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

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

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

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

AZM vs. Starlight Kid vs. Zoey Skye

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

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

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

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

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

Kagetsu vs. Tam Nakano

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Stardom 9th Anniversary on 1/19/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom New Years Stars 2020
Date: January 11th, 2020
Location: Osaka World Pavilion in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 221

This year I am going to try to balance the Stardom reviews so that I am not reviewing everything, but so that I am not only hitting the really big shows. I am still going to review all the Korakuen Hall events, but beyond that I am going to selectively review other shows of theirs if something catches my attention. For this show, two things caught my eye – Kagetsu vs. Giulia and Riho vs. Miyagi. That was enough to convince me to review the show, as some of the other matches look like fun too. Here is the full card:

• AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Itsuki Hoshino and Saya Iida
• Andras Miyagi vs. Riho
• High Speed Grand Prix: Leyla Hirsch vs. Starlight Kid
• Bea Priestley, Leo Onozaki, and Momo Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Saki Kashima, and Zoey Skye
• Kagetsu vs. Giulia
• Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, and Saya Kamitani vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami

As I am watching this event from Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. There were a few match changes due to the flu going around Japan, but none of the bigger matches had any modifications. Every wrestler on the card has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Itsuki Hoshino and Saya Iida

Utami starts the match with Saya but Itsuki immediately runs in too as they double team Utami. Dropkicks by Saya and Itsuki to Utami’s back while she is in the ropes, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the slam attempt and hits one of her own. She tries to tag in AZM but Itsuki cuts her off, Saya picks up Utami but again she fails on the slam attempt. Saya gets away from Utami, Itsuki comes in and they both dropkick Utami. Saya finally manages to scoop slam Utami, she covers her but AZM breaks it up. Saya throws Utami towards the corner but Utami reverses it, Saya avoids Utami’s charge and chops her repeatedly in the chest. Utami eventually ducks one and delivers a dropkick, but again Itsuki runs in and knocks AZM off the apron before Utami can make the tag. Saya tags in Itsuki, dropkicks by Itsuki and she covers Utami for two. Itsuki applies a sleeper but Utami quickly gets out of it and applies one of her own, but Itsuki gets into the ropes.

Itsuki goes for a hurricanrana but Utami blocks it, victory roll by Itsuki but Utami rolls through it for her own two count. Itsuki goes off the ropes but Utami catches her with a scoop slam and finally tags in AZM. AZM and Itsuki trade elbows until AZM knocks Itsuki to the mat, AZM goes off the ropes but Itsuki sneaks behind her and applies a sleeper hold. Utami breaks it up, Itsuki goes off the ropes but Utami armdrags her. PK by AZM, but Saya breaks up the pin. Utami takes care of her, Irish whip by AZM to Itsuki but Saya comes back and AZM eats a double dropkick. AZM ends up in the corner and gets dropkicked some more, cover by Itsuki but it gets two. Itsuki elbows AZM into the corner but AZM slides to the apron when she charges in, missile dropkick by AZM and she covers Itsuki, but Saya breaks it up. AZM goes back to the top turnbuckle but Itsuki avoids the diving footstomp, hurricanrana by Itsuki but AZM gets a shoulder up. Buzzsaw Kick by AZM, she goes up top and this time she nails the diving footstomp for the three count! AZM and Utami Hayashishita are the winners!

If you had told me that Utami would be the Face in Peril in this match and that Itsuki would get in so much offense, I’d have never believed you. It’s wild the way they structured this match, with the rookies basically dominating. Utami only hit a couple moves in the whole match and AZM didn’t fair much better. There was at least one pretty noticeable mistake (oddly enough, made by Utami and not one of the rookies) but otherwise it was pretty fluid and both teams worked together well. I don’t know if the match was good but it was definitely interesting and unexpected, so I’ll give them some credit for that considering it was a late addition to the card.

Andras Miyagi vs. Riho

They circle each other to start but quickly end up on the mat, Riho works a waistlock but Andras reverses it. Andras gets in the dominate position but Riho kicks her off as she returns to her feet, Andras pushes Riho into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Andras goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock, but Riho bridges out of the pin and headscissors Andras out of the ring. Riho goes after her and hits an ax handle, but Andras grabs her and hits a scoop slam on the floor. Andras slides Riho back into the ring and joins her, stomps by Andras and she chokes Riho with her boot. Snapmare by Andras and she applies a camel clutch, but Riho inches to the ropes and forces the break. Andras picks up Riho and hits a delayed scoop slam, cover by Andras but it gets two. Riho fights back but Andras boots her in the chest, Andras throws Riho into the corner and hits a running elbow.

