Event: Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2019
Date: April 29th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,050

It is time to watch the Stardom Cinderella Tournament! This is the fifth year Stardom has run the tournament, with the winner of the tournament being granted one wish (and gets to wear a pretty Cinderella dress). Last year’s winner, Momo Watanabe, used her wish to challenge Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship, so the assumption is that the winner will challenge for one of Stardom’s top titles. The Cinderella Tournament is a one-night tournament and has 16 participants. Every match in the tournament is a singles match with the following stipulations:

• Tournament is Single Elimination
• All matches up to the final have a 10 Minute Time Limit
• If the time limit expires, the match is a Draw and both wrestlers are eliminated from the tournament
• If both wrestlers are eliminated by Draw, their opponent in the next round gets a Bye
• Wrestlers can win by pinfall, submission, or throwing their opponent over the top rope to the floor

I previewed the event as well, where I predicted (mostly incorrectly) the outcome of the tournament. Here is the full bracket:

These are the first round matches in the order they take place on the show:

First Round

• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: AZM vs. Rebel Kel
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Starlight Kid vs. Natsu Sumire
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Bea Priestley vs. Hazuki
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Saki Kashima
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Hana Kimura vs. Andras Miyagi
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Kagetsu vs. Tam Nakano
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Natsuko Tora vs. Jungle Kyona
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Konami vs. Momo Watanabe

All wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click their names to go straight to it. I’m switching back and forth between Stardom’s version and Samurai TV’s version of the show, which I realize is a bit obnoxious but the end result is the same anyway.

AZM vs. Rebel Kel

Rebel Kel flaunts her height advantage to start and tosses the much smaller AZM round the ring, AZM tries to dropkick Rebel Kel over but Rebel Kel stays standing tall. Rebel Kel hits a dropkick of her own, Irish whip by Rebel Kel but AZM pushes her to the mat and kicks her in the chest. AZM goes for an Irish whip but Rebel Kel reverses it, AZM avoids her charge in the corner and flips out to the apron. AZM trips Rebel Kel under the bottom rope, footstomp by AZM but Rebel Kel blocks the suplex attempt. Irish whip by Rebel Kel to the corner, AZM jumps up to the turnbuckles but Rebel Kel boots her in the chest. Rebel Kel flings AZM in the middle of the ring, cocky cover by Rebel Kel but it gets two. She tosses AZM around by her hair, kick by Rebel Kel and she gets on the second turnbuckle, but AZM recovers and joins her. Rebel Kel goes for an avalanche chokeslam but AZM blocks it and throws her back into the ring, high kick by AZM and she hits a vertical suplex. Elbows by AZM but Rebel Kel boots her when she goes off the ropes, she goes for a suplex but AZM lands on her feet. Rebel Kel blocks the cradle attempt, Falcon Arrow by Rebel Kel but AZM kicks out of the cover. Press slam attempt by Rebel Kel but AZM reverses it into a hurricanrana for the three count! AZM wins and advances in the tournament.

This was better than it had any right to be but its because they kept it simple. Big Person vs. Little Person is an old story but its a story that works if done well, and the structuring here was on point as they kept the match interesting bell to bell. The flash pin/upset was a nice way to kick of the tournament, and Rebel Kel looked better than she has in any match I’ve seen her up to this point. For a first tournament match, about all you could ask for.  Mildly Recommended

Starlight Kid vs. Natsu Sumire

Wristlock by Starlight Kid to start and she tosses Natsu down near the corner, dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits a jumping lariat for two. She goes for a cradle but Natsu blocks it, stomps by Natsu and she stretches Starlight Kid in the ropes. Natsu gets a bottle of water and spits it into the crowd, big boot by Natsu to the back of the head and she covers Starlight Kid for barely two. Natsu kick Starlight Kids into the corner but Starlight Kid avoids the bronco buster and positions Natsu in front of the corner. Diving body press off the second turnbuckle by Starlight Kid, she picks up Natsu but Natsu gets away. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Natsu blocks the Tiger Feint Kick, she puts Starlight Kid across the ropes in the corner and hits a double knee drop. Natsu goes for the Bronco Buster again and this time succeeds, she goes for the DDT but Starlight Kid pushes her off and hits a swinging neckbreaker followed by a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Natsu grabs her for a small package, but Starlight Kid reverses it and hits a dropkick. Small package by Starlight Kid and she picks up the three count! Starlight Kid wins and advances in the tournament.

