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.

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 World Big Summer in Osaka
Date: July 20th, 2019
Location: Edion Arena Osaka #2 in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 563

This year for Stardom I have been focusing on their Korakuen Hall events, but I had to take a step away from that to take a look at this show. For Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka, Stardom put on a full (for them) six match card with three title matches, with a defense of the Artist of Stardom Championship in the main event. We also get some of the better Gaijin wrestlers joining us, with Bobbi Tyler, Jamie Hayter, Bea Priestley, and Zoe Lucas all on the show. Here is the full card:

• Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid
• Arisa Hoshiki and Saya Iida vs. Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter
• Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe, and Leo Onozaki vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Zoe Lucas
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. AZM vs. DEATH Yama-san
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire

Even though I prefer to watch the Samurai TV version of the bigger Stardom events, that wasn’t an option here so I am watching the show on Stardom World. All wrestlers on the card have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid

They tie-up to start, Bobbi pushes the smaller Starlight Kid into the ropes and gives her a clean break. They trade waistlocks, Starlight Kid gets Bobbi to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Bobbi kicks out of it and reverses the hold. They trade positions before reaching a stalemate, wristlock by Bobbi back on their feet but Starlight Kid uses the ropes to reverse it. Armdrag by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Bobbi out of the ring, she goes off the ropes but feints back into the ring instead of doing a dive. Bobbi gets back in, Starlight Kid goes for a slam but Bobbi reverses it and hits one of her own. Bobbi picks up Starlight Kid and stretches her in the ropes, stomps by Bobbi and she chokes Starlight Kid with her boot in the corner. Cover by Bobbi, but it gets two. Irish whip by Bobbi but Starlight Kid ducks her lariat and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors,

Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid goes for a cross-legged suplex but Bobbi blocks it, Starlight Kid elbows Bobbi into the corner but Bobbi avoids her dropkick. Elbows by Bobbi and she hits a running elbow followed by a cutter. Superkick by Bobbi, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Bobbi applies a choke before going off the ropes, but Starlight Kid ducks the pump kick and hits a springboard crossbody. Cross-legged bridging suplex by Starlight Kid, but Bobbi kicks out. Starlight Kid goes up top and delivers the swivel body press, but again Bobbi gets a shoulder up. Bobbi comes back with an enzuigiri and a superkick, cover by Bobbi but it gets a two count. Bobbi picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides away and schoolboys her for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Bobbi catches her with a rope-assisted reverse STO. Bobbi waits for Starlight Kid to get up and nails the Pump Kick, cover by Bobbi and she gets the three count! Bobbi Tyler is the winner.

It started a bit slow for a shortish match, but once they got rolling I enjoyed it. These two don’t have a lot of experience against each other (in a live setting anyway) but meshed up pretty well, and Starlight Kid continues to slowly grow her arsenal as she becomes a more complete wrestler. Certainly a fun match, with only four or five minutes of meaningful action its hard to give a strong recommendation but a solid way to open the show.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Hoshiki and Saya Iida vs. Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter

Natsuko and Saya kick things off, they go through some mat wrestling and trade holds until Saya gets a headscissors applied. Natsuko pushes out of it and they reach a stalemate, Saya goes to take out but Natsuko kicks her and rams her into the corner. Natsuko tags in Jamie, vertical suplex by Jamie and she mushes Saya in the face with her boot. Another suplex by Jamie, Natsuko comes in and they double team Saya in the corner. Natsuko stays in and tosses Saya by the hair a few times before hitting a scoop slam. Running body press by Natsuko, and she covers Saya for two. Natsuko kicks Saya in the head, Saya tries to fight back but Natsuko kicks her again before knocking Arisa off the apron. Natsuko picks up Saya but Saya ducks her lariat and dropkicks her in the knee. Another dropkick by Saya and she makes the hot tag to Arisa. Arisa boots Jamie off the apron and hits a jumping double knee on Natsuko, reverse diving kneedrop by Arisa to Natsuko and she kicks her in the head. More kicks by Arisa but Natsuko catches one and applies an ankle hold. And she appears to be biting her ankle as well. The referee gets her to stop, Arisa goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a spinebuster.

Headscissors by Natsuko but it gets broken up by Saya, Jamie gets rid of Saya and they both elbow Arisa. Natsuko picks up Arisa and gets her on her shoulders, but Arisa slides off and goes off the ropes. Natsuko goes off the ropes too and hits a spear, she tags in Jamie who kicks Arisa in the chest. Sidewalk Slam onto her knee by Jamie, and she covers Arisa for two. Jamie picks up Arisa and goes off the ropes, but Arisa drills her with a jumping knee. Arisa tags Saya, she stays in the ring as they take turns elbowing Jamie. Double dropkick to Jamie, Saya footstomps off her back and covers Jamie for two. Saya goes for a scoop slam but Jamie blocks it, boot by Saya and this time she successfully hits the scoop slam for two. Saya picks up Jamie, Arisa returns and they take turns with strikes, but Natsuko breaks up Saya’s cover. Saya and Arisa go off the ropes but Natsuko catches them with a double spear, elbow and a kick by Jamie to Saya but her cover gets a two count. Jamie picks up Saya but Saya sneaks in an inside cradle for two. She tries another flash pin but Natsuko breaks it up, Saya goes off the ropes but Jamie delivers a lariat. Short-range lariat by Jamie and she nails a brainbuster unto her knee for the three count pinfall! Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter are the winners.

A step down from the last match but still generally inoffensive. The chemistry wasn’t quite there on a few spots as not everything was smooth, but no one really stuck out as not fitting in which is a plus. Saya Iida can be a bit hit-and-miss but looked fine for a rookie here, the match was just void of anything particularly memorable aside from Arisa’s always fun jumping knee, which generally connects pretty well. For its spot on the card, perfectly acceptable wrestling but nothing memorable.

Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe, and Leo Onozaki vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami

Kyona and Leo are the first two in, Kyona works a headlock and shoulderblocks Leo when she finally gets out of it. Leo fights back with elbows by Kyona returns the favor, she goes off the ropes but Leo elbows her again. Leo tries to knock over Kyona with elbows and finally succeeds with a dropkick, she goes for a suplex but Kyona blocks it. All the wrestlers end up running in to set up a vertical suplex line, and TCS delivers a triple vertical suplex. Giant Swing by Kyona to Leo, she lets go and covers her but Momo breaks it up. Kyona throws Leo into Hana’s boot before tagging her in, Hana tosses Leo by the hair a few times and chokes her with her boot in the corner. Hana picks up Leo and hits a scoop slam, she throws Leo in the corner and tags in Konami. Konami snapmares Leo and kicks her in the back, stomps by Konami but Leo elbows her into the corner. A hard elbow by Leo sends Konami to the mat and she makes the tag to Bea, running elbow by Bea in the corner and she dropkicks Konami in the back for a two count cover. Strike combination by Konami but Bea avoids her charge in the corner and kicks her in the head. Northern Light Suplex by Bea, but Hana and Kyona both break it up.

Bea dropkicks both of them out of the ring, she picks up Konami but Konami hits an enzuigiri. Konami goes off the ropes but Bea drops her with a jumping knee and tags in Momo. Dropkicks by Momo to Konami in the corner, she goes for a uranage but Konami blocks it and hits a high kick. That gives her time to tag in Hana, running boot by Hana to Momo and she hits a second one. Hana picks up Momo but Momo kicks her in the chest, they trade kicks but Hana accidentally boots Kyona when she tries to help. That leads to Hana being triple teamed, ending with a Momo Somato for a two count cover. Momo applies a crossface chickenwing but Kyona breaks it up, Momo goes up top but Hana avoids her dive off and hits a dropkick. Momo lands near her corner and tags Leo, but Hana promptly boots her in the face for a two count. Hana goes for a suplex but Leo reverses it, she goes for a few flash pins but Hana kicks out of each one. Leo picks up Hana and hits a series of elbows, she goes off the ropes but Kyona runs in with a lariat. TCS take turns on Leo, Hana hits a big boot but her cover is broken up. Kyona and Konami clear the ring, Hana goes up top and nails a missile dropkick on Leo for the three count! TCS win!

I am shocked, shocked I say that Leo was the one that took the fall. A good match but the issue with six wrestler tag matches that don’t get a lot of time is some wrestlers simply don’t get the chance to do anything of note. Here that was mostly Bea, who had one short segment, and since I like Bea I wish I could have seen her do a bit more on the show. Leo was the focus of course but she was given some shine spots so she wasn’t completely dominated, but I do prefer these matches not have such an obvious loser. The wrestler quality in this one was high so the action was fine, it just didn’t get the time that these wrestlers generally deserve.

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Zoe Lucas
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

Tie-up to start, Utami pushes Zoe into the ropes but Zoe switches positions with her and slaps her in the face. Utami tackles Zoe and applies a stretch hold into a headlock, but Zoe quickly gets into the ropes. Irish whip by Utami but Zoe avoids her charge by sliding out to the apron and kicks her in the head. Scissors Kick by Zoe from the apron, she cradles Utami back in the ring but it gets a two count. Leg drop by Zoe to Utami’s leg and she slams her knee into the mat before twisting it in the ropes. Zoe gets Utami back to the middle of the ring and stretches her, another leg to Utami’s leg and she covers her for two. Zoe picks up Utami but Utami ducks a lariat, she goes for a dropkick but Zoe moves out of the way. Zoe picks up Utami and throws her into the corner to choke Utami with her boot. Zoe puts Utami’s leg across the second rope before kicking her and dropkicking Utami in the knee. Cover by Zoe, but it gets a two count. Zoe goes to the ropes and hits a slingshot splits legdrop, but Utami kicks out of the cover.  Zoe kicks at Utami, she picks up Utami but Utami fires back with elbows. Judo Throw by Utami and she hits a running elbow in the corner, STO by Utami and she covers Zoe for two.

Back up they trade elbows, Zoe kicks Utami in the knee and then in the head, she goes off the ropes and hits a bulldog. Cradle by Zoe, but Utami kicks out. Zoe applies a cross kneelock but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Zoe picks up Utami and puts her leg across the second rope in the corner, she charges her but Utami moves out of the way and hits a lariat. Utami goes up top but Zoe kicks her before she can jump off, Zoe joins her but Utami pushes her off. Zoe kicks her again and tosses Utami to the mat, cover by Zoe but it gets a two count. Zoe goes off the ropes and nails a splits legdrop to Utami’s head, but that gets a two count as well. Zoe picks up Utami, head kick by Zoe but Utami slides behind her back and applies a sleeper hold. Zoe gets to the ropes for the break, Utami picks her up but Zoe applies a sunset flip. PK by Zoe, she picks up Utami and they quickly trade holds. Utami gets Zoe’s back and hits a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

Even though I am the #1 Utami stan, I can still recognize when she has a match that isn’t very good, which is the case here. Even the structure itself seemed off, as I am surprised that the plan was for Zoe to dominate the match and for Utami to win with a ‘surprise’ German suplex without really any attempt to weaken Zoe first. Zoe’s offensive was fine, her leg work was done well and even though she spams the splits legdrop at least she hits it solidly, it was just odd that the champion won with only hitting a couple moves. Add in a miscommunication or two and overall the match was lacking, not a great title match and pretty skippable.

