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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hina vs. Maika

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Event: Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3”
Date: July 8th, 2022
Location: Shinagawa Intercity Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 419
Broadcast: Streamed on YouTube

In early 2022, Stardom announced a new concept for the promotion that gives a bigger platform for less experienced Joshi wrestlers. As part of the idea, wrestlers from other promotions would also be invited to join, giving the events a unique feel and separating it from their normal events. Called “New Blood,” the first event was well received and the series continued, with this being the third show with the “New Blood” branding. The main event has Stardom’s Miyu Amasaki, who debuted this year, against one of the top wrestlers in Stardom – Giulia. But as mentioned, this is not an “all Stardom” affair as we also have wrestlers from Ganbare, JUST TAP OUT, PROMINANCE, Diana, and COLOR’S on the show plus Ram Kaicho. A pretty interesting line-up, here is the full card:

• Mai Sakurai vs. YuuRI
• Ami Sourei vs. Nanami
• Aoi, Misa Kagura, and Tomoka Inaba vs. Hanan, Momo Kohgo, and Saya Iida
• MIRAI vs. Suzu Suzuki
• Ram Kaicho vs. Waka Tsukiyama
• Haruka Umesaki, Rina, Ruaka, and Starlight Kid vs. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Rina Amikura, and Yuko Sakurai
• Giulia vs. Miyu Amasaki

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

Mai Sakurai vs. YuuRI

YuuRI forces Mai to shake her hand, then dropkickers her into the corner. She charges in again but Mai moves, hitting a big boot followed by a dropkick. YuuRI avoids Mai’s elbow drop and hits a somersault senton, body press by YuuRI and she covers Mai for two. Camel Clutch by YuuRI and she pulls on Mai’s nose too for good measure, she eventually lets go but Mai blocks the scoop slam attempt as she hits one of her own. Stomp by Mai and she applies a Camel Clutch of her own, she lets go and knees YuuRI in the back. YuuRI elbows her and the two trade blows, YuuRI goes off the ropes and she applies a flying sleeper hold. Mai gets into the ropes for the break, YuuRI goes for the 619 but Mai moves out of the way. Mai goes off the ropes but YuuRI trips her before kneeing Mai in the back. Dropkick by YuuRI and she connects this time with the 619, jackknife cover by YuuRI but it gets two. YuuRI goes to the top turnbuckle but Mai recovers and elbows her before she can jump off, tossing YuuRI back into the ring. Boot by Mai and she hits two more before dropping YuuRI with a standing leg lariat. Mai picks up YuuRI but YuuRI pushes her off and applies a rolling Schoolboy for two. YuuRI goes to the top turnbuckle again and this time hits a missile dropkick, cover by YuuRI but it gets two. YuuRI goes off the ropes but Mai boots her, but YuuRI kicks out of the pin. Shining Yakuza Kick by Mai, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving elbow drop, but YuuRI reverses the cover. Both wrestlers get back up, YuuRI goes for a couple flash pins but they don’t work. Shining Yakuza Kick by Mai, she picks up YuuRI and delivers the Shining Buster for the three count! Mai Sakurai is the winner!

I am as impressed with YuuRI as I am unimpressed with Mai so they kinda cancelled each other out here. YuuRI has a variety of fun looking offense, I loved the running sleeper hold, and at her stage of experience she really looked good. Mai has a very limited moveset and doesn’t necessarily even hit those moves crisply, every promotion needs lower end wrestlers to eat pins and I doubt Mai will ever move past that unless she really ups her game. More good than bad thanks to YuuRI and a suitable opener for this type of event.

Ami Sourei vs. Nanami

They tie-up to start, Ami pushes Nanami into the ropes but Nanami switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Ami and they collide with neither going down, Nanami tries to knock over Ami a few more times but has no luck. Kick by Nanami but Ami hits a hard shoulderblock, Ami picks up Nanami and throws her into the corner. Ami puts Nanami across the second rope and hits a running body avalanche, cover by Ami but it gets two. Ami picks up Nanami and hits a scoop slam, crab hold by Ami but Nanami gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Ami to the corner but Nanami shoulderblocks her down when she charges in, Nanami goes for a slam but Ami blocks it. Nanami eventually hits the scoop slam, but Ami kicks out of the cover. Nanami picks up Ami and drops her to the mat, rolling bodyscissors by Nanami but Ami breaks out and gets to the corner.

Nanami charges in but Ami moves, body avalanche by Ami and she chops Nanami in the chest. Ami gets Nanami on her shoulders and hits a death valley bomb, she puts Nanami in a crab hold but Nanami gets to the ropes. Ami picks up Nanami, Nanami elbows her off and the two trade blows. Nanami sneaks in a backslide and a schoolboy for two counts, cradle by Nanami but that gets a two as well. Nanami charges Ami and hits a knee, neckbreaker by Nanami and she hits a body press off the second turnbuckle for two. Ami ducks an elbow and delivers a lariat, she picks up Nanami and hits a second lariat for a two count. Ami picks up Nanami and puts her on her shoulders in the Argentine Backbreaker, Nanami struggles for a moment but has to submit! Ami Sourei is the winner!