A pretty simple match, not much to it. Starlight Kid looked smooth as usual and Natsu continued to serve her role well. There was no other outcome that would work here, more of a formality than anything else and generally skippable.

Bea Priestley vs. Hazuki

Hazuki and Bea circle each other, they go through a high speed exchange until Bea hits a hurricanrana. Bea can’t capitalize as Hazuki quickly takes over, she facewashes Bea against the ropes before hitting a running boot. Scoop slam by Hazuki, and she covers Bea for two. Back up they trade elbows, Hazuki throws Bea into the corner and charges her, but Bea flips Hazuki out onto the apron. Swandive dropkick by Hazuki and she puts Bea in an armtrap crossface, but Bea gets into the ropes for the break. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Bea avoids the boot and knees her, backdrop suplex by Bea and she delivers a curbstomp for two. Bea picks up Hazuki and goes for the Queen’s Landing, but Hazuki elbows out of it and headscissors Bea over the top rope, sending Bea to the floor! Hazuki wins by Over The Top Rope and advances in the tournament.

Even before I read it officially, it was clear that this was not the planned ending. Bea lost her grip and ended up on the floor, even as Hazuki tried to hold her up. The music played was Bea’s and initially Bea was announced as the winner, before they changed it since Hazuki clearly won. Before the botched ending the match was fine, both are smooth and everything was hit flush. A perfectly watchable first round match, just with an accidental winner.

Arisa Hoshiki vs. Saki Kashima

They trade strike attempts to start with neither connecting until Saki hits a quick footstomp. Saki starts on Arisa’s leg and kicks her against the ropes, she goes off the ropes but Arisa kicks her in the chest. Arisa chops Saki in the corner and hits a jumping double knee, double kneedrop by Arisa and she covers Saki for two. She goes off the ropes but Saki ducks the kick and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors into an Indian Deathlock. Arisa gets to the ropes for a break, Saki dropkicks her in the knee and hits a kneedrop to Arisa’s leg from the second turnbuckle. More kicks by Saki and she hits a dragon screw, she picks up Arisa and hits a double underhook facebuster for a two count. Saki goes up top but Arisa avoids the diving footstomp, kicks by Arisa but Saki avoids the Brazilian Kick. Saki goes for a roll-up but Arisa rolls through, jumping knee by Arisa and she covers Saki for a two count. Arisa picks up Saki and slams her to the mat, she goes up top and nails a twisting body press for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki is the winner!

While these five minute (or shorter) matches are hard to recommend on an individual basis, a common issue with “rating” tournaments like this, the match was an easy watch and both looked fine. Arisa is the crisper of the two and Saki’s leg work seemed weird since you can win by throwing your opponent over the top rope, but maybe making strategies just isn’t Saki’s strong suit. A good tournament match.

Hana Kimura vs. Andras Miyagi

They are slow to lock-up, Andras starts headbanging so Hana schoolboys her from behind for a two count. Now Hana starts to headbang so Andras joins her, Hana goes off the ropes and she boots Andras in the head. Hana celebrates in the ropes but Andras knocks her from behind onto the apron, Andras charges her but Hana slides back in the ring and hits a dropkick. Running boot by Hana and she hits a second one, cover by Hana but it gets two. Hana gets Andras’ back and goes for a sleeper, but Andras gets out of it with a jawbreaker. Hana quickly applies the Ground Manjikatame but Andras quickly gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Andras gets back up and the pair trade elbows until Hana hits a sidewalk slam for two. Andras throws Hana into the corner but Hana tosses her out onto the apron, Hana goes to elbow Andras off the apron but Andras snaps her neck on the top rope. Andras returns to the ring and boots Hana, backdrop suplex by Andras and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick for a two count. Elbow by Andras but Hana boots her back and gets on the second turnbuckle, Andras boots her off of it however and Hana lands on the apron. Andras charges Hana but Hana holds the rope down and Andras ends up on the apron as well. They trade elbows while on the apron, Andras goes for a piledriver but Hana blocks it and goes for a vertical suplex. Andras blocks that too, boot by Andras but Hana dropkicks her off the apron and down to the floor! Hana Kimura wins via Over The Top Rope and advances into the tournament.

