vertical suplex, cover by Utami but it gets a two count. Utami picks up Momo and applies a sleeper, but Momo gets out of it and AZM kicks Utami in the head. B Driver by Momo and AZM hits a diving footstomp, Momo waits for Utami to get up and kicks her in the head.

Cover by Momo, but it gets a two count when Saya breaks it up. Double Irish whip to Saya and she eats a double dropkick after failing to cartwheel her way out of it, Momo puts Utami in the crossface chickenwing, but Utami gets into the ropes for the break. Momo picks up Utami and nails a half and half suplex, Somato by Momo but Saya breaks up the cover. AZM runs in to take care of Saya, Momo goes for the Peach Sunrise on Utami but Utami rolls out of it and hit a short range lariat. AZM comes in and with Momo they kick Utami in the head, Momo gets on the top turnbuckle and nails the Diving Somato, but Saya breaks up the cover. Momo picks up Utami but Utami gets her back, missile dropkick by Saya to Momo and Utami goes up top to hit a missile dropkick of her own. Utami picks up Momo and delivers a deadlift German, but AZM breaks it up. Momo and Utami trade elbows while on their knees, head kicks by Momo and she nails the Peace Sunrise, but Saya barely breaks it up in time. AZM kicks Saya out of the ring, head kick by Momo to Utami but the bell rings before she can do anything as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Normally I am somewhat critical of the Draw cop-out, but it makes sense here since it just shows that both sides of Queen’s Quest are strong. I like when rookie wrestlers are ‘extra’ and Saya is definitely that, not everything she hits looks perfect and she looked out of place a few times, but its hard to argue that she isn’t fun to watch. AZM of course is a seasoned vet at this point and wrestles like one even she is only 17. I held my breath when Utami went for the missile dropkick but she managed to connect without hurting anyone, and they didn’t look too rusty considering that all had a few months off. Some of the transitions were iffy when they switched which wrestler was in control and I would have preferred that Momo wasn’t so dominate at the end as it would have been nice if it was more back-and-forth leading to the bell, but overall this was an entertaining match with three quality wrestlers and one overly ambitious rookie.  Recommended

Giulia, Maika, Syuri, and Himeka vs. Iwatani, Saya Iida, Starlight Kid, and Nakano

Himeka and Saya begin the match, Himeka pushes Saya into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Saya goes for a takedown but Himeka blocks it, Saya gets Himeka into the ropes this time and she gives a clean break as well. Himeka asks for a Test of Strength but Saya knows better, side headlock by Saya but Himeka reverses it. Himeka keeps the hold applied on the mat but Saya reverses it into a headscissors, but Himeka gets out of it and they tag out as Starlight Kid and Syuri come in. They go through a quick exchange but reach a stalemate, spinning headscissors by Starlight Kid but Syuri avoids the Tiger Feint Kick. Armdrag by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Syuri, all of STARS come in and all four take turns on Syuri. Four way dropkick to Syuri, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and she covers Syuri for two. Starlight Kid stomps on Syuri but she is kneed from the apron, snapmare by Syuri to Starlight Kid and she kicks her in the back. Syuri tags in Maika, Maika works on Starlight Kid’s arm and puts her in an armbar, but Maika lets go after a moment and tags Himeka. Himeka picks up Starlight Kid and hits a scoop slam, another slam by Himeka and she hits a third. She tags in Giulia, neckbreaker by Giulia and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Giulia works on Starlight Kid’s mask a bit just to mess with her, kick by Giulia and she tags Maika. Irish whip by Maika and she puts Starlight Kid in a Fujiwara Armbar, but Tam breaks it up.

Giulia tosses Tam out of the ring, Maika twists Starlight Kid in the ropes and continues working on the arm. Syuri returns, she covers for a few covers on Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid kicks out each time. She tags Giulia, Giulia picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid elbows her. Giulia boots Starlight Kid back to the mat and chokes her near the ropes, she throws Starlight Kid into her corner and tags in Maika. Syuri and Himeka come in too and all four attack Starlight Kid, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika quickly transitions to a cross armbreaker, she picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody and makes the hot tag to Mayu. Maika avoids Mayu’s dropkick but Mayu gets her wrist and hits a springboard armdrag out of the corner. Maika avoids Mayu’s charge but Mayu slides out to the ropes and rolls Maika to the mat before hitting a dropkick. Back kick by Mayu but Maika catches her with a side slam and tags in Giulia. Giulia boots Mayu in the face but she lands back in her corner and tags in Tam. Tam and Giulia face off and pull each other’s hair, Tam slaps her but Giulia slaps her back. Elbows by Giulia and she hoots Tam to the mat, Tam ends up by the ropes and Giulia drills her with Hana’s charged up running boot. She does it again for extra measure, cover by Giulia but it gets a two count. Giulia goes up top but Saya stops her from jumping off, Tam tosses Giulia back to the mat and goes up top herself, hitting the 1399 for a two count. Tam picks up Giulia and they trade elbows, head kicks by Tam but Giulia catches her with a Michinoku Driver.

Both wrestlers tag out as Starlight Kid and Syuri come in, elbows by Starlight Kid and Syuri knees her into the corner. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits a jumping lariat, cover by Starlight Kid but it gets a two count. Starlight Kid picks up Syuri but Syuri puts her in an armbar, Maika and Himeka come in also to put other members of the opposing team in submission holds but Starlight Kid eventually makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Double underhook suplex by Syuri, she picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid elbows her off and hits a spinning neckbreaker. Starlight Kid tags in Saya, dropkick by Saya and she chops Syuri repeatedly in the chest. Double chop by Saya and she delivers a spinning elbow to Syuri for a two count. Saya picks up Syuri, snapmare by Starlight Kid and she hits a PK. Syuri tags Himeka, body avalanche by Himeka and she covers Saya for two. Himeka puts Saya in a crab hold but Saya quickly gets to the ropes, Himeka knees Saya in the back and covers her for two. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya slides off, Mayu superkicks Himeka and Tam hits a German suplex hold. Jackknife by Saya to Himeka, but it gets a two count. All of Donna del Mondo end up against the ropes and all four eat dropkicks, they fall out of the ring and Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle, she tries to dive down onto Donna del Mondo but she lands on her STARS teammates instead. Himeka slides Saya back in, crab hold by Himeka but Saya gets to the ropes for the break. Himeka gets Saya up but Saya wiggles away, she puts Himeka in the Iida Bridge but it gets broken up. The other six wrestlers all come in and exchange moves, everyone ends up on the mat before Himeka levels Saya with a lariat. Himeka picks up Saya and drops her with a running powerbomb, but Mayu breaks up the cover. Himeka grabs Saya and and with Maika they lift up Saya before dropping her while Giulia and Syuri deliver kicks to Saya’s midsection. Argentine Backbreaker by Himeka, and Saya has to submit! Donna del Mondo are the winners!

Eight wrestler tags have their pros and cons. The main advantage of them is there is always something going on, with constant action as new wrestlers tag in and out and Stardom wrestlers have boundless energy. The main con is that its hard to really get into a rhythm or tell a story, as at times it felt directionless. Some parts were great, I enjoyed whenever the teams worked together as the multi-wrestler spots were all well done, and I always enjoy watching Giulia and Starlight Kid. For an introduction for Himeka it was fine but she didn’t get to do too much as Donna del Mondo had such an even split with who was legal. Overall I enjoyed it even though it was far from a MOTYC, the time flew by and there were enough fun moments spread throughout to keep it going. I am interested, however, to see what they do going forward to give Maika and Himeka more of a chance to get over on their own.  Recommended

The post Stardom FC My Stardom ~ Stardom Is Again! on 6/21/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom No People Gate
Date: March 8th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: No fans in attendance

We are living in unusual times in early 2020, as we are getting our first ever Stardom event not taking place in front of a crowd. Due to concerns over the coronavirus, many events in Japan are either being cancelled or taking place in an empty arena. Most of Stardom’s events for a month were cancelled, however this event still took place, possibly due to TV contracts. Also for the first time ever, this event was streamed live on Youtube, so we got to watch it in real time. This is not the strongest Korakuen Hall show but there is still some potential, with the tag title match in particular giving me hope for an excellent match. Here is the full card:

• Time Change Battle Royal with Death Yama-san, Saya Iida, AZM, Momoe Nakanishi, Ruaka, Rina, Hina, Captain STARDOM, Starlight Kid, Leyla Hirsch, Konami, Tam Nakano, Natsu Sumire, Saya Kamitani, and Super Strong Starlight Machine
• Natsuko Tora vs. Battle Royal Winner
• Giulia and Maika vs. Hana Kimura and Jungle Kyona
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter vs. Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita
• Lumberjack Match: Mayu Iwatani vs. Saki Kashima

Originally, this event was supposed to have Natsuko Tora vs. Arisa Hoshiki, but Arisa was a very late scratch due to a neck injury. So the matches were changed to have Natsuko Tora challenge the winner of the Battle Royal, that way she didn’t lose her spot on the card altogether. As this aired live on Youtube, it will be shown in full. All wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Time Change Battle Royal

The first two participants in the match are Death Yama-san and Saya Iida. Death does Death things until Iida gets tired of it and kicks her from behind, dropkick by Iida but Death blocks the scoop slam. Chops by Iida as the next wrestler comes down, AZM! AZM is in no rush to get in the ring but eventually does and covers Saya Iida for the three count! Saya Iida is eliminated. AZM and Death trade chops while the next wrestler comes down, Momoe Nakanishi (in a mask)! Well that’s a hell of a surprise. She does some Death things but they rip the mask off of her, as Ruaka comes down to the ring as the fourth wrestler. They all go after Nakanishi but she manages to stay in the ring, so AZM and Ruaka go at it while the next wrestler comes down, Rina! Rina puts AZM in an Octopus Hold while Ruaka has Nakanishi in an armbar, as the countdown goes and the next wrestler runs in the ring – Rina’s sister Hina! Hina goes after Death and hits a hip toss, Momo☆Latch by Nakanishi to Death and she picks up the three count! Death Yama-san is eliminated. All four wrestlers cover Ruaka next, and she is eliminated! Rina and Hina both attack AZM while Nakanishi gets some water, there seems to be some delay with the next wrestler since music has been playing for awhile. Finally a wrestler wearing a green mask and cape comes down, and its… Captain STARDOM! I think its Saya Iida again but she is attacked by everyone and they rip at her mask, but they don’t get it off as Starlight Kid enters the match.

Starlight Kid and Captain STARDOM are attacked by everyone else, they are both covered but both kick out at two. Starlight Kid is trying to protect the other masked wrestler while the next participant comes down, Leyla Hirsch! Leyla goes after Rina and then AZM, as she slams AZM on top of her. Rina is slammed on the stack as well but Nakanishi feigns an injury to avoid Leyla’s wrath. The next wrestler arrives as Konami enters the match, she goes after AZM as they make a suplex chain with six wrestlers. Konami’s side wins the battle as Tam Nakano arrives. We have a headscissors chain in the ring, with Tam hopping on the end of it while Nakanishi runs over the entire group. Nakanishi turns them over with a crab hold while the next wrestler comes down, Natsu Sumire! Natsu brings some water in the ring with her, she takes a drink before spraying some of the wrestlers with cold spray. She then uses the water to drool on all of them, leading to the headscissors chain to finally be broken. Saya Kamitani makes her entrance with a mask that will probably be on Depo Mart tomorrow for $700 dollars, meanwhile Captain STARDOM rolls up Rina for the three count! Rina is eliminated. Starlight Kid then cradles Hina, and she is eliminated as well! Leyla and Captain STARDOM trade flash pins with no luck, another cradle by Leyla and she holds down Captain STARDOM for the three count! Captain STARDOM is eliminated.

Konami and Leyla control the action while the next wrestler comes down, Mima Shimoda! She has a chair, of course. Natsu gets Konami in the corner and hits the Bronco Buster, but Shimoda hits her from behind with a chair and covers her for three! Natsu Sumire is eliminated. Meanwhile, a new masked wrestler comes down, Super Strong Starlight Machine! Who oddly resembles Saya Iida. Meanwhile, Starlight Kid goes for a moonsault on Nakanishi but misses, moonsault by Nakanishi and she gets the three count! Starlight Kid is eliminated. Tam and Konami trade kicks, Fujiwara Armbar by Konami and she hits a sliding kick, but Tam holds down the tope rope when Konami charges in to send her to the apron. Konami applies a hanging armbar but Tam kicks her as she gets back in the ring and sends her to the floor! Konami is eliminated. Shimoda ends up on the mat and is literally run over by all the other wrestlers still in the match, but Shimoda recovers and dumps Tam onto the apron. Tam pulls Shimoda out onto the apron with her and goes for a suplex, but Shimoda blocks it. Shimoda kicks Tam’s arms until she can’t hold on, and she falls to the floor! Tam Nakano is eliminated. Shimoda manages to get back in the ring but eats a suplex from Nakanishi, Pele Kick by Kamitani and she hits the running Shooting Star Press on Shimoda, but Nakanishi breaks up the pin.

Shimoda and Nakanishi hug but are dropkicked, Shimoda momentarily gets back in control until Kamitani dropkicks her. Missile dropkick by Kamitani, but Shimoda kicks out of the cover. Kamitani picks up Shimoda and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top but Shimoda recovers and pulls her back to the mat. Shimoda gets on the second turnbuckle but Kamitani dropkicks her, sending Shimoda out of the ring! Mima Shimoda is eliminated. Super Strong Starlight Machine and Kamitani go at it next, dropkick by Kamitani to Super Strong Starlight Machine and she hits the Pele Kick. Running Shooting Star Press attempt by Kamitani but Super Strong Starlight Machine rolls out of the way and hits a lariat. Devil Windmill Suplex by Super Strong Starlight Machine, and she picks up the three count! Saya Kamitani is eliminated. Nakanishi and AZM both attack Super Strong Starlight Machine but AZM attacks Nakanishi. Nakanishi pulls AZM onto the apron with her, but Super Strong Starlight Machine runs over and dropkicks them both to the floor! Super Strong Starlight Machine is the last wrestler remaining and wins the Battle Royal!

I think I missed Leyla Hirsch’s elimination but there was a lot going on. While I went in with low expectations since Battle Royals aren’t overly serious affairs in Japan, I loved the surprise of Momoe Nakanishi. Nakanishi retired back in 2005 and has only done a few exhibition matches since then, so she was definitely unexpected. Of course she hasn’t lost a step and out-worked most of the other wrestlers in the ring, which isn’t too big of a surprise as she was pretty great back in her day. Logically it doesn’t make sense that Iida can enter the match multiple times but it goes in with the general wackiness of Battle Royals so no complaints. A few fun surprises and the action moved pretty quick, so overall a pretty satisfying Battle Royal.

Natsuko Tora vs. Super Strong Starlight Machine

This match was decided on pretty late, and it showed since they didn’t do a whole lot. Most memorable thing for me is how Natsuko Tora’s new finisher looks rough, they need to figure out how to make that smoother or its just going to be a flat way to end her matches. A decent enough match and I’ll give them credit for trying to make changes to include a fifth match on the card, but pretty skippable aside from Iida getting a bit of the rub in this whole sequence.

Giulia and Maika vs. Hana Kimura and Jungle Kyona

Maika and Kyona start the match, Kyona tries to shoulderblock Maika over but Maika doesn’t budge. Maika returns the favor as they both go for shoulderblocks, but Kyona eventually sending Maika to the mat. Giulia grabs Kyona from the apron but Hana grabs Maika from the opposite apron, as they have a stalemate. They both eventually get free, Giulia gets in the ring to help and Kyona is double teamed. Hammerlock by Maika to Kyona and she drives her into the corner, Maika tags Giulia who puts Kyona in an armlock. Double armbar by Giulia but Hana comes in to break it up, Maika comes in but Hana tosses her out of the ring. Giulia sends Hana out of the ring as well before going back to Kyona, she throws Kyona in the corner and tags Maika. Maika twists Kyona’s arm in the ropes and kicks it, Giulia comes back in and they take turns booting Kyona. Giulia holds Kyona while Maika pulls out her extensions, which pisses off Kyona and she bodyslams Maika. She makes the tag to Hana, Hana gets rid of Giulia before booting Maika in the head. She boots her a second time, cover by Hana but it gets two. Hana picks up Maika but Maika blocks the suplex attempt, Giulia attacks Hana from behind but Hana dropkicks both of them.