This was an interesting match. New Blood shows are kinda in their own bubble as Stardom’s most recent acquisition really shouldn’t be having a 50/50 match with a mediocre 15 year old. But since the idea of the show is to give young wrestlers a chance, I won’t complain too much. It was odd that Nanami was at times presented as almost even when it came to strength and strikes since Ami was brought in as a “bodyguard” for God’s Eye, it definitely came across more as a way to showcase Nanami than a match within the Stardom universe. Which is fine, it just seems wasted on someone like Nanami who has shown minimal improvement since debuting years ago and likely will stay low on the pecking order in Diana. Not a bad match, but kinda weird and the action was never overly interesting.

Aoi, Misa Kagura, and Inaba vs. Hanan, Kohgo, and Saya Iida

Inaba and Hanan start the match, they trade holds and end up on the mat with Hanan going after Inaba’s arm. Inaba gets away and they reach a stalemate, Hanan tags MIRAI while Aoi also tags in. Irish whip by MIRAI ad they both go off the ropes, armdrag by MIRAI and she delivers a dropkick. Aoi tags Misa so Iida also tags in, they bump chests until Iida knocks over Misa with a hard shoulderblock. She tags Momo as Hanan also comes in, and all three attack Misa. The ring eventually clears as Momo throws Misa into the corner, but Misa avoids her dropkick and hits a shoulderblock. Running senton by Misa and she covers Momo for two. Misa tags Inaba but Hanan and Iida both get in the ring too, Inaba takes care of both of them however before going back to Momo. Inaba throws Momo into the corner but Momo avoids her charge and hits a crossbody off the second turnbuckle for two. Dropkick by Momo, she goes for the Tiger Feint Kick but Inaba moves and punches Momo in the gut. Momo returns fire with a dropkick, she tags in Iida while Inaba tags Aoi.

Iida and Aoi trade strikes, chops by Aoi against the ropes and she hits a jumping double chop. Iida gets one of her own and tags Hanan, dropkick by Hanan to Aoi and they trade elbows. Judo toss by Hanan, she picks up Aoi but Aoi blocks the suplex attempt and hits a jumping forearm. This gives her time to tag Misa, dropkick by Misa into the corner and she hits a lariat. Misa jumps on Hanan’s back with a submission, the other members of JTO come in the ring and put a respective opponent in a submission hold as well. Misa cradles Hanan and puts her in a crab hold, but Hanan gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, STO by Hanan but her covers gets two. Hanan picks up Misa but Misa blocks the slam, she goes off the ropes and clubs Hanan for a two count. Momo picks up Misa and clubs her in the back, Iida goes up top and delivers a diving shoulderblock. Hanan jumps on Iida’s back as does Momo, and together they fall on Misa with a triple body press. Wrist-clutch suplex hold by Hanan, but it gets broken up. Iida and Momo clear the ring while Hanan hits a Fameasser on Misa, but Misa barely kicks out. Hanan picks up Misa and delivers a backdrop suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! STARS win the match.

More of a showcase for Stardom’s young wrestlers than doing a lot of favors for JUST TAP OUT, but not a bad match even if it was pretty basic. Every time I watch Hanan I forget how tall she has gotten, she got the most shine in this match and I wonder once she turns 18/graduates if they are looking to move her up the card. Everyone else looked fine but it Aoi didn’t get to really do anything and Inaba only got about 30 seconds to impress. Too short to really get going, mostly mid-card filler but at least Hanan looked good.

MIRAI vs. Suzu Suzuki

They tie-up to start, Suzu gets MIRAI into the ropes but she gives a clean break. MIRAI quickly pushes her into the ropes on the opposite side but also gives a clean break, headlock by Suzu and she gets MIRAI to the mat. MIRAI gets back up and escapes the hold, she applies her own headlock but Suzu gets out of it and kicks MIRAI against the ropes. Kick by MIRAI in return but Suzu knocks her out of the ring and throws MIRAI onto the floor. Hard elbow by Suzu on the floor and she throws MIRAI into a table at ringside before pushing her onto the ramp. Suzu joins MIRAI on the ramp but MIRAI blocks the scoop slam, elbows by Suzu and she finally hits the slam. She returns to the ring while MIRAI slowly recovers, MIRAI rolls back in and Suzu greets her with stomps. MIRAI gets back to her feet and elbows Suzu, she goes off the ropes but Suzu knees her and mushes MIRAI against the ropes. Suzu goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, MIRAI lands in the corner and Suzu drills her with a running knee. Cover by Suzu, but it gets two.

Waistlock by Suzu but MIRAI grabs the ropes to block the suplex, Suzu pulls her back but MIRAI elbows herself free. Kick by MIRAI and she rolls Suzu to the mat in a cross armbreaker, but Suzu gets to the ropes just as the lock is applied. MIRAI picks up Suzu, her Irish whip is reversed but MIRAI knocks down Suzu with a hard shoulderblock. MIRAI puts Suzu in a wrist-clutch Scorpion Deathlock, she releases the hold after a moment and covers Suzu for two. MIRAI keeps on Suzu’s arm and slams Suzu in front of the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Suzu elbows her from behind and joins her. Headbutt by Suzu and she delivers a Frankensteiner, head kick by Suzu and she covers MIRAI for two. Suzu picks up MIRAI but MIRAI spins away and slams Suzu face-first into the mat. MIRAI picks up Suzu and hits a headbutt, Suzu headbutts her back and both wrestlers collapse to the mat. They slowly return to their feet and trade elbows, Suzu wins the battle and picks up MIRAI just to elbow her some more. MIRAI ducks the next elbow attempt and hits a lariat, mounted elbows by MIRAI and she hits a half nelson slam for two. MIRAI puts Suzu in an armlock, she picks up Suzu but Suzu gets away and hits a superkick. Another kick by Suzu, and she covers MIRAI for two. Suzu gets MIRAI up but MIRAI elbows free, lariat by MIRAI and she hits a second one for a two count. MIRAI picks up Suzu, Suzu gets away as the bell rings but Suzu hits a German suplex anyway. Still, the match is over and declared a Draw.