I’m not sure how these factions are going to work out but I will admit that I am afraid of Hana Kimura getting lost in the shuffle. She is a good wrestler but not as good as many of the other Stardom wrestlers, and her current gimmick is hard to take seriously. Andras is in a similar boat but doesn’t come across as goofy as Hana can so I’m not as concerned with her, I don’t think she’ll ever have the top title but she’ll find her place. Anyway the match was decent enough but they didn’t click as well as we’ve seen in the last few matches and it felt more like trading spots until the ending stretch than anything else. Not bad, but nothing special either.

Kagetsu vs. Tam Nakano

They jockey for position to start, they end up on the mat but they roll into the ropes for a break. They soon land on the mat again, Tam gets Kagetsu’s ankle but Kagetsu gets out of it and applies an ankle hold of her own. Tam wiggles to the ropes and gets to them to force a break, Kagetsu picks her up and tosses Tam towards the corner, but Tam collapses before she gets there. Kagetsu kicks Tam’s leg in the ropes before dropkicking it, Kagetsu puts Tam on the top turnbuckle but Tam jumps off with a neckbreaker. Cartwheel kneedrop by Tam, and she covers Kagetsu for a two count. Tam goes for a backdrop suplex but Kagetsu lands on her feet, grounded necklock by Tam but Kagetsu muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Kagetsu charges Tam but Tam kicks her and applies a guillotine on the top turnbuckle, Takako Panic by Tam but Kagetsu blocks her knee attempt. Sleeper by Tam but Kagetsu gets out of it with a jawbreaker and applies an ankle hold. Again Tam gets to the ropes to get a break, Kagetsu picks her up and hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner. Kagetsu goes up top but Tam recovers and joins her, superplex by Tam but Kagetsu quickly hits a sliding knee. Death Valley Bomb by Tam and both wrestlers are on the mat trying to recover. They both get back to their knees and trade elbows, Kagetsu elbows Tam into the ropes but Kagetsu blocks one and goes for a chokeslam. Tam blocks it but Kagetsu delivers a high kick, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she goes up top, but Tam avoids the Oedo Coaster. High kick by Tam and she nails a Tiger Suplex Hold, but Kagetsu barely gets a shoulder up. Tam applies a dragon sleeper but the time expires before Kagetsu submits, and the match is a Draw! Both wrestlers are eliminated.

Even though they telegraphed a bit that they were going long with the slow start, once it kicked into gear I really enjoyed this. Tam needed a good showing as she just hasn’t been able to break out of the midcard since joining Stardom, and Kagetsu doesn’t really need the win since she already has a belt anyway. Both wrestlers kicked out of a fair amount of offense but neither hit their big death move, so it never felt excessive or like they were blowing too much for a first round match. Tam has more skill than Stardom has let her show and I hope taking Kagetsu to the limit (and having perhaps the winning move applied when the bell rang) will be the start of her getting bigger spots in the promotion. Overall a fun match that told a solid story while helping putting over Tam as a force to be reckoned with even if she ran out of time.  Recommended

Natsuko Tora vs. Jungle Kyona

They waste no time as they quickly get into an elbow battle, Kyona tries to shoulderblock Natsuko over but Natsuko doesn’t budge. She tries again with no luck, quick spear by Natsuko and she throws down Kyona by the hair. Natsuko kicks at Kyona in the corner and puts her in the ropes to hit a series of chops, she gets a bottle of water and pours it over Kyona’s head. Kneelift by Natsuko and she covers Kyona, but it gets a two count. Natsuko slaps at Kyona but Kyona responds with a hard elbow, Natsuko elbows her back but Kyona absorbs the blows and slaps her. Lariat by Kyona, and she covers Natsuko for two. Another lariat by Kyona and she hits a couple more, but Natsuko gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kyona elbows Natsuko into the corner and hits a running lariat, another lariat by Kyona and she puts Natsuko on the top turnbuckle. She goes for a Muscle Buster but Natsuko gets out of it, Natsuko goes for a spear but Kyona blocks it and hits a gutbuster. Kyona goes up top but Natsuko gets her knees up on the body press attempt and knees Kyona in the head. Natsuko then goes up top and delivers a diving body press of her own, but Kyona gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt. Natsuko picks up Kyona but Kyona hits a lariat, Natsuko fires back with an elbow but Kyona connects with a sliding lariat for two. Kyona goes off the ropes but so does Natsuko and she delivers the spear. Swinging side slam by Natsuko, but her cover gets two. Natsuko goes back up top and nails a diving guillotine legdrop, cover by Natsuko and she picks up the three count! Natsuko Tora wins and advances in the tournament.

