Event: Stardom X Stardom 2022 Nagoya MidSummer Encounter
Date: August 21st, 2022
Location: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,353
Broadcast: PPV and streamed on Stardom World

Stardom is easily my favorite Joshi promotion, but I don’t review their events very often for one primary reason – they are long. These reviews take a fair amount of time to do. Its not because of the play by play – I have to watch the matches anyway and I type super fast so no time lost there, but I do a fair amount of prep work to make the reviews as informative as possible. That means setting up the formatting, finding pictures, looking up why the match is happening, the stakes, the fallout, making GIFs, etc. and the more matches there are, the longer this takes. But occasionally I have to go back and review a Stardom event since I know a lot of Stardom fans visit the website.

Since I do not want to parachute into the middle of the FIVE STAR GP, which would require a lot of work, instead I am going to review their latest standalone show -Stardom X Stardom 2022. A pretty massive show with eight matches, all their stars are here and there are five title matches. They tend to stack their PPV events when they can. The downside is originally, KAIRI was on the event but missed it due to coming down with COVID. So I am sad I will miss out on seeing her, but the show still has a lot going for it, including Nanae Takahashi returning to take on Syuri! Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Miyu Amasaki
• Hina vs. Maika
• Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Giulia and Mai Sakurai vs. Rina and Ruaka
• Captain’s Fall: AZM, Lady C, and Utami Hayashishita vs. Saya Iida, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Kohgo
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima, and Starlight Kid vs. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, and SAKI
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Natsupoi and Tam Nakano
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka
• World Of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Onto the show!

(c) Hanan vs. Miyu Amasaki
Future of Stardom Championship

Miyu dropkicks Hanan as the bell rings, Miyu elbows Hanan in the corner and Irish whips her, hitting the Space Rolling Elbow. She goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a judo toss, Irish whip by Hanan but Miyu hits a dropkick. Hanan fires back with a dropkick of her own, trip by Hanan but Miyu rolls away and dropkicks Hanan in the knee. Miyu rolls Hanan to the mat and applies a knee submission, but Hanan gets to the ropes for the break. Miyu picks up Hanan and goes off the ropes, and she somewhat hits an overly ambitious springboard tornado DDT. She tries the spot again and nails it this time, cover by Miyu but it gets two. Double underhook by Miyu but Hanan spins away, she runs to the corner and rebounds out with a crossbody for two. Hanan picks up Miyu but Miyu gets out of the scoop slam, nailing a jumping DDT for two.

Miyu picks up Hanan and applies a double underhook, but Hanan gets away and hits a jumping knee. Hanan goes off the ropes but Miyu avoids her strike attempt and applies a kneelock. Hanan again makes the ropes for the break, Miyu picks up Hanan and delivers a double underhook facebuster, but Hanan barely kicks out. Elbows by Miyu to Hanan, she goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a Cutie Special. Hanan goes off the ropes and hits a Fameasser, double wrist-clutch suplex hold by Hanan but it only gets two. Hanan picks up Miyu but Miyu gets away, cradle by Miyu with a jackknife but it gets two. Miyu charges Hanan but Hanan hits a STO, Fameasser by Hanan but Miyu kicks out of the cover. Hanan drags Miyu up and knees her in the face, Blockbuster Hold by Hanan and she picks up the three count! Hanan wins the match and retains the championship.

Hmm this wasn’t very good. The match felt a lot longer than it was as they kept repeating spots, and Miyu probably isn’t quite ready yet to be trying some of the moves she is trying. In a way she reminds me of Saya Kamitani – Saya in her first year also tried a lot of moves with limited success, but she figured it out. Hopefully Miyu can figure it out as well, but she’s not there yet. Hanan is solid enough but isn’t able to carry a match, so this was pretty sloppy and not structured very well. I appreciate the effort from both, but this didn’t click.

Hina vs. Maika

Maika and Hina circle each other, they end up on the mat but neither can get a clear advantage. They return to their feet, Maika throws Hina into the corner and hits a hard shoulderblock. Maika goes off the ropes but Hina ducks her charge and hits a hip toss. STO by Hina, he quickly picks Maika back up and hits a second one for a two count. Hina goes for the cross armbreaker and gets it looked in, but Maika quickly gets to the ropes to force a break. Hina grabs Maika but Maika elbows off of her, she goes off the ropes but Hina does as well and she slams Maika to the mat. Hina picks up Maika and delivers a wrist-clutch side slam, cover by Hina but Maika kicks out. Hina goes for a slam but Maika blocks it, Hina goes off the ropes but Maika levels her with a lariat. Maika picks up Hina but Hina snaps off a quick STO, covering Maika for two. Hina goes for a scoop slam but Maika pushes her off and hits a powerslam. Maika picks up Hina and hits the cross-arm STO, but Hina barely gets a shoulder up. Maika drags Hina to her feet but Hina slides away, Gedo Clutch by Hina but it gets two. Lariat by Maika, but Hina sneaks in an small package when Maika goes to pick her up. Maika kicks out of it and hits another lariat, Enka Otoshi by Maika, and she picks up the three count! Maika is the winner.

This was a good short match. Hina has improved since her debut, which makes sense as she debuted when she was about 12 years old. She doesn’t have the most varied offense but she hits what she does well. Maika is great, I’d have liked to have seen her in a bigger match but she executed here and all her moves had impact. Solid way to kick off the show.

Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Giulia and Sakura vs. Rina and Ruaka

Under triple threat rules, all three teams have one legal wrestler at a time. Rina, Mai, and Ami start the match, Ami is double teamed right off the bat but she starts getting the better of things until Giulia and Ruaka run in to help. Ruaka and Ami end up in the ring as the legal wrestlers apparently, but Rina pulls Ami out of the ring as things break down quickly. Rina grabs MIRAI and throws her into Ami, Oedo Tai then do the same to the two DDM members. Mai is rolled into the ring and is double teamed by Oedo Tai, Rina stays in as the legal wrestler and she covers Mai for a two count. Mai fights back as Ruaka runs in, and she hits a reverse DDT/Stunner combination on both of them. Giulia comes in with Rina and MIRAI, she takes care of both of them before suplexing Rina to the mat. Giulia goes towards the ropes but Rina grabs her by the hair and throws her to the mat. Giulia grabs Rina by the throat but lets go, Rina offers her hand but she throws Giulia to the mat instead.

Rina goes for a slam but Giulia reverses it, Giulia applies a STF but Ruaka breaks it up. Mai also comes in but Ami lariats both DDM members, she gets into a shoulderblock contest with Ruaka which Ruaka gets the better of. Complete Shot by Ruaka, she goes for the cover but moves when Mai sails into the ring with a diving elbow drop. Mai then goes for the cover on Ami but Mai dives off the top turnbuckle with a double kneedrop. MIRAI goes to grab Rina but Giulia jumps off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick/senton combination. Giulia picks up Rina and hits a Falcon Arrow, but Ruaka breaks up the cover. Ami clubs on Ruaka but Ruaka blocks the scoop slam. Ami comes in to help but Ruaka punches them both, she goes off the ropes but eats a double lariat. Ami and MIRAI slam Rina on top of Ruaka, full nelson slam by MIRAI on Rina and she goes off the ropes, but Rina sneaks in a jackknife cover for two. Rina charges MIRAI but MIRAI levels her with a lariat, she applies the Miramare and Rina submits! MIRAI and Ami Sourei are the winners.

I am glad they just didn’t worry about having tag rules, who was keeping track of that anyway and it doesn’t really matter on an undercard match. With an eight minute match containing six wrestlers, not all of them were really able to stand out but on the positive side no one lagged behind either. There was always something going on, and Giulia looked great which is the most important thing. MIRAI was impressive with her power offense, and overall it clicked better than I was expecting. Nothing to get excited about, but an entertaining chaotic undercard match.

AZM, Lady C, and Hayashishita vs. Iida, Iwatani, and Kohgo
Captain’s Fall Match

Saya and Lady C start the match, Saya poses for the camera but is attacked from behind for her trouble. All of Queen’s Quest try to throw Saya over the top rope, which would make this a really quick match, but Momo and Mayu stop her from going over. They get in the ring and all three STARS wrestlers hit dropkicks, they isolate Lady C and triple team her. Saya sits up Lady C and she eats a triple dropkick, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Lady C and the two trade chops, Saya chops Lady C against the ropes but Lady C catches her with a side Russian leg sweep. Giant Swing by Lady C, she covers Saya but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Lady C from the corner and she hits a running elbow, jumping lariat by Lady C and she covers Saya for two. Lady C picks up Saya but Saya gets away, Mayu runs in and she hits a hurricanrana on Lady C for the three count! Lady C is eliminated.

AZM runs in and puts Mayu in the Azumi Sushi, but Momo breaks up the cover. Momo picks up AZM, double Irish whip and the STARS team double team her. Double 619 by Momo and Mayu, cover by Momo but it gets two. Momo throws AZM into the corner, Irish whip by Momo but AZM jumps onto the top turnbuckle. Momo elbows her down to the apron, she charges AZM but AZM holds down the top rope and both end up on the apron. AZM and Momo trade elbows while still on the apron, Momo trips AZM but AZM avoids her kick and slides back into the ring. Momo and AZM trade flash pins, AZM puts Momo in the Azumi Sushi and she picks up the three count! Momo Kohgo is eliminated.

Utami and Mayu come in the ring, Mayu grabs Utami and AZM but they knock her out to the apron. They go off the ropes but Saya re-appears to even the odds, with Mayu hitting a missile dropkick on both opponents. Saya goes up top and delivers a diving shoulderblock to Utami, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the suplex attempt, Utami hits a Samoan Drop but Mayu cradles Utami from behind for two. Superkick by Mayu to AZM and Saya bridges AZM, but Utami breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Utami but she levels both opponents with a lariat, Utami picks up Saya and delivers the Air Raid Crash for two. Utami picks up Saya but Saya blocks the German suplex hold, Utami keeps the waistlock applied however and nails the German suplex hold anyway for the three count! Queen’s Quest wins the match!

A pretty typical Stardom midcard match – meaningless, but very watchable. Utami and Mayu were protected, maybe even too much as they put away their opponents pretty easily when they were in the ring. The chosen captains alone showed this wasn’t going to be a match with any real stakes, and it definitely came across as filler. Nothing offensive, but it just lacked any substance and its a match I’ll forget by the time the next one starts.

(c) Watanabe, Kashima, and Starlight Kid vs. Shirakawa, Sayaka, and SAKI
Artist of Stardom Championship

The Cosmic Angels charge to start the match, immediately isolating Kashima and triple teaming her. SAKI stays in as the legal wrestler, Kashima whips off a hurricanrana and boots SAKI while she is against the ropes. Face crusher by Kashima, and she covers SAKI for two. Kashima tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid picks up SAKI and elbows her in the chest. SAKI fires back with a big boot, she gets Starlight Kid on her shoulders and slams her to the mat for a two count. SAKI goes off the ropes but Unagi tags herself in, sitout face crusher by Unagi but Starlight Kid avoids the leg drop and hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Unagi but Unagi gets Starlight Kid on her back in the Gory Special. Momo breaks that up, Unagi hits a leg drop on Starlight Kid and covers her for two. Back up, Unagi throws Starlight Kid into the corner but Unagi avoids her charge and all three members of Oedo Tai attack her.

Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the swivel body press, but her pin attempt gets broken up. Starlight Kid picks up Unagi but Unagi spins out of her hold and hits a flapjack. Jumping kick by Starlight Kid but Unagi gets her arm and drops her face-first into the mat. Starlight Kid tags in Momo while Mina also tags in, kicks by Momo but Mina eventually catches one and hits a backfist. Kicks to the chest by Mina as she drives Momo into the corner and sends her down with a final kick to the midsection, cover by Mina but it gets two. She picks up Momo and goes off the ropes, but Kashima kicks her from the apron. SAKI runs in and slam Momo, Reverse DDT by Mina to Momo but Momo kicks out. SAKI, Mina, and Unagi all hit heel drops, Unagi gets Momo on her shoulders and with Mina’s help she drops her to the mat. Mina picks up Momo but Kashima runs in to help, striking Mina to the mat. Momo gets a wrench but Mina kicks it out of her hand, jumping kick by Mina to Momo and she delivers the jumping DDT, but Kashima breaks up the cover.

Things break down as all six wrestlers end up in the ring, with Starlight Kid and Kashima both hitting spinning headscissors. Starlight Kid sails out of the ring with a moonsault while Momo and Mina remain in the ring, roaring elbow by Mina but Momo kicks her in the head. B Driver by Momo, but Mina gets a shoulder up. Momo picks up Mina and delivers a cradle belly to belly piledriver, but SAKI breaks up the cover. Momo picks up Mina but Mina trips her and applies a crucifix pin for two. Starlight Kid stays in to help Momo deliver a side slam, Momo picks up Mina and punts her in the face. Peach Sunrise by Momo, and she gets the three count! Oedo Tai win and retain the championships.

The biggest surprise here is SAKI not taking the fall, she must have some political power I don’t know about. This match was definitely good, Starlight Kid is really great and everyone else here held up their ends. It was pretty short for a trios title match (under 12 minutes) and it felt like not everyone even got much in-ring time, I didn’t record the time splits but it didn’t feel even and the match left me wanting more. No one pairing was able to really get into a flow until the end stretch, which was really good from Momo and Mina. Fast paced and interesting, but it came across as more of an afterthought since the teams were lopsided and they simply didn’t get a lot a time considering the stakes of the match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Natsupoi and Tam Nakano
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Koguma and Natsupoi start the match, they take turns shoving each other until Hazuki grabs Natsupoi from the apron. Tam grabs Koguma as well, but Hazuki runs in the ring and dropkicks her while Koguma hits a body avalanche on Natsupoi. Hazuki stays in and they double team Natsupoi, cover by Koguma but it gets two. Scoop slam by Koguma, she picks up Natsupoi and tags Hazuki. Hazuki slaps Natsupoi in the back before throwing her down by the hair, she pushes Natsupoi against the ropes and nails the running boot. Cover by Hazuki, but it gets two. Scoop slam by Hazuki and she tags Koguma, crab hold by Koguma but Natsupoi makes it to the ropes for the break. Koguma puts Natsupoi in a Camel Clutch but Natsupoi breaks it up, Hazuki takes care of Tam while Koguma slams Natsupoi in front of the corner. Hazuki is tagged and comes into the ring with a slingshot footstomp, Hazuki kicks Natsupoi repeatedly in the face but Natsupoi gets Hazuki against the ropes and hits the Murder Dropkick. This gives her time to tag Tam, Koguma quickly comes in to help Hazuki but Tam avoids their lariat and hits a double dropkick. Running knee by Tam, she picks up Hazuki and kicks her in the midsection.