Hana picks up Maika and applies a Cobra Twist, Giulia tries to break it up but Hana puts her in a dragon sleeper at the same time. She lets go after a moment and picks up Maika, but Maika flips her to the mat and makes the tag to Giulia. Neckbreaker by Giulia, and she covers Hana for two. Giulia picks up Hana but Hana pushes her away and the two trade elbows. Hana goes off the ropes but Giulia boots her, Hana boots her back however but Giulia sends Hana to the mat with one final boot. Both get back up as Giulia goes for the Spider Web, finally getting it locked in. Hana muscles out of the hold and slams Giulia to the mat, she picks up Giulia but Giulia boots her in the face and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both tag out as Kyona and Maika come back in, Maika puts Kyona in an armbar but Kyona gets into the ropes for the break. STO by Maika, and she covers Kyona for two. Maika applies the cross armbreaker but Kyona gets out of it, Giulia comes in and they hit a double STO. Giulia goes off the ropes and assists Maika in hitting a cross armbreaker takedown, Maika gets the hold locked in but Kyona is too close to the ropes and makes it to get the break. Hana runs in and boots Maika, double dropkick to Maika and Kyona hits a sliding lariat for two. Giulia throws Hana out of the ring and stomps on Kyona, but Kyona throws them into each other and Hana comes off the top with a double missile dropkick. Kyona lariats Maika in the corner and puts her on the top turnbuckle, she goes for the Kinniku Buster and drops her in the middle of the ring. Cover by Kyona, and she gets the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad win!

This was a step down from the last Donna del Mondo match I watched but still solid. Maika isn’t quite ready for this type of spot, and while I appreciate them trying she really needs more experience. When she was in the ring the match tended to be far less crisp, she has the mat game but just isn’t smooth with it. The match needed more Hana and Giulia going at it, but what we got from them was really good and elevated the match. It was still a decent match overall since the other three really enhanced it, but Maika still being a bit light with her strikes and clunky brought it down from the level I was hoping it may reach.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter vs. Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita 
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Queen’s Quest try to attack before the match but Jamie and Bea both bail out of the ring, Utami and Momo go after them but are immediately jumped for their trouble. Bea and Jamie both take a victory lap around the ring before hitting a high five, they go back to stomping on Momo and Utami before Momo is finally slid back in. Bea joins Momo and twists her arm in the ropes, she props up Momo’s arm on the mat before stomping on her elbow. Cover by Bea, but it gets two. Bea throws Momo into the corner so Jamie can help her with Momo, she tags in Jamie and Jamie elbows Momo in the corner. Scoop slam by Jamie and she slams Momo into the turnbuckles, strikes by Jamie but Momo hits a missile dropkick and makes the hot tag to Utami. Utami shoulderblocks Jamie and throws her into the corner, Bea runs in but Utami slams Bea into the same corner before hitting a running elbow. Utami gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Utami but it gets two. Utami charges Jamie but Jamie catches her and suplexes her into the turnbuckle, running elbow and she hits a lariat. Short-range lariat by Jamie, and she covers Utami for a two count. Knees by Jamie and she hits an elbow combination, side slam onto her knee by Jamie and she hits a vertical suplex for two. Bea is tagged in, Irish whip by Bea but it is reversed. Bea kicks Utami when she charges in but Utami ducks her boot, elbows by Bea and she goes off the ropes but Utami catches her with a lariat.

Utami tags Momo, dropkick by Momo in the corner but Jamie grabs her from the apron. Bea runs over but dropkicks Jamie by accident, kicks by Momo to Bea and she hits a low dropkick in the corner. Side slam by Momo, and she covers Bea for two. Momo goes off the ropes but Bea catches her with a jumping knee, cover by Bea but it gets two. Bea goes off the ropes and knees Momo in the head, Momo ends up on the apron but Bea springs up to the top turnbuckle to jump after her. Momo moves and grabs Bea, hitting the B Driver on the apron. Utami holds Bea while Momo goes up top and hits a Somato to her back, regular Somato by Momo and she covers Bea for two. Momo hits a second B Driver, but Jamie breaks up the cover. Utami tries to get rid of Jamie but Jamie throws her out instead, leading to Momo being double teamed. Jamie and Bea wait for Momo to get up but Momo avoids their charge, she hits a Tequila Sunrise on Bea while Utami hits a German suplex on Jamie. Momo goes up top a nails the diving Somato, but it only gets two. Peace Sunrise by Momo to Bea, but Jamie barely breaks up the cover. Utami collects Jamie and they exit the ring, Momo picks up Bea but Bea snaps off a Regal Plex. Bea grabs Momo by the arms and knees her in the head, cover by Bea but Momo kicks out. Jamie gets rid of Utami and stays in the ring, they wait for Momo to get up and deliver a double strike. Bea knees Momo in the back of the head, she sets her up in the corner and nails the Queen’s Landing, and she gets the three count! Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter retain the championship.

This was good, it took a few minutes to get going but the last few minutes were really exciting. This is the first Joshi event that took place in Japan that I’ve ever watched unspoiled, so its extra fun not knowing who is going to win as the match unfolds. I love all four of these wrestlers, both teams work together well and while Bea is obnoxious I find her obnoxious in an good way. Everything was smooth as there wasn’t a “weak link” in the match, and Momo takes a beating pretty well. No major complaints about the match, it didn’t reach the high peak but stayed interesting up to the hot ending. Not a MOTYC, but a fun co-main with four of my personal favorites in Stardom.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani vs. Saki Kashima
Lumberjack Match

Mayu attacks Saki before the match starts but Saki quickly gets in control and throws Mayu into the turnbuckles. Mayu kicks Saki and tosses her out of the ring, but she runs away from the STARS lumberjacks and slides back in. Saki throws Mayu out and she is beaten by Oedo Tai, Natsu Sumire wraps up Mayu in the ring apron while Natsuko hits her with an umbrella. Natsu slides Mayu back in and Saki starts working over Mayu’s leg. Saki sets up Mayu in the ropes while Natsu takes off one of the turnbuckle pads, Saki throws Mayu into the exposed corner before choking her in it. Saki trips Mayu and applies an ankle submission hold, but Mayu gets to the ropes for the break. Saki sets up Mayu’s leg in the ropes and dropkicks it, sending Mayu crashing out of the ring. Natsu beats her with the turnbuckle pad until STARS comes over to try to help, but Oedo Tai wins the melee and go back to attacking Mayu. STARS returns as they brawl again, with STARS getting the better of it this time. Saki comes out to and hits Mayu with the turnbuckle pad herself, she slides Mayu back into the ring and continues stomping on her. Saki throws Mayu into the corner but Mayu avoids her charge and delivers a dropkick.

Mayu goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick, sending Saki out of the ring. Mayu goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Oedo Tai with a plancha suicida, but they catch her and carry Mayu up into the (empty) stands. STARS run after them and rescue Mayu, Mayu goes to the top of the balcony and dives off of it onto the crowd. Saki hits her from behind with a chair while she is celebrating, Saki takes Mayu even higher into the stands and kicks her down the stairs. They finally get back into the ring, Saki goes for a diving footstomp but Mayu rolls out of the way and drop toeholds her into the exposed turnbuckle. Mayu gets Saki up in the Running Three position and tosses her out of the ring and down onto the lumberjacks. They roll Saki back in, dropkick by Mayu and she kicks Saki in the back. Slap by Mayu but Saki slaps her back, kicks by Saki and she slams Mayu into the mat. More slaps by Saki and she boots Mayu, cover by Saki but it gets two. Saki picks up Mayu but Mayu gets away and hits a release dragon suplex.