As expected, a damn good match. The Draw here wasn’t surprising, no need for either of them to drop a fall on a throwaway show as both have bigger things going on. This was a fairly even match but MIRAI generally felt more on control, as Suzu wasn’t able to hit the German until the match was over while MIRAI rocked Suzu on several occasions. The action was smooth and they mixed in different offensive methods to keep the match interesting. These two have a better match in them on a bigger stage, but still a good showcase for both, really looking forward to seeing more of Suzu in Stardom.  Recommended

Ram Kaicho vs. Waka Tsukiyama

Waka avoids Kaicho’s elbow to start and goes to flip her off, but Kaicho blocks her from doing so. Kaicho tries to then flip off Waka but she blocks it as well, trip by Kaicho and she goes off the ropes, but Waka delivers a dropkick. Waka picks up Kaicho but Kaicho kicks her in the knee, elbows by Waka and the two trade blows. Stomps by Kaicho and she gets Waka into the corner, kick by Kaicho and she drags Waka back to the middle of the ring to start working on her leg. Waka gets to the ropes for the break, Waka goes for an elbow by Kaicho moves and chokes Waka. Kaicho slams Waka’s head into the mat repeatedly, she picks up Waka but Waka jumps out to the apron and trips Kaicho when she charges at her. Dropkick to the back by Waka and she puts Kaicho in a stretch hold, but Kaicho gets to the ropes. Kaicho quickly hits a Codebreaker, she picks up Waka but Waka ducks the Rainmaker and hits a Complete Shot. Waka goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again and hits a second one for a two count. Waka argues with the referee so Kaicho dropkicks her from behind, she gets a hand full of powder and throws it into Waka’s face. Onryo Clutch by Kaicho, and she gets the three count! Ram Kaicho is the winner.

Just to address the elephant in the room – Waka came out with face paint that was meant to play mind games with Kaicho as it was basically the inverse of the face paint that Kaicho wears. Unfortunately the inverse looks like blackface, and while that was not the intent, it certainly upset some Western fans. Even though no offense was obviously intended, since Stardom does market to US fans its probably best if they were a little more aware of such things and err on the side of not offending part of their fanbase. Anyway, this match was pretty pedestrian. A fair bit of the action looked slightly off without being straight botched, it was like they were on different parts of the same page so they didn’t completely click. It was also short, but that may have been for the best. Not quite the spotlight I would have liked for Kaicho but she did her best, luckily this won’t be the last time we will see Kaicho in Stardom.

Haruka Umesaki, Rina, Ruaka, and Starlight Kid vs. Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Amikura, and Sakurai

Team Mostly Oedo Tai attack before the bell rings with general chaos taking place, eventually Unagi is isolated and quadruple teamed. Rina stays in as the legal wrestler, she puts Unagi in the ropes and she is attacked by all four of her opponents again. Rina throws down Unagi by the hair and stomps her in the corner, she tags in Ruaka but Unagi hits a Codebreaker and makes the tag to Amikura. Body avalanche by Amikura to Ruaka and she hits a running senton for a two count. Amikura goes off the ropes but Ruaka does go over with the shoulderblock attempt, they take turns trying to knock each other over until Amikura hits a crossbody. The rest of her team comes in the ring as they hit a double body press on Ruaka, Amikura picks up Ruaka but Ruaka shoulderblocks her over and reluctantly tags Haruka. Unagi tags in too, they both miss moves until Unagi hits a heel drop. Unagi picks up Haruka but Haruka elbows her, and the two trade shots. Kick by Unagi but Haruka hits a jumping neckdrop followed by a footstomp. Mina runs in and helps out, leg drop by Unagi but Haruka kicks out. Unagi tags Mina, Mina picks up Haruka and hits a series of elbows. Mina goes off the ropes but Haruka catches her with a dropkick, hard elbow by Mina and she hits a Reverse DDT for two. Mina picks up Haruka and applies a front headlock, Haruka gets away and Runa comes in and hits a hip toss.

Senton by Ruaka to Mina and Haruka follows with a neckbreaker for a two count. Mina sneaks in a cradle which also gets two, suplex by Haruka but Mina drops her with a backfist. Starlight Kid and Sakurai are tagged in, shoulderblock by Sakurai and she hits a dropkick. Elbows by Sakurai but Starlight Kid connects with a jumping forearm, kicks by Starlight Kid but Sakurai hits another shoulderblock. Sakurai charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid moves, the rest of her team runs in and everyone hits running strikes on Sakurai. Cover by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. Double Irish whip to Sakurai but Amikura comes in and they knock down Rina and Starlight Kid with shoulderblocks. They fall out of the ring, Mina goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto the Oedo Tai blob at ringside. Amikura rolls Starlight Kid back in where her teammates are waiting, and Haruka helps Amikura slam Starlight Kid. Elbow drop by Sakurai, but the cover is broken up. Dragon Sleeper by Sakurai but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes, Sakurai grabs her but Starlight Kid slides away and Haruka dropkicks Sakurai. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and hits a quebrada, but Mina breaks up the cover. Amikura and Mina go off the ropes but get tripped from ringside, Unagi knocks down Starlight Kid but she eats a dropkick from Haruka and Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid goes up top and hits the swivel body press on Sakurai, but Sakurai barely gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid picks up Sakurai but Sakurai sneaks in a small package for two. Dropkick to the knee by Starlight Kid and she puts Sakurai in the Kuro Tora Leg Killing, with Sakurai quickly tapping out! Starlight Kid, Rina, Ruaka, and Haruka Umesaki are the winners.