While I am not surprised that Natsuko won, I thought they’d do it by Over The Top Rope and not have Natsuko get a clean pinfall. This was probably necessary to really put Natsuko over as she begins her new journey, but Jungle Kyona fans will continue to be dismayed as she continues to slip down the totem pole to the point she is almost underground now. They had a lot of slick reversals as they know each other well, but some of Natsuko’s parts were clunky as she is not the smoothest wrestler on the roster. A good match but this was more about the end result then the action that came before it, as Natsuko asserts herself as someone to keep an eye on going forward.  Mildly Recommended

Konami vs. Momo Watanabe

They jump right into it as Konami swats a Momo dropkick attempt and kicks her against the ropes. Snapmare by Konami, she flips her off but Momo responds with a dropkick and some kicks of her own. Back in the middle of the ring they trade chest kicks, Konami slides away and puts Momo in an armbar, but Momo is too close to the ropes and gets the break. Konami goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding kick, fisherman suplex by Konami but Momo kicks out. Back on their feet Konami kicks Momo some more, Irish whip by Konami to the corner but Momo avoids her charge and hits a dropkick. Another dropkick by Momo and she delivers a uranage followed by a Somato for two. Momo goes up top and hits the diving Somato, but again Konami gets a shoulder up. Konami gets a way from Momo and hits a high kick, but Momo retorts with her own high kick. She goes for the Tequila Sunrise but Konami blocks it and applies an armbar, she reverts it into a seated armbar but Momo gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Konami gets on the second turnbuckle but Momo kicks her in the head and tosses Konami out to the apron. Konami grabs Momo and applies a hanging armbar over the top rope, she lets go after a moment and Momo kicks her in the head when she does so. Momo charges Konami but Konami holds down the top rope, Momo tumbles over the top rope and down to the floor, eliminating her from the match! Konami is the winner and advances in the tournament.

This was really just a tease on things to come between these two, but for a five minute match it was well done. These two will likely be at odds for awhile and they did the match as they were equals, trading kicks and everything else until it was very suddenly over. Konami winning will help if they do keep feuding as now she has one-up on the champion, but losing by Over The Top Rope won’t hurt Momo any either. The right winner and a fun sprint.  Mildly Recommended

Quarter Finals

• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final: Starlight Kid vs. Hazuki
• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final: AZM vs. Konami
• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final: Natsuko Tora vs. Hana Kimura
• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final:: Arisa Hoshiki receives a Bye into the Semi Finals

Starlight Kid vs. Hazuki

Starlight Kid charges Hazuki and dropkicks her into the corner, she hits a few more dropkicks followed by a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Starlight Kid cradles Hazuki but it only gets two, she dropkicks Hazuki against the ropes and hits the Tiger Feint Kick. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, but Hazuki kicks out of the cover. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki blocks the swinging neckbreaker and hits the Code Breaker. Running elbow by Hazuki, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Starlight Kid dropkicks her out to the apron. Hazuki goes to do a swandive move but Starlight Kid pushes her as she gets to the top rope, sending Hazuki crashing to the floor! Starlight Kid wins by Over The Top Rope, advancing to the Semi Finals.

Between the fact this is a long show and this wasn’t the planned match, it makes sense they’d just make it a really quick affair before continuing on the tournament. Starlight Kid looked impressive as she tends to so I have no issues with her winning, once she graduates high school I expect her to get a pretty good push. Good enough match for what it was.

AZM vs. Konami

Konami flips off AZM the same she did to Momo, but AZM dropkicks her for her trouble. Tilt-a-whirl into a schoolboy by AZM and she dropkicks Konami again, but Konami rebounds back with a springboard kick. AZM jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, another dropkick by AZM and she applies an armbar. She lets the hold go after a moment and they trade elbows back on their feet, slap by AZM and she hits a hurricanrana for a two count. AZM cradles Konami for another two as they trade flash pins with neither having any luck. Head kick by AZM, she goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, but the cover gets two. AZM goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl into an armbar, but Konami rolls through it and applies the Triangle Lancer. AZM struggles for a second but quickly taps out! Konami is the winner and advances in the tournament.

This match had a clear outcome but they made it a pretty fun journey anyway. The Cinderella Tournament is going to have matches like this – fast paced and very short as they are attempting to have 14 matches on one show. So its an easy watch for sure but more of a tease for future battles than anything else due to the time constraints.