Saki charges Mayu but Mayu moves, she goes for a superkick but hits the referee by accident. The rest of Oedo Tai all run in the ring and attack Mayu in the corner, but STARS come in and do the same to Saki. Mayu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Mayu but there is still no referee. Mayu goes up top again and hits a diving body press, she calls for the moonsault and nails it as the referee returns. Cover by Mayu, but Saki barely gets a shoulder up. Mayu goes for the Two Stage Dragon Suplex but Saki blocks it and cradles her for two. Head kick by Mayu, she picks up Saki and hits the dragon suplex hold, but the referee is pulled out of the ring before he can finish the count. Mayu goes off the ropes but Natsu hits her with a chair, Bea boots Mayu but STARS come in to even the odds as they clear the ring. Superkick by Mayu to Saki and she hits two more, Buzzsaw Kick by Mayu and she hits a tombstone piledriver. Mayu goes up top (referee is back) and hits a second moonsault, cover by Mayu and she gets the three count! Mayu Iwatani wins the match.

There was so much going on in this match. First, the good – Mayu Iwatani is amazing. She held this match together, while people around her were having issues she was laying in hard kicks and diving off things and tumbling down things to make the match memorable and fun. As for the bad, there were a lot of little missed spots like Natsu with the chair and the lumberjack setup at times was overly chaotic. Its a fine line, some chaos is good but a few times it felt like it was just dragging things out. The referee bump wasn’t really necessary since the rules were pretty loose anyway, but at least he recovered both times pretty quickly. All in all, a fun match that had a lot of small flaws but ultimately was enjoyable due to the strong effort by Mayu.  Recommended

The post Stardom No People Gate on 3/8/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom The Way To Major League
Date: February 8th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,519

And we are already back with a Stardom review! Trying to stay as current as possible with their Korakuen Hall events so I don’t fall too far behind. This is another big show for the promotion, as they packed Korakuen Hall with over 1,500 fans for the second straight month. Today we have two title matches, plus a special singles match between Mayu Iwatani and Takumi Iroha! Here is the full card:

• Gauntlet Match: Jamie Hayter and Zoey Skye vs. Hina and Rina vs. Saya Iida and Saya Kamitani vs. Death Yama-san and Leyla Hirsch vs. Starlight Kid and Tam Nakano
• Natsuko Tora, Natsu Sumire, and Saki Kashima vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: AZM, Momo Watanabe, and Utami Hayashishita vs. Giulia, Maika, and Syuri
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Bea Priestley
• Mayu Iwatani vs. Takumi Iroha

I am watching the Samurai TV! version of the event, so some matches will be clipped. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Jamie Hayter and Zoey Skye vs. Hina and Rina vs. Saya Iida and Saya Kamitani vs. Death Yama-san and Leyla Hirsch vs. Starlight Kid and Tam Nakano
Gauntlet Match

First two tag teams in are STARS (Starlight Kid and Tam Nakano) and the sister team of Hina and Rina. Who are in different factions. Anyway, Starlight Kid starts with Hina, Hina tosses Starlight Kid to the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker, but Starlight Kid blocks it and they trade flash pins. Hina almost gets one but Tam breaks it up, Hina picks up Starlight Kid and goes off the ropes, but Tam kicks her from the apron. Cyclone Suplex by Starlight Kid, she slams Hina in front of the corner and goes to the top turnbuckle. Swivel Body Press by Starlight Kid, and she picks up the three count! Rina and Hina are eliminated.

3838 Tag are the next team down and they immediately attack Tam and Starlight Kid, Kamitani and Iida throws Starlight Kid into the corner and both connect with dropkicks. Tam recovers and helps Starlight Kid even the odds, they set up Iida and Kamitani in the ropes and both hit Tiger Feint Kicks. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid to Iida, and she covers her for two. Starlight Kid picks up Iida but Iida throws her into the corner, chops by Iida and she sends Starlight Kid to the mat. Iida tags in Kamitani, dropkick by Kamitani and she puts Starlight Kid in a crab hold. Tam breaks it up, Kamitani picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides away. Tam slams Kamitani to the mat, Starlight Kid goes up top and she connects with the Swivel Body Press, but Iida breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid tries to go off the ropes but Kamitani grabs her and traps her with a jackknife hold for two. Tam tries to help but kicks Starlight Kid by accident, Kamitani goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Starlight Kid. Iida hits a missile dropkick of her own, Kamitani picks up Starlight Kid and delivers a Pele Kick. Running Shooting Star Press by Kamitani, and she picks up the three count! Kamitani covers Starlight Kid and gets the three count! STARS are eliminated.

Jamie Hayter and Zoey Skye run down as the next challengers, they jump their opponents in the corner before isolated Iida in the ring. Double Irish whip to Iida but Iida dropkicks them both, Jamie clubs on Iida and stomps on her back. Jamie picks up Iida but Iida fires up and chops her in the chest, but Jamie blocks one and elbows Iida to the mat for a two count. Jamie picks up Iida but Iida sneaks in a small package for two. Kamitani dives in the ring with a missile dropkick to Jamie, Iida goes up top and hits her own missile dropkick for a two count. Iida Bridge by Iida, but Zoey breaks it up. Iida goes off the ropes but Jamie catches her with a lariat, Cow Killer by Jamie and she picks up the three count! 3838 Tag are eliminated.

The last tag team of the match are next, as Death and Leyla enter the match. They are attacked before they even get to the ring by Jamie and Zoey, Leyla is thrown into the ring but she immediately goes off the ropes and dives out onto her opponents with a tope suicida. They rolls Jamie back into the ring, double Irish whip and Jamie eats a double DDT. They go for a double vertical suplex but Jamie blocks it and lariats both of them. She tags in Zoey, Zoey stomps on Leyla and drops her with a Codebreaker. Chokeslam onto her knee by Jamie, cover by Zoey but Death breaks it up with a senton. Zoey boots Jamie by accident, Leyla hits a German suplex on Zoey and with Death they connect with a double running knee. Triangle jump moonsault by Leyla out of the corner, and she covers Zoey for the three count! Death Yama-san and Leyla Hirsch win the match!

It would have been more interesting by not having the ‘new’ team win every time, but for an early-card match this was fine. All the wrestlers got a chance to show a little something (except Rina but I think that was just due to some clipping), with everyone hitting their spots. Not much to it but fast paced and an easy watch.

Natsuko Tora, Sumire, and Kashima vs. Hana Kimura, Kyona, and Konami

Hana and Saki start the match, Irish whip by Hana and she shoulderblocks Saki down. Saki fires back with an elbow but Hana just laughs at her, Saki pulls Hana down by her hair and goes off the ropes, but Konami kicks her from the apron. Boot by Hana, and the match clips ahead to Kyona being in the ring with Saki. Saki goes off the ropes and hits a hurricanrana, Kyona ends up in the corner and Saki connects with a running boot. Saki tags in Natsu, Natsu stomps Kyona in the corner and charges her, but Hana cuts her off before she can do the Bronco Buster. Atomic Drop by Natsu to Hana and Konami, she kicks Kyona down in the corner again and this time delivers the gyrating Bronco Buster. Natsu kicks Kyona low, cover by Natsu and she covers her for two. She tags in Natsuko but Kyona suplexes both of them, she goes off the ropes and tries to shoulderblock Natsuko but Natsuko stays on her feet. She tries again but Natsuko knocks her down, Kyona returns the favor but Natsuko levels her with a spear.

They both return to their feet and go for lariats, hard elbow by Kyona and she tags in Konami. Konami kicks Natsuko repeatedly in the chest, she goes for the Fujiwara Armbar but Natsuko rolls out of it. Knee by Konami in the corner but Natsuko avoids her next charge and the other Oedo Tai members run in to help. In control now, Natsuko goes up top and she delivers the diving body press for two. Natsuko picks up Konami but Konami gets away, Natsuko goes off the ropes but Konami blocks the spear and applies the Triangle Lancer. Natsu breaks it up, Konami knees Natsuko a few times and goes off the ropes, but Natsu hits her with a bucket. She tags Saki, Saki goes up top and hits a diving footstomp on Konami for two. Kick combination by Konami to Saki and she hits a wrist-clutch suplex for a two count cover. Kyona and Hana both end up in the ring and they dropkick Natsuko, Konami kicks Saki in the head and Kyona delivers an assisted face crusher. Kick to the head by Konami, but Saki barely kicks out. Konami picks up Saki and goes for the Triangle Lancer, but Saki blocks it and applies the Kishikaisei for the three count! Oedo Tai win the match.