(c) Hazuki vs. AZM vs. DEATH Yama-san
High Speed Championship

AZM immediately charges Hazuki and all three end up running off the ropes before trading quick pin attempts. DEATH punches both of them but Hazuki trips her, slingshot footstomp by Hazuki and she gets into it. AZM hits a hurricanrana but Hazuki flips herself back to her feet and hits a dropkick. Hazuki picks up AZM and hits a scoop slam, she drop toeholds DEATH on top of her and hits a running senton on both. AZM ends up against the ropes, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits a running boot. Irish whip by Hazuki to the corner but AZM avoids her charge and headscissors Hazuki into the turnbuckle. Vertical suplex by AZM, and she overs Hazuki for two. AZM goes up top but DEATH runs in and puts Hazuki in a submission, but AZM come over and puts DEATH in a hanging armbar at the same time. Hazuki crawls to the rope and forces the break, AZM clubs on both of them but DEATH flips her out to the apron. AZM slides herself back in, all three go for quick pins but none have any success. Double Irish whip to Hazuki but she ducks under the lariat attempts and hits a double Codebreaker. Hazuki stacks them in the corner and hits a running elbow, Hazuki goes to the apron and hits a double swandive dropkick for a two count on DEATH. Hazuki goes to pick up DEATH but DEATH blocks it, she goes off the ropes but DEATH delivers a jumping back kick. Code Red by DEATH, but AZM breaks up the cover. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors into the Fujiwara Armbar by AZM, but DEATH cradles AZM from behind for two. Pump Kick by Hazuki to AZM, DEATH tries to roll up Hazuki but Hazuki reverses it into a La Magistral. AZM breaks that up, Hazuki goes out to the apron but DEATH pushes AZM into Hazuki to send her to the floor before cradling AZM for the three count! DEATH Yama-san is the new High Speed Champion!

For what they were going for, I thought the match was good but its a bit disappointing to see Hazuki drop the belt in this fashion. Hazuki has tried hard in the last seven months to make the title mean something after it kinda fell out of the spotlight during Mary Apache’s run, so her losing it without getting pinned feels like a cheap way to end things. While it was likely done to keep her “strong” as she goes for a bigger title, this was the easy way out and felt flat. The action itself was good, as good as a five minute match can be as it was smooth and fast paced as you’d expect. An entertaining match, and Hazuki looked great, just not what I’d consider an ideal conclusion to a eight month title reign for Hazuki.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire
Artist of Stardom Championship

Oedo Tai attack STARS before the bell rings, which STARS for some reason seem surprised about, and the action immediately spills to the outside with Oedo Tai maintaining control. Mayu and Tam are both tossed into the chairs at ringside before Kagetsu spits water in Mayu’s face and Tam is thrown into the ring post. Natsu eventually returns to the ring with Saki, and Natsu hits her repeatedly with a weapon while the referee isn’t looking. She tags in Andras, boots by Andras in the corner and she hits a scoop slam. More slams by Andras, she picks up Saki and throws her into the corner before tagging in Kagetsu. Kagetsu spits water in Saki’s face and then at Tam as well, scoop slam by Kagetsu to Saki and she tags Natsu back in. Irish whip by Natsu but Saki reverses it, Natsu hits an atomic drop on her and then gives Mayu the same. Tam tries to help but also gets an atomic drop, Natsu goes off the ropes but Saki ducks her boot and kicks Natsu in the leg. Saki goes off the ropes and boots Natsu in the head, giving her time to tag in Tam. Andras is also tagged in, she throws Tam into the corner but Tam kicks her back when she charges in and hits a diving neckbreaker. Running knee by Tam but Andras catches her kick, Tam slides away and drops Andras with a backdrop suplex. Cartwheel into a kneedrop by Tam and she tags in Mayu.

Mayu runs in but promptly eats a DDT for her trouble, giving Andras time to tag in Kagetsu. Kicks by Kagetsu, she throws Mayu into the corner and hits a jumping elbow. Mayu returns the favor with an elbow of her own before dropkicking Kagetsu squarely in the head. Northern Lights Suplex by Mayu, but Kagetsu kicks out. Kagetsu ends up against the ropes, dropkick by Mayu and she puts Kagetsu in a crab hold. She switches it to a guillotine but Kagetsu makes it to the ropes, Natsu whips Mayu from the apron and Andras runs in with a dropkick. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, and she covers Mayu for two. Kagetsu hits another one, she gets up on the top turnbuckle but Tam hits her from the apron. Saki comes in and hits a Frankensteiner, Frog Splash by Mayu but Kagetsu gets a shoulder up on the cover. Mayu picks up Kagetsu and goes for the dragon suplex, but Kagetsu blocks it. Boot by Andras as all six wrestlers get involved, leaving the ring cleared with just Mayu and Kagetsu. They both crawl to their corners and tags in Natsu and Saki, Natsu charges Saki and hits the Bronco Buster in the corner. Natsu gets on the top turnbuckle but Saki avoids her diving crossbody, face crusher by Saki but Natsu drives her foot into Saki’s face.

Boot by Saki but Natsu sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Kagetsu and Andras both come in but Saki and Tam take care of them, triple dropkicks by STARS and they all take turns superkicking Natsu. Mayu and Tam double team Natsu with an assisted German suplex, Saki goes up top and delivers a diving double kneedrop to Natsu, but Andras breaks up the cover. Double arm facebuster by Saki and she hits a butterfly suplex hold for two. Saki nails the Unprettier, but Andras breaks up her pin attempt. Oedo Tai clear the ring, Andras and Kagetsu double team Saki before Natsu hits a jumping lariat. Bridging suplex by Natsu, but it gets a two count. Natsu goes for a fisherman buster but Saki blocks it, so Natsu drills her with the Demon (Capture DDT) instead. Cover by Natsu, but everyone breaks it up. Kagetsu and Andras clear the extra STARS members, Shining Wizard by Natsu to Saki but Saki quickly applies a crucifix pin for two. Oedo Tai toss all the members of STARS out of the ring, Kagetsu and Andras both get running starts and sail out onto all three with tope suicidas. Saki is quickly rolled back in, Steel Ball Run by Andras to Saki and Kagetsu delivers the Oedo Coaster. Demon by Natsu to Saki, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai are the new champions!

A quality main event, really enjoyable. It won’t reach any MOTYC discussions but it was what you’d expect – a fun chaos-filled match with six wrestlers very comfortable with each other so everything seemed seamless. A more dominating victory than I would have expected, as Oedo Tai controlled the match and then pinned Saki decisively with minimal cheating (for them). All six got at least a bit of a chance to shine but Kagetsu always stands out to me, she’s just so polished and on point with both her in-ring work and her overall character. An entertaining way to end the show, and a moment for Natsu to remember as she wins the first title in her career.  Recommended

The post Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka on 7/20/19 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.

Event: Stardom Dream Slam 2019
Date: March 28th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hal in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 795

Time for Stardom Dream Slam! Before too much time passed I really wanted to get this review done, as going forward I want to review the biggest events from all the Joshi promotions. This was a mega event for Stardom with five singles title matches, including the first singles title challenge by their newest wrestler Andras Miyagi. Here is the full card:

• Battle Royal: Hanan, Hina, Jungle Kyona, Leo Onozaki, Natsu Sumire, Rina, and Saya Iida
• AZM, Bea Priestley, Konami, and Viper vs. Arisa Hoshiki, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Rebel Kel
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Xia Brookside
• ROH Women Of Honor World Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Natsuko Tora
• World Of Stardom Championship: Kagetsu vs. Goya Kong
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Andras Miyagi

I will be watching the Samurai TV version of the show, so some matches may be clipped. As always, all the wrestlers above have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it.

Battle Royal featuring Hanan, Hina, Jungle Kyona, Onozaki, Natsu Sumire, Rina, and Iida

All seven start the match together, Natsu armdrags all the rookies but can’t get Jungle over. Nao Yamaguchi trips Jungle from the apron and with Natsu they double team her, boot to the back of the head by Jungle but her cover is broken up. The rookies isolate Jungle in the corner and all connect with dropkicks, Hanan puts Jungle in a headscissors and the other rookies follow down the line, with Natsu on the end as all seven wrestlers are in headscissors. Nao comes in and rolls them over, after a moment the hold is broken up and Jungle is triple teamed by Hanan and her two sisters. Leo tries to help but just makes it worse for Jungle, so Saya comes in and finally breaks up the hold. Hanan and her sisters all hit judo throws, but Leo levels Hanan with a hard elbow. Hanan rolls up Leo and with Hina and Rina’s help they hold her down, getting the three count! Leo Onozaki is eliminated.

Hina and Rina then quickly cover their sister and get a three count as well! Hanan is eliminated. Natsu and Jungle get back in the ring but Jungle dropkicks Natsu back out of it, Rina and Hina try to double team Jungle but Jungle slams both of them. Jungle puts them both in a joint crab hold, and they both submit! Hina and Rina are eliminated. Natsu attacks Jungle from behind and kicks Saya when she returns, Natsu gets them both seated in the corner and delivers a Bronco Buster. Bridging suplex by Natsu to Jungle, but it gets two. Nao Yamaguchi comes in the ring but Jungle kicks her back, Jungle goes for a lariat on both of them but they move and Jungle falls over the top rope. She hangs on but Natsu dropkicks her from behind, sending Jungle to the floor! Jungle Kyona is eliminated. Natsu and Saya are the last two left. Saya tries to dropkick Natsu over and finally does so with a dropkick to the knee, another dropkick by Saya but it gets two. Nao slides Natsu a whip of sorts and she hits Saya with it, Nao gets into the ring but she lariats Natsu by accident. Saya quickly bridges over Natsu to cover her, and she gets the three count! Saya Iida wins!

This is the first pinfall victory in Saya Iida’s career. For what it was, they managed to squeeze quite a few fun spots into a short battle royal match. The spots with Hanan and her sisters were cute, and Nao Yamaguchi being such an active participate was fitting since this was her last appearance in Stardom. A perfectly fine way to start a show, even though its a shame Jungle Kyona didn’t have something better to do.

AZM, Bea Priestley, Konami, and Viper vs. Hoshiki, Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano

Viper and Starlight Kid start the match, Starlight Kid tries to dropkick Viper over but naturally fails. Jumping crossbody by Viper but Starlight Kid barely kicks out, the rest of the STARS run in to help and all eight wrestlers end up in the ring. Queen’s Quest stacks their opponents in the corner but they roll out of the way of Viper’s cannonball attempt, Queen’s Quest dropkick Viper in the legs to get her to the mat and Tam delivers a neckbreaker. Things calm down a bit as Saki is tagged in as legal, Saki goes for a headscissors but Viper catches her and hits a backbreaker. The rest of Queen’s Quest runs in as they all apply submission moves on STARS, Viper goes off the ropes but Saki avoids the senton. Saki elbows Viper but Viper headbutts her and tags in Bea. Springboard hurricanrana by Saki and she tags Arisa, Tam comes in too and they both boot Bea in the face. Tam slams Arisa on top of Bea and stands on her, Arisa returns the favor and slams Tam on top of Bea. Springboard double knee by Arisa, but Bea kicks out.