Another elbow by Andras, she gets Riho up on her shoulders and spins her around before delivering a Liger Bomb for a two count. Riho rolls out of the ring to try to regroup but Andras goes out too and throws Riho into the ring post. Andras tries to ram her with a chair but Riho moves, Riho gets back in the ring to escape and hits Andras with a Tiger Feint Kick as she gets on the apron. Riho goes for a diving footstomp but Andras moves, dropkick by Riho and she puts Andras in a crossface. Andras inches to the ropes to get the break, quick footstomp off the second turnbuckle by Riho and she goes all the way up to deliver another diving footstomp for a two count cover. Riho picks up Andras but Andras quickly applies a crucifix pin, Riho gets out of it and knees Andras in the face. Riho goes off the ropes but Andras pushes the referee in front of her, Riho rolls Andras to the mat with a clutch hold and keeps her pinned for the three count! Riho is the winner.

I’m not really sure what they are doing with Andras and this match didn’t give me any clarity. It was a good enough match, about what you’d expect on the lower midcard of a smaller show, but Andras has just become a punching bag the last few months as she keeps getting slotted below new wrestlers coming into the promotion. Unlike Andras’ match with Giulia, these two had pretty good chemistry but some of the transitions were non-existent, and the ending didn’t really flow with everything else they had been doing. Not a bad match but ultimately forgettable, aside from the general confusion surrounding Andras Miyagi.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid tries going right into a fast exchange but Leyla shoulderblocks her down, they trade armdrags and leg trips before Starlight Kid hits a dropkick. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Leyla hits another hard shoulderblock, bodyscissors by Leyla and she lets go after a moment to stomp on Starlight Kid’s back. Irish whip by Leyla and she goes for a slam, but Starlight Kid reverses it with a DDT. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for a two count. Starlight Kid picks up Leyla, strikes by Leyla and she dropkicks Starlight Kid in the chest. Running double knee by Leyla in the corner, she covers Starlight Kid but it gets a two count. Leyla goes for a cross armbreaker but Starlight Kid quickly gets to the ropes, Leyla picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides down her back and hits a swinging fisherman neckbreaker for two. Starlight Kid goes up top and delivers a diving crossbody, she picks up Leyla and nails a leg clutch suplex hold, but Leyla gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes for the Yoshi Tonic but Leyla shrugs her off and drops her with a modified Samoan Drop. Running knee by Leyla, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Leyla gets Starlight Kid around the waist but Starlight Kid cradles her for a quick two count. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Leyla levels her with a lariat, Leyla applies the cross armbreaker and Starlight Kid has no choice but to submit! Leyla Hirsch is your winner.

I hope that Leyla sticks around in Stardom, as she offers something that the High Speed division doesn’t really have. She is short in stature but is a power wrestler, which is a fun dynamic that gives the wrestlers a lot more options to put on a unique match. This was too short to get excited about but I enjoyed it, it didn’t have the chemistry issues that one may expect and its too early in her run to know if Leyla winning with the armbreaker was just a cop out to get a quick win or if its a move she is going to use to win matches regularly. Starlight Kid continues to impress with her smoothness but really this was more about Leyla showing why even as a first time wrestler in the promotion she still could win the tournament. Wish it was a longer but fun while it lasted.  Mildly Recommended

Bea Priestley, Onozaki, and Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Kashima, and Zoey Skye

Oedo Tai attacks before the match with Saki staying in as the legal wrestler against Leo, scoop slam by Saki and she rubs Leo’s face along the top rope. Saki tags in Jamie and she rams Leo into the turnbuckle as Oedo Tai each take a turn beating up Leo, Leo makes a comeback against Zoey and makes the hot tag to Bea. Bea suplexes Zoey, they trade kick attempts until Bea lands with one but Zoey hits a Codebreaker for a two count. Zoey tags Jamie, Jamie knocks Bea into the corner but Bea blocks the suplex attempt and hits a high knee. Lariat by Jamie and both wrestlers are down, they both slowly crawl to their corners to tag in Saki and Momo. Momo kicks Saki in the chest, dropkick by Momo but Saki avoids her next attempt as Jamie and Zoey both run in to deliver running strikes. Side slam backbreaker by Jamie, Saki goes up top and hits a diving footstomp on Momo for the two count. Momo comes back with a side slam to Saki but Saki throws her to the mat by her hair. Saki cradles Mom but Bea kicks her in the head to break it up, Somato by Momo but it only gets a two count. Momo picks up Saki and goes for the Peach Sunrise but Saki blocks it, high kick by Momo but Saki pins down Momo with a crucifix hold for two. Momo goes for the B Driver but Saki blocks it and hits a double underhook facebuster. Momo immediately fires off a head kick and crawls to her corner to tag Leo, elbow to the back by Leo and she hits a cutter for two. Leo goes off the ropes but Saki kicks her in the chest, Saki slides out to the apron and kicks Leo between the ropes. Back in the ring, Bea runs in and knees Saki, suplex by Momo and Leo cradles Saki for two. Elbows by Leo, she goes off the ropes but Jamie hands Saki an Oedo Tai sign and she hits Leo with it. My Emblem by Saki to Leo, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins!