I was worried at first they were going to let everyone but Starlight Kid get a chance, luckily they were just saving her for last. Starlight Kid is a step above the others here in terms of general excitement to watch, but there were several other quality wrestlers (Haruka, Unagi, Mina in particular) to hold the match together. Much of it was too random without a real story, but that is what happens in an eight wrestler tag match that only goes eleven minutes. The COLOR’S wrestlers aren’t high end but are fine with the basics, but coming out of the match per usual I was focused on how crisp Starlight Kid is. She’s really good. Anyway, a perfectly fine match with a few good peaks, but nothing to get too excited about.  Mildly Recommended

Giulia vs. Miyu Amasaki

Giulia and Miyu lock-up, Giulia works a headlock and she gets Miyu into the ropes. Giulia gives a clean break, she blocks Miyu’s tackle attempt but they end up on the mat anyway with Giulia in the dominate position. Giulia goes for an armbreaker but Miyu quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Back up they lock-up, Miyu gets Giulia into the ropes this time but Giulia switches positions with her, she gives a clean break but Miyu elbows her in the chest. Giulia elbows her back which sends Miyu to her knees, she gets back up though and returns fire. Hard elbow by Giulia, Miyu connects with a few in return but Giulia tackles her and gets her back. Sleeper by Giulia but Miyu switches places with her, Giulia quickly rolls out of it however and Miyu grabs the ropes. Slam by Giulia and she gets in the mount position, Miyu tries to fight out of it and eventually rolls into the ropes to get the break. Giulia knocks Miyu into the corner and hits a dropkick, snapmare by Giulia and she applies a sleeper. Giulia picks up Miyu and hits a scoop slam, cover by Giulia but it gets two. Giulia picks up Miyu but Miyu snaps off a vertical suplex, she goes for the Space Rolling Elbow but Giulia moves. Miyu hits a dropkick anyway but Giulia doesn’t go down, a second dropkick doesn’t knock her over either.

Miyu runs at Giulia and this time hits a jumping DDT, cover by Miyu but it gets a two count. Miyu picks up Giulia and applies a double underhook, but Giulia gets out of it and hits a back bodydrop. Giulia goes for a cocky pin but Miyu grabs her leg and goes for a cross kneelock, she finally gets it locked in and Giulia gets to the ropes. Miyu stomps on Giulia’s leg and twists it in the second rope, dropkick to the knee by Miyu and she covers Giulia for two. Double underhook by Miyu but Giulia blocks it again, Giulia pushes Miyu off but Miyu delivers a dropkick. Miyu goes off the ropes but Giulia does too, Miyu spins Giulia around and nails a double underhook sit-out facebuster for a nearfall. Miyu elbows Giulia as they get up but Giulia hits a front dropkick, covering Miyu for two. STF by Giulia, but Miyu gets a hand on the ropes. Giulia picks up Miyu and drops her with a backdrop suplex, which Miyu is very slow to recover from. She eventually gets back up and is promptly dropkicked in the back for her trouble, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle but Miyu doesn’t get up for a bit. Giulia patiently waits and hits a missile dropkick when she finally does, cover by Giulia but Miyu gets a shoulder up. Giulia picks up Miyu but Miyu gets her back and quickly cradles Giulia with a jackknife for two. Giulia quickly recovers, Miyu elbows at Giulia but Giulia grabs her and nails the Glorious Driver for the three count! Giulia is the winner.

Either Miyu is the best seller in wrestling or she was in serious pain by the end of this match. Probably the latter. Giulia was very giving here but also clever in how she did it, with her cockiness directly leading to Miyu getting in control. First was the cocky cover, allowing Miyu to get her to the mat, but Giulia also didn’t take Miyu’s kneelock seriously until it was locked on and too late. That little segment helped lead to Miyu getting a minute or two to show off and get a close fall or two, not that anyone thought they’d work but it was far from a squash match or a traditional “Veteran vs. Rookie” match. Its hard to recommend a match too highly when the winner is clear and one of the wrestlers is still pretty basic, but Miyu looked good in defeat and Giulia showed why she isn’t your typical top star. Overall a pretty good match and a fitting main event for this type of show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3” on 7/8/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom World Climax 2022 ~ The Best
Date: March 26th, 2022
Location: Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall) in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,712
Broadcast: Streamed Live on PPV, later added to Stardom World

There are big events, and there are massive holy shit big events, and this show is the latter. Stardom really went all-out for their two day stint in Sumo Hall. There is a lot going on here to be excited about – Prominence continues their invasion, Syuri and Giulia collide, and we also have the return of Kairi Hojo! Wrestling now as KAIRI, this is her first match since leaving WWE back in 2020. There are three other title matches as well, with Kamitani vs. Hayashishita having a chance of stealing the whole show. Here is the full card:

• Future of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Rina
• MIRAI vs. Saya Iida
• Gauntlet Match: AZM, Lady C, and Miyu Amasaki vs. Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai vs. Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death, and Ruaka
• Maika and Thekla vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
• Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Utami Hayashishita
• World of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. Giulia

What a show. As this aired live on PPV, all matches will be shown in full. Every wrestler on the event has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. This is going to be a long one so let’s hop to it.