Arisa goes up top but Konami runs over and kicks her in the head, Bea gets Arisa on her shoulders but Tam kicks Bea while allows Arisa to roll her up for two. Bea picks up Arisa and hits a jumping kick out of the corner, Bea gets Arisa on her shoulders and hits a jawbreaker which gives her time to tag AZM. Starlight Kid tags in too, they go through a quick exchange which ends with AZM delivering a dropkick. The rest of STARS comes in to help, German suplex by Tam and Starlight Kid holds down AZM for a two count. Queen’s Quest arrive to swing the match back in their favor, they stack STARS in the corner and this time Viper successfully hits the cannonball. Vertical suplex by AZM to Starlight Kid and Konami connects with the sliding kick, diving footstomp by AZM and she covers Starlight Kid for two. AZM goes for an armbar but Starlight Kid quickly gets out of it, cradle by AZM and she picks up the three count! Queen’s Quest wins!

For a short eight woman tag, I was surprisingly amused by this match. Both teams have such entertaining offense and there was no weak link here as everyone hit their moves smoothly. Arisa and Saki both surprised me with their unique offense and the Starlight Kid/AZM combination was great as usual. There really aren’t any downsides here aside from just the length as it didn’t give all the wrestlers a chance to shine, an entertaining eight minutes of action.  Stardom’s undercard wasn’t always full of wrestlers as good as these eight, the quality of the matches top to bottom has really gone up and will likely continue to do so. Mildly Recommended

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Rebel Kel
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

Rebel Kel has the height advantage on Utami which she uses to get control early on, Irish whip by Rebel Kel and she hits a spinning back elbow. Rebel Kel knocks Utami into the corner and hits a neckbreaker, strikes by Rebel Kel but Utami dropkicks her in the back of the leg. Another dropkick by Utami and she goes for the sleeper, but Rebel Kel tosses Utami down to get out of it. Elbow by Rebel Kel but Utami throws her into the corner, Utami charges in but Rebel Kel boots her in the face. Another boot by Rebel Kel and she connects with the Diamond Dust, Rebel Kel goes for a suplex but Utami lands on her feet. Rebel Kel knocks Utami into the corner and delivers a high kick, Falcon Arrow by Rebel Kel and she covers Utami for two. Utami gets her own quick two count, Rebel Kel goes off the ropes but Utami hits an armdrag.

Chokeslam attempt by Rebel Kel but Utami hangs on with a guillotine, Rebel Kel slams Utami into the corner to get her off and puts her on the second turnbuckle. Rebel Kel joins her but Utami pushes Rebel Kel off, Rebel Kel charges back with a lariat however which sends Utami to the mat. Rebel Kel climbs the turnbuckles but Utami grabs her from behind and nails a German suplex, cover by Utami but it gets two. Utami picks up Rebel Kel and gets her briefly up on her shoulders, but Rebel Kel slides off and drops Utami with a chokeslam. Utami recovers and applies a guillotine but Rebel Kel slams out of it, Rebel Kel drags up Utami and throws her into the corner, but Utami boots her when she charges in and applies the sleeper. Rebel Kel starts going to sleep, Utami quickly releases the hold and gets her up into the Argentine Backbreaker before slamming her down to the mat. Cover by Utami and she picks up the three count! Utami is still the champion.

While I can’t say I came away from the match impressed with Rebel Kel, Utami looked like a ring veteran here and kept the match together with her great selling and timing. I can’t judge Rebel Kel as a wrestler overall just based on one match, particularly one in a foreign land, but she wrestled pretty soft and there were a lot of moves that weren’t hit very crisply. Utami looked great as she tends to and showed her strength by still hitting her finisher against a wrestler much bigger than she is. Not an award winning match by any means but it does show how far Utami has already come as a professional wrestler.

(c) Hazuki vs. Xia Brookside
High Speed Championship

Xia charges Hazuki as the bell rings but Hazuki moves, spinning headscissors by Xia and she connects with a dropkick. Running double knee in the corner by Xia but Hazuki trips her and knocks Xia into the corner. Snapmare by Hazuki and she kicks Xia in the head, dropkick by Hazuki and she facewashes Xia while she is against the ropes. She goes for the boot but Xia moves and dropkicks her, Hazuki goes for a Codebreaker but Xia pushes her off. DDT by Xia but Hazuki knocks her back and this time connects with the Codebreaker, both wrestlers slowly get up and trade elbows. Elbows by Xia but Hazuki ducks one and throws Xia into the corner, but Xia jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a crossbody. Face crusher by Xia, she picks up Hazuki and throws her into the corner, getting her into the Tree of Woe before delivering  a dropkick. Xia picks up Hazuki and hits a neckbreaker, cover by Xia but it gets two. Xia throws Hazuki into the corner and sits her on the top turnbuckle, Hazuki kicks Xia away and sneaks in an inside cradle for two. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, Hazuki quickly applies La Magistral and she picks up the three count! Hazuki wins and is still the champion.

A lot of Hazuki’s title matches have been on the short side, and this was no exception as it clocked in at under five minutes. They are trying something a bit different with the high speed title during this reign, with shorter matches that have that “it can end at any time” feel. Xia wasn’t really weakened, she just fell to one of the most respected cradle pins in the wrestling business. There were a clunky part or two but generally this was a fun match to watch, and I enjoyed it while it lasted. Its hard to really recommend a match this short but its still an easy watch with the action happening fast enough you can’t look away or you’ll miss something.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Natsuko Tora
ROH Women of Honor Championship

Mayu and Natsuko shake hands before the match, but Natsuko tackles Mayu when she turns around and starts working on her already injured leg. Mayu rolls out of the ring to re-group but Natsuko goes out after her and slams her onto the floor. Natsuko sets up a chair at ringside and twists Mayu’s leg in it before dropkicking the leg, she then throws the chair at Mayu before finally returning to the ring. Natsuko goes out after Mayu and slides her into the ring, scoop slam by Natsuko and she covers Mayu for two. Natsuko goes up top but Mayu recovers and slaps her before she can jump off, Mayu joins Natsuko and delivers the Frankensteiner. Natsuko charges Mayu but Mayu moves out of the way, Mayu goes for a kick but Natsuko knocks her bad leg out from under her and applies a crab hold. Mayu gets to the ropes for the break, elbows by Natsuko and she goes off the ropes, but Mayu delivers a superkick as she goes for the spear. Kick to the midsection and head by Mayu, she goes off the ropes and dropkicks Natsuko while she is against the ropes. Natsuko falls out of the ring, Mayu goes up top and dives down onto Natsuko with a diving crossbody. Mayu slides Natsuko back in and goes up top again, hitting a missile dropkick.

Again she goes to the top turnbuckle and this time delivers a diving footstomp, but her knee is too hurt for her to make a quick cover, and Natsuko kicks out once she finally does. Moonsault off the second turnbuckle but Natsuko avoids the moonsault from the top, sliding knee by Natsuko and both wrestlers down. Natsuko picks up Mayu but Natsuko slides away and hits a superkick, Dodonpa by Mayu but Natsuko gets a shoulder up. Mayu picks up Natsuko but Natsuko blocks the dragon suplex attempt, spinning backfist by Natsuko and she hits a second one for a two count. Natsuko picks up Mayu but Mayu slides off her shoulders, uppercut by Natsuko and she hits the rolling fireman’s carry slam. Natsuko goes up top and delivers the diving body press, she goes up top again and hits a diving double kneedrop, but Mayu barely kicks out of the cover. Single leg crab hold by Natsuko but Mayu inches to the ropes, Natsuko goes up top and she hits a diving legdrop to Mayu’s injured leg. Natsuko sets up Mayu and connects with a dragon suplex hold, stealing Mayu’s move, but Mayu kicks out at two. Swinging side slam by Natsuko, but again Mayu gets a shoulder up. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Mayu knocks her back with a superkick, another superkick by Mayu and she knocks down Natsuko with a high kick for a two count. Another kick to the head by Mayu, she goes up top and delivers the moonsault. Dragon suplex hold by Mayu, and she picks up the three count! Mayu Iwatani wins and retains her championship.

Even though we knew who was winning, I’ll give them all the credit in the world for still putting on a compelling match with drama and intensity. This was by far the best match of Natsuko Tora’s career up to this point, as she showed a lot of fire and stayed focused on her winning condition the entire match without getting distracted. Mayu is so good at selling that she could make anyone look good, although it probably helps she has a legitimate leg injury. The best thing they did perhaps is they made the match feel important. Natsuko stepped up to win her first singles title and Mayu did not want to lose it, leading to both wrestling with urgency and meaning. A great match, far more than I knew Natsuko had in her and this may be a turning point in her career if she can keep it up.  Recommended

(c) Kagetsu vs. Goya Kong
World of Stardom Championship

Goya Kong wins the early power battle as Kagetsu can’t knock her over, while a shoulderblock by Goya Kong sends Kagetsu crashing to the mat. Leg kicks by Kagetsu also have no effect, Irish whip by Kagetsu but Goya Kong reverses it and smushes her against the ropes. Goya Kong knocks Kagetsu into the corner and hits a body avalanche followed by a Stinkface. Goya Kong tosses Kagetsu out of the ring and goes out after her, tossing Kagetsu around the floor. They return after a moment, Irish whip by Goya Kong and she tries to sit down on Kagetsu, but Kagetsu moves out of the way. Scoop slam by Goya Kong and she hits a running elbow drop, face rake by Goya Kong but Kagetsu gets out to the apron and hits a missile dropkick, finally knocking Goya Kong over. Goya Kong rolls out of the ring, Kagetsu gets a running start and dives out onto her with a tope suicida. Kagetsu rolls Goya Kong back in and sprays mist in her face, she gets on the apron and hits another swandive missile dropkick before putting Goya Kong in a kneelock.

Kagetsu releases the hold and goes up top, hitting a diving footstomp to Goya Kong’s leg. She goes back to the kneelock but Goya Kong gets into the ropes, Kagetsu goes up top again and hits the Oedo Coaster, but Goya Kong kicks out at two. Kagetsu tries to get Goya Kong on her shoulders but isn’t able to do so, Kagetsu goes for a cradle but Goya Kong blocks it and hits a release German suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up, Kagetsu charges Goya Kong but Goya Kong levels her with a lariat. Goya Kong gets up Kagetsu and nails a hammerlock sitout slam, cover by Goya Kong but Kagetsu barely gets a shoulder up. Scoop slam by Goya Kong and she gets on the second turnbuckle, but Kagetsu sprays green mist in her face. Kagetsu gets Goya Kong on her shoulders  and hits a Samoan Drop, Kagetsu gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a Oedo Coaster. Kagetsu quickly goes back up top and hits a second Oedo Coaster and then a third, cover by Kagetsu and she gets the three count! Kagetsu retains the championship.