Tam charges Hazuki but Hazuki moves, Koguma shows back up and Tam eats a double dropkick. Running elbow by Hazuki, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki, Natsupoi tries to break it up but Koguma grabs her and throws her out of the ring. Hazuki charges Tam and kicks her hard in the face, she goes for a suplex but Tam lands on her feet and hits a head kick. She goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits a pump kick, she goes for another one but Tam swats her away and hits a backdrop suplex. Tam waits for Hazuki to get up and superkicks her in the head, Hazuki follows with a Codebreaker and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, scoop slam by Koguma to Natsupoi and she hits a footstomp to her midsection for a two count. Natsupoi elbows Koguma and goes off the ropes, Koguma applies a quick cradle but it gets two. Both wrestlers go off the ropes and go for jumping crossbodies, sending both crashing to the mat. They slowly get up, body avalanche by Koguma in the corner and she hits a cutter. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she applies a waistlock but Tam grabs Natsupoi to prevent the German suplex. Hazuki breaks her free (awkwardly) so Koguma can connect with the German suplex, Hazuki stays in the ring and they hit an assisted cutter on Natsupoi. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle but Natsupoi rolls out of the way of the diving body press. Hazuki dives in with a senton onto Natsupoi, but Tam hits a diving crossbody onto Hazuki.

Tam picks up Hazuki while Natsupoi grabs Koguma, but Hazuki and Koguma both get away and hit DDTs. They eat superkicks for their trouble but fire back with dropkicks, and all four wrestlers are down on the mat. Hazuki and Tam both roll out of the ring while Natsupoi and Koguma trade elbows on their knees, Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle but Koguma elbows her before she can jump off and joins her. Koguma drops Natsupoi throat-first onto the to rope which sends her out of the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Tam kicks her down to the floor. Hazuki sails out of the ring with a tope suicida but hits her own partner on accident, Tam and Natsupoi both go to the ropes and dive out with stereo springboard crossbodies. Tam slides Koguma back in the ring, both she and Natsupoi go to the same turnbuckle with Tam diving off first with the Takako Panic. Natsupoi follows with the swivel body press, but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Natsupoi and Tam both hit German suplexes on an opponent, with Natsupoi’s getting a two count. Natsupoi picks up Koguma again but Koguma spins away and applies the 120% Schoolboy for two. Koguma goes off the ropes but Natsupoi superkicks her, Tam is in too and they both connect with superkicks. Hazuki is back but Tam drops her with a release tiger suplex, they go back to Koguma and slam her to the mat. Natsupoi picks up Koguma and nails the Fairy Strain, and she picks up the three count! Cosmic Angels win and are the new champions!

Aside from one botched move, this was a really smooth and well worked tag match. I know they wrestle and train a lot together but it always amazes me how in sync Stardom wrestlers are. There are some advantages to being an isolated promotion, as it allows their stars to really gel. Koguma and Hazuki have worked off all their ring rust and the cardio of everyone involved is commendable as there was no slowdown whatsoever. They were firing on all cylinders from start to finish. The match also “felt” like a title match and not just another match (like the last one), with big moves and late saves to add to the drama. A really entertaining match, four really good wrestlers just going non-stop for 15 minutes.  Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They lock knuckles to start, Himeka pushes Saya to the mat but Saya bridges back up and they end up facing off again. Kick by Himeka but Saya throws her into the corner, Himeka fires out of it with a shoulderblock, Saya kips up but Himeka shoulderblocks her again. Himeka kicks Saya out of the ring and goes out after her, slamming Saya onto the floor. Another scoop slam by Himeka, she picks up Saya and rams her back-first into the ring post. Himeka slides Saya back in and hits a lariat in the corner followed by a backbreaker. Cover by Himeka, but it gets two. Himeka goes for a crab hold but Saya blocks it and hits a double footstomp, she goes off the ropes but Himeka catches her with another backbreaker. Himeka throws Saya out of the ring and goes out as well, but Saya slides back in as she does. They repeat these steps again, but this time Saya dropkicks Himeka back to the floor and hits a sliding headscissors under the bottom rope. Saya slides Himeka back in and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. Saya picks up Himeka but Himeka blocks the suplex attempt and elbows her. Saya elbows her back and they trade shots, Saya goes off the ropes but Himeka knees her in the midsection. Saya knees her back but Himeka blocks the big boot and they trade elbows again.

After a minute of trading elbows Saya finally sends Himeka crashing to the mat, more elbows by Saya but Himeka hulks up and returns to her feet to return the favor. More elbows from both until they both fall to the mat, holding their heads. They slowly get up at the same time, Saya charges in but Himeka drops her with a backdrop suplex. Single leg crab hold by Himeka, Saya crawls to the ropes and eventually makes it to force the break. Himeka picks up Saya and gets her on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, she throws her off after a moment and hits a lariat. Sliding lariat by Himeka, but her cover gets two. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders again and hits the JP Coaster, but again Saya kicks out. Himeka throws Saya into the corner and lariats her in the back, she puts her on the second turnbuckle to get her on her shoulders, but Saya slides off and hits a spinning heel kick. Saya hits a rolling fisherman suplex into a backslide, Himeka rolls through it but Saya boots her in the face. Saya positions Himeka and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Himeka rolls out of the way of the Firebird Splash. Kick to the head by Saya but Himeka levels her with a Rainmaker, but Saya plants Himeka with a pump kick. Saya picks up Himeka and hits the sitout fisherman driver, but it gets a two count. Saya goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Firebird Splash, but Himeka gets a shoulder up on the cover. Saya goes back up top and attempts the Phoenix Splash, but Himeka clubs her from behind before she can jump off and joins her.

Elbows by Himeka while they stand on the turnbuckles, but Saya jumps over Himeka’s back in an attempted powerbomb. Himeka blocks that so Saya dropkicks her instead, she re-joins Himeka on the turnbuckles but Himeka blocks the Frankensteiner with a powerbomb. Himeka waits for Saya to get up and nails the jumping knee, she picks up Saya and delivers the powerbomb but Saya barely kicks out. Himeka drags up Saya and throws her into the corner, lariat to the back by Himeka and she sits Saya on the second turnbuckle. Running powerbomb by Himeka, but Saya kicks out. Himeka picks up Saya and elbows her against the ropes, lariat by Himeka but Saya lands on her feet on the apron. Saya springboards back in the ring but Himeka catches her with a lariat, another lariat by Himeka and she picks up Saya. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya snaps off a Fubuki Rana and picks up the three count! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship!

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this match. I love Himeka’s power based offense and it worked so well with Saya’s whacky high flying offense. Himeka was killing Saya with her backbreakers and lariats, but Saya would come back with something sneaky as their contrasting styles worked perfectly with each other. Himeka really wrestled as the “better” wrestler, with her hitting all her big moves and Saya needing to do a desperation move to win the match. I have one small quibble – I don’t think the long elbow strike battle wasn’t necessary, as it didn’t add anything to the match and it went against the theme of the rest of the match which was Himeka being the stronger wrestler. But if you take that out, everything else really hit the spot with me, a hard hitting and entertaining match with two of the brightest young stars of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi
World of Stardom Championship

The match starts slow as they jockey for position, Syuri gets Nanae into the ropes and she slaps Nanae before backing off. Nanae quickly pushes Syuri into the ropes on the other side and also gives a slap as she breaks, kick by Syuri but Nanae drops her with a release German. Syuri tackles Nanae and starts on her ground game, she gets the cross armbreaker locked in but Nanae gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Nanae rolls out of the ring to re-group, she gets up on the apron and catches Syuri leg when she goes for a kick. Lariat by Nanae, she pulls Syuri’s head over the apron and dropkicks her from the floor. Nanae picks up Syuri and suplexes her on the floor, she slides Syuri back in the ring and hits a backdrop suplex. Nanae applies a facelock but releases it after a moment to apply a neck crank. She throws Syuri into the corner and chops her in the chest, snapmare by Nanae and she kicks Syuri in the back. Syuri kicks her back, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Nanae again. Nanae returns to her feet and dropkicks Syuri, she picks up Syuri but Syuri dropkicks her into the corner. Knee by Syuri and she hits a single arm suplex for two.

Kicks to the head by Syuri and she delivers a running knee, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Nanae joins her. Superplex by Nanae, and she covers Syuri for two. Backdrop suplex by Nanae, she goes to the second turnbuckle and applies a choke to Syuri. She lets go after a moment but sits on the top turnbuckle too long so Syuri boots her off of it to the floor. Syuri gets on the second turnbuckle and dives out onto Nanae with a missile dropkick. Syuri slowly sits up Nanae and kicks her in the back before dropping her with a DDT on the floor. Syuri slides Nanae back into the ring, she gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving legdrop for two. Scoop slam attempt by Syuri but Nanae slides off, Syuri goes off the ropes but Nanae catches her with a release German. Sliding D by Nanae, but Syuri barely kicks out. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle but Syuri rolls out of the way of the refrigerator bomb, running knee by Syuri but Nanae kicks out. Syuri picks up Nanae but Nanae slaps her and the two trade strikes. Spinning backfist by Syuri but Nanae punches her right in the face, sending both hurt to the mat. Nanae is up first, Falcon Arrow by Nanae but it gets two. Nanae picks up and hits a short range lariat, Syuri slowly gets up but Nanae drops her with another lariat. A third lariat by Nanae but Syuri again gets back up, elbows by Syuri and they go back and forth. Mutual headbutts, they go off the ropes but Nanae hits the lariat for a two count cover.

Nanae picks up Syuri and hits the Nana Racka, but Syuri reverses the cover into a guillotine. Nanae gets into thee ropes for the break, Syuri picks her up and kicks Nanae in the chest. More kicks by Syuri but Nanae hits the cradle back to belly piledriver, she picks up Syuri but Syuri hits a jumping knee. Nanae fires back with a lariat, but her cover gets two. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Refrigerator Bomb, but Syuri barely kicks out. Armtrap crossface by Nanae, she switches it into a double armbar but Syuri gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Scoop brainbuster by Nanae, but again Syuri kicks out of the cover. Nanae picks up Syuri but Syuri slides away and puts Nanae in a sleeper. Nanae rolls into the ropes to get a break, Syuri picks up Nanae and hits the Emerald Frosion for a two count. Syuri picks up Nanae and delivers a release German, but Nanae ends up on her feet and hits a lariat. One Second EX by Nanae, she covers Syuri but Syuri barely gets a shoulder up. Nanae headbutts Syuri repeatedly, she goes off the ropes but Syuri drills her with a head kick. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, both wrestlers slowly get up and Nanae hits a headbutt. Syuri punches Nanae in the face in return, she picks up Nanae and knees her in the midsection. Knee to the head by Syuri, she waits for Nanae to get up and kicks her in the head. Syuri gets Nanae on her shoulders before sliding her into a fireman’s carry position, Red World by Syuri and she picks up the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship.

Even though Nanae is no longer in her prime and has a lighter schedule, she can certainly still bring it when she needs to. This at times definitely felt like an old school Joshi match. Lots of strikes and suplexes, questionable selling, big moves. It was interesting that Syuri particularly at the beginning was doing more moves off the turnbuckles, which I don’t normally associate with her, but being in the main event of a Stardom PPV can bring out the “extra” in wrestlers. I will say that the nearfalls were very convincing – it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Nanae would return and win the belt, so the drama was legitimate and it kept my attention for sure. It may have been a few minutes longer than it needed to be and not everything was perfectly smooth, but the action was hard hitting and generally they were on the same page. I don’t think it was quite as entertaining as the last match, but still pretty damn good and with the drama it was a suitable main event for Stardom’s big summer show.  Recommended

The post Stardom X Stardom 2022 Nagoya MidSummer Encounter on 8/21/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League 2020, Day 6
Date: October 29th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 472

Even though this event is in the middle of the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, which I am not really paying much attention to, in many ways it is its own independent show which is why I am watching it. Stardom returns to Korakuen Hall with a lesser event than they usually have there but still with two title matches. Plus, these is one low-level match in the Tag League, just to keep the tournament going while more important things are happening. Here is the full card:

• Gokigen Death vs. Hina vs. Rina vs. Ruaka vs. Saki Kashima
• Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League: Hanan and Saya Iida vs. Mina Shirakawa and Tam Nakano
• Bea Priestley, Konami, and Natsuko Tora vs. Momo Watanabe, Utami Hayashishita, and Riho
• Future Of Stardom Championship: Maika vs. Saya Kamitani
• Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid vs. Natsupoi and Syuri
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Giulia vs. Himeka

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

Gokigen Death vs. Hina vs. Rina vs. Ruaka vs. Saki Kashima

Saki leaves the ring before the match starts as Hina is triple teamed, they try to do the pose spot with Death on Hina’s back but it takes Death three tries to do it right. I’d like to say she was just “clowning around” but sadly I think it was a legitimate issue. Anyway, Saki trips Death and Ruaka from the floor and gets back in the ring, just to dropkick Hina. Saki and Rina dropkick Hina and choke her against the rope, double Irish whip to Hina but she avoids both her opponents and Ruaka hits a crossbody on Saki and Rina. Ruaka and Hina get into it, shoulderblock by Ruaka but Death breaks up the count. Death grabs Ruaka’s arm and goes up top, she walks the ropes before hitting an awkward armdrag. Ruaka knocks Death to the mat and boots her in the head, cover by Ruaka and it gets two. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Ruaka, but Saki breaks it up. Hina and Rina return and hit a double STO on Saki followed by a double vertical suplex. Cover by Hina, but Rina breaks it up. They take turns trying to cover Saki with the other breaking it up, Rina picks up Hina and the two trade elbows. Judo toss by Hina, she picks up Rina and applies a cover for two. Hina and Rina trade waistlocks, Ruaka and Death come in but Saki hits a face crusher on both of them. Saki kicks Hina, schoolboy by Rina and she gets the three count! Rina wins!

I was hoping that Saki would just stay outside the ring and refuse to participate in the match but sadly did not get what I want. I also thought Samurai TV! may clip it, but they didn’t, so I was 0 for 2. Pretty harmless action but still with many awkward spots, mostly revolving around Death. I’m not sure the target audience for these types of matches, its not offensive but there isn’t really a reason to watch it either as its clunky and has limited entertainment value.