(c) Hanan vs. Rina
Future of Stardom Championship

They immediately trade elbows to start, with Rina getting the better of her older sister. Scoop slam by Rina and she covers Hanan for barely a two count. She quickly applies an armbar but Hanan inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Stomps by Rina, she picks up Hanan and twists her arm in the ropes. More stomps by Rina but Hanan tosses her with a judo throw, Rina rolls Hanan to the mat however and kicks her in the face. Rina charges Hanan but Hanan trips her and applies a kneelock. Rina gets to the ropes for the break, Hanan puts Rina’s leg in the ropes and dropkicks her in the knee. Double wrist-clutch armsault by Hanan, but it gets a two count. Hanan picks her up and elbows Rina into the corner, her Irish whip is reversed however and Rina kicks Hanan in the stomach when she goes for a crossbody.

Rina picks up Hanan and they trade elbows, with again Rina winning the dual. She goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a dropkick, Stretch Muffler by Hanan but Rina reaches the ropes. Hanan picks up Rina but Rina slips away and applies the Octopus Hold. She gets Hanan to the mat with the Ground Manjikatame but Hanan gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Rina throws Hanan into the corner and hits a running double knee, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving double kneedrop for a two count. Rina tries to get Hanan on her back but Hanan spins away and delivers a STO. Blockbuster by Hanan but Rina rolls through it, she gets Hanan on her back and slams her to the mat for a two count cover. Rina picks up Hanan but Hanan nails a jumping knee, Fameasser by Hanan and she covers Rina for a two count. Hanan picks up Rina and hits a backdrop suplex, she keeps the hold on and hits a second backdrop suplex, keeping Rina down for the three count! Hanan wins and retains the championship.

For an opener with two underage wrestlers, this was pretty decent. The match started a little slow as Rina on offense isn’t overly interesting (lots of stomps) but once her more talented sister took over it got more interesting. Hanan has had an off-and-on career due to injuries and taking time off, plus her schedule is limited due to still being in school, but if she decides to fully commit to wrestling once she graduates I think they may have something special with her. Good for what it was, Rina still has a bit of a ways to go to move up from being just the “other” wrestler in any match she is in, but she didn’t drag the match down and overall this was perfectly watchable wrestling.

MIRAI vs. Saya Iida

They lock-up to start but break cleanly, they lock knuckles as MIRAI gets Saya to her knees but Saya recovers and gets the advantage on MIRAI. MIRAI gets out of the hold and elbows Saya, Saya chops her back and the two trade shots for a solid minute. Saya chops MIRAI against the ropes but MIRAI ducks one, she goes off the ropes but Saya clubs her to the mat. Saya elbows MIRAI against the ropes but MIRAI elbows her back, she goes for a slam but Saya blocks it and hits one of her own. Saya picks up MIRAI and chops her in the chest some more, but MIRAI avoids one and puts Saya in a stretch hold. She lets go after a moment, MIRAI goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Saya stays on her feet. Saya hits a lariat with the same result as they go back and forth until MIRAI finally knocks Saya off her feet. Saya springs back up however and lariats MIRAI over, but MIRAI is back up as well as they keep at it. Eventually they lariat each other at the same time, and both collapse exhausted to the mat. MIRAI applies a sleeper but Saya slams MIRAI into the corner to get out of it, lariat by Saya and she goes to the top turnbuckle to hit a diving shoulderblock. Saya picks up MIRAI but MIRAI blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, slamming Saya face-first into the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up and hit lariats, they both block each other from hitting one until Saya levels MIRAI and covers her for two. Saya picks up MIRAI but MIRAI rolls her to the mat and applies the Miramare. Saya almost makes it to the ropes but MIRAI gets her back to the middle of the ring, and Saya has no choice but to tap out! MIRAI is the winner.

I understand what they were going for here, and I respect it even though I’m still not convinced on Saya Iida. Saya has a lot of Western fans and its easy to understand why, as she has the type of fighting spirit energy that pops off the screen. Its not her fault, but for me its a little hard to totally buy into her offense just because she is tiny. There is nothing wrong with being a smaller wrestler of course, but its tough to be both a powerhouse and 4’9″. MIRAI certainly gave her equal ground to put the idea over and like I said I respect what they are doing with her character, I’m just not sure it has long term potential. The fact MIRAI had to “escape” with a flash submission that wasn’t foreshadowed shows the effort to protect Saya even in defeat. I would say it was a pretty good hoss-style match, even if part of me is having trouble seeing Saya Iida as a true hoss.

AZM, Lady C, and Miyu Amasaki vs. Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai vs. Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death, and Ruaka

Cosmic Angels and Oedo Tai are the first two teams in. Cosmic Angels charge before the match starts but it epically fails as Oedo Tai immediately takes control and triple teams Momo in the ring. Death stays in as the legal wrestler and throws down Momo by the hair before choking her in the corner with her boot. She tags in Ruaka, Irish whip by Ruaka to the corner but Momo slides out to the apron before springboarding back into the ring with a crossbody off the second rope. She tags in Mina, Mina elbows Rina and hits a dropkick. Mina goes off the ropes and does a tilt-a-whirl, Ruaka blocks the leg sweep but Momo helps out with a swandive dropkick. Mina picks up Ruaka but Ruaka pushes her into the ropes, Irish whip by Ruaka but Mina blocks it and hits an elbow. Hard shoulderblock by Ruaka and she tags Saki, but Mina dropkicks her in the knee. Mina puts Saki in a Mexican Surfboard, she lets her go after a moment and tags in Waka. Double Irish whip to Saki, Saki briefly gets the better of it but Momo runs in and hits a 619. Waka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Waka but Ruaka breaks it up. Uppercut by Saki to Waka and Death runs in with a senton. Body press by Ruaka, Saki picks up Waka and hits a double underhook suplex hold for two. Head kick by Saki, she picks up Waka and delivers the My Emblem for the three count! Oedo Tai wins.