To say that Goya Kong is limited would be an understatement and there is a reason that a 10+ year veteran has never won a title. This match was really simple but the story was told well enough. The random leg work by Kagetsu didn’t mean anything and could have probably been safely skipped, if you are still doing limb work 75% of the way through the match I’d prefer it play into the ending in some way. Goya Kong of all wrestlers being the one that it takes three Oedo Coasters to beat was a bit eye-rolly but they wanted Kagetsu to get an emphatic win so I guess it worked in that regard. In the end this was a forgettable title defense and was more here to satisfy Rossy Ogawa’s urges to have his wrestlers beat big Gaijins than anything else.

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Andras Miyagi
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Miyagi works a headlock and Irish whips Momo but Momo slides behind her and they trade waistlocks. Armdrag by Momo but Miyagi avoids her kick and boots Momo out of the ring. Miyagi gets a running start to do a dive but Momo jumps on the apron and kicks Miyagi in the head. Miyagi falls to the floor and Momo kicks her chest from the apron, Momo slides Miyagi back in and kicks her, but Miyagi slides out to the apron and snaps Momo’s head on the top rope. Miyagi pulls Momo onto the apron but Momo blocks the piledriver so Miyagi delivers a neckbreaker on the apron instead. Miyagi spits water into Momo’s face, she slides Momo back in the ring but Momo ducks her boot and hits a high kick. B Driver by Momo and she kicks Miyagi in the head, but she is too hurt to make a cover. They both slowly get up and trade elbows, they then trade slaps until Momo knocks down Miyagi with a kick to the chest. Momo goes off the ropes but Miyagi puts the referee in front of her and hits Momo with a chair. Scoop slam by Miyagi and she goes up top, delivering a Swanton Bomb for a two count cover. Miyagi grabs Momo around the waist and drops her with a tombstone piledriver, but again Momo gets a shoulder up. Miyagi goes off the ropes and dropkicks Momo in the back, she picks up Momo and goes for another tombstone, but Momo blocks it and rolls up Miyagi for two. Miyagi tries to get away but Momo delivers a release Tequila Sunrise, Momo picks up Miyagi and she nails the Peach Sunrise for the three count! Momo Watanabe wins and is still the champion.

So this is really interesting – every other match on the event was shown in full or close to full, while this match had over 50% missing. That isn’t a good sign, if the main event is cut that much that likely means there was a good reason, and since they are pushing Momo as the Ace I am assuming it was so heavily clipped due to the match quality. Anyway, what they showed us (unsurprisingly) was very good, although the beginning stretch did have some clunkiness before they settled in. Miyagi’s tombstone piledriver is fantastic, and she got plenty of offense so even though I figured Momo would win it was a pretty even match. As shown, a perfectly fine match but with over 50% not shown its hard to give a hearty recommendation.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Dream Slam 2019 on 3/28/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I haven’t done a review in quite awhile but with the excitement over Stardom I felt it was time to hop back into it. A lot has changed in Stardom since my last review back in September. Utami Hayashishita has officially made her presence felt in Stardom as she has won multiple championships and is already main eventing her 4th Korakuen Hall event. Oedo Tai has been teasing a new member who will debut on this show, plus Hazuki is well into her reign as High Speed Champion with her second defense tonight. Here is the full card:

• Hanan and Starlight Kid vs. Hina and Rina vs. Leo Onozaki and Saya Iida
• Alex Gracia and Saki Kashima vs. Bobbi Tyler and Hana Kimura
• Jamie Hayter vs. Konami
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. AZM
• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Kagetsu and X
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani

I am watching the show on Samurai TV which is a two hour program, so there may be clipping. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it (including X if you want to spoil the surprise). Let’s get to it.

Hanan and Starlight Kid vs. Hina and Rina vs. Leo Onozaki and Saya Iida

The first three in are Saya, Starlight Kid, and Hina, they do a triple knuckle lock and Saya ends up in a double wristlock. Starlight Kid and Hina knock down Saya and all three take turns schoolboying each other with no luck. Hanan, Leo, and Rina tag in, Leo is isolated in the corner and everyone come sin to dropkick her (except her teammate of course). Saya eventually comes in to help but gets tied up in the ropes instead with Leo, double STO by Hina and Rina and with Hanan they all put Leo in a submission hold. Saya recovers to help her partner break out of the holds, Leo and Rina trade strikes until Leo elbows Rina to the mat for two. She tags in Saya, Saya dropkicks Hanan and Rina before putting Rina in a crab hold, but Rina gets to the ropes for the break. Hanan comes in and trades elbows with Saya, but Hina helps her out and puts Saya in a camel clutch. Hanan goes off the ropes but dropkicks her sister, she tags in Starlight Kid and Starlight Kid hits a standing moonsault onto Hina. Saya breaks up her cover but Starlight Kid dropkicks her, Leo runs in and knocks Starlight Kid in the corner before hitting a cutter. Saya covers Starlight Kid, but the pin is broken up. Rina and Hina judo toss Leo and Saya, they grab Hanan but Hanan avoids their charge and Starlight Kid hits a diving crossbody off the top onto both of them. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid onto Saya, STO by Hanan and Starlight Kid nails a cyclone suplex, but her cover is broken up. Starlight Kid quickly goes up top and nails a swivel body press on Saya, and she picks up the three count! Hanan and Starlight Kid win.

My main thought going into this match is it was a waste of Starlight Kid, who has really turned it on the last six months, but at least she was featured and got to show off a bit. Rina and Hina at times cooperating with their sister made sense, although ultimately didn’t stick, and aside from a few minor hiccups everything went smoothly. This match could be reduced to just a long GIF and you’d get everything needed, but a perfectly fine opener to get some of the younger wrestlers some experience.

Alex Gracia and Saki Kashima vs. Bobbi Tyler and Hana Kimura

Saki and Hana start things off, they trade elbows in the ropes until Saki knocks down Hana with a dropkick. Alex comes in and they hit a double face crusher onto Hana, Saki goes off the ropes but Bobbi hits her from the apron and Hana delivers a dropkick. Slam by Hana, Bobbi gets in the ring and Saki is double teamed. Bobbi gets back on the apron so that Hana can tag her in, Bobbi slowly wears down Saki but Saki gets away and hits a tilt-a-whirl armdrag followed by a dropkick. That gives her time to tag in Alex, dropkicks by Alex but Bobbi avoids the Tiger Feint Kick, Bobbi charges Alex but Alex moves out of the way and hits a Backstabber for two. Shining Wizard by Alex, but Bobbi barely gets a shoulder up. Bobbi fires back with a superkick and tags in Hana while Saki is also tagged in, Saki ducks Hana’s boots and hits a dropkick, covering her for two. Saki goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, Alex runs in with a Tiger Feint Kick and Saki finishes Hana with a double arm suplex hold, but Bobbi breaks it up. Saki goes off the ropes but Hana catches her with a dropkick, running boot by Hana and she nails Saki with a second one. Hana picks up Saki but Saki sneaks in an inside cradle for two, Hana quickly grabs Saki again and hits a vertical suplex. Saki gets away and tags in Alex, neck snaps by Alex to Hana and she covers her for two. Alex goes off the ropes but Bobbi runs in with a ropes-assisted reverse STO, double vertical suplex to Alex and Hana boots her in the head. Hana goes up top and nails the missile dropkick, cover by Hana and she gets the three count! Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler win!

If this match is any indication it is understandable why Saki was knocked back down the card a bit, she just isn’t as fluid as most other Stardom wrestlers and at times felt a bit out of place. Generally the action was fine but uninspired, Bobbi and Alex both looked solid and Hana got her spots in, but outside of some fun moments there wasn’t anything memorable. For just casual undercard fodder it was good enough but no one really stood out which is usually all you can hope for in this situation.

Jamie Hayter vs. Konami

Jamie gets Konami to the mat first but can’t do anything meaningful as they return to their feet, snapmare by Konami and she kicks Jamie in the back. Jamie returns the favor but Konami does it to her again before connecting with a sliding kick for two. Konami goes off the ropes but Jamie catches her with an uppercut and a running knee, she puts Konami in a half camel clutch but lets her go and kicks stomps her against the ropes. Jamie tosses Konami to the mat and kicks her in the back, quick cover but it gets a two count. Jamie picks up Konami and knocks her into the corner, Jamie goes for a jumping knee but Konami moves and hits an elbow. Jamie suplexes Konami into the turnbuckles and nails a running knee, cover by Jamie but Konami kicks out. Jamie sits on Konami in the ropes, back in the middle of the ring she hits a few hard strikes but Konami comes back with a springboard kick to the chest. Konami picks up Jamie, kicks by Konami and she knocks Jamie to the mat. Sliding kick by Konami, she goes out to the apron and dropkicks Jamie while her head is hanging over the ropes. Cross armbreaker by Konami into a choke but Jamie buckle bombs out of it, Irish whip by Jamie but Konami hops on the top turnbuckle and applies a hanging armbar. Jamie powerbombs out of the hold again, Jamie charges Konami but Konami catches her arm and applies a cross armbreaker. Jamie fights off Konami and hits a side slam onto her knee, high kick by Jamie and she delivers a backdrop suplex hold for two. Knees by Jamie, she goes off the ropes and nails the sliding knee but Konami barely kicks out of the cover. Jamie picks up Konami but Konami slides away, she goes for a suplex but Jamie elbows out of it and hits a German suplex hold of her own for two. Knees by Jamie, she gets Konami on her shoulders but Konami slides off and puts Jamie in the Triangle Lancer, leading to the quick tap out! Konami is the winner.

It started slow as Jamie’s opening control segment wasn’t overly interesting, but once they got through that I enjoyed it. The build-up into the match was that the Triangle Lancer always wins matches for Konami, so her goal was to weaken Jamie enough to get it applied. Which worked out for her, helping put over both Konami and the move in the process. I really liked Jamie’s reversals to get out of sticky situations and her knees were on point, I haven’t seen a lot of her but she was impressive here. Konami still needs to show more in-ring charisma and presence but from a skill-level she is ready for a bigger push in Stardom, technically speaking this match was really well done and a fun watch.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki vs. AZM
High Speed Championship

Hazuki and AZM immediately get to it with a high speed exchange (fitting considering the title) which ends with an AZM dropkick and kip-up. AZM goes off the ropes but Hazuki trips her and hits a slingshot footstomp to her back. Irish whip by Hazuki, AZM goes for a dropkick but Hazuki shrugs it off and boots her in the chest. Bootscrapes by Hazuki against the ropes followed by a running boot, scoop slam by Hazuki but AZM kicks out of the cocky cover. AZM fires back with elbows but Hazuki knocks her back down, Irish whip by Hazuki but AZM applies a tilt-a-whirl armbar. AZM rolls Hazuki to the mat and hits a dropkick, kicks by AZM and she starts working on Hazuki’s arm. Short armbar by AZM but Hazuki gets to the ropes, back up they trade elbows until AZM sneaks in a few flash covers for two counts. Vertical suplex by AZM, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Dropkick by AZM in the corner, she goes all the way up this time and hits a diving footstomp, but Hazuki kicks out of the cover. AZM goes for a tilt-a-whirl armbar but Hazuki pushes her off, AZM rolls Hazuki to the mat and goes off the ropes again and this time applies La Mística, but she lets go after a moment when Hazuki doesn’t submit. AZM goes for the triple jump crossbody out of the corner but Hazuki kicks her before she can jump off and hits a running elbow in the corner. Sliding kick by Hazuki, but AZM kicks out of the cover. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki but AZM gets a foot on the ropes, Hazuki charges AZM but AZM snaps off a hurricanrana. AZM goes for a kick but Hazuki ducks it and delivers a Pump Kick, running boot by Hazuki and she hits a Michinoku Driver. Brainbuster by Hazuki, and she picks up the three count! Hazuki is still the High Speed Champion!