Hanan and Saya Iida vs. Mina Shirakawa and Tam Nakano

Hanan and Saya attack their opponents from behind before the match starts, they focus on Tam as they tie her in the ropes and double team her. Body press by Hanan to Tam, but it only gets two. Hanan starts on Tam’s leg and puts her in a Figure Four, but Tam quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Hanan kicks Tam in the leg and tags Saya, who continues on the leg work. Mina runs in to break up a submission but Hanan elbows her to the floor, Saya goes off the ropes and she hits a back elbow on Tam for two. Tam fights back and dropkicks Saya, Hanan comes in but Tam catches her with a cutter and makes the hot tag to Mina. Mina hits a lariat on both opponents and she puts Saya in the Romero Special, she lets go after a moment and stomps on Saya’s back. They return to their feet and trade strikes, a battle that Saya wins and she tags in Hanan.

Dropkicks by Hanan to Mina, she picks her up but Mina blocks the slam attempt. Hanan goes off the ropes but Mina hits a Lou Thesz Press, she tags in Tam and Tam kicks Hanan in the midsection. Judo toss by Hanan and she hits a STO, kick to the arm by Hanan and she goes for the cross armbreaker. Tam wiggles to the ropes to get the break, Hanan goes for a slam but Tam blocks it. Saya hits a missile dropkick on Tam while Hanan goes up top and hits a diving crossbody. Bridging fallaway slam by Hanan, but Mina breaks up the cover. Hanan goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a backdrop suplex, head kick by Tam and she covers Hanan for two. Tam picks up Hanan but Hanan blocks the suplex and cradles Tam for two. Back up, elbows by Hanan and she goes off the ropes, but Tam drills her with a spinning heel kick. Mina comes in and sets up Hanan, and both connect with strikes. Tam goes off the ropes and delivers the Violet Shooting (sliding knee), and she picks up the three count! Mina Shirakawa and Tam Nakano win the match and pick up two points in the tournament.

This was a perfectly acceptable, although not overly exciting, tag team match. The layout was a little all over the place, with the limb work switching limbs for no reason, but its hard to nitpick that kind of thing with the second match on the card. Hanan seems to have shaken off any ring rust she had and actually looks pretty solid, I know normally I trash the child wrestlers but I think she has a lot of potential if she sticks with it. Tam felt “too good” to be in this match but those are the breaks sometimes. For lower card entertainment, a decent little match.

Bea Priestley, Konami, and Natsuko Tora vs. Momo Watanabe, Utami Hayashishita, and Riho

Queen’s Quest attacks before the bell rings as the action spills out to the floor, Oedo Tai takes over control however as Natsuko gets back in the ring with Momo. Natsuko mushes Momo in the corner before picking her up and tagging in Konami. Momo is triple teamed in the corner as Bea is tagged, scoop slam by Bea to Momo but Momo kicks out of the cocky cover. Natsuko returns as she bootscrapes Momo against the ropes, Momo avoids Bea’s next strike but Bea kicks her in the head. Bea jumps up to the top turnbuckle but Momo catches her with a side slam for a two count. Momo goes for the crossface chickenwing but Natsuko quickly breaks it up, Utami runs in too and drops Bea with an Argentine Slam. Riho helps as well before Momo picks up Bea and nails the Tequila Sunrise, but Saki Kashima pulls the referee out of the ring. Meanwhile, Bea hits a jumping knee on Momo and Natsuko hits Momo with her chain. Natsuko hangs Momo over the top turnbuckle with the chain for a moment before pulling her back into the ring, Bea gets Momo up for the Queen’s Landing and nails it, but the referee sees the chain around Momo’s neck and instead of counting he calls for the DQ. Your winner by the referee suddenly learning how to notice things is Queen’s Quest!

The issue here isn’t that they found a ‘way out’ of having someone take a pin in a meaningless midcard tag, but how they did it. Stardom referees are like referees in every promotion – they aren’t the smartest bunch. This reminded me of WWF back in in the day briefly having a “smart” referee that noticed things, and the idea failed as it just led to annoying inconsistencies match to match. Natsuko uses her chain a lot, and the referee has seen her use it before and didn’t DQ her. But here the referee didn’t even see it being used, just saw it on Momo and called for the bell. Its not lazy, as they could have had the referee just see her hanging Momo and DQ her there, its just poorly thought out. Anyway, the match was too short (and slightly clipped) to get excited about so I decided to just discuss the ending for a paragraph, which obviously I didn’t like.

(c) Maika vs. Saya Kamitani
Future of Stardom Championship

They immediately get into it as they trade elbows, dropkick by Saya and Maika falls out of the ring. Saya charges the ropes before slingshotting to the apron and hitting a moonsault down to the floor. Saya picks up Maika but Maika catches her with a scoop slam on the floor. Maika slides Saya back in and stands on her back, Maika flings Saya around the ring before hitting a STO for a two count cover. Maika throws Saya into the corner but Saya avoids her charge, Maika rolls Saya to the mat and puts her in a Camel Clutch. Saya gets to the ropes to force the break, Maika picks her up and goes off the ropes but Saya does a double backflip and dropkicks Maika to the mat. Jumping knee by Saya in the corner and she delivers another dropkick for a two count. Crab hold by Saya but Maika gets to the ropes, Saya picks up Maika but Maika elbows her in the chest. They trade elbow strikes until Maika smashes Saya to the mat, Maika gets Saya back up but Saya slaps her.

Pump Kick by Saya and they trade boots, hard elbows by Saya but Maika knocks her over with a lariat. Saya quickly returns to her feet and delivers a pump kick, and both wrestlers end up down on the mat. Saya elbows Maika before she can get back up but Maika catches her with a till-a-whirl backbreaker. STO by Maika, but Saya kicks out of the cover. Maika picks up Saya and gets her on her shoulders, but Saya slides away. Jumping heel kick by Saya, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Running Shooting Star Press by Saya, but Maika gets a shoulder up. Saya picks up Maika and hits the Fisherman Driver, but Maika gets a shoulder up on the cover. Saya goes to the top turnbuckle but Maika recovers and joins her, hitting a superplex back to the mat. Maika quickly picks up Saya and hits another suplex, getting a two count cover. Maika spins Saya up on her shoulders but Saya cradles her for two, Maika levels Saya with a lariat and finally hits the Enka Otoshi for the three count! Maika wins and retains the championship.

What these two lack in experience (and it does show sometimes) they make up for by presenting something different and entertaining even if it is sometimes a little rough around the edges. Everything Stardom does is so smooth its almost refreshing to have Saya Kamitani, who has more of a kamikaze style where not everything she does is crisp yet but she always goes out to entertain and amuse. Maika has really improved her offense in the last few months and everything she does is so tight, even if her finishing move probably is too convoluted for its own good. They both fought with a lot of passion and fire, with their strike exchanges being really good, and both hitting bigger and bigger moves to one-up the other was fun to watch. This is a fitting title for them to be battling over – neither are ready for the White or Red belt but they are close and will get there if they continue to improve. An entertaining match, looking forward to seeing these two continue to get better and better.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid vs. Natsupoi and Syuri

Unlike the other tag matches on this event, this one started civilly. Mayu and Syuri begin for their teams, Syuri gets Mayu into the ropes but she gives a clean break. They trade wristlocks but end up in a stalemate, and both wrestlers tag out. Natsupoi and Starlight Kid go into a quicker exchange as they bounce off the ropes and trade armdrags, Starlight Kid wins the duel with a dropkick and Mayu comes into the ring to help. Double dropkick to Natsupoi and Starlight Kid hits a footstomp for a two count. Starlight Kid tags Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she kicks Syuri off the apron. Mayu cradles Natsupoi to the mat and delivers a sliding kick, but Syuri comes in to try to help. She doesn’t, as Mayu hits a double springboard armdrag on them, then with Starlight Kid they hit a double 619. Starlight Kid and Mayu both hit standing moonsaults on their respective opponents, Mayu picks up Natsupoi and applies a double wrist-clutch armsault for a two count. Mayu goes off the ropes but Natsupoi catches her with a superkick, giving her time to tag Syuri. Syuri kicks Mayu into the corner and hits a running knee, DDT by Syuri and she covers Mayu for two. Back up they trade elbows, kicks by Syuri but Mayu kicks her in the midsection. A head kick sends them both to the mat, they get back up and Syuri hits a release German. Mayu fires back with the Dodonpa, she gets back up first and superkicks Syuri before tagging in Starlight Kid.

Starlight Kid goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Syuri, Irish whip by Starlight Kid and she hits a spinning headscissors. She charges Syuri in the corner but Syuri moves, another tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Syuri for a two count. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Natsupoi cuts her off with a dropkick, double arm suplex by Syuri and she slams Natsupoi onto Starlight Kid. Syuri and Natsupoi both kick Starlight Kid before Syuri hits a PK, but Mayu breaks up the cover. Syuri picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides away, superkick by Mayu to Syuri and Starlight Kid delivers a satellite DDT. Cross-legged suplex hold by Starlight Kid, but Syuri barely gets a shoulder up. Backstabber by Starlight Kid, Mayu then comes off the top with a double footstomp to Syuri. Swivel Body Press by Starlight Kid, but Natsupoi breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid picks up Syuri and goes for Ki-chan Bomb, but Natsupoi dropkicks her to break it up. Running knee by Syuri, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Syuri puts Starlight Kid in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Mayu breaks it up. Natsupoi comes in and takes care of Mayu, Syuri picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid gets away and they trade flash pins. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Syuri kicks her in the head, Syuri puts Starlight Kid in the Seiryu and Starlight Kid submits! Syuri and Natsupoi are the winners.

This was clipped on the Samurai TV broadcast, which shows the level of importance this match was, but I still enjoyed it. We need to now stop talking about Starlight Kid as “getting better” and being “almost ready” and switch to “she’s great” and “she’s ready.” She didn’t seem out of place at all when in the ring with more experienced wrestlers and still managed to shine, and its fun to see Mayu doing Starlight Kid’s spots with her as it shows she isn’t just a sidekick. Natsupoi didn’t get a chance to do much as she wasn’t the focus of the match (at least the portion we saw) but everything she did looked fine. Its hard to really get into a flow with parts of the matches clipped but the teams worked together well so they came across as real partners and not thrown together singles wrestlers, which I always appreciate. A pretty insignificant match to be one spot from the top, but still solid action. Mildly Recommended

(c) Giulia vs. Himeka
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Himeka attacks Giulia right at the start, lariats by Himeka and she goes for the running powerbomb, but Giulia punches out of it. Himeka goes off the ropes but Giulia ducks the lariat, Giulia grabs Himeka by the hair but Himeka spins away. Armdrag by Giulia and she hits a dropkick, big boot by Giulia and Himeka falls out of the ring to the floor. Giulia goes out after her, Himeka tries to hit a lariat but hits the ring post by mistake. Giulia rams Himeka’s arm into the post before throwing her into the railing, Giulia eventually slides Himeka back into the ring and continues working on her arm. Giulia puts Himeka in a cross-legged chinlock, curb stomp by Giulia and she covers Himeka for two. Irish whip by Giulia but Himeka reverses it, she charges in but Giulia moves out of the way. Big boot by Giulia and she hits a neckbreaker, cover by Giulia but it gets two. Himeka catches Giulia with a chokebomb to regain the advantage, crab hold by Himeka but Giulia gets to the ropes for the break. Himeka goes off the ropes and hits a knee to the back, backbreaker by Himeka and she covers Giulia for a two count.

Himeka gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia slides off, Giulia puts Himeka in an armbar that I can’t fully describe but Himeka gets to the ropes. Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to the back of Himeka’s head, Giulia scrapes Himeka’s face but Himeka fires back with a lariat. Himeka picks up Giulia and the two trade elbows, Giulia elbows Himeka to her knees and goes off the ropes, but Himeka catches her with a lariat. While on their knees they trade slaps, headbutt by Giulia and both wrestlers end up back on the mat. Himeka hits a big knee once they get up but Giulia delivers a big boot for a two count. Giulia goes for a backdrop suplex but Himeka blocks it, boot by Giulia and she hits a Michinoku Driver for two. Giulia goes up top but Himeka recovers and joins her, Himeka goes for a powerbomb but Giulia blocks it. Giulia gets Himeka’s back while still on the top turnbuckle and applies an armbar, but Himeka has none of that and hits an avalanche Samoan Drop. Cover by Himeka, but it gets a two count.

Himeka picks up Giulia and gets her on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, she slams Giulia to the mat from the hold but Giulia gets a shoulder up on the cover. Himeka picks up Giulia and nails a folding powerbomb, but Giulia reverses the cover into an attempted triangle choke. Himeka tries to powerbomb out of it but Giulia keeps a hold on the arm and puts Himeka in the Stealth Viper. Himeka is too close to the ropes and makes it there for the break, Giulia picks up Himeka but Himeka blocks whichever Glorious Driver she wanted to do and hits a backdrop suplex. Sliding lariat by Himeka, she picks up Giulia and goes for the running powerbomb, but Himeka hurricanranas out of it for two. Running kick by Giulia but Himeka fires back with a lariat, she picks up Giulia but Giulia slides behind her and hits a Release German. Himeka gets back up but Giulia boots her in the face, shining kick by Giulia and she hits a backdrop suplex for two. Giulia drags up Himeka and nails the Glorious Driver II, and she gets the three count! Giulia wins and retains the championship.