A short match clipped down even further, which didn’t really give them time to get into a real flow. My issue with matches like this is that none of the wrestlers really get a chance to show what they can do or get into a groove. We’ve seen Kyona and Konami as a team have great matches, but this didn’t really click. One of the problems is that the current Oedo Tai team doesn’t have a great worker so to speak, they are better characters than technicians, making it difficult for the Tokyo Cyber Squad team to put together a cohesive match. Not an actively bad match or anything, just too disjointed and random to really get invested in.

(c) AZM, Momo Watanabe, and Hayashishita vs. Giulia, Maika, and Syuri
Artist of Stardom Championship

Maika and Utami start the match, Maika gets Utami to the mat and they jockey for position. Utami gets a headlock applied but Maika reverses it into a headscissors, Utami gets out of it and they return to their feet. Syuri and Momo are tagged in, they trade wristlocks until Momo gets Syuri’s back but Syuri switches positions with her and tosses Momo to the mat. Both wrestlers hit armdrags with Syuri holding onto hers with an armbar, she lets go after a moment and kicks Momo in the back. Momo gets up and returns the favor with her own kick, she sits down on the mat and challenges Syuri to go again. Syuri kicks Momo in the back and invites Momo to kick her, but she catches Momo’s kick and applies an ankle hold. Momo gets out of it and they too reach a stalemate, tagging in the last pairing. AZM and Giulia immediately get into it with a high speed exchange, AZM tries to do a kip up but Giulia boots her as soon as she gets back to her feet. Giulia knocks AZM out of the ring and goes out after her, and she throws the child into the chairs at ringside. She slides AZM back into the ring and steps on her head, she tags in Maika but AZM dropkicks her. AZM tags Utami, Utami slams Maika and puts her in a Camel Clutch while both Momo and AZM kick her. Utami scoop slams Maika and tags Momo, scoop slam by Momo and she covers Maika for a two count. Momo kicks at Maika but Maika catches her with a toss and makes the tag to Syuri.

Syuri kicks and knees Momo, Utami runs in but Syuri kicks her as well. AZM comes in also but Syuri throws AZM at Momo and drops her with a Backstabber. Jumping knee in the corner by Syuri to Momo and she hits a suplex for a two count cover. Syuri picks up Momo but Momo kicks her in the leg, Syuri kicks her back as they go back and forth. Momo dropkicks Syuri in the corner before dropkicking her again, a third dropkick by Momo and she covers Syuri for two. Momo tags Utami, hard shoulderblock by Utami and she throws Syuri into the corner. Running elbow by Utami and she hits the STO for a two count. Utami goes off the ropes but Syuri knees her, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Utami in the back. PK by Syuri, but her cover only gets two. Syuri tags Maika, Maika picks up Utami and she puts her in a Fujiwara Armbar. She then applies a cross armbreaker but Utami quickly wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Maika picks up Utami but Utami elbows her and they trade shots. Side slam by Maika, she hits a monkey flip followed by a judo toss and a STO of her own for a two count cover. Maika waits for Utami to get up but Utami tosses her to the mat, she gets Maika on her shoulders in the Argentine Backbreaker but Maika grabs her arm and reverses it into a cross armbreaker attempt.

Utami tries to block it but ends up in a Triangle Choke for her trouble, but Utami slams her way out of it. Backdrop suplex by Utami and she makes it to her corner to tag AZM while Giulia was also tagged in. They avoid each others kicks before trading elbows, AZM goes off the ropes but Giulia catches her with a knee to the face. Neckbreaker by Giulia and she puts AZM in the STF, but it gets broken up. Giulia goes up top but Utami tosses her off and Momo nails her with a Somato. Diving Footstomp by AZM to Giulia, but Giulia barely kicks out. AZM, Utami, and Momo all dropkick Giulia, AZM goes off the ropes and hits the La Mistica, but Giulia gets into the ropes for the break. Irish whip by AZM but Giulia reverses it, dropping her with the Glorious Buster. Syuri and Maika both come in to get their shots on AZM, knee by Giulia and she covers AZM, but it gets broken up. AZM picks up Giulia but Giulia pushers her off, she gets up AZM for a Glorious Buster again but AZM gets away and cradles Giulia for two. Giulia picks up AZM and hits a delayed Falcon Arrow, but AZM gets a shoulder up. Syuri and Maika return, with both Giulia and Syuri kicking AZM while Maika has her elevated in the air. Giulia picks up AZM and nails the Glorious Driver, cover by Giulia and she picks up the three count! Donna del Mondo are the new champions!

Its possible I loved this more than I should have, but man did I enjoy this match. Donna del Mondo just feel legitimately different and fresh in Stardom, which has a pretty set match structure they use throughout the card. Its a structure I enjoy, not really complaining, but when a group comes along and does things a bit different its a breath of fresh air. From Giulia cutting off AZM’s high speed segment, to Syuri cutting off the “taking turns” kicks with Momo, to just being dominate I thought everything clicked to make the group stand out. While I am afraid they will find some way to change them in the future, how they are currently being used is perfect. All six wrestlers looked good here even though not everyone got much of a chance to show off, with Utami in particular standing out on the Queen’s Quest team. The time just flew by as they kept the action going, and from start to finish its the most fun I’ve had watching a Stardom match in awhile. It probably won’t hold up in the long run, but watching it ‘in the moment’ I couldn’t think of a way to make it any better. Really great match.  Highly Recommended

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Bea Priestley
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Bea won’t shake Arisa’s hand at the start of the match and instead immediately dropkicks her into the corner, elbows by Bea and she hits another dropkick for a two count. Bea grabs Arisa’s wrist and walks the ropes, but Arisa kicks her before she can do a move, sending to to the mat. Bea leaves the ring to re-group but returns after a moment, Irish whip by Arisa and she kicks Bea in the chest. Arisa walks on Bea’s midsection before hitting a double kneedrop, Irish whip by Arisa to the corner but Bea reverses it and hits a Backstabber for two. Bea picks up Arisa and hits a scoop slam, kick to the back by Bea and she chokes Arisa in the corner with her boot. Arisa fights back with elbows but Bea hits a dragon screw leg whip, she taunts Arisa and Arisa kicks her in the face. Arisa lays in the kicks while Bea is in the ropes, she wraps Bea’s arms around the second rope and goes out to the apron so she can kick her some more. Arisa returns to the ring and connects with a running kick to Bea’s back, Bea rolls out of the ring but Arisa goes out after her and hits the 1399 off the ropes to the floor. Arisa brings Bea back up onto the apron and applies a sleeper over the ropes before dragging her into the ring, she re-applies the choke but Bea gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Arisa kicks Bea before putting her in a leg lock, but again Bea gets to the ropes. Running knee to the head by Arisa, she goes off the ropes again but this time Bea catches her with a jumping knee. Cyclone neckbreaker by Bea, she puts Arisa in the corner and goes for the Queen’s Landing, but Arisa pushes her away.