I didn’t love this as much as some but it was a decent mid-level title match. Hazuki wasn’t losing here so it was more about AZM putting up a fight to show she wasn’t just a throw-away defense, and while I liked the arm/shoulder work I wouldn’t have minded if Hazuki had shown more damage from it since it was such a focus of the match. They had one noticeable mistake with them slipping on the first La Mística attempt but they covered for it well which is all you can ask for, and Hazuki adding the Brainbuster to her list of deadly moves was a nice touch. More good than bad overall and a good effort by both.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Kagetsu and X (Andras Miyagi)

Kyona and Natsuko attack their opponents before the bell rings to get the upper hand, Kagetsu is isolated in the ring and double teamed by both members of the Jungle Assault Nation. Natsuko and Jungle are pulled out of the ring by other Oedo Tai members as the action spills out into the crowd, with Miyagi attacking Jungle with chairs. Kagetsu and Miyagi get back in the ring with Natsuko and double team her, Miyagi tags in as the legal wrestler and she scoop slams Natsuko near the corner. She tags in Kagetsu as they go back and forth on Natsuko, Kagetsu spits water in everyone’s face (except Miyagi of course) before Miyagi returns to the ring to choke Natsuko in the corner. Miyagi forces Natsuko to head bang with her before elbowing her in the corner and hitting a bulldog for a two count. Miyagi goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a spinebuster and tags in Jungle. Jungle and Miyagi trade shoulderblock attempts until Miyagi sends Jungle to the mat, Kagetsu comes in but Jungle blocks the double suplex attempt and suplexes both of her opponents instead. Sliding lariat by Jungle to Miyagi followed by a slingshot body splash for a two count. Jungle tags Natsuko back in, Natsuko slams Miyagi to the mat and applies a submission, but it gets broken up. Jungle returns and elbows Miyagi into the corner, Miyagi flips herself out to the apron and snaps Jungle’s neck on the top rope.

Miyagi jumps back into the ring and dropkicks Jungle before tagging in Kagetsu, Kagetsu charges Jungle but Jungle moves as Natsuko comes in. Kagetsu dropkicks both of them and hits a slingshot dropkick onto Jungle, picking up a two count. Kagetsu applies a submission on Jungle but Jungle gets out of it and hits a powerslam, sliding lariats by Jungle but Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. High kick by Kagetsu but Jungle fires back with a lariat and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Natsuko and Miyagi tag in, elbows by Natsuko but Miyagi boots her in the head. Natsuko goes for a spear but Miyagi blocks it and hits a DDT, Kagetsu comes in and Natsuko is double teamed. Miyagi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Miyagi but Jungle breaks it up. Miyagi goes off the ropes but Natsuko elbows her, Miyagi elbows her back but Jungle runs in and hits a lariat. Spear by Natsuko, Kagetsu tries to come in and help but Jungle elbows her in the face. Kagetsu and Miyagi are put in opposite corners and hit with strikes, Natsuko and Jungle go up to opposite corners and both hit diving body presses. Natsuko picks up Miyagi and hits a swinging side slam, but Kagetsu breaks up the cover. Jungle and Natsuko grab Miyagi and hit a double suplex, Natsuko goes up top and hits the body press before hitting a second one, but Kagetsu breaks it up by spitting green mist in her face. She spits it at Jungle as well before getting a sign and hitting Natsuko in the head with it, Samoan Driver by Miyagi to Natsuko but Natsuko barely gets a shoulder up. Miyagi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Senton Bomb, cover by Miyagi and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu and Andras Miyagi win!

Just considering the in-ring action itself, this was pretty standard, but for storyline reasons it was a necessary way to introduce Miyagi with a win in her debut with Oedo Tai. Natsuko Tora is still a bit clunky and at 28 years old has probably reached her height in the promotion, however she is fine in matches like this where there is no pressure for her to be memorable. Miyagi was solid, she’s not a high end technician but has impactful strikes and a great character. An exciting development for the promotion to be sure and a decent enough match to debut her to a new crowd.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. AMA (Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani)
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Momo and Arisa start things off, they exchange kicks until Arisa knocks Momo to the mat. Elbows by Arisa, Mayu runs in to stomp Momo and she cuts off Utami when she tries to help her partner. Momo and Utami eat dropkicks, Arisa tags in Mayu and Mayu kicks Momo in the back before hitting a standing body press. AMA stays in control on Momo until Momo slaps a kneelock on Arisa while Utami plays defense. Momo picks up Arisa but Arisa pushes her back and they trade elbows, they knock each other into their respective corners and both tag out. Mayu tries to shoulderblock Utami over but is unable to do so, hard shoulderblock by Utami but Mayu connects with a kick combination followed by a spinning elbow. Dropkick by Utami, Momo comes in and they drop Mayu with a double flapjack. Utami tags Momo back in, dropkicks by Momo in the corner and she hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle for two. Side slam by Momo and she delivers the Somato, but Mayu kicks out. Momo gets back on the second turnbuckle but Mayu recovers and joins her, hitting a Frankensteiner. Sliding Knee by Mayu, and she covers Momo for a two count. Scoop slam by Mayu in front of the corner, she goes up top but Utami hits her from behind.

Mayu kicks Utami in the head and hits a slingshot dropkick onto Momo, Momo and Mayu trade elbows until Mayu sneaks in a hurricanrana. Kick to the head by Mayu and she tags Arisa, Arisa boots Utami off the apron before nailing Momo with a jumping knee. Arisa goes up top but Momo avoids the 1399 and hits a diving Somato for two. Momo picks up Arisa, Arisa gets away but Utami runs in judo tosses her to the mat. Buzzsaw Kick by Momo, but Arisa kicks out. Utami goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, B Driver by Momo but Mayu breaks up the pin. Arisa recovers, Mayu runs in and superkicks Momo and Arisa pushes Momo out of the ring before hitting a jumping kick off the apron to the floor. Arisa gets Momo back in, Brazilian Kick by Arisa but Utami barely breaks up the cover. Arisa picks up Momo and hits a running double knee, but it only gets two. Mayu goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Momo, 1399 by Arisa but Momo barely kicks out again. Back up, Momo gets in a high kick and hits the Tequila Sunrise, but Mayu breaks it up. Utami runs in, she puts Mayu on her shoulders before spinning her around into a release German suplex. Momo picks Arisa up and nails the Peach Sunrise, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita are still the champions.

While this didn’t reach the levels I was hoping, it was still a really entertaining match. Mayu is just a bump machine, she makes all offense against her look deadly and if I was a wrestler I would love to have matches against her as I know win or lose I’d come out looking great. Arisa is a few steps above Saki Kashima so I am glad that she passed her on the STARS hierarchy, she still is the least smooth of the four in the match but didn’t hold anyone back either. My main complaint is that Utami was only the legal wrestler for less than two minutes, it was the Momo show and while I like Momo I wanted to see more of the Super Rookie. The ending was also really sudden, Arisa was kicking Momo’s ass and suddenly Momo hits a few moves and its over. I would have liked a longer end stretch, maybe a comeback attempt by Arisa to make it feel more fleshed out. The match was under 15 minutes so they still had some time to spare. Anyway, the action itself was great fun and these are four of the best that Stardom has to offer, it just didn’t have that epic feel you may hope for from a Korakuen Hall main event.  Recommended

The post Stardom Queen’s Fes on 2/17/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I try to check in with Stardom about once a month, so lets see what they are up to. This is the first event I have watched in a post-Io world, as Stardom has lost their Ace to greener pastures. Hana Kimura is also not around for this show as she is still globetrotting, so everyone else is going to have to pick up the slack. Even though this is not a Korakuen Hall event, there are still two title matches so the show is definitely more than just an average house show. Here is the full card:

• AZM vs. Leo Onozaki
• Elimination Tag Match: Jungle Kyona, Natsuko Tora, Kaori Yoneyama, and Ruaka vs. Tam Nakano, Starlight Kid, Shiki Shibusawa, and Hanan
• Dust and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Hazuki and Natsu Sumire
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima vs. Momo Watanabe and Konami
• World of Stardom Championship: Kagetsu vs. Viper

As this was shown on Stardom World, all matches are unclipped. As always, all wrestlers on the card have a profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Lets get to the matches!

AZM vs. Leo Onozaki

AZM kicks away Leo’s hand when she goes for a handshake but Leo elbows her into the corner. Leo goes for a scoop slam but AZM reverses it, snapmare by AZM and she kicks Leo repeatedly in the chest. AZM puts Leo in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back, cover by AZM but it gets a two count. AZM goes for a crab hold and gets it locked in, but Leo gets to the ropes for the break. AZM kicks Leo repeatedly in the head but Leo fights back with elbows, she knocks AZM to the mat but AZM keeps kipping up. Leo goes for an elbow drop but AZM moves and kicks her in the head, Irish whip by AZM but Leo elbows her hard in the face and covers her for two. Leo picks up AZM but AZM blocks the scoop slam, Leo elbows AZM into the corner and hits a jumping elbow strike followed by a cutter. Another cutter by Leo and she hits a third, she covers AZM but AZM gets a shoulder up. Leo goes off the ropes but AZM catches her with a dropkick, kick to the chest by AZM but her cover gets two. AZM hits rolling vertical suplexes but Leo sneaks in a cradle, Leo goes for a series of flash pins but AZM kicks out each time. Leo goes off the ropes but AZM kicks her in the head, another head kick by AZM and she puts Leo in a crab hold. Leo struggles for a second but soon taps out! AZM is the winner!

A few minor miscommunications but otherwise a fine rookie match. AZM has improved quite a bit in the last year but still being paired with a wrestler with just a few months under her belt isn’t going to give her the chance to show her entire range. They kept it short so it wasn’t offensive however, and Leo does show some potential. About what you’d expect from a Stardom opener.