A pretty great match between two young and hungry wrestlers. Himeka may be new to Stardom but she is legit, she’s put a lot of effort into improving since joining the promotion and it shows. She was able to hang with Giulia without any issues and they really did feel like equals, even though in the hierarchy Giulia is slotted a spot or two higher on a normal day. Everything they hit was on point and there were more snug strikes than I could count, both clearly are comfortable enough with each other to lay it on. The ending felt perfect, with Himeka’s final wind immediately being greeted by a boot to the face and Giulia hitting a good string of moves to keep Himeka down. I really have nothing bad to say about the match, it was exciting from bell to bell with no obvious flaws or down points. Definitely worth tracking down.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League on 10/29/20 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 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 Goddess Of Stars 2019
Date: December 14th, 2019
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 365

While in the ideal world I’d like to catch up on all the Stardom I have missed, realistically that isn’t going to happen. So since I didn’t want to miss out on Hazuki’s last run before retiring, we will pick up at their big show from a few weeks ago, which was part of the Stardom Goddess of Stars tour. This is a pretty full card for a non-Korakuen Hall show, with seven matches and three singles matches. Plus, the main event brings us a tag title challenge, with Riho returning to Stardom to team with the young Starlight Kid. Here is the full card:

• Rina, Hina, and Ruaka vs. Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino
• AZM, Bea Priestley, Leo Onozaki, and Momo Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Martina, Natsuko Tora, and Natsu Sumire
• Giulia vs. Saki Kashima
• Andras Miyagi vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, and Tam Nakano vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas
• Hazuki vs. Kagetsu
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Riho and Starlight Kid

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

Rina, Hina, and Ruaka vs. Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino

Ruaka and Itsuki start the match, elbows by Itsuki but Ruaka shoulderblocks her to the mat. She tags in Rina, Rina tosses Itsuki down by the hair a few times and stomps her in the corner. Hina is tagged in, scoop slam by Hina and she hits mounted elbows on Itsuki. Iida tries to help but Hina drop toeholds her onto Itsuki, the same happens to Kamitani before Hina jumps on top of the pile. We get back to just one vs. one as Hina trades elbows with Itsuki, Itsuki goes off the ropes but Hina hits a judo toss for two. Hina goes for a scoop slam but Itsuki reverses it into a small package, dropkick by Itsuki and she tags in Iida. Chops by Iida in the corner, Ruaka and Rina both come in to help but Iida throws Rina into Ruaka and then dropkicks Ruaka out of the ring. Iida clubs Hina to the mat, cover by Iida but it gets two. Iida goes off the ropes but Hina catches her with a judo toss and tags in Rina. Iida dropkicks Rina and tags Kamitani, dropkick by Kamitani and she puts Rina in the Muta Lock. She lets go after a moment and applies a single leg crab hold, but Hina breaks it up. Ruaka and Iida both run in but are taken care of, Rina goes to Kamitani but Kamitani connects with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Kamitani and she covers Rina for two. Scoop slam attempt by Kamitani but Rina blocks it and tosses Kamitani to the mat. STO by Rina, and she covers Kamitani for two. Ruaka returns as Kamitani is thrown into the corner, dropkick by Rina and Ruaka boots Kamitani in the chest. Cover by Rina, but it gets a two count. Rina picks up Kamitani and applies a modified Octopus Hold, but Iida breaks it up. Rina and company are all hit with dropkicks, handstand into a kneedrop by Kamitani to Rina and she nails the running Shooting Star Press for the three count! Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino are the winners.

I wouldn’t consider this the smoothest match as there were some miscommunications and awkward moments, that’s one of the common issues when you have a rookie match without a veteran in it to tie things together. Some of the wrestlers looked ok (for rookies/children anyway) and its hard to complain too much about a six minute match, but probably not a match structure that put them in the best position to excel. Not actively bad, just rough around the edges.

AZM, Priestley, Onozaki, and Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Martina, Tora, and Sumire

Oedo Tai attacks before the bell rings as why wouldn’t they, Natsu ends up alone with Leo in the ring while everyone else battles outside of it. Natsu applies a front necklock while Oedo Tai controls the action in the crowd, scoop slam by Natsu and she puts Leo in a stretch hold. AZM runs in and breaks it up, Natsuko and Jamie toss AZM out of the ring as Martina comes in as the legal wrestler. Sidewalk Slam by Martina, but AZM breaks up the cover and tries to get Leo back to her corner. She gets cut off, Martina tags in Natsu and Natsu stomps on Leo’s back. Leo fights back with elbows and they trade shots, Natsu gets the better of it and throws Leo into the corner. Bronco Buster by Natsu, Martina comes in the ring but AZM cuts her off with a dropkick. AZM kicks Natsu in the head but again gets stopped from getting Leo back to her corner, Natsuko sets up Leo in the ropes and all of Oedo Tai pose around her. Jamie is tagged in, scoop slam by Jamie and she covers Leo for two. Jamie picks up Leo but Leo elbows her, more elbows by Leo and Bea runs in with an elbow to Jamie as well. Leo finally makes it to her corner and tags in Bea, Martina tries to help but AZM also comes in and and she drops both Jamie and Martina. Double dropkick by Bea and she nails Jamie with a running knee for a two count cover. Bea tags in Momo, Momo goes for a suplex but Jamie blocks it. Momo gets Jamie’s back but Jamie reverses position and hits a side slam onto her knee.

She tags Natsuko, spear by Natsuko to Momo and she delivers a spinning backfist. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the head, another head kick by Martina and she goes for the cover, but moves when Natsu runs in to try to interrupt it. Martina also tries to help but fails, Natsuko runs in but she lariats Natsuko by accident. Running kick by Momo to Natsuko, she tags in Leo and Leo hits a jumping elbow in the corner followed by a cutter. A second cutter by Leo and she covers Natsuko for a two count. Elbows by Leo but Natsuko grabs her from behind and stomps on her. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Bea catches her with a jumping knee, Somato by Momo to Natsuko before Leo covers her, but the pin is broken up. Leo tries to throw Natsuko in the corner but Natsuko reverses it, stomp by Leo and she hits a scoop slam for two. Leo picks up Natsuko and the two trade elbows, Leo elbows Natsuko into the corner but Natsuko avoids her charge and the rest of Oedo Tai all run into elbow her in the corner. Boot by Natsu before Martina hits a Codebreaker on Leo, Samoan Drop by Natsuko but Momo breaks up the cover. Natsuko picks up Leo but Leo reverses the slam attempt into a small package for two. Leo goes off the ropes but Natsuko connects with an elbow, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Natsuko and she goes up top, nailing the diving body press. Cover, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins the match.

Reddit will get mad at me but the main person holding this match back was Leo. Leo was part of the only real mistake of the match and a few smaller miscommunications, she is just a step behind everyone else in the match. Plus, slow beatdowns of rookies/young wrestlers isn’t incredibly entertaining and that was the bulk of the match. When the other wrestlers were the focus the match was pretty fun, and Bea looked great, but some wrestlers got to do virtually nothing just due to the time length and the structure of the match. Some good offense here and there, but overall it was lacking intrigue and cohesion.

Giulia vs. Saki Kashima

Giulia offers her hand to Saki for a nice handshake, but attacks her instead as they get right to it. Giulia goes for the Glorious Buster but Saki slides out of it, and the two reach an early stalemate. They go into a knucklelock and trade wristlocks, Giulia gets Saki to the mat and applies a crossface which she switches to a headlock when Saki retains her footing. Saki reverses that into a headscissors but Giulia quickly gets out of it, Saki returns to her feet and elbows Giulia against the ropes. Giulia returns fire as they trade blows, Saki throws down Giulia by the hair and goes off the ropes, booting Giulia in the head. Saki goes off the ropes again but this time Giulia catches her with a face crusher, Giulia picks up Saki and throws her into the corner. Giulia knees Saki before dragging her back to her feet, snapmare by Giulia and she applies a reverse chinlock, but Saki wiggles to the ropes for the break.

Giulia throws Saki into the corner but Saki jumps up on the turnbuckle and hits a flying headscissors, boot by Saki and she covers Giulia for two. Saki picks up Giulia and they trade elbows, big boot by Giulia but Saki comes back with a boot of her own and covers Giulia for a two count. Double underhook by Saki but Giulia back bodydrops out of it, both go for quick cradles on the mat but have no luck. Giulia catches Saki’s leg and quickly puts her in the STF, however Saki gets to the ropes for a break. Giulia goes for an elbow but Saki avoids it and delivers a double underhook facebuster for two. Both wrestlers go for their finishers but their opponent slides away, Giulia trips Saki and puts her back in the STF. Saki manages to get a hand on the ropes to get the break, Giulia goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the missile dropkick but Saki reverses her cover into one of her own for two. Giulia is up first and boots Saki, vertical suplex slam by Giulia but Saki barely kicks out of the cover. Giulia picks up Saki and delivers the Glorious Buster, and she picks up the three count! Giulia wins the match.

While I am happy to see Giulia again and this match was fundamentally solid, it had its sloppy moments and took some time to get going. I’m fine with matches starting slow and on the mat, but in a shorter match it just didn’t leave them a lot of time left once things heated up. The last few minutes were good but even then there were a few spots that didn’t look as smooth as would be ideal. It may take some time for Giulia to get chemistry with the Stardom wrestlers, but the effort was clear and Giulia looked strong so that’s a plus. Some potential for sure, just needs some smoothing out.

Andras Miyagi vs. Utami Hayashishita

They lock knuckles to start, Utami applies a wristlock but Andras reverses it. They end up on the mat as Andras applies a kneelock, but Utami kicks her off and they return to their feet. They tie-up, Utami pushes Andras into the ropes but Andras reverses positions with her before hitting a hard elbow. Utami throws Andras to the mat but Andras hits an armdrag, short armbar by Andras into a cross armbreaker but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Andras kicks Utami and goes back to the arm as she twists it on the mat before stomping on it. Andras kicks at Utami, she picks her up and throws her into the corner, but Utami avoids her charge. Dropkick by Utami, she grabs Andras by the waist but Andras gets away and puts Utami in a modified armbar. Utami gets out of it, they trade waistlocks until Utami puts Andras in a sleeper. Andras slides out of it but Utami re-applies the hold, she takes Andras to the mat while maintaining the sleeper until Andras seems pretty out of it. Utami picks up Andras and nails a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins the match.

So this match just screamed “house show mid-card time filler.” I think Utami only had three successful moves in the match total as most of it was arm work by Andras. And the arm work was done well but in this short of a match there was just no payoff, as she ended up not really hitting a single move of note either. Also, Utami using a “put someone to sleep, then hit a suplex to win” tactic is bizarre since in theory if you put your opponent to sleep you win the match anyway without the extra effort. Pretty much a nothing match, not offensive but not necessary either.

Arisa Hoshiki, Iwatani, and Nakano vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas

Tam and Yama-san start the match, Yama-san does her wacky bit until Tam kicks her in the back. Armdrag by Yama-san and she trips Tam, but Tam bridges out of the pin and hits a neckbreaker. Mayu and Arisa come in and they triple team Yama-san, ending with a triple dropkick. Cartwheel kneedrop by Tam, and she covers Yama-san for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hana kicks her from the apron, Yama-san tags in Hana and they both boot Tam. Hana kicks Tam into the corner before tagging in Zoe, Zoe chokes Tam in the corner before stretching her in the ropes. Zoe tags Yama-san, Yama-san throws Tam into the corner but Tam avoids her charge and hits an elbow. Backdrop attempt by Tam but Yama-san blocks it and hits a suplex of her own, she goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a backdrop suplex and makes the tag to Mayu. Irish whip by Mayu, she rolls Yama-san to the mat before kicking her in the face. Yama-san thrusts Mayu in the neck and applies a stretch hold, but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break. Yama-san tags Hana, Hana charges Mayu and boots her in the side of the head. She hits another boot, cover by Hana but Mayu kicks out.

Hana picks up Mayu but Mayu kicks her in the stomach, Mayu goes off the ropes but Hana plants her with a dropkick. Hana goes for a vertical suplex but Mayu blocks it and applies a front necklock, Hana muscles out of the hold and eventually hits her vertical suplex for a two count. Hana goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, both wrestlers roll to their corners as Arisa and Zoe are tagged in. Kicks by Zoe, she goes off the ropes and slams Arisa’s head into the mat for a two count cover. Zoe picks up Arisa and hits a series of elbows, Arisa fires back with a kick as Tam arrives and they both hit Zoe with running strikes. Another kick to the head by Arisa, but the cover is broken up. Arisa picks up Zoe but Zoe ducks the Brazilian Kick as her teammates both run in to help. Split Legdrop by Zoe, but Arisa gets a shoulder up on the cover. Zoe goes off the ropes and delivers a Scissors Kick, but her pin attempt is broken up. Mayu and Tam stay in to take care of Hana and Yama-san, Mayu superkicks Zoe and Arisa nails a jumping knee. Brazilian Kick by Arisa, and she covers Zoe for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, and Tam Nakano are the winners.

This match was perfectly fine but nothing special. Its a bit disappointing to see wrestlers like Mayu, Arisa, and Hana in a meaningless eight minute midcard match, but its a combination of this being a small show and Stardom simply being stacked right now so sometimes wrestlers aren’t in the ideal position. I’m not a big fan of Kaori Yoneyama’s shtick, at least not this high on the card, its more a comedy match or opening match gimmick than anything I could take seriously against the promotion’s top wrestlers. A decent enough match for what it was, but utterly forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

Hazuki vs. Kagetsu

The match starts slow as they feel each other out, they trade holds on the mat but eventually reach a stalemate. Back up, Kagetsu takes Hazuki down and gets in the mount, she goes for a choke but Hazuki blocks it and switches into the dominate position. Kagetsu gets back in control with a front necklock, she twists Hazuki into a submission hold but Hazuki gets into the ropes for the break. Kagetsu kicks Hazuki in the chest repeatedly and goes off the ropes, but Hazuki catches her with a dropkick. Hazuki boots Kagetsu while she is against the ropes before connecting with a facewash, sending Kagetsu out of the ring. Hazuki goes off the ropes and sails out with a tope suicida, but Kagetsu moves and Hazuki lands on the rest of Oedo Tai instead. Kagetsu quickly returns to the ring and does a dive of her own, but Hazuki moves this time and again the rest of Oedo Tai takes the brunt of the assault. Hazuki gets another running start and this time lands on Kagetsu when she dives out of the ring (along with everyone else in Oedo Tai again), Hazuki rolls Kagetsu back in but immediately tosses her back out and throws Kagetsu into the chairs at ringside. Hazuki hits Kagetsu with chairs as she walks her around the crowd, they finally return to the ring and Hazuki hits a swandive missile dropkick to Kagetsu’s back. Running boot by Hazuki, she drapes Kagetsu over the second rope and twists on her neck before hitting a full nelson slam onto her knee for a two count. Modified armtrap crossface by Hazuki but Kagetsu gets to the ropes, Hazuki quickly picks her up and slams her in front of the corner. Hazuki goes up top but Kagetsu avoids the senton and delivers a running knee, leaving both hurt on the mat. Kagetsu recovers first and picks up Hazuki, Hazuki elbows her but Kagetsu returns fire and they trade blows.