Natsuko Tora vs. Hana Kimura

Hana goes for a knucklelock but Natsuko kicks her in the stomach, Natsuko knocks Hana against the ropes before tossing her into the corner and kicking her some more. Hana is attacked by the entire Oedo Tai team while she is against the ropes, Natsuko goes to toss Hana down by the hair but Hana blocks it and takes Natsuko out of the ring (under the top rope) to beat her in the crowd. Hana tosses Natsuko into chairs at ringside before returning to the ring, Natsuko slowly follows her and Hana tosses her around by the hair once she gets back in. Mounted elbows by Hana and she boots Natsuko before putting her in a camel clutch. Hana goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a spear, cover by Natsuko but it gets two. Elbows by Natsuko but Hana boots her, spinning backfist by Natsuko but Hana dropkicks her. Vertical suplex by Hana, but her cover gets a two count. Hana applies the Ground Manjikatame but Natsuko is too close to the ropes and reaches them to break the hold. Hana goes off the ropes and goes for a boot, but Natsuko holds down the top rope and Hana lands out on the apron. Natsuko is slid the Oedo Tai sign, she hits Hana in the head with it before spearing her off the apron to the floor! Natsuko Tora wins by Over The Top Rope and advances to the semi finals.

Up to this point, this was to me the most surprising result of the tournament. Natsuko Tora has generally just been a midcarder in the last year, with occasional tag team success but never doing anything as a singles wrestler. She isn’t the best in-ring wrestler as she isn’t as smooth as most of the roster in her movements and execution, so while I understand them wanting to re-invent her after switching to Oedo Tai I am surprised they are doing it at the expense of Hana Kimura, who also needs some wins now that she is the leader of a new faction. The match itself was ok but nothing memorable as it wasn’t as captivating as most of the matches we’ve seen up to this point. In-ring probably one of the worst matches in the tournament so far, it still wasn’t bad but it never clicked for me before the unexpected ending.

Semi Finals

• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Natsuko Tora
• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final: Konami vs. Starlight Kid

Arisa Hoshiki vs. Natsuko Tora

They tie-up to start, Natsuko pushes Arisa into the ropes and hits rapid-fire punches to her stomach. Natsuko knocks Arisa down in the corner and starts working on her knee, kicks by Natsuko and she covers Arisa for a two count. Kicks to the knee by Natsuko, she goes off the ropes but Arisa catches her with a kick to the chest. Diving double knee by Arisa to Natsuko’s midsection, she picks her up and goes off the ropes, but Natsuko elbows her in the chest. Another running back elbow by Natsuko and she pounds on Arisa’s chest, she tosses by Arisa by the hair and hits bootscrapes in the corner. Irish whip by Natsuko and she hits a running elbow, spear by Natsuko and she covers Arisa for two. Natsuko slams Arisa in front of the corner and goes up top, delivering a diving body press for another two count. Natsuko picks up Arisa but Arisa gets away, backfist by Natsuko and she hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam. She goes to the top turnbuckle but Arisa avoids the diving guillotine legdrop. Head kick by Arisa, she picks up Natsuko and slams her to the mat. Arisa positions Natsuko and goes to the top turnbuckle, twisting body press by Arisa and she picks up the three count! Arisa Hoshiki wins and advances to the Finals.

While this wasn’t the most exciting match, it was pretty effective. Natsuko looked a bit better than she has thus far in the tournament, although I think Arisa held everything together. Arisa timed her spurts well and Natsuko was pretty on-point with her offense. Not a long match but it accomplished its goal, it wasn’t really designed to be memorable but to get Arisa Hoshiki into the Finals were she belongs. Mildly Recommended

Konami vs. Starlight Kid

They start with wristlocks until Konami gets Starlight Kid to the mat and kicks her in the back, she goes for the PK but Starlight Kid ducks it and schoolboys her for a two count. Starlight Kid tries a few more flash pins with no luck, swinging neckbreaker by Starlight Kid but Konami blocks the cross-legged suplex. Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Starlight Kid blocks it, Starlight Kid goes for a dropkick but Konami grabs her leg and applies an ankle hold. Starlight Kid reverses that into a roll-up for two, cross-legged suplex hold by Starlight Kid but Konami gets a shoulder up. Shiranui by Starlight Kid, she goes to the second turnbuckle but Konami avoids the moonsault attempt. Triangle Lancer by Konami, and Starlight Kid quickly taps out! Konami wins and advances to the Finals of the Cinderella Tournament.