Jumping Somato by Arisa, but Bea kicks out at two. Arisa goes for a kick but Bea ducks it and delivers a German suplex, she goes for a Regal Plex but Arisa blocks it and kicks her in the head. Arisa goes up top and hits the 1399, cover by Arisa but it gets a two count. Arisa goes for the Shining Star Cutter but Bea catches her before she can rebound off the ropes and delivers a German suplex. Bea goes off the ropes and knees Arisa in the back of the head, cover by Bea but Arisa gets a hand in the ropes. Bea applies an ankle hold, Arisa struggles but eventually gets to the ropes for the break. Bea stomps on Arisa and clubs her in the back, she runs to the corner to rebound out of it but Arisa catches her with a face crusher. Arisa grabs Bea by the wrists and knees her in the face, cover by Arisa but it gets a two count. Arisa goes for the Shining Impact but Bea moves out of the way and connects with a running knee of her own. They both slowly get up as they trade elbows, kick to the knee by Bea and she kicks Arisa in the side of the head for two. Bea picks up Arisa and delivers the Regal Plex, but Arisa gets a shoulder up. Bea knees Arisa in the back of the head as she starts to get up, she sets her up in the corner and kicks her in the face. Bea goes for the Queen’s Landing but Arisa reverses it with a front roll into a cradle. Back up, jumping knee by Bea and she goes for another knee, but Arisa catches it and hits a jumping knee of her own. Another jumping knee by Arisa, and she covers Bea for a two count. Arisa goes off the ropes and hits the Shining Star Cutter, she picks up Bea and drops her with the Brazilian Kick. Shining Impact by Arisa, and she covers Bea for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki wins and retains the championship.

This match was good but not without its issues. Bea and Arisa are both a bit… clunky sometimes, which isn’t the end of the world but when paired together there were some issues here and there with execution. Nothing earth-shattering, just little things like a move not being hit quite right or a spot looking awkward that can add up. Bea’s random ankle hold mid-way through the match just screamed “killing time” since she did no prior work on the leg, its one thing to do that to open a match but its different when its in the latter portion, it should mean something at that point. Still, when they were focusing on kneeing each other in the face they did well, and there was certainly a lot of that, and I think the fans really did buy into some of the nearfalls as they were very convincing. When they stuck to their strengths (throwing strikes mostly), it was good, but it didn’t reach the levels of some of Arisa’s recent title defenses.  Mildly Recommended

Mayu Iwatani vs. Takumi Iroha

After a feeling out process to start they trade wristlocks, Takumi works a headlock until Mayu Irish whips out of it. They end up at a stalemate, Takumi kicks Mayu in the midsection but she waits for Mayu to get up without taking advantage. Mayu charges Takumi but Takumi puts her in an armbar, Mayu gets the break in the ropes but Takumi keeps on the offense. Takumi wraps Mayu’s arm in the ropes and yanks on it as she stays focused on her limb, she pulls Mayu out of the ring and rams her shoulder-first into the ring post. Takumi slides Mayu back in and hits a double knee to her arm, Takumi goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade. Mayu goes off the ropes and dropkicks Takumi out of the ring, Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out of the ring onto Takumi. Mayu rolls Takumi back in and goes up top, but Takumi avoids her dive, they trade attempted attacks in the corner until Mayu rolls Takumi to the mat and hits a dropkick. Takumi kicks Mayu in the chest, Mayu gets back up so Takumi kicks her in the chest again. Mayu returns to her feet but she is greeted by more kicks. Dropkick by Takumi, she picks up Mayu and hits a snap vertical suplex for a two count.

Takumi goes off the ropes but Mayu dropkicks her in the knee, she goes off the ropes but Takumi grabs her arm and kicks it. Takumi dropkicks Mayu in the arm before putting her in a Fujiwara Armbar, but Mayu makes it to the ropes for the break. Mayu rolls out of the ring to attempt to regroup but returns after a moment just to eat more kicks, Takumi grabs Mayu around the waist and spins her around before nailing a German suplex hold for a two count. Powerbomb by Takumi, but that gets a two count as well, so Takumi quickly transitions into a Fujiwara Armbar. Mayu gets to the ropes for the break, Takumi goes up top and she delivers the Swanton Bomb for two. Takumi picks up Mayu and goes for the Running Three, but Mayu blocks it and cradles Takumi for two. Kick to the head by Mayu, she goes up top and hits the diving footstomp. Mayu goes up top again but Takumi recovers and kicks her in the head before she can jump off. Takumi joins Mayu up top and delivers a delayed superplex, Takumi waits for Mayu to return to her feet and kicks her in the chest. Mayu catches one of the kicks and hits a dragon screw, Scorpion Deathlock by Mayu but Takumi is too close to the ropes and makes it there to break the hold.

Mayu picks up Takumi but Takumi elbows her, Mayu elbows her back and they trade blows. Mayu ducks Takumi’s kick combination and hits a German suplex hold, getting a two count. Mayu goes up top and delivers the Frog Splash, but Takumi gets a shoulder up. Mayu goes up top again and nails the moonsault, but again Takumi kicks out. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Takumi grabs the ropes to block it, Mayu puts Takumi in the corner and goes for the Running Three, but Mayu slides away. Dodonpa by Mayu, but it gets two. Mayu goes for the Two Stage Dragon Suplex but Takumi blocks it, hard elbow by Takumi but Mayu fires back with a superkick. Head kick by Takumi and she drops Mayu with another powerbomb, Last Ride Powerbomb by Takumi but Mayu barely kicks out. Takumi sets up Mayu for the Running Three, but Mayu reverses it into a hurricanrana for a two count. Kick combination to the head by Takumi, but Mayu reverses her cover into one of her own for a two count. Back up, another head kick by Takumi and this time she nails the Running Three for the three count cover! Takumi Iroha is the winner.

The lasting memory from this match will be the last five minutes or so, when Takumi was just killing Mayu in a variety of entertaining ways. That’s not to say there was nothing good about the lead-up, as Takumi’s arm work was solid and Mayu had her fair share of offense so it wasn’t too one-side, but the last few minutes were just a clinic on how to put down an opponent. Mayu is very hard to pin, so it seemed perfectly reasonable that it would take a head kick, a powerbomb, a Last Ride, another kick combination, a head kick, and a Running Three within a couple minutes of each other to finally keep Mayu on the mat. Takumi carries herself as such a weapon that she feels different than anyone else in Stardom, she just has an aura to her and she delivers on that visual promise with her in-ring performances. She’d work out great in Stardom as a long term outsider since they don’t have anyone quite like her, but even if she just pops in a few times a year I won’t complain. A really entertaining match between two of the better wrestlers in Japan and a great way to end the event.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom The Way To Major League on 2/8/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom 9th Anniversary
Date: January 19th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,602

The Bushiroad Era has officially begun. Bushiroad purchased Stardom in the fall of 2019 but since they are doing a gradual transition, this event feels like the first one Bushiroad really had a major hand in, especially after Stardom wrestlers had a match at the Tokyo Dome a few weeks prior for added publicity. So this feels like the real start, and what a start it is. With the help of extra marketing and buzz, tonight’s attendance at Korakuen Hall is the most in recent memory for Stardom, with additional seats being opened up before the show. Its a stacked event, with three title matches and a special singles match between Kagetsu and Tam Nakano. Here is the full card:

• AZM vs. Starlight Kid vs. Zoey Skye
• Itsuki Hoshino, Saya Iida, and Saya Kamitani vs. Natsuko Tora, Natsu Sumire, and Saki Kashima
• Kagetsu vs. Tam Nakano
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter
• Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Leyla Hirsch vs. Giulia, Maika, and X
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Utami Hayashishita
• World Of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe

A lot of potential for goodness. I am watching the Samurai TV! version of the show so some matches may be clipped. All wrestlers have profiles on the site, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

AZM vs. Starlight Kid vs. Zoey Skye

After a quick test of strength they get into it, Starlight Kid is isolated first as AZM and Zoey work together. That is short-lived as Starlight Kid fights them off, double dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits a Tiger Feint Kick on AZM. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, and she covers AZM for two. Starlight Kid picks up AZM and they have a strike exchange, AZM headscissors Starlight Kid into the turnbuckles before hitting a dropkick. Zoey gets on the apron and kicks AZM, she gets back in the ring and throws both opponents in opposite corners, hitting running strikes on both. Jawbreaker by Zoey to AZM, and she covers her for two. Zoey goes to the second turnbuckle but Starlight Kid recovers and joins her, AZM jumps up as well but Zoey pushes them both into a hanging position and hits a double footstomp on both of them for a two count cover. AZM and Starlight Kid go off the ropes, dropkick by Starlight Kid to Zoey and she avoid AZM’s sneak attack PK. Vertical suplex by AZM and she kicks Starlight Kid in the head, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp but Zoey breaks up the cover. Zoey grabs Starlight Kid and kicks her in the head, she goes off the ropes but AZM hits a tilt-a-whirl armbar into a cradle for the three count! AZM wins the match.