Jungle Kyona, Tora, Yoneyama, and Ruaka vs. Nakano, Starlight Kid, Shibusawa, and Hanan

Starlight Kid and Kaori start the match, Kaori asks for a knuckle lock but stomps on Starlight Kid’s foot instead. Irish whip by Kaori but Starlight Kid hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, she goes off the ropes but Ruaka grabs her from the apron. Hanan returns the favor by grabbing Kaori, they both break free and Kaori’s teammates run in the ring to help triple team Starlight Kid. Kaori tags in Ruaka, scoop slams by Ruaka to Starlight Kid and she tags in Kyona. Starlight Kid elbows Kyona back but Kyona catches Starlight Kid and tries to throw her out of the ring, but Starlight Kid is saved by her teammates and ends up back in. Things break down with all eight in the ring and they end up in a ring while Kyona puts Starlight Kid in a Mexican Surfboard. Everyone leaves after a moment as Kyona stomps on Starlight Kid, Kyona tags in Natsuko but Starlight Kid rolls her up for two. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she tags in Shiki, dropkick by Shiki and she hits a second one. Kaori runs but Shiki slams her, Kyona tries to help but Shiki drop toeholds her onto Kaori. Tam helps some from the apron as Shiki maintains control on Natsuko, elbows by Shiki but Natsuko hits a hard shoulderblock and tags in Kaori. Chops by Kaori to Shiki but Shiki rolls her to the mat and hits a dropkick. Shiki tags in Tam and stays in the ring to help double team Kaori, but Kaori gets the better of both of them and slams Tam onto Shiki. Senton by Kaori onto both, she picks and Tam and slams her in front of the corner, but Tam kicks her when she gets on the top turnbuckle which lands Kaori on the apron. Everyone tries to knock Kaori off the apron to the floor with no success, she snaps Tam’s neck on the top rope and celebrates on the apron, but Tam kicks her from behind and sends Kaori to the floor! Kaori Yoneyama is eliminated!

Hanan and Natsuko come in as the legal wrestlers, shoulderblocks by Natsuko and she picks up Hanan, but Hanan slides away and elbows Natsuko in the back. Natsuko elbows her back but Hanan hits a judo throw on all three of her opponents, she goes for a STO and Tam helps her hit it with a superkick to Natsuko. Cover by Hanan, but it gets broken up. Ruaka and Kyona stay in and double team Hanan, spear by Natsuko to Hanan and she covers her for the three count! Hanan is eliminated!

Natsuko shoulderblocks Tam but Tam gets back up and the two trade elbows. They both miss kicks, knee by Natsuko but Tam nails her with a head kick. Tam picks p Natsuko and goes off the ropes, but Natsuko picks her up and tries to dump her over the top rope. In the process, both wrestlers tumble over the top rope and to the floor, so both Natsuko Tora and Tam Nakano are eliminated!

Shiki and Kyona charge into the ring, dropkicks by Shiki and Starlight Kid comes in too, but Kyona hits a shoulderblock as Ruaka runs in to even the score. Shiki throws both Kyona and Ruaka into the ropes, Starlight Kid hits a Tiger Feint Kick onto Kyona and Shiki dropkicks Kyona. Shiki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Shiki but Kyona kicks out. Elbows by Shiki, she goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a lariat. Ruaka runs in and boots Shiki, sliding lariat by Kyona and she covers Shiki for two. Kyona positions Shiki and goes to the second turnbuckle, but Shiki recovers and tries to knock her off. Kyona kicks Shiki back but Starlight Kid grabs Kyona from the apron, Ruaka runs in and boots Starlight Kid off the apron however and then hits a Fisherman Suplex onto Shiki. Diving Body Press by Kyona to Shiki, and she picks up the three count! Shiki Shibusawa is eliminated!

Starlight Kid runs in and quickly rolls up Kyona for two, she goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a body block. Boot by Ruaka, Kyona follows with a sliding lariat but Starlight Kid kicks out. Starlight Kid is thrown into the corner but she avoids Ruaka’s kick and hits a spinning headscissors onto Kyona. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her hurricanrana attempt, Kyona tries to powerbomb Starlight Kid out of the ring but Starlight Kid lands on the apron. Kyona gets a running start but Kyona pulls down the bottom rope, with Kyona landing on the apron with Starlight Kid. Kyona and Starlight Kid trade elbows, Ruaka tries to help by booting Starlight Kid but she boots Kyona by accident, sending her to the floor. Jungle Kyona is eliminated!

Starlight Kid and Ruaka are the last two left. They trade elbows, boots by Ruaka and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Ruaka goes for another boot but Starlight Kid rolls away and delivers a dropkick, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and she cover Ruaka for a two count. Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle, Ruaka recovers and tries to boot her off, but Starlight Kid catches the boot and knocks her back. Diving Body Press by Starlight Kid, but Ruaka gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes up top again but this time Ruaka successfully boots her, Fisherman Suplex by Ruaka but that gets a two as well. Ruaka picks up Starlight Kid and goes for another one, but Starlight Kid blocks it. Reverse STO by Ruaka and she cradles Starlight Kid, but Starlight Kid kicks out. Ruaka charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides behind her and delivers the Shiranui for two. Cyclone Suplex by Starlight Kid, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a moonsault for the three count cover! STARS picks up the win!

There is a lot to unravel here. First, if there was any doubt that Stardom thinks the world of Starlight Kid, her booking in the last few months should put that to rest. She not only was the last surviving member of her team but came back to win from being down 2-1, and looked really good in the process. Shiki still seems out of place compared to everyone else, she isn’t a natural athlete so she has a tougher road to success. The top rope elimination rule is necessary to give an easy out to eliminate people so that the match doesn’t go too long, so for a midcard match I have no issue with that stipulation. It still may have been a touch longer than it needed to be to accomplish its goal but overall it moved along well and there were a handful of memorable moments. Keep an eye out for Starlight Kid, she is only 17 but if she keeps with it she’ll be special.  Mildly Recommended

Dust and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Hazuki and Natsu Sumire

Natsu and Dust start the match, they tie-up and Natsu pushes Dust into the ropes before punching her in the gut. Dust elbows Natsu into the ropes, Irish whip, and Dust hits a leg lariat followed by a jumping elbow in the corner. Jumping stomp to the head by Dust, she trips Natsu and she covers her for two. Dust clubs Natsu repeatedly in the chest, she tags in Stephanie but Natsu elbows Stephanie in the corner. Stephanie fires back with her own elbow as they go back and forth, knee by Stephanie and she hits Natsu with an uppercut. Cover by Stephanie, but it gets a two count. Sliding kick by Stephanie, she picks up Natsu and elbows her in the back of the head. Stephanie takes Natsu to the mat and applies a crossface, but Hazuki comes in to break it up. Stephanie throws Natsu onto the apron but Natsu returns and boots Stephanie, Stephanie schoolboys Natsu however and puts her in a submission until Natsu whips her to get out of it. Bronco Buster by Natsu in the corner and she delivers the fisherman suplex hold, but Stephanie kicks out at two. Stephanie rolls to her corner and tags in Hazuki, knee by Hazuki and she hits a senton onto Stephanie for a two count. Natsu comes in, double Irish whip to Stephanie but Stephanie beats up both of them and tags in Dust.

Dust boots Hazuki and hits a DDT onto the apron, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick onto Hazuki for two. Dust puts Hazuki in a sleeper, but Hazuki crawls to the ropes and gets the break. Dust charges Hazuki, Hazuki knocks her back but Dust delivers a Backstabber. Dust goes up top again and hits a diving crossbody, but it only gets two. Dust picks up Hazuki and elbows her, but Hazuki elbows her back as they trade shots. Dust wins the battle with a pair of jumping lariats, she picks up Hazuki and drives her into the corner. Dust charges Hazuki but Hazuki slides to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick for a two count. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki but Stephanie breaks it up, Hazuki picks up Dust and throws her into the corner before hitting a running elbow strike. Elevated Codebreaker by Hazuki, but Dust gets a shoulder up on the cover. Pump Kick by Hazuki, she picks up Dust but Dust avoids the second Pump Kick attempt and hits a Backstabber. Stephanie dives into the ring with a crossbody, Dust follows with a diving kick to Hazuki but Natsu breaks up the pin attempt. Dust picks up Hazuki and goes off the ropes, but Hazuki nails the Pump Kick and covers Dust for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes and hits a sliding kick, but again Dust kicks out of the pin. Hazuki picks up Dust but Dust sneaks in a cradle for two, she goes off the ropes but Natsu knees her from the apron. Natsu comes in and with Hazuki they hit an assisted Codebreaker, Hazuki picks up Dust and delivers a Michinoku Driver for the three count! Oedo Tai wins!

This match was surprisingly solid. I always go into matches with the Gaijin Of The Month with low expectations, not because they are necessarily bad wrestlers but it can take time to get chemistry with wrestlers and adapt to the Stardom style. Dust and Stephanie are both new to me but I was impressed with how they both felt natural in there with Natsu and Hazuki, if there were any issues I didn’t see them. Not that it was 100% smooth, matches rarely are, but everything flowed well and the moves were hit crisply. I am all aboard the Hazuki Train, she looked great here and the match flew by. As far as midcard tag matches go, about all you could hope for, a fun match and a entertaining casual watch.   Mildly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima vs. Momo Watanabe and Konami
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Queen’s Quest attacks before the match officially starts, they stack the STARS team in the corner and both connect with running strikes. Momo stays in the ring with Saki, scoop slam by Momo and she covers Saki for two. Momo kicks Saki while she is against the ropes and chokes her in the corner, scoop slam by Momo and she tags in Konami. Snapmare by Konami and she applies a sleeper, but Saki gets to the ropes to force the break. Irish whip by Konami and she kicks Saki in the chest, but Saki kicks out of the cover. Konami tags Momo back in, Saki goes off the ropes but Konami trips her from the floor and pulls her head over the apron. Momo slides out of the ring and boots Saki, Konami then dropkicks Saki before Momo and Saki return to the ring. Momo continues kicking Saki until Saki catches one and hits a dragon screw, giving her time to tag in Mayu. Dropkick by Mayu, she picks up Momo and dropkicks her in the knee. Sliding Kick by Mayu, and she covers Momo for two. Mayu goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her from the apron, Konami comes in the ring but Mayu fights them both off and hits a springboard crossbody on both opponents. Saki returns and they both hit dropkicks, Mayu picks up Momo but Momo slides away. Dropkick by Momo and she makes the tag to Konami, kicks to the chest by Konami and she delivers a sliding kick while Mayu is against the ropes.

Konami rolls Mayu to the mat and applies the Calf Killer, she reverts it into a sleeper but Saki breaks it up. Konami applies a kneelock but Mayu quickly gets out of it with a kick to the head, Konami applies an ankle hold and delivers a German suplex while maintaining a hold on Mayu’s leg. Konami charges Mayu but Mayu catches her with a superkick and tags in Saki. Saki goes for a boot but Konami ducks and hits an enzuigiri, she tags in Momo who dropkicks Saki in the corner. Back up, Saki and Momo trade strikes until Saki hits a double underhook facebuster for two. High kick by Momo and she goes for the B Driver, Saki gets out of it but Momo hits a Somato for two. Momo applies a chickenwing but Mayu breaks it up, Saki and Mayu both kick Momo before Mayu goes up top and hits a diving body press. Saki follows with a diving footstomp, but Konami breaks up the cover. Saki goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her in the head, jumping knee by Momo but Saki reverses the cover as the pair trade flash pins. Konami returns and with Momo they both dropkick Saki, they both get on the second turnbuckle together and hit tandem jumping knees. B Driver by Momo to Saki, but Mayu breaks up the cover. Konami takes care of Mayu while Momo puts Saki in the crossface chickenwing, she goes for the Tequila Sunrise but Saki reverses it into a roll-up. Momo kicks out but Saki quickly puts her in a crucifix cover, and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima and Mayu Iwatani remain the champions!