Short, so disappointing in that regard, but really not a surprise considering we are towards the end of a 16 wrestler one night tournament. Starlight Kid continues to (and will continue to) impress with her spots and Konami went straight for the kill, which is logical considering the winner still has another match to go. A simple match but nothing wrong with it under the circumstances.

Finals

• Cinderella Tournament Quarter Final: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Konami

Arisa Hoshiki vs. Konami

They start slowly as they trade kicks, but Konami grabs Arisa’s leg and takes her down to the mat. Konami goes for a sleeper but Arisa snapmares out of it and kicks Konami in the back, Konami gets up and returns fire and the two trade kicks to the chest. Arisa gets the better of the initial exchange but hits the mat after a hard kick from Konami, Konami sets up Arisa’s leg across the second rope in the corner before dropkicking it. Cover by Konami, but it gets two. Konami applies an ankle hold but Arisa is too close to the ropes and reaches them for the break. Konami goes back to the leg but Arisa reaches the ropes again, Arisa elbows Konami, Konami elbows her back but Arisa plants Konami with a dropkick. Rapid-fire kicks by Arisa and she chops Konami in the corner, jumping double knee strike by Arisa and she hits a reverse double kneedrop to Konami’s back for a two count. Arisa gets Konami on her shoulders but Konami quickly slides off and puts Arisa in an ankle hold.

Arisa gets a hand on the ropes, Konami charges her and hits a sliding kick. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Konami but Arisa gets a shoulder up, Arisa fights back and the two exchange strikes. High kick by Arisa, she picks up Konami and hits an over-the-shoulder slam. Arisa goes up to the top turnbuckle but Konami recovers and crawls up with her, applying an ankle hold while Arisa’s leg is tied up in the ropes. She lets go after a moment and hits a superplex, Konami applies a Stretch Muffler but Arisa gets to the ropes to force a break. Konami goes for a high kick but Arisa ducks it and hits one of her own, she slams Konami in front of the corner and she delivers the twisting diving body press, but Konami barely gets a shoulder up. Arisa picks up Konami but Konami ducks the Brazilian Kick and applies an armbar, but Arisa is in the ropes. Konami picks up Arisa and goes for the Triangle Lancer, but Arisa rolls through it and nails Konami with a jumping knee. A second jumping knee by Arisa, she picks up Konami and hits a third over-the-shoulder powerslam. A second twisting body press by Arisa, but like before Konami kicks out at two. Arisa drags up Konami and hits a kick combination ending with the Brazilian Kick, cover by Arisa and she picks up the three count! Arisa Hoshiki wins the match and the Cinderella Tournament!

I would have been happy with either Arisa Hoshiki or Konami winning, as even though I am not sure if Arisa’s current spot in the promotion means she will be a good title defense for Momo Watanabe, at least it is something different and someone new is being elevated. In some ways the match felt flat as Konami’s real journey in the tournament was over – she had taken down Queen’s Quest and she had no real beef with Arisa Hoshiki. Some of Arisa’s weaknesses were on display here as even though it was a ten minute match she repeated a lot of the same moves (three shoulder powerslams, two twisting bodypresses, etc.) and it felt like they ran out of ideas eight minutes into it which is really too soon to have those types of issues. I did enjoy Konami’s leg work and all the strikes were on point, I just wish it had a bit more urgency and felt more important. A good match but it didn’t really feel like as big of a match that they were trying to build up to.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2019 on 4/29/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2019
Date: April 29th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

It is time for the Stardom Cinderella Tournament! This is the fifth year Stardom has run the tournament, with the winner of the tournament being granted one wish (and gets to wear a pretty Cinderella dress). Last year’s winner, Momo Watanabe, used her wish to challenge Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship, so the assumption is that the winner will challenge for one of Stardom’s top titles. The Cinderella Tournament is a one-night tournament and has 16 participants. Every match in the tournament is a singles match with the following stipulations:

• Tournament is Single Elimination
• All matches up to the final have a 10 Minute Time Limit
• If the time limit expires, the match is a Draw and both wrestlers are eliminated from the tournament
• If both wrestlers are eliminated by Draw, their opponent in the next round gets a Bye
• Wrestlers can win by pinfall, submission, or throwing their opponent over the top rope to the floor

The entire tournament takes place on April 29th, so there will be a maximum of 15 matches in one night (there will likely be less, since at least a match or two will end in a draw which will eliminate both wrestlers). Here is the bracket:

And to make it slightly easier to read, here are all the pairings. You can click on the wrestler’s name under the First Round heading to go to their wrestler profiles on Joshi City.