Kagetsu wins the battle as she elbows Hazuki to the mat, she drags her up but Hazuki elbows her again as the exchange continues. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Kagetsu ducks an elbow and delivers a strike combination, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she covers Hazuki for two. Kagetsu picks up Hazuki and hits the chokeslam, but again Hazuki kicks out of the cover. Kagetsu quickly puts Hazuki in a keylock but Hazuki rolls to the ropes to force the break. Kagetsu positions Hazuki and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Hazuki recovers before she can jump off and boots her. Hazuki suplexes Kagetsu back into the ring, she sets her up in the corner and delivers a Codebreaker. Hazuki puts Kagetsu on the top turnbuckle and hits another Codebreaker, she goes up top herself this time and nails the diving senton for a two count. Hazuki drags Kagetsu to her feet and drops her with a brainbuster, she puts Kagetsu in the armtrap crossface, she switches it to the Rings of Saturn but Kagetsu gets a foot on the ropes for a break. Hazuki picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the suplex attempt and throws Hazuki into the referee. Blue Mist by Kagetsu while the referee isn’t looking, she hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner before nailing the Oedo Coaster. She picks up Hazuki and tries to put her on her shoulders, but Hazuki slides off her back and applies La Magistral for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her in the head, Death Valley Bomb by Kagetsu and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu wins!

I wish this match had been Hazuki’s retirement match, it would have been a much more fitting end to her career. Even though these two don’t wrestle against each other often, they still have great chemistry from being partners and from training, as this was a pretty flawlessly executed match. They started slow but they slowly ramped up the offense, and even when Hazuki took over with her bigger moves she still went for submissions as well so it wasn’t just non-stop bombs with little meaning. Hazuki’s offense is unique and fun to watch, and as everyone knows I am a mark for the mist so Kagetsu is always entertaining as far as I am concerned. A great match that really flew by and Kagetsu winning in part due to Oedo Tai tactics fit in well, one of the better singles matches of Hazuki’s short career.  Highly Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Riho and Starlight Kid
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kyona starts the match against Starlight Kid, and she immediately knocks the smaller wrestler to the mat. Starlight Kid quickly gets back up and they trade elbows, Kyona delivers a series of hard elbows but Starlight Kid stays up and slaps Kyona in the face. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, Kyona initially blocks it but Starlight Kid completes the move anyway and hits a dropkick. Riho comes in and they double team Kyona, ending with a double knee to the back and a double dropkick. Footstomp by Starlight Kid, and she covers Kyona for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Kyona delivers a dropkick, sending Starlight Kid out of the ring. Konami quickly runs in and hits a baseball slide on both Starlight Kid and Riho before Kyona goes to the ropes and does a pescado down onto both of them. Kyona slides Starlight Kid back in and kicks her into the ropes, Konami grabs Starlight Kid from the apron and applies an armbar over the top rope. Kyona tags in Konami, Konami stomps on Starlight Kid before snapmaring her to the mat and kicking her in the back. Kyona returns as legal, she picks up Starlight Kid and applies a backbreaker. Gutbuster by Kyona and she puts Starlight Kid in a single leg crab hold, but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes for the break. Kyona tags Konami, Starlight Kid recovers and elbows Konami before hitting a rebound crossbody off the ropes. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, she crawls to her corner and makes the hot tag to Riho. Riho boots Konami and Kyona, she hits a jumping crossbody on Konami but Konami rolls through it. Riho quickly kicks out of the corner and hits a dropkick, armtrap crossface by Riho but Kyona breaks it up. Riho picks up Konami but Konami hits an enzuigiri before tagging in Kyona.

Body Avalanche by Kyona to Riho and she dropkicks her against the ropes, sliding lariat by Kyona and she goes for a powerbomb, but Starlight Kid breaks it up. Kyona hits a double suplex on both of them, Kyona picks up Riho for a powerbomb while Konami goes to the top turnbuckle, but Starlight Kid grabs Konami from the apron. Riho gets out of the powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana, but she only gets a two. Lariat by Kyona to Riho but Riho comes back with a jumping knee, cover by Riho but again she gets a two count. Riho goes up top but Kyona recovers and joins her, they struggle for position until Riho knocks Kyona into a Tree of Woe position. Double kneedrop by Riho, she goes off the ropes and goes for the Somato, but Kyona moves out of the way and delivers a lariat. Riho tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid prevents Kyona from tagging out before hitting her with a jumping lariat. Tiger Feint Kick attempt by Starlight Kid but Kyona blocks it, Starlight Kid cradles Kyona but it gets a two. Cartwheel powerbomb by Starlight Kid, she picks up Kyona and goes for a crossbody, but Kyona catches her and hits a backbreaker. Kyona tags Konami, sliding kick by Konami to Starlight Kid and she hits a vertical suplex for two. Konami goes for a cross armbreaker, Starlight Kid gets out of it so Konami applies a double armbar instead. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes to force the break, Konami picks her up but Starlight Kid blocks the suplex attempt and Riho runs in with a jumping knee to Kyona.

Capture Suplex Hold by Starlight Kid, but Konami gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Swivel Body Press, but Kyona breaks up the cover. Kyona stays in and elbows Starlight Kid, she swings her around in the sleeper giant swing before letting to so that Konami can put her in the Triangle Lancer. Riho breaks up the hold, Riho and Starlight Kid go off the ropes and both hit spinning headscissors on their opponents. Kyona and Konami fall out of the ring, Starlight Kid and Riho go to opposite corners and dive out of the ring onto them with planchas. Starlight Kid and Konami return to the ring, Konami pushes Starlight Kid off but Starlight Kid blocks the Triangle Lancer and the two trade flash pins. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and jumps on Konami’s back, but Kyona runs in and lariats her. Sliding lariat attempt by Kyona but she hits Konami by accident, jumping knee by Riho to Konami and Starlight Kid dropkicks Konami in the knee. Somato to the back of the head by Riho, Starlight Kid delivers the Yoshi Tonic to Konami but Kyona breaks up the pin attempt. Starlight Kid positions Konami and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Kyona grabs her before she can do the moonsault. She holds up Starlight Kid so that Konami can deliver a dropkick as she plants Starlight Kid with a powerbomb, Buzzsaw Kick by Konami but Starlight Kid grabs the bottom rope to break the pin. Konami grabs Starlight Kid and hits a bridging capture suplex, but Riho breaks it up. Kyona takes care of Riho while Konami puts Starlight Kid in the Final Lancer, and Starlight Kid has no choice but to submit! Jungle Kyona and Konami win and retain the championships.

With all the retirements going on, the one that will probably annoy me the most is Starlight Kid’s inevitable exit from wrestling. From all accounts, whoever is under the mask is a very intelligent woman who prioritizes her education over wrestling (or has up to this point), which is great for her but bad for us as she is really really good at wrestling. Everyone in this match is quality but Starlight Kid still managed to jump out of the screen and leave a lasting impression, as she is different from everyone else in Stardom and continues to improve each time I see her. This match is classic Joshi Chaos, with something always happening and not a ton of long term selling. As long as you enjoy Joshi Chaos, which I do, you’ll really enjoy this match. They kept Starlight Kid the focus since Riho is only a part-timer, with the story being if she could finally get a big pinfall over one of her seniors. She couldn’t, but not due to lack of trying as she really met the challenge. Konami and Kyona both seemed fired up as well and everything clicked, for all the action they squeezed into a 16 minute match it never felt out of sync or forced. A fantastic main event, and the last two matches really saved this show from being utterly forgettable.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Goddess Of Stars 2019 on 12/14/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “World Big Summer In Tokyo”
Date: July 24th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 810

We are back to Stardom, as my quest to not miss any of the Korakuen Hall events in 2019 continues even if I am four months behind. I should be caught up by the end of the year. Stardom “World Big Summer In Tokyo” is Stardom’s marquee summer event and we have three titles on the line, including their top two singles titles. Here is the full card:

• Hina and Leo Onozaki vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire vs. Rina and Ruaka
• Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hazuki
• World Of Stardom Championship: Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe

I am watching the Samurai TV version of the show so some matches may be clipped. All the wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Hina and Leo Onozaki vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire vs. Rina and Ruaka

The match starts with all six brawling in the ring, Ruaka and Hina work together to get the early advantage but Natsuko slams them both into the corner and Natsu runs in with a Bronco Buster. Natsu picks up Hina and slams her in front of the corner, Ruaka is then stacked on top of her and Natsuko hits a diving bodypress on both of them for a two count. They go to Ruaka but Ruaka elbows them both back, double crossbody by Ruaka and she tags in Rina. Dropkick by Rina, Hina runs in and she hits a judo toss on her sister before tagging in Leo. Octopus Hold by Rina to Leo and she cradles her for a two count. Rina goes for a STO but Leo blocks it, Ruaka boots Leo in the chest and Rina covers her for two. Natsu comes in with her whip and hits everyone with it, Natsuko comes in too and she hits a legdrop on Leo for two. Rina and Ruaka come in and double team Leo, but Leo ducks Ruaka’s crossbody. Cutter by Leo to Rina, and she applies La Magistral for the three count! Leo Onozaki and Hina are the winners!

Not a whole lot to this one, and they didn’t always keep the teams straight. Not that it really mattered, with the loose tag rules and random interference, a structured match was not what they were going for. Too quick to be offensive but also too quick to be memorable, Natsu left an impression as she tends to do but otherwise not much here to get excited about.

Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita

Utami and Jamie shove each other to start while Saya watches, Saya tries to get involved but is shoved aside as the taller wrestlers want the ring to themselves. They eventually get rid of Saya, Jamie snapmares Utami and kicks her repeatedly in the back. Hard shoulderblock by Utami to Jamie, Saya returns but Utami scoop slams her onto Jamie before covering her for two. Utami picks up Jamie and charges her, but Jamie holds down the top rope and Utami lands on the apron. Jamie slaps her off the apron to the floor, she throws Utami back into the ring and kicks her in the corner. Uppercuts by Jamie to Utami but Utami avoids her charge, Jamie flips Utami out to the apron but Saya runs in and dropkicks Jamie. Another dropkick by Saya but Jamie fires back with a lariat, she goes back to Utami as Utami gets on the top turnbuckle and she joins her.

Saya tries to join in the fun but Jamie kicks her back, Utami pushes Jamie off the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Utami goes to cover Jamie but Saya knocks her out of the way and covers Jamie for two. Saya drop toeholds Utami onto Jamie, she bridges over both of them but it gets a two count. Saya throws Jamie and Utami into different corners and dropkicks both of them, she then stacks them into the same corner but Utami catches her with a judo toss. Utami gets Saya up in the backbreaker but Jamie boots Utami in the face, she hits a vertical suplex into the corner on Utami before slamming Saya repeatedly onto her knee. Jamie picks up Saya but Saya sneaks in an inside cradle for two, she goes for a backslide but that gets a two as well. High kick by Jamie to Saya but Saya gets away from her, German suplex by Utami to Jamie and she hits a dropkick on Jamie. Argentine Backbreaker by Utami, Jamie tries to break it up but Utami swings Saya’s legs into her before Saya submits to the submission! Utami Hayashishita is the winner.

I would have loved to see Jamie and Utami go at it one on one but the inclusion of Saya guaranteed that this wasn’t going to be an overly serious match with any long term implications. Saya isn’t a bad wrestler, she has a lot of spunk, but she had no chance of winning and was here just to be the wrestler to take the loss. That being said, the match was pretty well done and all their cute ‘triple threat’ spots went off without a hitch. All three were given a bit of a chance to shine, which is an accomplishment in such a short match, and everything clicked. Perfectly fine for an undercard match, just wish that Utami and Jamie had something more important to do on the show.

Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Lucas vs. Iwatani, Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Nakano

TCS attack before the bell because of course they did, Starlight Kid seems surprised by this and I have no idea why. TCS dominates for a moment as they focus on Starlight Kid, but STARS roars back and all four of them apply submission holds to their opponents. Starlight Kid and Hana stay in as the legal wrestlers as Hana gets to the ropes to break Starlight Kid’s hold, she goes off the ropes but Hana hits a drop toehold. Chinlock by Hana, she lets go after a moment and tosses down Starlight Kid by the mask. Hana tags in Zoe as Starlight Kid is triple teamed in the corner, Zoe snapmares Starlight Kid and sits down on the mat with her so she can stretch her (with Yama-san’s help). Zoe tags in Bobbi while she continues to choke Starlight Kid, Irish whip by Bobbi but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody and makes the hot tag to Saki. Bobbi throws Saki into the corner but she rebounds out of it with a bulldog, spinning headscissors by Saki but Bobbi avoids her boot attempt. Zoe comes in the ring but so does Tam, and STARS gets the in-ring advantage. Zoe and Bobbi take back over briefly but are thrown into each other before both eat dropkicks. Saki grabs Bobbi’s arm and snaps it against her foot, she tags in Mayu and Mayu dropkicks Bobbi in the chest. Elbows by Mayu but Bobbi comes back with the reverse STO from the ropes and makes the tag to Hana. Big boot by Hana to Mayu, she goes off the ropes and nails Mayu with a second one. Cover by Hana, but Mayu gets a shoulder up.

Hana picks up Mayu but Mayu blocks the suplex attempt, she goes off the ropes but Zoe grabs her so that Hana can boot Mayu in the face. Bobbi comes in and she helps Zoe toss Mayu to the mat, boot by Hana and she covers Mayu for a close two count. Hana picks up Mayu and puts her in a modified Ground Manjikatame but Mayu is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Hana charges Mayu in the corner but Mayu moves out of the way and kicks Hana in the face. Hana comes back with a vertical suplex, she picks up Mayu and elbows her, but Saki runs in and boots Hana in the chest. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and Tam hits a backdrop suplex on Hana, Mayu has recovered and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Frog Splash but Yama-san breaks up the cover. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Hana blocks it, Zoe kicks Mayu but Starlight Kid runs in and dropkicks Zoe. Both teams trade moves until everyone is down, Mayu and Hana are left alone in the ring and they trade elbows. Hana wins the battle and boots Mayu, but Mayu fires back with a superkick and both wrestlers are down again. They crawl to their respective corners to tag in Starlight Kid and Yama-san, Irish whip by Yama-san but Starlight Kid spins around her and the two trade flash pins. Back up, dropkick by Starlight Kid and they trade cradles until Starlight Kid holds down Yama-san for the three count! STARS win the match.