Another fun match, although not without some minor flaws. I’m willing to give Saki a bit of a break since she just recently returned to wrestling but she still is not as crisp in execution as everyone else in this match so some of her segments lagged a bit. But Konami looked great, maybe now that she is signing with Stardom they will finally give her a bit more of a push, and Mayu/Momo were their usual solid selves. Even though it was a title match it didn’t really feel like one, not sure if it was the match time, lack of big moments or the flash pin ending but it felt more like a normal co-main than a match with a championship on the line. Still, it was a good match as you can’t really go wrong with Mayu and Momo, and with Konami stepping up I am looking forward to where they go going forward.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Kagetsu vs. Viper
World of Stardom Championship

They tie up to start, Viper pushes Kagetsu into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Kagetsu tries to knock over Viper with shoulderblocks but it naturally doesn’t work, Viper easily shoulderblocks Kagetsu to the mat but Kagetsu kips up and kicks Viper in the midsection. Viper blocks the snapmare attempt as they both grab each other’s hair, eye rake by Kagetsu and she kicks Viper in the back before applying a chinlock. Neck snap by Kagetsu but Viper quickly recovers and pounds Kagetsu into the mat. Viper charges Kagetsu but Kagetsu moves, and Viper falls out of the ring to the floor. Oedo Tai attacks Viper but Queen’s Quest runs them off, Kagetsu throws Viper into the chairs at ringside before bringing her to the other side of the ring to try it again, but Viper reverses it and Kagetsu goes into the stands. Viper returns to the ring with Kagetsu very slowly following, Viper puts Kagetsu in the cobra clutch before spinning her around and hitting a lariat, but Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. Backdrop suplex by Viper, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu gets away and slides to the apron. She goes for a swandive move but Viper catches her and tosses Kagetsu back into the ring. Running elbow drop by Viper followed by a low crossbody, but Kagetsu bridges out of the cover. Viper positions Kagetsu near the corner and goes up the turnbuckles, but Kagetsu recovers and dropkicks her out of the ring to the floor. Kagetsu goes off the ropes and sails out onto Viper with a tope suicida, she gets back in and immediately hits a second followed by a third. Kagetsu slides Viper back in, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick followed by a jumping elbow in the corner.

She tries to pick up Viper but Viper elbows her off, they trade attempts at various moves until Kagetsu scores with a cross armbreaker takedown. Viper inches to the ropes and gets there for the break, diving footstomp to the arm by Kagetsu and she puts Viper in a seated armbar. Viper gets to the ropes to break it up, kick by Kagetsu and she goes off the ropes, but Viper turns her inside out with a lariat. Cannonball by Viper in the corner, she covers Kagetsu but it gets two. Viper picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the Michinoku Driver and sneaks in a couple flash pins for two. She goes off the ropes but Viper catches her and hits the Michinoku Driver, cover by Viper but it gets two. Viper positions Kagetsu and goes for the Vader Bomb, but Kagetsu moves and hits the Ebisu Drop for two. Kagetsu goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but Viper barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu goes back up top but Viper hits her before she can jump off and joins her, avalanche Michinoku Driver by Viper but Kagetsu kicks out of the pin. Kagetsu slowly returns to her feet and elbows Viper, Viper elbows her back and the two trade strikes until Viper hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Viper puts Kagetsu in a kimura with a headscissors, but Kagetsu manages to get to the ropes for the break. The referee tries to keep Viper back so he can check on Kagetsu, but Viper pushes the ref to the mat and picks up Kagetsu anyway. Kagetsu takes advantage by spitting blue mist into Viper’s face and dropping Viper near the corner with a Death Valley Bomb, she goes up top and nails a second Oedo Coaster for the three count pinfall! Kagetsu wins and retains the championship!

A thoroughly entertaining main event. The beginning dragged a bit, if anything Kagetsu over-sold some of the early offense since it lead to her recovering too quickly as the match really picked up steam. From the middle portion onward though everything was quality, as Viper seemed more vicious and focused than she sometimes is and Kagetsu’s comeback spots were well timed. I think that Viper may be the first wrestler to kick out of the Oedo Coaster, but it made sense as up to that point, Viper didn’t have a lot of damage done to her and needed to be worn down more for it to work. Course I am always a fan of the mist and the ending was a convincing way to win for the champion. I may have trimmed off a few minutes towards the beginning (or just had less waiting around) but overall still a really fun match and a better-than-expected main event for a non-Korakuen Hall show.  Recommended

The post Stardom X Stardom 2018 in Osaka on 7/22/18 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I have gotten a bit behind in my Stardom viewing, but there wasn’t any way I was skipping this event. In May, it was announced that Io Shirai had (finally) signed with WWE and would have her last match in Stardom on June 17th. For the special occasion, she is teaming with her old friend Mayu Iwatani to rejoin Thunder Rock for perhaps the last time as they face off against the evil Oedo Tai. Also on the show, Momo Watanabe defends her new title against Jungle Kyona in the main event. Here is the full card:

• Kaori Yoneyama and Ruaka vs. Leo Onozaki and Natsuko Tora
• Hanan vs. Natsu Sumire
• AZM and Konami vs. Shiki Shibusawa and Starlight Kid
• Deonna Purrazzo and Zoe Lucas vs. Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano
• Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Hazuki and Kagetsu
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona

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

Kaori Yoneyama and Ruaka vs. Leo Onozaki and Natsuko Tora

Leo and Natsuko attack from behind before the bell rings, they single out Kaori and Ruaka jumps on Kaori’s back as they all pose on her. So Ruaka isn’t the best teammate. Things settle down with Kaori and Leo in the ring and Kaori throws down Leo by the hair, Kaori stands on Leo’s shoulders in the corner and she hits a series of Mongolian Chops. Leo hits a scoop slam, cover by Leo but it gets a two count. Leo goes up top as Ruaka is in the ring, Natsuko comes in and she hits a spear on both Kaori and Ruaka. Diving crossbody by Leo to Ruaka, but it gets a two count. A cradle by Leo also gets a two as Kaori breaks it up, Natsuko returns but Kaori and Ruaka gain the advantage. Ruaka goes off the ropes and boots Leo in the face, but Leo barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Ruaka, and she picks up the three count! Kaori Yoneyama and Ruaka pick up the win.

A basic match, and a bit clipped, but fine enough for an opener. From the little I have seen I like Leo a lot, she has a lot of energy and at least from the matches I’ve watched she seems pretty fluid in the ring. Obviously can’t get too excited about a clipped five minute match but the rookies are coming along pretty well.

Hanan vs. Natsu Sumire

Hanan desperately wants a handshake before the match but Natsu refuses. Eventually Natsu relents but Hanan kicks her in the stomach, Hana goes off the ropes but Natsu does too and hits a jumping neck drop. Natsu picks up Hanan and puts her in the ropes before putting her in a choke hold, she lets go long enough to run off the ropes and boot Hanan in the back of the head. Natsu picks up Hanan and throws her into the corner, running elbow by Natsu and she delivers the Bronco Buster. Natsu gets her whip and hits Hanan repeatedly with it, but the referee finally grabs it, giving Hanan time to dropkick the whip out of the ring. Judo throw by Hanan and she dropkicks Natsu in the corner, STO by Hanan and she hits two more. Cradle by Hanan, but Natsu kicks out of the cover. Natsu gets Hanan’s back and applies a modified Dragon Sleeper before hitting a reverse DDT. Natsu picks up Hanan and delivers a modified Blockbuster Hold for the three count! Natsu Sumire is the winner.

Poor 13 year old Hanan, once you take a Bronco Buster and get whipped in the ring I guess you are officially a pro wrestler. Hanan got in a few spots as one would hope but this was mostly the Natsu show. Natsu is not a high end wrestler, never has been and probably never will be, but her character is solid and she’ll have a place on Stardom’s midcard for the long term. A decent enough match but nothing that will stick in your brain for more than five minutes as it was pretty predictable and low level.

AZM and Konami vs. Shiki Shibusawa and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and AZM kick things off, Irish whip by AZM but Starlight Kid reverses it and they go through a fast exchange with Starlight Kid ending it with a dropkick. Shiki comes in the ring to help and they both dropkick AZM, double Irish whip to AZM but Konami runs in and helps AZM even the odds. AZM picks up Starlight Kid and tags Konami as they double team Starlight Kid in the corner, Konami snapmares Starlight Kid and kicks her hard in the back. Dropkick to the head by Konami and she covers Starlight Kid for two. AZM is tagged back in, scoop slam by AZM and she puts Starlight Kid in a camel clutch as Konami runs in to dropkick her. AZM goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick of her own, cover by AZM but Starlight Kid bridges out of it and hits a crossbody. AZM bridges out of that but Shiki immediately dropkicks her, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and dropkicks AZM before hitting a standing moonsault for a two count. Shiki comes in again after AZM has tagged out, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid to Konami and she hits a Shiranui out of the corner. Missile dropkick by Shiki and she rolls up Konami, but AZM breaks up the cover. Shiki picks up Konami and goes off the ropes, but Konami quickly applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Starlight Kid breaks it up, AZM comes in and she kicks Starlight Kid in the head. Strike combination by Konami to Shiki and she hits a vertical suplex, AZM comes in and they both dropkick Shiki. Kick to the head by Konami, she flings Shiki to the mat and puts her in a seated armbar, making Shiki tap out! Queen’s Quest win!

I’ve said this about other wrestlers in the past, but if Starlight Kid sticks to wrestling (her exact age is unknown but probably around 16) she could be legit down the road as she has a natural smoothness to her that can’t be taught. As is the theme so far, this was a short match that was slightly clipped further, but I enjoyed what I saw. Shiki is the weakest link of this foursome but they asked the least from her, so everything meshed together pretty well. Worth watching to see the progression of AZM and Starlight Kid, they’ve grown a lot in the last year and hopefully they will continue to do so.  Mildly Recommended

Deonna Purrazzo and Zoe Lucas vs. Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano

Deonna and Saki start for their respective teams, Irish whip by Saki and she hits a springboard armdrag off the ropes. Deonna cartwheels over Saki and hits an armdrag, they both miss dropkicks before facing off again in the middle of the ring. They tag out, Zoe and Tam trade kick attempts until Zoe connects with one and drags Deonna back in. Double Irish whip to Tam and she eats a double flapjack, cover by Deonna but it gets two. Deonna goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a kick to the head, she goes for a scoop slam but Deonna blocks it. Tam puts Deonna in position for a reverse DDT, Zoe tries to block it but Tam DDTs both of them for her trouble. Saki comes in, double Irish whip to the gaijin both are hit with Stunners. Saki and Tam go off the ropes and both hit dropkicks, Tam goes for a kick on Deonna but Deonna ducks it and knees Tam in the stomach. Side Russian Leg Sweep by Deonna and she goes for Tam’s arm, but Tam blocks it and kicks Deonna in the head. Deonna comes back with a head kick of her own, both wrestler tag out and Saki trades elbows with Zoe. Zoe throws Saki into the corner and delivers a running kick, scissors kick by Zoe but Tam breaks up the cover. Saki picks up Zoe and hits a bridging double underhook suplex, but Zoe gets a shoulder up. Saki picks up Zoe but Deonna comes in, Deonna picks up Saki and puts her in the Tree of Woe. Zoe dropkicks Saki while she is hung up, cover by Zoe but Saki kicks out. Zoe picks up Saki but Saki elbows her off, Unprettier by Saki and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano are your winners.