This was clipped but what they showed was fine. Starlight Kid was the star as she tends to be in her matches but no one looked out of place and they kept the action going at a quick pace. An enjoyable enough way to kick off the show, just not enough time given to get excited about.

Itsuki Hoshino, Saya Iida, and Kamitani vs. Natsuko Tora, Sumire, and Kashima

We join his one in progress, as Saki swats away Iida’s dropkick attempt. Stomps by Saki but Iida catches one and hulks up, chopping Saki in the chest repeatedly. Saki grabs Iida by the hair and flings her to the mat, Itsuki and Kamitani run in and dropkick Saki before Iida delivers a missile dropkick for two. Iida Bridge by Iida, but Saki kicks out at two. Natsuko comes in and spears both Kamitani and Itsuki, Natsu hits Iida with the board Saki boots her in the face. My Emblem by Saki, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai are the winners.

Well this was all clipped to hell, with eleven minutes taken down to two. Hard to really comment much with so little shown, but Saki Kashima was highlighted as expected. Not much to see here though, literally.

Kagetsu vs. Tam Nakano

They tie-up to start, armdrag by Kagetsu but Tam rolls away as they jockey for position on the mat. They reach a stalemate and return to their feet, kick by Kagetsu and she hits an armdrag. Tam returns the favor and Kagetsu rolls out of the ring to re-group, she gets back on the apron and spits water at Tam as she approaches her. Kagetsu pulls Tam out of the ring and throws her into the chairs at ringside, she quickly gets back into the ring and goes for a tope suicida, but Tam moves and she lands on Oedo Tai on accident. Tam goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives down onto Oedo Tai with a plancha suicida, she puts Kagetsu up on the apron and applies a Dragon Sleeper while sitting on the top turnbuckle. She lets go after a moment and delivers the Destiny Hammer, cover by Tam but it gets a two count. Tam picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu elbows her off, she goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a backdrop suplex. Kagetsu springs back to her feet and hits a kick combination, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but Tam recovers and joins her before she can jump off. Superplex by Tam but Kagetsu gets to her feet and hits a running knee, Tam fires back with a running knee of her own and both wrestlers are down on the mat.

They elbow each other as they slowly return to their feet, kick by Kagetsu and she goes off the ropes, but Tam catches her with a kick of her own. Two more kicks by Tam, she picks up Kagetsu around the waist and hits a German suplex hold for two. t gets Kagetsu up and hits a double underhook facebuster, but again Kagetsu kicks out. Tam gets Kagetsu’s back but Kagetsu slides away, she pushes Tam into the referee and spits red mist in her face. Tiger Suplex Hold by Kagetsu, but it only gets a two count. Ebisu drop by Kagetsu in front of the corner, she goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but Tam gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu quickly picks up Tam and goes for the Death Valley Bomb, but Tam gets away and nails a roundhouse kick. Tiger Suplex Hold by Tam, but it gets a two. Tam goes off the ropes and delivers a trio of running knees, Tiger Suplex by Tam and she picks Kagetsu back up, debuting the Twilight Dream Suplex for the three count! Tam Nakano wins!

While I am not a huge fan of no-selling without a receipt, which Kagetsu did once here, overall I really enjoyed this. Tam has always been a fun wrestler but she hasn’t always been technically sound, being in Stardom as a regular for the last couple years has really helped her grow and she has started pulling everything together. Kagetsu is a machine and does everything with such precision; there may not be a tighter wrestler in Joshi than her just with her movements and execution. I wouldn’t have minded if the match was a longer but it was a fast paced and entertaining match, definitely worth a watch.  Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

This one is Joined in Progress, with Jamie in the ring with Kyona. Elbows by Jamie in the corner and she hits a lariat, Jungle fires back with her own lariat but Jamie hits another one too as they go back and forth. Elbows by Jamie and she his a sidewalk slam onto her knee followed by a running knee. Falcon Arrow by Jamie, but Kyona kicks out of the cover. Jamie picks up Kyona and goes for a suplex, but Kyona blocks it and hits a vertical suplex of her own. Big lariat by Kyona, and the match clips ahead to Konami being in he ring with Bea as Konami gets on the top turnbuckle. Bea elbows her before she can jump off and joins her, but Kyona comes up from behind and hits Bea. Kyona slams Jamie on the mat, she then grabs Bea and powerbombs her onto Jamie’s head while Konami delivers a missile dropkick. Konami picks up Bea and hits a suplex, Buzzsaw Kick by Konami and she covers Bea for two.

Konami quickly applies an armlock which she switches to an armbar, Jamie tries to break it up but Kyona dropkicks her out of the ring. Konami rolls Bea around the ring while keeping the armbar applied, but Bea gets to the ropes for the break. Konami goes off the ropes but Jamie cuts her off with a lariat, she dumps Kyona out of the ring too before diving out onto both of them with a tope suicida. Jamie brings Konami onto the apron and goes for a side slam, but Konami blocks it. Bea jumps up to the top turnbuckle and hits her from behind, she gets back into the ring quickly with Konami and Jamie, and the Gaijin connect with a double strike to Konami. Knee to the back of the head by Bea, she gets Konami on her shoulders and nails the Queen’s Landing for the three count! Bea Priestley and Jamie Hayter are the new champions!

Samurai TV clipped this down by several minutes but what they showed was entertaining. I love Bea and Jamie so I have no issue with them winning the titles, and if it means more of Jamie in Stardom than that’s even better. Even in defeat, Kyona looked great and Konami was her usual sound self. I am sure this match was better in full, but at least everything they decided to show us looked pretty fun.

Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Hirsch vs. Giulia, Maika, and Syuri Kondo

Death and Maika start the match, Death tries doing her shtick but Maika attacks her from behind and applies a wristlock. Death gets out of it and tags Hirsch while Syuri also tags in, Hirsch works a headlock which is reversed by Syuri. Hard shoulderblock by Syuri but Hirsch kips up, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Hirsch in the back. Hirsch ducks the PK, they return to their feet both both miss their strike attempts. Giulia and Hana tag in and they immediately start trading elbows, they switch to trading boots until Death knees Giulia from the apron to give Hana the advantage. Hana boots Giulia out of the ring and goes out after her, as all six wrestlers brawl on the floor and into the crowd. Back in the ring, Death and Hana double team Giulia before Hana tags in Death as the legal wrestler. Giulia quickly gets back in control and chokes Death against the ropes, with her teammates lending a hand. Giulia tags in Maika, Maika stomps down Death in the corner, armdrags by Maika and she hits a monkey flip. Maika applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Death gets into the ropes, Syuri is tagged in and she kicks Death in the back.

All three members of Giulia’s team apply submission holds in the ring, they let go after a moment as the ring clears for Death and Syuri, with Syuri applying a hanging armbar over the top rope. Syuri gets back in the ring but Death chops her in the throat and makes the tag to Hana. Hana boots Syuri in the face twice, cover by Hana but it gets two. Hana grabs Syuri but Syuri blocks the suplex attempt, Giulia comes in and clubs on Hana but Hana dropkicks both of them. Death and Hirsch both come in the ring, TCS gets their opponents in opposite corners and all three take turns delivering running strikes. Dropkicks by Tokyo Cyber Squad, and they pose in the ring while their opponents are slumped in the corner. Hana grabs Syuri and hits a vertical suplex, cover by Hana but it gets a two count. Hana goes off the ropes but Syuri kicks her in the stomach and hits a half hatch suplex. PK by Syuri, and she covers Hana for two.