I don’t really like Stardom’s trend recently of having Leo Onozaki in these types of matches, as it makes the “fall guy” just way too obvious. When she is anywhere outside the opener there is a 90% chance she is going to be pinned, which is an issue since it kills some of the drama. Plus I’d rather see a high end wrestler in there with this group, not a wrestler that likely will never ‘make it’ past the midcard. Anyway, aside from that complaint I enjoyed the match, Bea looked great in the few things they let her actually do and Saki seems to be embracing her evil ways very well, a welcome change for her. An easy watch with some solid wrestling from some great wrestlers, just predictable and it could have been a few minutes longer.  Mildly Recommended

Kagetsu vs. Giulia

They lockup to start but end up in the corner, leading to a clean break. A Test of Strength with Kagetsu winning follows, but Giulia gets away from her and they return to their feet. They jockey for position on the mat, Kagetsu gets in the dominate position but Giulia makes it to the ropes for the break. Kagetsu kicks Giulia in the chest and chokes her in the corner, Irish whip by Kagetsu and she hits a running elbow. Dropkick to the knee by Kagetsu, she gets a drink of water and spits it in Giulia’s face. The referee complains so she spits water in his face as well, Kagetsu goes back to Giulia but Giulia fights back with elbows and they exchange blows. Big boot by Giulia but Kagetsu kicks her in the midsection, she jumps up to the top turnbuckle but Giulia elbows her down to the apron. Giulia snaps Kagetsu’s neck on the top rope, Kagetsu falls out of the ring and Giulia goes out after her, slamming Kagetsu on the floor. Curb Stomp by Giulia on the stage, she brings Kagetsu back to ringside and throws her into the ring post before finally back into the ring. Giulia sets up Kagetsu in the corner across the second rope and knees her in the midsection, she hangs Kagetsu over the side of the apron and boots her in the head. Back in the ring again, Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to the back of Kagetsu’s head. She goes up top again and hits another missile dropkick, cover by Giulia but it gets two.

Giulia applies a crossface, but Kagetsu gets to the ropes for the break. Falcon Arrow by Giulia, and she covers Kagetsu for two. Kagetsu recovers and gets Giulia on her shoulders, but Giulia slides away and stomps on Kagetsu. Strike combination by Kagetsu and she hits the Ebisu Drop, cover by Kagetsu but it gets a two count. Kagetsu goes up top but Giulia recovers and joins her, superplex by Giulia but Kagetsu comes back with a running knee strike. Big boot by Giulia, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Giulia picks up Kagetsu and nails the Glorious Buster, but Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. As she kicks out, Kagetsu puts Giulia in a hammerlock hold, but Giulia gets to the ropes. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu in front of the corner, she goes up top but again Giulia recovers and joins her on the turnbuckles. Elbows by Giulia, she pulls Kagetsu off the turnbuckles and hits a tombstone piledriver. Glorious Driver by Giulia, but Kagetsu barely kicks out of the pin. Giulia goes for a submission but Kagetsu quickly gets away and delivers a running knee, another knee by Kagetsu and she hits an Ebisu Drop near the corner. She goes up top and this time nails the Oedo Coaster, cover by Kagetsu but Giulia kicks out. Kagetsu picks up Giulia and gets her on her shoulders as the bell rings, signifying that time has expired. Kagetsu hits the Death Valley Bomb anyway, but the match is a Time Limit Draw.