We are really flying through these first four matches, as we are only 30 minutes into the two hour broadcast. As with the first three matches, this was a short match that was clipped down further. The most noticeable thing to me here was that Zoe seems to have improved from the last time I saw her, her offense looked pretty crisp and she didn’t look out of place with the other wrestlers. They worked well together, although they could have clipped out any awkward moments, and for a five meeting airing they did as good a job as one could hope for. I can’t really recommend hunting down matches of this length/presentation but ok for a casual view.

Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Hazuki and Kagetsu

Io and Hazuki begin, Io pushes Hazuki into the ropes and gives a clean break, but Hazuki immediately locks back up with her. They trade headlocks and then elbows, Hazuki goes off the ropes but Io delivers a dropkick. Io picks up Hazuki and they reach a stalemate, leading to Io tagging in Mayu. Kagetsu is tagged in too, shoulderblock by Kagetsu to Mayu and she stomps her in the back when Mayu pancakes. Mayu tosses Kagetsu into the corner but Kagetsu avoids her charge, Mayu slides out to the apron however and kicks Kagetsu to the middle of the ring. She goes off the ropes but Hana trips her from the floor and pulls Mayu out of the ring. Mayu is thrown into some chairs as both teams battle around the ring and into the stands, Kagetsu and Mayu return after a moment along with Hazuki as they double team Mayu. Kagetsu picks up Mayu and spits water in her face, the referee complains but she spits water at him as well. She tags in Hazuki and Hazuki tosses down Mayu by the hair, bootscrapes by Hazuki but Io grabs her when she goes for the boot. Kagetsu pulls Io into the ring and throws her into the corner, leading to both Kagetsu and Hazuki hitting bootscrapes followed by running boots. Kagetsu and Hazuki double team Mayu before the referee manages to restore order, Hazuki slaps at Mayu and hits a few elbows, but Mayu sneaks in a Sling Blade and makes the hot tag to Io. Io hits a running elbow on Hazuki in the corner, double knee by Io but Hazuki fires back with a running elbow. Kagetsu comes in but Io flips away from both of them and hits a double dropkick, Kagetsu and Hazuki fall out of the ring and Io goes for a dive, but Kagetsu hits Io in the head with a metal plate as she goes for the move.

Kagetsu and Hazuki bring Io and Mayu up into the crowd but Thunder Rock gain the advantage, Io gets up on the top of the balcony and hits a moonsault down onto Kagetsu and Hazuki. Io returns to the ring and Mayu slides in Hazuki, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she delivers the swandive dropkick for a two count. Scoop slam by Io, she goes up top but Hazuki recovers and shakes the ropes so that Io falls into the Tree of Woe. Hazuki grabs Io and goes for the tombstone, Io reverses positions with her but Hazuki rolls out of it and hits the Codebreaker. Hazuki is up first and she slides out to the apron, hitting a swandive dropkick of her own for two. Hazuki tags in Kagetsu, kicks by Kagetsu to Io and she goes for the Ebisu Drop, but Io lands on her feet and hits an elbow. She goes for a double underhook facebuster but Kagetsu blocks it, palm thrust by Io and she hits a running double knee in the corner. Cover by Io, but it gets a two count. Io goes up for the moonsault but Natsu spits water on her from the apron, Kagetsu gets a metal sign and hits Mayu and Io with it. Kagetsu picks up Io and delivers a high kick, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she covers Io, but the referee won’t count due to all the cheating. Kagetsu keeps cheating anyway as things completely break down, Io ends up in the corner and virtually the entire roster comes in to take turns attacking Io in the corner (or hugging her, depending on their preference). Mayu comes in and gets her turn too as she dropkicks her own partner and hits her with a standing moonsault. Cover by Kagetsu, but Mayu breaks it up. Kagetsu picks up Io but Io cradles her, Kagetsu muscles Io back up however and she hits a vertical suplex for two.

Kagetsu grabs Io around the throat but Io reverses the chokeslam attempt into a hurricanrana, double underhook facebuster by Io and she covers Kagetsu for two. Io rolls to her corner and tags in Mayu, Mayu picks up Kagetsu and she delivers a kick combination followed by a standing crucifix bomb. Mayu goes up top but Hazuki runs in and suplexes Mayu back down to the mat, Hazuki and Kagetsu both grab Mayu but Io comes in with a swandive dropkick onto both of her opponents. Mayu picks up Kagetsu and superkicks her while Io hits palm thrusts, dragon suplex hold by Mayu but Hazuki breaks it up with a running senton. Hazuki then DDTs Io, Hazuki charges Kagetsu and Kagetsu catapults her onto Mayu for an assisted senton. Kagetsu elbows Mayu in the corner and Hazuki follows with a Codebreaker, Hazuki slams Mayu in front of the corner and Kagetsu nails the Oedo Coaster, but Io breaks up the cover. Hazuki charges Io but Io backdrops her out of the ring, she then dives out on Hazuki with a plancha suicida. Back in the ring, Mayu runs up the corner but loses her balance, so she jumps out onto the apron and kicks Hazuki from there instead. Back in the ring, Io goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she then goes up top with Mayu and both of them hit stereo missile dropkicks. Cover by Mayu, but Kagetsu kicks out. Mayu picks up Kagetsu but Hazuki returns, Io grabs Hazuki however after some palm strikes as Mayu goes up top and they drop her with a spike tombstone piledriver. Mayu then grabs Kagetsu while Io goes up top and they give her a spike piledriver as well, Io goes to the turnbuckle again and delivers a moonsault. Mayu picks up Kagetsu from behind and nails her version of the dragon suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Thunder Rock win!

Matches like these are hard to “rate” as there are so many different elements to them. Aside from Mayu’s slip-up, the match was very smooth and well executed, as all four wrestlers have great chemistry and have wrestled each other many times. Io had the usual farewell spot in the middle where everyone in the roster took a turn attacking, hugging, or taking a selfie with her which is always fun to see. Course she hit all her big spots, including the balcony moonsault, and overall it was enjoyable. It may have gone a touch longer than necessary but that was bound to happen with the crowd sections, and in a way I didn’t mind just knowing it would be the last time Io will be in Stardom (at least for the foreseeable future). An enjoyable experience for sure, a bit predictable but still a must watch for any fans of Stardom, Io Shirai, or Thunder Rock. Highly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They charge each other as soon as the bell rings and Kyona hits a hard elbow, but Momo elbows her back and the two trade blows. Both wrestlers go off the ropes until Momo delivers a dropkick, Momo throws Kyona into the corner and dropkicks her again. Momo charges Kyona but Kyona hits a shoulderblock, Kyona picks up Momo but Momo slides away. Momo kicks Kyona in the leg and in the back repeatedly, kick to the chest by Momo but Kyona recovers and stomps Momo to the mat. Kyona wraps Momo’s leg around the bottom rope and starts twisting on it, she goes for a sliding elbow but Momo moves out of the way. Kicks by Momo but Kyona avoids one and dropkicks Momo in her injured leg, Irish whip by Kyona but Momo jumps on the second turnbuckle and delivers a dropkick. Kyona rolls out of the ring, Momo goes out to the apron and she kicks Kyona in the chest. She tries to do it again but Kyona lariats her in the leg, Kyona pulls Momo out to the floor but Momo blocks the powerbomb attempt and delivers the B Driver. Momo returns to the ring and waits for Kyona, but she gets tired of waiting and goes out to slide Kyona in. Momo picks up Kyona and goes for a second B Driver, but Kyona reverses it with a cradle. Momo dropkicks Kyona into the corner and hits a second one, snap vertical suplex by Momo and she covers Kyona for two. Momo goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a powerslam, she picks up Momo and goes off the ropes, but Momo greets her with a head kick. Kyona fires back with a lariat which leaves both women on the mat, Kyona recovers first and grabs Momo around the waist, but Momo wiggles away.

Momo and Kyona trade elbows, Momo goes for a kick but Kyona catches it and powerbombs Momo. She keeps her grip on Momo and hits a second powerbomb, but Momo kicks out of the cover. Kyona goes off the ropes and goes for the sliding elbow, but Momo blocks it and hits a quick Somato. Momo picks up Kyona and goes off the ropes, elevated Somato by Momo but her cover gets a two count. Momo applies a crossface chicken wing, Kyona gets out of it however and she hits a short range lariat. Kyona goes off the ropes, Momo goes for a kick but Kyona ducks it and hits a German suplex. Kyona goes off the ropes and finally hits the sliding lariat, she hits another one to the back of Momo’s head and rolls her over for the cover, but Momo kicks out. Kyona goes up top but Momo elbows her before she can jump off, Momo joins Kyona but Kyona pushes her back down. Diving body press by Kyona, she rolls over Momo and grabs her around the waist, but Momo blocks the powerbomb attempt and delivers a hurricanrana. Lariat by Kyona in the corner but Momo catches her with a uranage. Momo picks up Kyona and kicks her in the chest, head kick by Momo and she delivers the B Driver. Momo picks up Kyona and goes for it again, this time from the turnbuckle, but Kyona slides off. Kyona charges Momo but Momo kicks her in the head and hits the diving Somato for two. Momo quickly applies the crossface chicken wing but Kyona gets back to her feet, Momo reverts the hold to a three-quarter nelson and nails the Tequila Sunrise for the three count! Momo Watanabe is still the champion!

These two had a hard act to follow, and I think they mostly delivered. While the offense was a bit inconsistent at times, particularly with Kyona going for the leg to start and then completely abandoning it halfway through, they kept the pace up so the match stayed interesting from bell to bell. My main qualm is with the ending, we’ve been conditioned in Stardom to epic hot end stretches but this match certainly didn’t have that, with Momo going straight from submission hold to finishing move with no real ‘comeback’ attempt by Kyona. Which isn’t necessarily a bad ending but was unexpected and it seemed to catch the crowd by surprise as well. Even though Momo won I think that Kyona is the more polished wrestler right now so it will be fun to see where they go from here. Even though it didn’t feel like the true main event, still a solid effort by both and an entertaining match.  Recommended

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