First Round

• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Hana Kimura vs. Andras Miyagi
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Natsuko Tora vs. Jungle Kyona
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Saki Kashima
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Kagetsu vs. Tam Nakano
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Starlight Kid vs. Natsu Sumire
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Bea Priestley vs. Hazuki
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: AZM vs. Rebel Kel
• Cinderella Tournament Round 1: Konami vs. Momo Watanabe

Second Round

• Cinderella Tournament Round 2: Hana or Andras vs. Natsuko or Jungle
• Cinderella Tournament Round 2: Arisa or Saki vs. Kagetsu or Tam
• Cinderella Tournament Round 2: Starlight Kid or Natsu vs. Bea or Hazuki
• Cinderella Tournament Round 2: AZM or Rebel Kel vs. Konami or Momo

Semifinals

• Cinderella Tournament Semi Finals: One of Hana/Andras/Natsuko/Jungle vs. One of Arisa/Saki/Kagetsu/Tam
• Cinderella Tournament Semi Finals: One of Starlight Kid/Natsu/Bea/Hazuki vs. One of AZM/Rebel Kel/Konami/Momo

Cinderella Tournament Finals

Tournament Predictions

And now I will try to predict who will win this unpredictable tournament. For the sake of coming up with “odds,” 16:1 will be the base since mathematically, that is everyone’s odds of winning the tournament. Any wrestler I think has a “better than average” chance of winning will be below that, and any wrestler I think has a “worse than average” chance will be higher. Sometimes much, much higher. The odds are mostly numbers I pick at random so don’t take them too seriously, however I did make sure the odds ranked the wrestlers in the order I think they could win. Taking all things into consideration, here are my odds of each wrestler winning, going in the order they are wrestling using the match list on Stardom’s website:

AZM (100:1) – AZM is really close to getting to the level that she can have a shot of winning the tournament, but she isn’t there yet. She doesn’t have an active storyline right now that would hint that she is up next for a major title shot, and since she is under 18 she isn’t ready for a push that would get her to the main title picture. There is a possibility she will get an upset win in the first round (or an upset Draw) but that is her ceiling this year.

Rebel Kel (80:1) – Even though Rebel Kel was formally drafted into a Stardom faction, I still struggle to see her having a long career at this time in Stardom as she still needs more in-ring development to fit in with Stardom’s better wrestlers. She will likely get a win over AZM just based on the age and height difference but I don’t foresee her path going any further than that.

Starlight Kid (50:1) – The wildest of wild cards, Starlight Kid has a lot working against her – particularly her age, her height, and her experience. On the flip side, she was the first wrestler selected in the draft and she gets an easy first round opponent. One year I suspect someone will win that doesn’t challenge for a top title, could Starlight Kid win and go for the High Speed? Its doubtful, but Stardom likes her a lot so I could see her at least making it a round or two before elimination.

Natsu Sumire (250:1) – If I had to pick the least likely wrestler to win, it would be Natsu Sumire. Since joining Stardom she has been mostly treated as a funny gimmick and beater of children, two roles that I agree she is great at, but there’s never been any sign of her getting a push beyond that. The mid-card is her ceiling, she won’t be a serious challenger for a singles title. I fully expect her to lose to Starlight Kid and regardless she isn’t winning the tournament.

Hazuki (16:1) – The first wrestler so far that I think does have a chance of winning, even though it is just even odds. Hazuki has some things working for her as she has really improved in-ring over the last year and is frequently the focus on cards. Working against her is the “Cinderella” look may be a stretch and there are other wrestlers that I just think it makes more sense for. Don’t write her off, but I think 2020 will more likely be her year if she continues to grow.

Bea Priestley (35:1) -On paper Bea would be a good contender to win this, as she is frequently protected in her matches and is overdue for a big title match in Stardom. But since she reached the Finals last year I don’t think she will this year, there are just too many other storylines going on in Stardom right now that don’t directly involve her and I see them going in a different direction. The skill and card placement level are there for Bea, but this doesn’t feel like her year.

Arisa Hoshiki (14:1) – Arisa is to me the most intriguing wrestler in this tournament. She checks a lot of the boxes – she is a good wrestler, will soon be able to concentrate on wrestling full time, is overdue for a big title match, and is attractive (yes. that matters for a Cinderella Tournament). But the issue with Arisa is she hasn’t really been put over on the events as a threat, she has always been Mayu’s lackey that has good matches but isn’t usually the focus. Could they use this to jump-start to Arisa being a feared singles wrestler? Its possible, but there hasn’t been a lot of foreshadowing in that direction so I’d still be a bit surprised if she took home the tiara.