A fun mid-card tag match. As I mentioned above, a lot of quality wrestlers were jammed into this match so the action was really solid, with Hana being the main focus but others getting in their shots. Kaori Yoneyama and Tam Nakano mostly kept to the background as its hard for everyone to get in there in a ten minute eight woman tag, but not much one can do about that. I am not sure if Bobbi or Jamie is my favorite Gaijin in Stardom at the moment but I like them both a lot and hope they stay with the promotion for a long time to come, Bobbi fit in really well here. A fast paced entertaining match. Mildly Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Andras and Kyona start off and immediately try to knock each other over, with Kyona getting the best of the duel. Kyona shoulderblocks Andras over again, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu grabs her from the floor and pulls her out of the ring as things immediately break down. Andras and Kyona put on some hand sanitizer before getting into a Test of Strength, but Kyona breaks away and rubs it into Andras’ eyes. Andras gets back in control as they return to the ring, both wrestlers tag out as Konami and Kagetsu start trading kicks. Kagetsu catches one and hits a dragon screw, enzuigiri by Kagetsu and she tags in Andras. Elbows by Andras and she dropkicks Konami in the back of the head, Kyona runs in to help and Andras is double teamed as Kyona delivers the lariat. Kyona leaves the ring so that Konami can tag her in, snapmare by Kyona and she hits a sliding lariat for a two count. Kyona picks up Andras and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top but Andras avoids the diving body press and Kagetsu kicks her in the face. Konami comes in but Andras boots her back out, Oedo Tai kick Kyona and Andras hits a suplex. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, Andras follows with the Swanton Bomb but Konami breaks up the cover. They toss Andras into the ropes but Kagetsu hits a double springboard dropkick, Kyona and Konami fall out of the ring but they hit Oedo Tai with chairs when they go to do a dive. Release German by Konami to Andras, Kyona quickly goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press. Hammer Throw Powerbomb by Kyona, and she picks up the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad win and retain the championship.

This match was clipped to hell (about 50%), which is surprising for a title match since there were some more… lowly matches on the show they could have cut up. I guess they were just making sure the next two matches got the time they need. The match started a little goofy but got good after that, Kagetsu is so great that she shines through in every match she is in, even heavily clipped ones. Solid action for sure but its hard for me to recommend a match that so much is cut out of, just too incomplete.

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hazuki
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start and get into a Test of Strength, Arisa tosses Hazuki to the mat and hops on top of her but Hazuki quickly reverses places with her as they jockey on the mat for position. Snapmare by Arisa and she kicks Hazuki in the back, she goes off the ropes but Hazuki trips her and drags her out of the ring. Hazuki tosses Arisa into the chairs at ringside, she brings her up into the bleachers and slams Arisa’s head into the column a few times. Hazuki brings Arisa back into the ring but immediately throws her back out of it and throws her into the chairs again. Hazuki slams Arisa into the ring post before scoop slamming her on the floor, she rolls her into the ring and hits two more scoop slams for a two count cover. Hazuki picks up Arisa and tosses her down by the hair, she goes for bootscrapes but Arisa kicks her in the leg and connects with a series of kicks to Hazuki’s chest. Arisa kicks Hazuki into the corner, Irish whip by Arisa but Hazuki rebounds out of the corner with a dropkick. Half nelson slam onto her knee by Hazuki, she pushes Arisa against the ropes and hits a series of bootscrapes followed by a running boot.

Hazuki throws Arisa into the corner and hits a running back elbow, Backstabber by Hazuki and she transitions it into an armtrap crossface. Arisa gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Hazuki picks her up but Arisa pushes her off and the two trade elbows. Pump Kick by Hazuki, she picks up Arisa but Arisa gets away and delivers a jumping kick. Both wrestlers are down but Hazuki is up first, running boot by Hazuki and she goes out to the apron, but Arisa avoids her springboard attack and puts Hazuki in a sleeper hold. Hazuki gets to the ropes for the break, Arisa goes up top but Hazuki recovers and joins her. They trade elbows while on the top turnbuckle until Arisa headbutts Hazuki off, 1399 by Arisa and she covers Hazuki for a two count. ADAMAS by Arisa, but Arisa lifts Hazuki up before the three count so she can nail the Brazilian Kick. Cover by Arisa, but Hazuki barely gets her shoulder up. Arisa goes for a running knee but Hazuki ducks it and hits a DDT, Michinoku Driver by Hazuki but her cover gets two. Hazuki picks up Arisa but Arisa blocks a suplex attempt and they trade elbows. Hazuki throws Arisa into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, Arisa elbows her back but Hazuki sets up Arisa in the corner and hits a Codebreaker.

Hazuki goes to the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick to Arisa’s back, cover by Hazuki but it gets a two count. She transitions into an armtrap crossface, Arisa almost makes the ropes but Hazuki rolls her back and applies the Rings of Saturn. Again Arisa wiggles to the ropes and this time she makes it for the break, Hazuki goes off the ropes and nails a running boot to the side of Arisa’s head. Hazuki drags up Arisa and slams her in front of the corner, she goes up top but Arisa recovers and joins her. Hazuki knees Arisa and flips back to the mat, she boots Arisa in the head and then hits a neckbreaker. Hazuki goes up top but Arisa avoids the Bombs Away and hits a jumping knee, she connects with a second jumping knee and covers Hazuki for two. Arisa picks up Hazuki but Hazuki ducks the Brazilian Kick and applies La Magistral for two. Headbutt by Hazuki but Arisa kicks her in the head, Shining Impact by Arisa and she covers Hazuki for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki is the winner and still the champion.

I’m glad that Samurai TV didn’t clip this match as it was a hell of an encounter. Arisa has really grown on me, at first as she transitioned from midcard tag wrestler to suddenly a main event wrestler, I thought her offense was a bit repetitive and lacked creativity, but she is clearly over that hump as she was great here. All her strikes were snug and she is a lot of fun to watch. Hazuki also continues to improve as she showed a lot of fire, taking it hard to Arisa but never resorting to Oedo Tai Tactics as it was a pretty clean fight from start to finish. They mixed it up really well between strikes/power moves/submissions to keep things interesting and the ‘outside the ring’ portion was kept to the point. The near falls were convincing and the Shining Impact was the perfect way to end the match as it felt like a real exclamation point after a close back and forth battle. One of the better Stardom matches I have seen so far this year, just an exciting and well paced match between two wrestlers that keep getting better each time I watch them. Worth going out of your way to see.  Highly Recommended

(c) Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe
World of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Momo pushes Bea into the corner but quickly gives a clean break. Momo takes Bea to the mat and they trade holds, but neither gets the advantage and they return to their feet. Wristlock by Bea but Momo reverses it, snapmare by Bea and she applies a chinlock but Momo gets to the ropes for the break. They end up on the mat again with Momo in control, Bea returns to her feet and tosses Momo down before backing off. Headlock by Bea but Momo Irish whips out of it, elbow by Bea in the corner but Momo fires back with a dropkick and Bea rolls out of the ring to regroup. Momo goes to the apron and goes for a diving knee, but Bea moves out of the way and gets up on the apron to deliver a PK. Bea stomps on Momo’s arm and twists it around the ring post, she lets her go after a moment and returns to the ring. Momo doesn’t follow fast enough so Bea goes back out after her and throws her into the ring post. Bea kicks Momo in the arm and returns to the ring for good, Momo rolls in too but Bea immediately goes back to Momo’s arm.

Bea throws Momo into the corner but Momo rebounds out of it with a dropkick, another dropkick by Momo and she follows with a third. Momo picks up Bea and hits a snap vertical suplex, they slowly return to their feet and trade elbows. Bea takes Momo to the mat and applies a butterfly lock, Momo gets out of it but Bea cradles her for two. Running knee by Bea, she picks up Momo and hits a side suplex for another two count cover. Bea picks up Momo and gets her on her shoulders, but Momo reverses the Queen’s Landing and rolls Bea to the mat. Kick by Momo, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving Somato for a two count. Momo quickly puts Bea in the chickenwing, Bea gets out of it but Momo drops her with a half nelson suplex. Somato by Momo, but Bea grabs the bottom rope to force the break. Momo picks up Bea and sets her up for the B Driver, she climbs the turnbuckles with Bea on her back but Bea gets away and hits a powerbomb for a two count. Bea waits for Momo to get up and charges, but Momo kicks her back and gets on the top turnbuckle.

Bea kicks her in the head to send Momo to the apron, Bea quickly jumps up to the top turnbuckle and hits a double footstomp to Momo’s back. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, they manage to get onto the apron and the pair trade elbows. Bea goes for a suplex but Momo blocks it before hitting the B Driver on the apron. Momo pulls Bea back in the ring and hits a second B Driver, cover by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing, she nails the Tequila Sunrise but Bea gets a shoulder up. Momo gets Bea to her feet and delivers the Peach Sunrise, but again Bea manages to get a shoulder up. Momo pushes the referee before going back to Bea, she goes for another Peach Sunrise but Bea rolls out of it and drops Momo with a Peach Sunrise of her own for a two count. Both are slow to get up, they both kick each other in the head with Momo following with more kicks. Bea kicks her back, superkick by Bea and she nails a jumping knee. Trapped side suplex hold by Bea, but Momo kicks out at two. Bea drags Momo to her feet, she gets Momo onto her shoulders and delivers the Queen’s Landing for the three count! Bea Priestley wins and retains the championship.

From just a pure enjoyment standpoint, this match delivered, but if you scratch beneath the surface a bit there certainly were some issues. I’ll start with the good – Bea gets a lot of shit online, but she’s a very good wrestler and she showed it here as everything she did was on point. She can be rough around the edges sometimes but in this match she was at her best and delivered a great performance. Momo looked great too so just looking at their back-and-forths and execution, this was about as good as it could be. On the match layout side however, there were some issues. Bea did a good job on the arm of Momo for about five minutes, but as soon as she stopped it was immediately dropped from the match and never even got a callback spot later. So it was just wasted time, it had no impact on anything else in the match whatsoever. There were other smaller issues, like the ‘on the floor’ portion of the match felt too long with not a lot happening, but the arm offense was the biggest problem since it filled a large chunk of the match with meaningless offense. I’m not a big fan of wrestlers kicking out of their opponent’s big finisher, at least in this case Bea was mostly incapacitated for awhile so it wasn’t just blown off, but it is often a tip-off of the end result. Overall a really good match, it didn’t reach the level of the previous match but still worthy of a Korakuen Hall main event.  Recommended

The post Stardom World Big Summer In Tokyo on 7/24/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Shining Destiny 2019
Date: June 16th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 890

As I stated during my last Stardom review, even though in general I am behind in reviews I want to make sure all the Korakuen Hall Stardom events are covered in a timely manner. Stardom Shining Destiny 2019 was a big event for the promotion, with three championship matches! Here is the full card:

• Hina vs. Leo Onozaki
• Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, and Ruaka vs. Saki Kashima, Saya Iida, and Zoe Lucas
• AZM and Bea Priestley vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki and Natsuko Tora
• World Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Tam Nakano

All the wrestlers above have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it. I am reviewing the Samurai TV! version of this show, so some matches may be clipped.

Hina vs. Leo Onozaki

We join this one a bit in progress as they trade elbows, Leo goes off the ropes but Hina tosses her to the mat. STO by Hina, and she covers Leo for two. Scoop slam by Hina and she goes for a cross armbreaker, but Leo keeps her hands locked until she makes it into the ropes. Hina picks up Leo but Leo throws her into the corner, jumping elbow by Leo and she hits a cutter. Cover by Leo, but it gets two. Leo goes for a slam but Hina blocks it, Hina goes for a dropkick but Leo swats it out of the way. Hina doe the same to her and they trade flash pins until Leo holds down Hina for the three count! Leo Onozaki wins.

When you need a flash pin to beat a 12 year old, probably not a good sign for your long term career. This was a short match that was clipped even shorter, nothing wrong with it but too short and basic to get excited about. Not much to see here, unless you just really want to see their gradual improvement.

Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, and Ruaka vs. Kashima, Iida, and Zoe Lucas

TCS won’t shake hands before the match so they get jumped from behind, Yama-san is isolated in the ring and triple teamed. We jump ahead to Ruaka and Saya in the ring, dropkick by Saya and she tags in Saki. Saki boots Ruaka in the head, Bobbi and Yama-san run in but Saki beats up all three of them. Saki picks up Ruaka and hits a butterfly suplex for a two count. Irish whip by Saki but Ruaka hits a jumping crossbody, that gives her time to tag in Bobbi but Saki grabs her wrist and hits a springboard hurricanrana. She tags in Zoe, Zoe is elbowed into the corner and Bobbi hits a pair of running elbows. Zoe avoids the third and boots Bobbi in the corner, cover by Zoe but it gets two. Zoe picks up Bobbi but Bobbi hits an enzuigiri, Zoe kicks her back however and both wrestlers end up on the mat. They crawl to their corners as Yama-san and Saya are tagged in, dropkicks by Saya and she covers Yama-san for a two count. Saki comes in and she elbows Yama-san in the corner, Saya follows with a dropkick by Saki hits a face crusher. Dropkick by Saya, she goes off the ropes but Yama-san knees her in the stomach. Yama-san picks up Saya but Saya rolls her up and the two trade flash pins. Zoe kicks Saya in the head, schoolboy by Yama-san and she gets the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad are the winners.

I guess the swerve here is that Zoe Lucas joined Tokyo Cyber Squad, since Zoe wasn’t drafted she isn’t officially affiliated with STARS so this doesn’t break the draft mechanism. A short match slightly clipped to be even shorter and Saya Iida was the focus, which is fine but she obviously isn’t as good as most the other wrestlers. Even in this brief match she messed up a few times, she’s still learning. The match in general was pretty rough around the edges. Best to be forgotten, aside from Zoe Lucas’ heel turn.

AZM and Bea Priestley vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and AZM start the match, they go into a fast exchange until Starlight Kid dropkicks AZM to the mat. Mayu runs in and they Irish whip AZM, but Bea comes in and dropkicks both of them. Scoop slam by AZM to Starlight Kid and she stomps down on her arm before tagging in Bea. Armbreaker by Bea and she stomps down on Starlight Kid’s elbow, she tags AZM back in and AZM elbows Starlight Kid repeatedly in the chest. Irish whip by AZM but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody for two. She tags in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she throws AZM into the corner. Irish whip by Mayu, reversed, but rolls AZM to the mat before hitting a dropkick. Bea returns, double Irish whip to Mayu but Mayu grabs their wrists and hits a double springboard armdrag. Standing moonsaults by Starlight Kid and Mayu, cover by Mayu to AZM but it gets two. Elbows by Mayu to AZM, Irish whip to the corner but AZM hits a triple jump crossbody. AZM rolls to her corner and tags Bea, Irish whip by Bea to the corner, reversed by Mayu but Mayu jumps out of the corner and hits a jumping knee. She rolls Mayu to the mat and applies a scissored armbar, but Mayu wiggles to the ropes and gets there for the break.