Syuri tags in Giulia, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. Maika comes in too but Hana rams them into each other, she goes off the ropes but Maika hits her with a face crusher. Giulia applies a crossface but it gets quickly broken up, Giulia picks up Hana but Hana slides away from her and Giulia eats a double DDT. Boot by Hana and she covers Giulia, but the cover is broken up. Hana puts Giulia in the Ground Manjikatame, but Giulia gets into the ropes for the break. Giulia recovers and boots Hana, Hana rolls to her corner and tags in Hirsch. Giulia and Hirsch trade elbows until Hirsch hits a release German, running knee by Hirsch and she hits a moonsault for a two count. Hirsch applies a cross armbreaker but Syuri breaks it up, Syuri and Maika clear the ring before double teaming Hirsch. Knee by Giulia to Hirsch, she picks her back up and nails the Glorious Driver for the three count! Giulia, Maika, and Syuri are the winners!

This was a good way to introduce a new group, although I wouldn’t necessarily say the match was great. Hirsch felt out of place during some of her spots, and disappeared for long stretches. That’s not to say she isn’t a fine wrestler, but probably without a lot of prior experience with this batch of wrestlers there were definitely some chemistry issues here and there. Maika was better but she is only in her first year of wrestling, so really it was up to the other four to carry things. They needed to make it 3 vs. 3 to form the new faction, but for match-quality purposes it would have worked better with just four of them. Hana and Giulia looked great however, with Hana in particular standing out. Both groups also worked together well, which is a plus. The beginning and the end were a little awkward at times but the middle portion was well done, and I think they accomplished their goal of introducing two new wrestlers to Stardom fans.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Arisa asks for a knucklelock to start but Utami kicks her instead, Arisa pulls Utami by the hair and elbows her, but Utami elbows Arisa back and the two trade blows. Dropkick to the back by Utami and she kicks Arisa into the corner, snapmare by Utami and she kicks Arisa in the back. Irish whip by Utami to the corner and she hits a running elbow, she tosses Arisa to the mat before kicking her for a two count cover. Neck crank by Utami but Arisa wiggles to the ropes and makes it for the break. Utami picks up Arisa and hits a scoop slam, she goes off the ropes but Arisa catches her with a pump kick followed by a high kick and a jumping knee. Utami rolls out of the ring but Arisa goes out after her, she rams Utami’s head into the apron, busting her head open in the process. The referee gets Utami a towel as he checks on Utami’s cut, but she is deemed to be ok as Arisa nails her with a 1399 off the ropes down to the floor.

Arisa returns to the ring with the bloody Utami slowly following, mounted punches by Arisa and she punches her again as they get to their feet. Cover by Arisa, but the referee won’t count (probably due to all the illegal punches). Back up, Arisa goes for a kick but Utami ducks it and applies a sleeper. Arisa switches positions with her and applies a choke, but Utami gets into the ropes for the break. Kick by Arisa but Utami ducks the next one, she goes for a suplex but Arisa elbows out of it. They trade blows before Arisa hits a high kick, she springboards off the ropes but Utami catches her with a release German suplex. German suplex hold by Utami, but it gets a two count. Utami picks up Arisa and puts her in an Argentine Backbreaker, Arisa slides away but Utami puts her in a hanging submission. Schwein by Utami, but Arisa kicks out of the cover. She goes for the backbreaker again but Arisa gets away and applies a Cobra Clutch, she lets go before Utami can reach the ropes and kicks her in the head.

Arisa goes for the Shining Star Cutter but Utami grabs her around the waist to block it, sleeper hold by Utami and she goes off the ropes but Arisa catches her with a jumping knee. Arisa goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the 1399, cover by Arisa but it gets two. Running knee by Arisa, she goes off the ropes but again Utami blocks the Shining Star Cutter attempt and puts Arisa in the Argentine Backbreaker. She slides her to the front and hits the German suplex hold, but Arisa kicks out at two. Utami picks up Arisa and sits her on the second rope, she goes for a suplex but Arisa knocks her back and finally hits the Shining Star Cutter. Arisa waits for Utami to get to her knees and plants her with a Shining Impact, she lifts her up instead of completing the cover and nails her with the Brazilian Kick for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki wins and retains the championship.

I strongly feel that blood helps most matches (unless it is just overdone on a given event) and I think that was the case here as well. Everything just feels more real when a wrestler with blood running down their face starts making their comeback, its an image that sparks more emotion than most other situations in wrestling. Without that added drama, this was a good match but probably on the lower end of Arisa’s recent big matches. I actively dislike the Shining Star Cutter in any variation and this match showed why, as she kept going for it at bad times and when she finally did ‘hit’ the move, she didn’t hit it cleanly and it was just a rough looking spot. Everything else in the match was smooth at least, and while Utami is still working on some things she showed the fire here that you’d expect from a young challenger. Arisa being extra vicious (such as pulling Utami up after the Shining Impact) was a bit puzzling as normally she’s a pretty pure babyface, but maybe seeing blood just got her excited too. Overall a fun match, not a high-end one but entertaining nonetheless.  Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe
World of Stardom Championship

They circle each other to start, Mayu gets Momo’s waist but Momo trips her as they jockey for position on the mat. Momo applies a kneelock but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break, Momo picks up Mayu and starts working on her arm. Kick to the arm by Momo but Mayu cradles her, she goes for a dropkick but Momo moves and applies a modified double armbar. Mayu eventually gets to the ropes, she gets out of the ring but Momo goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out to the floor with a Diving Somato. Momo gets back into the ring but gets tired of waiting for Mayu so she goes out to get her, dropkick by Momo in the corner and she hits a side slam followed by a knee to the back of the head. Running Somato by Momo, but Mayu kicks out of the cover. Momo picks up Mayu  and drops her with the B Driver, but that gets a two count as well. Momo goes up to the top turnbuckle but Mayu grabs her from behind before she can jump off, she goes for a powerbomb but Momo slides away. Mayu blocks Momo’s suplex attempt and kicks her in the head, dragon suplex by Mayu but Momo quickly recovers and hits a tiger suplex.

Both wrestlers are down on the mat, they trade elbows as they return to their feet, Dodonpa by Mayu but Momo kicks out of the cover. Mayu goes up to the top turnbuckle but Momo avoids the moonsault and kicks Mayu in the head. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a Diving Somato, she goes up top and hits another Diving Somato for a two count cover. Momo locks up Mayu and hits a release Tequila Sunrise, she nails the Peach Sunrise but Mayu barely kicks out of the cover. Momo picks up Mayu and delivers a double wrist-clutch suplex hold, but that gets a two count as well. Momo picks up Mayu and puts her on the second turnbuckle, she goes for another suplex but Mayu blocks it and his a reverse hurricanrana. Mayu quickly goes up top and hits a Frog Splash, but she only gets two. She goes up top again and this time delivers a moonsault, but again Momo kicks out of the cover. DDT by Mayu and she hits a tombstone piledriver, she nails the Two Stage Dragon Suplex Hold and she picks up the three count! Mayu Iwatani wins and retains the championship.

Post match: During the usual promo work after a big match, Bea came down in support of her faction teammate Momo Watanabe, but instead of helping her she kneed her in the head. She then announced that she was joining Oedo Tai, as the group came into the ring and celebrated with her. At the end as Mayu was closing the show, Sareee showed up on the screen in a recorded video, challenging Mayu to a match!

This match was clipped by Samurai TV but I think it was mostly mat work that we missed and nothing too critical. A great match between these two, and I hope Momo’s rumored demotion from the top tier in Stardom doesn’t come true as she may be the best wrestler on the roster (and is only 19 years old). The chemistry these two have is off the charts, everything else on the card felt pretty fluid but Momo and Mayu took it to another level as they put on a masterclass. Momo showed how important the match was to her with the Diving Somato out of the ring, which looked great, and the match had the fast past action you’d expect from Mayu. My only small quibble is that Momo went through all her finishers (including the Peach Sunrise), making it unclear in the home stretch how Momo would have even won the match since she had already emptied her arsenal instead of keeping a big move in her pocket. Still, that is more excusable in a Korakuen Hall main event title match as wrestlers tend to go all out and kick out of things that normally work. I’m not sure if they quite reached that “must see” MOTYC level but it was critically close, and either way a fitting ending to a quality Korakuen Hall show.  Highly Recommended

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