This was fun but man there were issues with offensive transitions. There were several times that one wrestler would do a major move and the other just took over on offense for no explainable reasons seconds later, I normally give a lot of leeway for that but it shouldn’t be so obvious. Beyond that, this is the best I have seen of Giulia so far in Stardom as they looked like they had been wrestling against each other for years with how the match was structured and how it seamlessly flowed. There was a bit of time wasting outside the ring as it took a few minutes to get going, but once they got focused the action was fast paced and generally interesting. Even though it was a smaller show they weren’t holding back any, aside from the lack of Kagetsu Poison Mist, but maybe Giulia just didn’t want her face covered in green. Pretty solid, some definite issues that would keep it out of any MOTYC lists but entertaining nonetheless.  Recommended

Hoshiki, Iwatani, Nakano, and Kamitani vs. Yama-san, Kimura, Kyona, and Konami

Hana and Saya start the match for their respective teams, Saya fires away at Hana with elbows but Hana just invites her to throw more before eventually booting her to the mat. All of TCS attack/taunt Saya while she is in the ropes, Death comes in for a moment as Saya is double teamed. Hana tags in Kyona as she takes her turn on the rookie, with Konami helping from the apron as well. The rookie beatdown continues until Saya dropkicks Death and makes the hot tag to Mayu. Mayu rolls Death to the mat and stomps her in the head, Kyona and Hana come in but so do Tam and Arisa as the odds are evened up. STARS gets the better of the exchange, the ring clears leaving just Mayu and Death and Death thrusts Mayu in the throat. She tags in Hana, Hana goes off the ropes and she boots Mayu in the head. Another boot by Hana, she picks up Mayu but Mayu kicks her in the midsection. She goes off the ropes but is kicked by Konami from the apron, delayed vertical suplex by Hana to Mayu and she gets a two count cover. Hana picks up Mayu and applies the Ground Manjikatame, but Tam and Arisa quickly break it up. Hana goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, Mayu tags in Arisa and Arisa hits a double knee to Hana in the corner. Double kneedrop by Arisa, and she covers Hana for two. Arisa picks up Hana but Hana elbows her and the two trade blows. Jumping knee by Arisa but Death run in and DDTs her, running boot by Hana and she covers Arisa for two. Hana tags Konami, strike combination by Konami but Arisa fires back with a kick of her own and both wrestlers end up on the mat.

Arisa tags Tam, boot by Tam to Konami and she hits a cutter. Tam goes off the ropes but Konami catches her kick and applies an ankle hold. German suplex by Konami and she hits a buzzsaw kick, but Tam kicks out of the cover. Bridging Suplex by Konami, but Saya breaks up the count. This leads to all the wrestlers running in and hitting their signature moves, Konami and Tam crawl to their corners and tag in Kyona and Saya. Kyona kicks at Saya, she goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick. Konami kicks Saya from the apron, Hana comes in and helps Kyona hit an assisted face crusher. Sliding lariat by Kyona, she picks up Saya but Mayu runs in with Tam to help. They get cleared out of the ring, Kyona goes for a pescado but STARS move and she ends up landing on Tokyo Cyber Squad. Tam and Mayu both go up to different turnbuckles and dive out of the ring with dives onto their opponents, they rolls Kyona back into the ring and Tam, Arisa, and Mayu all superkick her. Saya goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, cover by Saya but the pin is broken up. Saya hits the handstand kneedrop but Kyona avoids the running Shooting Star Press, she goes for a cradle but Saya reverses it for one of her own for two. STARS get in the ring but Kyona moves when they all go for dropkicks, TCS come in and they dropkick the members of STARS. Hard elbow by Kyona, but Saya gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kyona grabs Saya around the waist and plants her with the Hammer Throw Bomb, and she picks up the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad win the match.

I don’t mind Saya being such a big part of this match as we saw earlier with Leo since at least Saya is being pushed as a future star, but for a main event this was still a bit lacking. It is hard for all eight wrestlers to get a chance to shine in an twelve minute match, I would have preferred that either they got more time or they trimmed a couple wrestlers. The plus here is that both teams work together really well, lots of fast paced exchanges and smart tag team work that made the match far more exciting than if they did just a traditional tag. Hana looked the best, probably by design, and if nothing else I can say that time flew by while I was watching this. While I’d like more from the main event, even for a smaller show, still a pretty enjoyable match.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom New Years Stars 2020 on 1/11/20 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.

Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• November 23rd, 2019 vs. Jungle Kyona  (debut)

Signature Moves:

• Dropkick
• Hurricanrana

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• December 14th, 2019 – Rina, Hina, and Ruaka vs. Saya Iida, Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino in Stardom
• January 11th, 2020 – AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Itsuki Hoshino and Saya Iida in Stardom

In Action:

Hurricanrana

Back to Retired Wrestlers

The post Itsuki Hoshino appeared first on Joshi City.