The next team in is Queen’s Quest to take on Oedo Tai. Oedo Tai attacks as QQ gets in the ring, they isolate Miyu and boot her to the mat. Death stays in and throws Miyu into the corner, but Miyu boots her when she charges in. It happens two more times, Miyu goes off the ropes and delivers a jumping DDT. She tags AZM, dropkick by AZM but Ruaka grabs her from behind. AZM fights them both off as she hits an armdrag/headscissors combination. Double dropkick by AZM and she covers Death for two. AZM goes off the ropes but Death drop toeholds her and tags Saki. Saki goes off the ropes but Miyu dropkicks her, knee drop by Lady C and AZM drops Saki with a vertical suplex. Head kick by AZM, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Saki avoids the diving footstomp. Kishikaisei by Saki, but the cover is broken up. AZM goes for a kick but Saki ducks it, AZM quickly applies a Leg Roll Clutch Hold and she gets the three count! Queen’s Quest wins.

For the final pairing, DDM enters to face Queen’s Quest. AZM and Natsupoi start the match and immediately get into a fast paced exchange, they end up rolling around on the mat with AZM applying a cradle for a two count. They trade kick attempts and flash pins after with no success, sliding kick by AZM and she tags Lady C. Lady C boots Natsupoi against the ropes but Natsupoi avoids the next boot attempt and hits a dropkick. Cover by Natsupoi, but it gets two. Natsupoi tags Himeka, shoulderblock by Himeka and she throws Lady C into the corner. Lariat by Himeka but Lady C avoids her next charge, Miyu runs in and hits a Space Rolling Elbow and Lady C hits a jumping neck drop on Himeka. Lady C goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a brain chop, cover by Lady C but it is broken up. Lady C picks up Himeka but Himeka spins away from her and hits a lariat. Himeka picks up Lady C and gets her on her shoulders, but AZM hits a missile dropkick off the second rope to knock Himeka over. Natsupoi suplexes AZM but Miyu dropkicks Natsupoi, cutter by Mai to Miyu and the ring is cleared aside from the legal wrestlers. Lariat by Himeka to Lady C, but Lady C gets a shoulder up. Himeka picks up Lady C and gets her on her shoulders, JP Coaster by Himeka and she covers Lady C for the three count! DDM win the match!

They really ran through this match quick, as all three pairings combined lasted under ten minutes. Needless to say, this wasn’t really enough time for them to really get things going, and some wrestlers did virtually nothing at all (look at you, Mai). There was a ton of talent in this match so its not a knock on the wrestlers, AZM and Himeka are really enjoyable to watch and looked good here, but obviously they couldn’t really get anything cohesive going. Pretty good for a filler match, but ultimately forgettable the minute it was over.

Maika and Thekla vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

The DDM team attacks before the bell rings and the action quickly spills out to the floor, with Prominence soon regaining the advantage. Risa and Maika return to the ring as the legal wrestlers, crab hold by Risa and she puts Maika in the Rocking Horse. Risa lets go after a moment and picks up Maika, putting her into the ropes before tagging Suzu. Suzu hits a sliding kick from the floor to Maika, she enters the ring and kicks at Maika. Suzu goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a slam and tags in Thekla. Risa comes in too however, double Irish whip attempt to Thekla but Thekla fights them both off. Double spear by Thekla and she hits a running elbow on Suzu in the corner, monkey flip by Thekla but Suzu lands on her feet and knocks Thekla to the mat. She tags Risa, elbow by Risa in the corner but Thekla hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and tags Maika. She tags in as both she and Maika hit running strikes on Risa in the corner, boot by Thekla and Maika hits a lariat. Shoulderblock by Maika but Risa doesn’t go down, but she does on the second attempt. Maika picks up Risa but Risa blocks the slam, she picks up Maika and drops her with a Schwein.

Running double knee by Risa in the corner, she picks up Maika but Maika quickly hits a vertical suplex. Back up, Maika goes off the ropes but Risa catches her with a TKO. They trade elbows in the middle of the ring, Risa goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a lariat. A second lariat by Maika, but her cover gets two. Maika picks up Risa but Risa hits another Schwein, both wrestlers crawl to their corners and tag in their partners. Elbows by Thekla to Suzu, Suzu goes off the ropes but Thekla kicks her. She goes for a dropkick but Suzu swipes her aside, Thekla gets Suzu to the mat and puts her in a Sickle Hold. Risa breaks it up, Maika gets rid of her and picks up Suzu, hitting a suplex while Thekla also delivers a superkick. Double sliding attack by DDM to Suzu, but Suzu barely kicks out of the cover. Thekla picks up Suzu, Irish whip to the corner but its reversed. Suzu spins Thekla so she is sitting on the second rope and slides under her, while suplexing Thekla back into the ring. Risa jumps on the second turnbuckle, Suzu hops on her back and Risa comes down with a double kneedrop onto Thekla. Suzu picks up Thekla but Thekla elbows her, chops by Suzu and she delivers a jumping kick. Suzu tries to climb the turnbuckles but Thekla stops her, Suzu kicks Thekla in the head and proceeds to the top anyway. Thekla recovers and joins her but Suzu maintains the advantage and slams Thekla to the mat for a two count. Suzu drags up Thekla and nails a deadlift German suplex hold, picking up the three count! Prominence are the winners.