Saki Kashima (70:1) – Everyone was excited when Saki returned to Stardom last year, but I think the return of Arisa really took the wind out of her sails and she has not found her place in the promotion. She isn’t anywhere close to being ready to main event Korakuen, as she has mostly just been a faction wrestler for the last six months. I don’t foresee her even getting out of the first round, and her chances of winning are pretty slim.

Hana Kimura (2:1) – The favorite to win the tournament. Allow me to list the reasons – faction leader ready for a bigger push, young, talented, popular, newly signed, and attractive. The only reason I could see her not winning is by shenanigans, some faction-related issue causing her to lose which would set her down a different path. A heel-ish native has never won the tournament as usually it goes to a happy babyface, but I don’t see that as a blockade for her. While in a tournament like this there are no sure things, if I had to bet on someone it would be Hana.

Andras Miyagi (25:1) – Another interesting wrestler in the tournament. Andras Miyagi has the skill and push level to win the tournament for sure. The main reason I don’t see her winning is simply a “character” one as she doesn’t scream “Cinderella.” That doesn’t mean she can’t win, it would just break from tradition. She also recently had a shot at Momo and wouldn’t challenge Kagetsu, another mark against her. She may upset someone or even reach the finals, but I don’t think she’ll win.

Tam Nakano (10:1) – Tam is a lot of fans’ favorite to win the tournament. She hasn’t had a lot of championship success outside of the Trios title up to this point but has generally had a prominent role on their shows to keep her over. She has had a few big matches so it wouldn’t be totally out of left field, and Tam is overdue for a real push. Another thing working for her is she has the Cinderella “look” and is popular – I wouldn’t put her with the best odds but she’s definitely one to consider winning it all.

Kagetsu (20:1) – Kagetsu comes into the tournament one of the top champions already in Stardom, lessening her chances of winning. She also doesn’t really fit the mold for who Stardom typically has winning these, as I can’t see Kagetsu putting on a pretty blue dress. It would be cool to have someone win that refuses to be a “Cinderella” and Kagetsu would be a good pick to do that, but until it happens I consider it unlikely. Kagetsu will likely go far but lose via over the top rope or DQ along the way.

Jungle Kyona (45:1) – Poor Jungle Kyona. So much heartbreak for her recently. Losing her faction. Losing her friends. Being passed over by everybody. Add one more reason for sadness for Kyona – she may win a round or two but she isn’t winning this tournament.

Natsuko Tora (150:1) – Even with a new “attitude,” its still too early for Natsuko. I think she has a decent chance at upsetting Jungle Kyona to continue their feud but she’ll lose soon after. Really I think a Draw between them is likely as it would get Kyona out of the tournament while keeping her strong. Virtually no chance for Natsuko here, she’s at least a year away from being in a big singles title match at Korakuen.

Momo Watanabe (12:1) – Momo is the Ace of Stardom and the defending Cinderella Tournament winner, meaning you can’t write her off. However, she does already have one of the top titles in the promotion. She could win and challenge Kagetsu as they have faced off before title vs. title, so I’m not taking her off the board, but typically Stardom doesn’t have a current top champion win this tournament. I still have to give her better than even odds since she is so dominant, but she isn’t my top pick.

Konami (40:1) – Finally, we have Konami. Konami has done virtually nothing in Stardom in the last year. She had some midcard title challenges, but she lost them all. In Queen’s Quest she was overshadowed by Momo and Utami, never finding her place. Now that she is with Tokyo Cyber Squad maybe a push is coming, but its too soon for her now and they won’t start the push with a Cinderella Tournament win. I hope and expect Konami has a good showing, but she has a ways to go before she is ready to wear the Cinderella dress.

The post Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2019 Preview and Predictions 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.

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

Notable Matches in Japan:

• March 28th, 2019 vs. Utami Hayashishita (title challenge)

Signature Moves:

• Chokeslam
• Diamond Dust
• Falcon Arrow
• Neckbreaker

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• March 28th, 2019 – Rebel Kel vs. Utami Hayashishita in Stardom

In Action:

Chokeslam

Diamond Dust

Falcon Arrow

Back to Gaijin Invaders

The post Rebel Kel appeared first on Joshi City.