Bea puts Mayu against the ropes but Mayu avoids the Bea-Trigger, kicks by Mayu but Bea kicks her in the head. Superkick by Mayu, she kicks Bea against and makes it to her corner to tag Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid dropkicks Bea in the corner, jumping lariat by Starlight Kid and she covers Bea for two. Starlight Kid picks up Bea but Bea swings away, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Bea blocks the tilt-a-whirl DDT. Mayu superkicks Bea, swinging neckbreaker by Starlight Kid and she goes up top, nailing a swivel body press. Cover by Starlight Kid, but Bea barely kicks out. Starlight Kid jumps on Bea’s back but Bea pushes her off, AZM tries to help but she kicks Bea by accident. Yoshi Tonic by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. A cradle by Starlight Kid gets the same result, she picks up Bea and goes off the ropes, but Bea nails her with the Bea-Trigger. Diving footstomp by AZM, Bea finishes with a PK but Starlight Kid kicks out of the cover. Bea picks up Starlight Kid and delivers the Regal-Plex, but Mayu breaks it up. AZM takes care of Mayu, Bea picks up Starlight Kid and goes goes the Queen’s Landing, but Starlight Kid reverses it into a cradle for two. High kick by Bea, she picks up Starlight Kid and delivers the Queen’s Landing for the three count! AZM and Bea Priestley win!

I know that the official Stardom account on Reddit has said that Starlight Kid’s place in the promotion is limited due to her height, but I think they’d be making a big mistake blocking her growth as she is already so smooth at the age of 17 or 18. She tends to be the highlight of any match she is in, which is saying something when Mayu and Bea are in the match as well. Aside from a moment or two of awkwardness, everything worked well here as both Mayu and Starlight Kid have offense that looks great and are capable of making other wrestler’s offense look great as well. There wasn’t much of a story here, just two teams wasting no time as there was constant action. A fun midcard match, and if Starlight Kid keeps wrestling after graduating and the promotion doesn’t hold her back, she could be a big star in just a few years.  Recommended

(c) Hana Kimura, Kyona, and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire
Artist of Stardom Championship

TCS attacks Oedo Tai before the match starts and the brawl is on, the action spills to the outside and both teams take turns being in control. Hana and Kyona get in the ring with Andras and double team her, Konami joins in the fun too and all three pose on her. Hana and Konami go off the ropes but are tripped from the floor, leaving Andras along in the ring with Kyona. Andras flings down Kyona by the hair and tags in Kagetsu, Natsu also comes in and they both lariat Kyona. Cover by Kagetsu, but it gets a two count. Kagetsu picks up Kyona and tags Natsu, Natsu has her whip and she hits Kyona with it. The referee gets rid of the whip, Natsu gets Kyona in the corner and she hits the Bronco Buster. We clip ahead to Andras being in the ring with Kyona, headbutt by Andras and she hits a front dropkick. Kyona fires back with a lariat and both wrestlers are down on the mat, they roll to their corners and tag in Kagetsu and Hana. Kagetsu and Hana trade elbows, kicks by Hana and she boots Kagetsu in the face. Kagetsu elbows Hana back but Hana starts to put her in the Ground Manjikatame. She reverts it into a seated armbar but Kagetsu wiggles to the ropes and gets the break.

Hana picks up Kagetsu but Andras spits water in her face, Natsu runs in and boots Hana before Kagetsu hits a vertical suplex. Hana stops Kagetsu from tagging out and tags in Konami, Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Kagetsu blocks it and tags in Natsu. Natsu comes in with a diving crossbody, Kyona runs in and lariats Natsu, allowing Konami to cover her for two. Natsu is triple teamed before Konami kicks her in the head, but Andras breaks up the cover. Konami applies the Triangle Lancer but Kagetsu and Andras both break it up, they stay in the ring and take turns striking Konami. Natsu ends it with a neck drop, bridging suplex by Natsu and she gets a two count. Natsu applies a dragon sleeper but Konami reverses it, Andras runs in and dropkicks Konami before Natsu hits her with a Shining Wizard, Natsu picks up Konami and nails the capture brainbuster, but Kyona breaks up the cover. Natsu picks up Konami and kicks at her, she goes off the ropes but Konami ducks her boot. Natsu ducks her anyway and goes for a cover, but she didn’t notice that Hana had tagged herself in (neither did I). Hana hits a front dropkick and boots Natsu while she is against the ropes, another boot by Hana and she covers Natsu for two.

Hana picks up Natsu but Natsu blocks the suplex attempt and schoolboys Hana for two. She tags in Kagetsu, but Hana doesn’t notice so she gets hit by Kagetsu from behind with a sign board. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, but Hana gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu picks up Hana and nails he chokeslam, but Kyona breaks up the pin. She drags her up again and hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner, she goes up top but Konami kicks her from the apron. Kyona comes in and powerbombs Kagetsu, running boot by Hana to Kagetsu but Andras breaks up the pin. Natsu and Andras take care of Konami and Kyona, they throw Hana out of the ring before Andras and Kagetsu both hit dives out of the ring. Kagetsu gets on the top rope while Hana is dragged back into the ring, Oedo Coaster by Kagetsu but Hana barely kicks out. Kagetsu drags up Hana but Hana slides off her shoulders, Kagetsu nails her with a big boot and covers her for two. Hana quickly applies the Ground Manjikatame, Kagetsu struggles but she has no choice but to submit! Tokyo Cyber Squad retains the titles!

This was really good but it didn’t blow me away. It was slightly clipped but nothing too excessive, I think we got the gist of it. The best thing about the match, oddly, is they seemed to go out of their way to put over Natsu which was a good idea as she appeared to be the weak link in the match. That gave her some legitimacy, which she needed since a lot of times she is a comedy act or fighting against the kids. Hana looked great and may be in line for a bigger push soon. I didn’t love the ending though, Kagetsu was in the submission for a really long time, much longer than you’d expect in a six woman match without having a partner break it up, I’d have preferred a faster tap-out. An entertaining fast paced match with a lot of action, it just didn’t do anything special to elevate itself to the next level.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki and Natsuko Tora
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Utami and Natsuko start the match, they tie-up until Utami gets Natsuko in the ropes, but Natsuko pushes her away. Natsuko gets Utami to the mat and they jockey for position, Natsuko applies a side headlock but Utami reverses it into a headscissors. Natsuko gets out of it and they return to their feet, both tag out and Hazuki immediately gets into it with Momo. Armdrag by Momo but Hazuki flings her to the mat, another armdrag by Momo but Natsuko kicks her from the apron and Hazuki delivers a dropkick. Elbows by Hazuki but Hazuki runs in and hits a judo toss, Somato by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing but Natsuko breaks it up, Utami throws Natsuko out of the ring while Momo picks up Hazuki, but Hazuki blocks the B Driver and hits a Somato for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Momo hits a high kick, half and half suplex by Momo but Hazuki lands on her feet and applies La Magistral for two. We jump ahead but Hazuki and Momo are still in the ring, pump kick by Hazuki and both wrestlers are hurt on the mat. Hazuki makes the tag to Natsuko and she cuts off Momo, hitting a spear. Another spear by Natsuko and she hits a third, getting a two count cover. Natsuko throws Momo into the corner but Momo jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hits a Diving Somato.

Utami comes in and slams Natsuko, running Somato by Momo but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Hazuki stays in and kicks Momo, Momo kicks them both but is caught by a Code Breaker by Hazuki and a spear by Natsuko. Natsuko goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Utami breaks up he cover. Utami throws Hazuki out of the ring, she goes to Natsuko but Hazuki hits a swandive dropkick on both Momo and Utami. Natsuko grabs Momo and slams her in front of the corner, Natsuko goes up top and hits another diving body press followed by another one before Hazuki drops Momo with a brainbuster. Natsuko goes up top again and hit a third diving body press, but Momo gets a shoulder up on the cover. Natsuko picks up Momo and hits a swinging side slam, but again Momo kicks out. Natsuko picks up Momo but Momo elbows her, Natsuko fires back with a spear and goes up top, hitting a diving leg drop for a two count when Utami breaks it up. Hazuki comes in but Utami drops her with a release German, she hits Natsuko with a lariat and then assists Momo in delivering the B Driver. Momo waits for Natsuko to get up and hits a high kick, half and half suplex hold by Momo but Hazuki breaks up the pin. Momo picks up Natsuko and nails the Peach Sunrise, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita are still the champions.

Samurai TV did us no favors here, as a good chunk of the match was missing. What they showed was perfectly fine, all four are good to great wrestlers and they aren’t going to ever put on a bad match. I didn’t like how repetitive Natsuko’s offense was, she really needs more than just diving body presses and spears, hopefully if she is going to start getting title matches she will diversify her portfolio. I wanted to see more of Utami so of course she did very little with Momo doing the brunt of the work. Between the clipping and Natsuko’s unoriginality I can’t really say this needs to be sought out, but it was the hard hitting action you would expect.

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Tam Nakano
World of Stardom Championship

They are slow to lockup as they size each other up, Tam gets Arisa to the mat and they trade positions back and forth. Tam gets a grounded necklock applied and then puts Arisa in a side headlock, but Arisa gets out of it. Tam goes for Arisa’s ankle but Arisa gets away and applies a crab hold, Tam gets to the ropes however and forces the break. Arisa puts Tam in the corner and charges her, but Tam kicks her back and applies a dragon sleeper from the top rope. Tam dumps Arisa out to the apron and kicks her out of the ring, Tam goes up top and dives out onto Arisa with a plancha. Tam slides Arisa back in and kicks her into the corner, she twists Arisa’s leg around the bottom rope and twists it until the referee gets her to stop. Scoop slam by Tam and she applies a modified figure four, but Arisa gets to the ropes for the break. Tam drops a knee on Arisa’s leg, Arisa fights back with elbows but Tam slaps her in the face. Tam goes off the ropes but Arisa kicks her in the chest, Arisa quickly gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving kneedrop for a two count.

Arisa goes off the ropes but Tam avoids her kick, she cartwheels Arisa to the mat and applies a cross kneelock. Arisa gets in the ropes for the break, running knee by Tam and she hits a backdrop suplex. Tam goes up top but Arisa recovers and joins her, Arisa and Tam trade elbows until Arisa knees Tam in the head, sending her to the apron. Arisa joins Tam on the apron and hits a running double knee, but Tam bridges away and drops Arisa on the apron with a German suplex. Tam returns to the ring with Arisa slowly following, Tam and Arisa trade elbows until delivers a jumping kick. Arisa picks up Tam and delivers the Diamond Buster, she goes up top but Tam avoids the ADAMAS. Spinning kick by Tam, she goes up top and nails the Destiny Hammer but Arisa grabs her when she goes off the ropes. Tam wiggles away and kicks Arisa in the head, another head kick by Tam and she covers Arisa for two. Tam goes for a tiger suplex but Arisa blocks it, high kick by Arisa and she goes up top, delivering the 1399.

Arisa picks up Tam and hits a jumping kick, she goes up top and nails the ADAMAS, but Tam kicks out of the cover. Arisa picks up Tam bu Tam ducks the Brazilian Kick and hits a high kick instead. Sliding knee by Tam, but Arisa grabs the ropes to break up the cover. Tam picks up Arisa and nails the tiger suplex hold, but Arisa gets a shoulder up. Tam drags Arisa to her feet and goes for an arm trapped German, but Arisa gets into the ropes before she ca hit the move. Tam goes off the ropes but Arisa nails her in the head with a jumping knee. Brazilian Kick by Arisa, but she is slow to make the cover and Tam gets a shoulder up before the three count. They slowly get to their knees and trade elbows, more elbows by Arisa as they are on their feet but Tam delivers a high kick. Tam picks up Arisa and kicks her repeatedly in the head, she goes off the ropes but Arisa plants her with a jumping knee. Running knee by Arisa and she drops Tam with a Brazilian Kick for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki retains the championship.

There were tiny issues here and there that would prevent this from being the MOTY for me, but this was a fantastic match. Arisa Hoshiki has improved so much just this year, she wasn’t spamming the same moves like she did in the Momo match and all her knees were on point. Tam wasn’t quite as tight with her strikes as Arisa was but still put on the best singles match of her career, her leg work was well done (even if forgotten) and they mixed in big spots well to pop the crowd at the right moments. A few issues – the apron German led to just a 50/50 elbow spot which felt off, the leg work was never sold by Arisa for even a second when she wasn’t in a hold, and some of the Tam’s kicks whiffed. Still, far more good than bad here and the overall package was an entertaining and hard hitting match between two wrestlers trying to show they belong in the top tier of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Shining Destiny 2019 on 6/16/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Gold May 2019
Date: May 16th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 783

Even though I don’t have any intention of reviewing every Stardom event, I do want to try to hit all the Korakuen Hall events as they tend to be quality. This is their first big show since the draft (not counting the Cinderella Tournament which is its own beast), so we have a lot of fresh matches. They stacked the event with three title matches, including Cinderella Tournament winner Arisa Hoshiki challenging Momo Watanabe for the championship. We also get a “special attraction” match as Kagetsu faces off against the visiting Toni Storm. Here is the full card:

• Andras Miyagi and Natsuko Tora vs. Hanan and Starlight Kid vs. Hina and Leo Onozaki
• Death Yama-san (Kaori Yoneyama) vs. Natsu Sumire vs. Saya Iida
• Kagetsu vs. Toni Storm
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami
• World Of Stardom Championship: Bea Priestley vs. Hazuki
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Arisa Hoshiki

Lots of potential here. I am watching the Samurai TV version of the event, so some matches may be clipped. All wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Andras Miyagi and Natsuko Tora vs. Hanan and Starlight Kid vs. Hina and Onozaki

They brawl to start with Oedo Tai being the focus of the offense, as STARS and Queen’s Quest clear the ring so they can battle each other. Hanan and Hina both hit judo throws, leaving just the two of them, they grapple until Hina gets Hanan to the mat. Cross armbreaker by Hina but Hanan quickly gets out of it, STO by Hanan and she applies a cross armbreaker of her own, but Leo breaks it up. Scoop slam by Hanan and she stomps on Hina’s arm before tagging in Starlight Kid. Stomps by Starlight Kid but Hina drops her with a STO and tags in Leo. Running elbow by Leo and she hits a cutter for a two count. Cradle by Leo but it gets broken up, Natsuko and Andras both come in but they are dropped by STOs. Hanan and Starlight Kid take out Leo and Hina, 619 by Starlight Kid to Leo and Hanan hits a STO. Standing Moonsault by Starlight Kid, but Hina breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid goes up to the top turnbuckle but Leo avoids the diving body press, Natsuko runs in and spears Starlight Kid. Hanan takes care of Natsuko but Andras boots Hanan, Hina runs in and dropkicks Andras and Leo elbows Andras to the mat. Natsuko runs in and spears Leo and Hina, Steel Ball Run by Andras to Leo and Natsuko sails off the top turnbuckle with a diving body press for the three count! Oedo Tai wins!