This was an interesting little match. Generally speaking I thought the action was really good, wide variety of violence was used and there was very little downtime so there was never a dull moment. Maybe too little downtime, as some of the selling (by all involved) was incredibly suspect, even more so than usual, meaning that even the bigger moves didn’t have a ton of impact. Suzu was my favorite wrestler in Ice Ribbon and the main reason I kept up with the promotion at all, so I am excited to see her in Stardom and where this storyline goes. The right team won, as they need Prominence to pick up some wins in front of a new audience if they are to be taken seriously. A good match with fresh pairings, I wouldn’t have minded if the match was a little longer and given some time to breath but still pretty solid.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Hazuki and Momo start the match, they jockey for position before Momo snapmares Hazuki to the mat. Hazuki blocks the kick attempt and dropkicks Momo against the bottom rope, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits a running boot. Hazuki tags Koguma and runs on Momo’s back, she picks up Momo but Starlight Kid runs in the ring and trips her. Starlight Kid pulls Koguma out of the ring while Momo goes after Hazuki as they battle around the floor. Starlight Kid slams Koguma to the floor and Momo slams Hazuki on top of her, as Oedo Tai pose on their opponents. Momo and Koguma return to the ring, stomp by Momo but Koguma elbows her to knock her back. Koguma hits more elbows while Momo shrugs them off, kick to the chest by Momo and she covers Koguma for two. Momo tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid stomps on Koguma and kicks her repeatedly in the head. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Koguma hits a drop toehold followed by a dropkick. This gives her time to tag Hazuki, elbow by Hazuki to Starlight Kid and she puts her in an armtrap crossface. Momo quickly breaks it up, double Irish whip by Oedo Tai but Hazuki hits a double springboard armdrag followed by a double dropkick.

Momo and Starlight Kid fall out of the ring, Hazuki gets a running start in it and sails out onto both with a tope suicida. Hazuki slides Starlight Kid back in and gets on the apron, hitting a swandive dropkick. Cover by Hazuki, but Starlight Kid kicks out. Starlight Kid throws Hazuki into the corner but Hazuki drops her onto the apron, Starlight Kid slams Hazuki’s head into the turnbuckles and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving crossbody. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki elbows her and the two trade strikes. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Momo cuts her off with a dropkick, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki blocks the suplex attempt, cradle by Starlight Kid but Hazuki reverses it before hitting a Codebreaker. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Starlight Kid hits a jumping kick, Hazuki quickly fires back with a boot and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, elbows by Koguma to Momo but Momo avoids her charge in the corner and hits a dropkick. Kick to the chest by Momo, she picks up Koguma and snaps off a uranage for two. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle but Koguma elbows her before she can jump off, Koguma joins her and hits a cutter down to the mat. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Koguma but it gets two. Koguma goes for a suplex but Momo elbows out of it, snap half nelson suplex by Momo but Koguma ducks a head kick and drops Momo with a release German.

Both wrestlers slowly get up, DDT by Koguma but she is too hurt to take advantage. Starlight Kid slides in to attack Koguma but Hazuki quickly comes in too, both teams trade double team attempts until STARS win the exchange. Hazuki and Koguma deliver a slam/cutter combination to Momo, diving body press by Koguma but Starlight Kid breaks up the cover. Koguma picks up Momo but Momo gets her back with a crossface chickenwing. Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle as Momo lets go and hits a swivel body press, Momo picks up Koguma and drops her with the B Driver but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Momo and Starlight Kid pick up Koguma but Hazuki cuts them off, high kick by Momo to Koguma but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Hazuki but Hazuki fights them both off until Momo whacks her in the head with a chair. Momo goes back to Koguma and hits a modified tombstone, she picks Koguma back up but Koguma rolls away from her. Starlight Kid tosses the chair to Koguma and dropkicks it in her face, they pick up Koguma and deliver an assisted side slam. Momo picks up Koguma and nails the Peach Thunder, cover by Momo and she gets the three count. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid are the new champions!

Really enjoyable match, about everything one could ask for in this spot. Starlight Kid and Momo are just so good and have already built great chemistry as a team, really loved their constant cooperation and everything they did was fluid. I wouldn’t put Koguma on the level as the other three but she held her own here, and mostly let the others control the action. Very fast paced with something constantly happening to hold your attention, but it never felt excessive either as they’d slow down enough to let you catch your breath. They kept the big spots to a minimum due to their card placement but they sprinkled in enough, and the weapon violence was well done. I’m looking forward to seeing more Momo and Starlight Kid matches in the future, they are a great team. A fun match as we ramp up to the big matches on the event.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka

Mayu and Tam start the match, they do some introductory trading of holds before trading armdrags. They end up in a stalemate after some missed kicks, Tam tags Unagi and Unagi calls for KAIRI to be tagged in. Mayu obliges, Unagi asks for a knuckle lock but KAIRI sweeps out her leg instead. They tie-up, KAIRI pushes Unagi into the ropes and gives a clean break after teasing a backfist. Elbows by Unagi and she slaps KAIRI, KAIRI get angry and rolls up Unagi before putting her in a stretch muffler. KAIRI tags in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and with KAIRI they double team Unagi. Mayu picks up Unagi, snapmare by Mayu and she kicks Unagi in the back. Another kick by Mayu and she covers Unagi for two. Mayu tags KAIRI back in, KAIRI puts Unagi in the ropes and chops her in the chest. Sliding elbow by KAIRI, Unagi falls out of the ring and KAIRI hits a footstomp while Unagi is bridged over the apron. KAIRI returns to the ring and waits for Unagi, Unagi eventually rolls back in and KAIRI covers her for two.