This was more fun than it had any right to be. Hanan and Hina sometimes working together was cute as they are still sisters, ultimately on opposite teams but in a match like this they could work together as well. Andras Miyagi had an easy night but everyone deserves a break sometimes, and for a five minute match with a bunch of underage wrestlers it was pretty cohesive. Solid way to kick off the event.

Death Yama-san (Kaori Yoneyama) vs. Natsu Sumire vs. Saya Iida

Kaori poses as the match starts while her opponents are confused, Saya and Natsu begin trading holds with Kaori occasionally chipping in until they reach a stalemate. They elbow each other while standing in a triangle formation, Kaori is briefly double teamed and eats a double dropkick. The cooperation ends when Natsu schoolboys Saya, Saya gets mad but Natsu convinces her that she is her friend. Natsu tries to schoolboy her again but Saya has smartened up and blocked it, she goes for a dropkick but both Natsu and Kaori move out of the way. Bronco Buster by Natsu to Saya but Kaori squashes her from behind, Kaori goes for a suplex but Natsu reverses it. Natsu goes off the ropes but Saya dropkicks her in the leg, another dropkick by Saya and she hits a scoop slam for a two count. Kaori runs in to hit a senton on them both but Saya moves so she only hits Natsu, Saya does a bridging cover on both of them but it only gets two. Natsu goes off the ropes and hits a neck drop on both of them, she goes up top but Kaori rams Saya into the corner to knock her off and rolls up Saya for the three count! Death Yama-san wins the match.

Unlike the last match, this one was not smooth as they didn’t always seem to be on the same page and the humor wasn’t at the level to make up for it. A few cute spots but ultimately a skippable match, triple threat matches are hard to pull off and they just didn’t click here.

Kagetsu vs. Toni Storm

They begin slow as they feel each other out, Toni gets Kagetsu to the mat first but Kagetsu switches positions with her as they grapple for position. Back up, Kagetsu goes for Toni’s arm but Toni gets away and hits a side headlock takedown. Headscissors by Kagetsu but Toni gets out of it, she offers a handshake but Kagetsu kicks her and takes Toni to the mat. Toni gets the headscissors applied, Kagetsu flips out of it and both wrestlers are back on their feet. Toni offers a handshake again but this time she hits a takedown and applies a modified figure four. Kagetsu gets into the ropes for the break, Toni goes off the ropes and she boots Kagetsu out of the ring before quickly sailing out onto her with a tope suicida. She gets back in the ring to attempt a second one but Kagetsu hits her in the head with the Oedo Tai sign and nails her with a running sliding kick while Toni is hanging over the ropes.

Kagetsu throws Toni into a row of chairs, she pulls a couple chairs from under the ring and starts stacking chairs on top of Toni before hitting her with another chair. Toni escapes and returns to the ring, Kagetsu goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Running elbow by Kagetsu in the corner, she sets up Toni’s leg on the second rope before hitting a dropkick. Vertical suplex by Kagetsu and she covers Toni for a two count cover. Kagetsu picks up Toni but Toni slides away and applies a dragon sleeper, but Kagetsu walks up the turnbuckles to reverse it. Toni reverses it back and then applies a grounded front necklock, but Kagetsu muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up and trade elbows, uppercuts by Toni and they trade headbutts, an exchange that Toni wins. Toni picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the Strong Zero, Kagetsu goes for the chokeslam bu Toni gets away and drops her with a release German. Kagetsu quickly gets back up and hits a high kick followed by the Ebisu Drop, but her cover gets two.

Keylock by Kagetsu but Toni gets into the ropes to force the break. Kagetsu picks up Toni but Toni avoids the chokeslam and hits a hard lariat. German suplex hold by Toni, but Kagetsu kicks out. Toni picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the Strong Zero, so Toni puts her in a modified STF instead. Kagetsu gets to the ropes to get a break, Toni picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu avoids the Strong Zero. She tries to mist Toni but Toni ducks, and Kagetsu mists the referee by accident. Toni takes advantage of this and finally delivers the Strong Zero, but the referee is in no condition to count the cover. Toni checks on the referee, she gives up and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Kagetsu spits blue mist in her face as she dives off. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, she quickly gets on the top turnbuckle and nails the Oedo Coaster, but Toni barely kicks out of the cover. Kagetsu picks up Toni and delivers a Death Valley Bomb, but the bell rings before she can make a cover as the time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Even with the predictable non-ending, this was still a great match. Even with their limited experience against each other they have good chemistry, their match last year was fantastic and this wasn’t much below it as they wrestled it as if it was a big title match and not just a midcard match. The referee not calling for a DQ when he himself got misted goes beyond even normal Stardom “no DQ on anything” procedures, but beyond that everything flowed well and they kept the action interesting. I loved some of the transitions, such as Kagetsu hitting Toni with the sign and the final misting spot, as Kagetsu is one of the more innovative and unique high end wrestlers current in Joshi wrestling. I have to knock it a bit due to the ref spot and the predictable ending, but still a match worth watching.  Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani, Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Hana Kimura, Kyona, and Konami
Artist of Stardom Championship

TCS attack STARS before the match officially starts, they end up outside the ring with TCS staying in control. Hana wraps Mayu’s leg around a pole and hits it with a chair before dragging her back to the ring, stomps by Hana to Mayu’s leg and she slams it into the mat before tagging in Konami. Konami keeps up the leg work, she tags in Kyona and all three of them participate in hurting Mayu’s already banged up leg. Single leg crab hold by Kyona but Saki breaks it up, Tam comes in too and all three of the STARS members put a member of TCS into a submission hold. They eventually let go but Kyona stops Mayu from making the tag as she slams her knee into the mat. Kyona charges Mayu but Mayu snaps off a dropkick and she makes the hot tag to Tam. Running elbow by Tam in the corner but Kyona returns the favor, Konami comes in but Tam pushes Kyona into Konami and hits a cutter on Kyona. Hana runs in but Tam takes out both her and Konami, TCS end up against the ropes and STARS hit a trio of dropkicks.

Tam goes back to Kyona but Kyona delivers a lariat and tags in Hana. Running boot by Hana to Tam, another boot by Hana and she covers Tam for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hana hits a sidewalk slam,  Hana picks up Tam but Tam pushes her way and hits a backdrop suplex. Cartwheel into a kneedrop by Tam, but her cover gets broken up. Tam goes for a kick but Hana ducks it and hits a vertical suplex, both wrestlers crawl to the corners and tag out, as Konami comes in along with both Miyu and Saki. Konami is double teamed as she eats a double kick, Mayu gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp. Cover by Mayu, but Konami kicks out. Mayu goes for a suplex but Konami gets out of it and nails a dragon screw. Sliding kick by Konami followed by a suplex, she applies a kneelock but Mayu inches to the ropes for the break. Konami nails a big leg trap release German, but Saki breaks up the cover. Tam comes in too and all three take turns kicking Konami in the head, assisted DDT to Konami and Mayu hits a German suplex hold for two.

The ring clears of the extra wrestlers as Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle, but Konami moves out of the way of the moonsault attempt and quickly goes for the Triangle Lancers. Mayu rolls out of it but Konami quickly puts her in a Stretch Muffler, but Mayu makes it into the ropes for the break. Konami charges Mayu but Mayu catchers her with a superkick, she crawls to her corner and tags Saki who boots Konami in the head. Butterfly suplex by Saki, she picks up Konami and delivers a double underhook facebuster for two. Saki goes off the ropes but Hana kicks her from the apron, sliding lariat by Kyona and Konami covers Saki for two. TCS all get their licks in on Saki, buzzsaw kick by Konami but Saki barely kicks out. Saki slides away from the Triangle Lancer and applies a crucifix pin, but it gets broken up. Tam and Mayu come in and suplex Kyona and Hana, Saki picks up Konami but Konami spins away and applies the Triangle Lancer. Saki struggles for a moment but she had no choice but to submit! Tokyo Cyber Squad are the new champions!

This is the exact type of match that I want to see from a six wrestler tag. Both teams were not only really in sync with each other but smooth with their opponents as well, everything clicked. The leg work on Mayu made sense as she came in with a bum leg, and even though it didn’t play into the finish it was referenced back to often enough that it didn’t just feel like wasted time. They focused on the better wrestlers so the action stayed crisp, and they continued to put over the Triangle Lancer as a death submission which is a-ok with me. Exciting and captivating, a great showing by all six wrestlers.  Highly Recommended

(c) Bea Priestley vs. Hazuki
World of Stardom Championship

Hazuki charges Bea as soon as the match starts and boots her in the face, Hazuki tosses Bea out of the ring and sails out onto her with a tope suicida. Hazuki quickly rolls Bea back in and hits a swandive missile dropkick followed by another boot, brainbuster by Hazuki but Bea gets a shoulder up on the cover. Hazuki slams Bea in front of the corner and goes up top, but Bea kicks her before she can jump off and joins her, stomping Hazuki in the back of the head. Bea picks up Hazuki, Hazuki tries to get away but Bea knees her back to the mat. Both are slow to get up, they trade elbows as they do so and trade running strikes until Bea obliterates Hazuki with a jumping knee. Hazuki rolls out of the ring to try to recover, Bea goes to the top turnbuckle and dives down onto Oedo Tai with a cannonball. Bea rolls Hazuki back into the ring and hits a dropkick in the corner. Running knee by Bea and she hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Bea applies a double armbar but Hazuki inches to the ropes and makes it there for the break. Bea picks up Hazuki and sets her up in the corner, superkick by Bea and she goes for the Queen’s Landing, but Hazuki slides away and ferociously tosses Bea around by the hair. Facewashes by Hazuki, she picks up Bea but Bea avoids the Pump Kick and hits a backdrop suplex. Running knee by Bea and she nails a Regal-Plex, but Hazuki gets a shoulder up. Bea drags up Hazuki, she gets her on her shoulders but Hazuki slides off and applies La Magistral for two. Head kick by Bea and she delivers the Curb Stomp, Queen’s Landing by Bea and she picks up the three count! Bea wins and retains her championship.

Another great match, this show is on a roll. One of the big pluses is this felt very different from the last two matches, as it was fast paced but also a power struggle. Both had a sense of urgency, which has been Hazuki’s style lately but Bea kept up with her. Bea improves every time I see her and she is becoming one of my favorite wrestlers to watch, her strikes were on point and she has a wide enough variety of moves that her matches feel fresh. A really fun sprint, perfectly done by both wrestlers and a pleasant surprise as while I was expecting it to be a good match their pace and execution really put it over the top for me. One of the better sub-10 minute matches you’ll see in Joshi this year.  Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Arisa Hoshiki
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They start cautiously, kick to the chest by Momo and she twists Arisa’s leg on the mat. Side headlock by Momo but Arisa reverses it, they trade holds until Momo gets Arisa with a kneelock. Side headlock takedown by Momo, Arisa gets out of it but Momo promptly kicks her in the chest. Snapmare by Momo and she kicks Arisa in the back, kick to the chest by Momo and she covers Arisa for two. Kicks to the chest by Momo, Arisa fights back with elbows and she hits a dropkick, but Momo dropkicks her back. They trade kicks, Arisa throws Momo into the corner but Momo hits a missile dropkick. Arisa falls out of the ring, Momo goes to the apron and she hits a PK. Momo goes for the B Driver but Arisa slides away and delivers the Diamond Buster on the floor. Back in the ring, running double knee strike by Arisa and she gets a two count. Step-up kick by Arisa, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the 1399 for another two. Arisa picks up Momo and hits another Diamond Buster, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Momo recovers and joins her. Superplex by Momo, they both slowly get up and they trade kicks to the chest.

They both hit high kicks, Somato by Momo and she covers Arisa for two. Momo picks up Arisa and hits the B Driver, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving Somato before then going all the way up top and hitting another diving Somato for a two. Momo drags up Arisa and delivers the Tequila Sunrise, but Arisa barely gets a shoulder up. Momo goes for the Peach Sunrise but Arisa blocks it, cradling Momo for two. Momo drags Arisa back up but Arisa catches her with a Diamond Buster, ADAMAS by Arisa but Momo kicks out of the cover. Arisa goes for the Brazilian Kick but Momo ducks it and hits a Half and Half Suplex for another two. Momo keeps the hold partially applied and brings Arisa back to her feet, she nails the Peach Sunrise but Arisa’s feet land too close to the ropes and she gets a toe on one to break up the count. Momo goes off the ropes but Arisa catches her with a jumping knee, a second jumping knee by Arisa and she delivers a Brazilian Kick. Momo is badly staggered, Arisa nails a second Brazilian Kick and she covers Momo for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki is the new champion!

You know that you just watched a hell of a show when a match like this is the 4th best match on it. This is the best I have seen Arisa since she returned, she still needs a few more signature moves so she doesn’t spam Diamond Busters but generally she looked really good here. My main complaint is that the match started slow for a match that wasn’t going that long, under 13 minutes is on the short side for a big title match but it wasn’t a sprint like we saw with Hazuki and Bea. That doesn’t mean I necessarily wanted it to be longer, the ending felt right and with Arisa’s limitations she shouldn’t be in 20+ minute singles matches, but I wouldn’t have minded if they picked up the pace a bit. Still, the end stretch was done well and the moves were snug, and overall I was entertained by it even if I wish Momo’s long run had ended in a more ‘epic’ match.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Gold May 2019 on 5/16/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.