Dropkick by KAIRI and she tags Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she stomps on Unagi. Mayu applies a Camel Clutch but Tam quickly breaks it up, Mayu throws Tam out of the ring and tosses Unagi in the corner. Chop by Mayu and she tags KAIRI, Unagi elbows KAIRI but KAIRI blocks the scoop slam and applies an ankle hold. She lets go after a moment to knock Tam off the apron, KAIRI picks up Unagi but Unagi hits a Codebreaker. Unagi finally makes the hot tag to Tam, Tam goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody. Tam picks up KAIRI but Mayu hits her from behind, double Irish whip to Tam but Tam cartwheels past them and dropkicks them. Tam get on the mat and poses towards KAIRI, KAIRI poses back at her but the happy moment doesn’t last long as they grab each other by the hair and return to their feet. KAIRI and Tam trade elbows, they go at it for a minute until Tam floors KAIRI with a spinning head kick. KAIRI tags Mayu while Tam tags Unagi, Unagi and Mayu avoid each other’s kicks until Mayu kicks Unagi in the chest. Dropkick by Mayu, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving body press for two. She goes back up to attempt a moonsault but Tam grabs her from the apron, knocking her off.

Unagi grabs Mayu from inside the ring and drags her over the top rope, dropping her head-first into the mat for a two count. KAIRI comes in but so does Tam and they both slam KAIRI to the mat, kick by Tam to Mayu and Unagi hits a leg drop for two. Unagi picks up Mayu and hits a fisherman driver, but KAIRI breaks up the cover. Tam comes in but KAIRI spears her, spinning backfist by KAIRI to Unagi and both Cosmic Angels fall out of the ring. Mayu and KAIRI go to different corners and dive down onto Unagi and Tam, Mayu gets Unagi back into the ring and kicks her in the head. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Unagi gets out of it, superkick by Mayu and she drags Unagi near the corner. KAIRI goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Diving Elbow Drop, Mayu then goes up top and delivers a moonsault for the three count! Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI are the winners!

I don’t think I would have ever correctly guessed the structure of this match. Its interesting as while KAIRI was the draw, she wasn’t the focus. The first third of the match had Unagi playing the “face in peril,” with Tam getting the big hot tag to take on Mayu and KAIRI. Its not that I expected KAIRI to have that role in her re-debut but this was almost structured like a Southern Tag match with the focus being on the Cosmic Angels. In fact if I didn’t know this was KAIRI’s return match I wouldn’t have known from the action as she really was presented on the same level (at best) as Mayu and Tam. I assume this was by design to slowly integrate her back into the promotion, but if she is going to be a “special attraction” wrestler I think they missed the mark. The match was fairly entertaining and KAIRI looked good, but the weakest link (Unagi) being such a focus took it down a notch from what it could have been. It was great to see KAIRI again but as a match it was a little disappointing as far as general excitement goes, even if it still was a solid tag match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Utami pushes Saya into the ropes but gives her a clean break. They tie-up again and Utami pushes Saya again in the ropes but she lets her free. Side headlock by Utami, Saya Irish whips out of it but Utami hits a shoulderblock. Saya kips up, they go through an exchange off the ropes until Saya hits a hurricanrana which sends Utami out of the ring. Saya goes off the ropes but Utami charges back in the ring and shoulderblocks Saya to the mat. Stomps by Utami and she hits a scoop slam, Utami picks up Saya and slams her again, crab hold by Utami but Saya gets to the ropes for the break. Utami throws Saya into the corner, Irish whip by Utami and she whips Saya hard into the corner multiple times. Utami stomps at Saya and hits a double kneedrop to her back, camel clutch by Utami but she releases the hold to cover Saya for a two count. Saya fights back with elbows, Utami goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick. Saya picks up Utami, snapmare by Saya and she applies a facelock. Saya puts Utami in a headscissors but Utami gets a foot on the ropes. Saya pulls Utami’s head so its hanging over the ropes and kicks her in the head, heel drop by Saya and she dropkicks Utami. Back in the ring, Saya picks up Utami and delivers a jumping heel kick. Neckbreaker by Saya and she covers Utami for two.

Saya picks up Utami and the two trade elbows, which Utami gets the better of. Dropkick to the back by Utami, she charges Saya in the corner but Saya moves. Utami tosses Saya out to the apron, elbow by Saya but Utami blocks it when Saya goes for a swandive move and back bodydrops her into the ring. Sliding elbow by Utami and she covers Saya for two. Irish whip by Utami, but Saya flips herself out to the apron and nails a swandive hurricanrana. Utami falls out of the ring, Saya gets a running start and sails out onto her with a no hands tope con hilo. Saya slides Utami back in the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the hook attempt, elbows by Saya but Utami snaps off a dropkick. Saya dropkicks her back but Utami throws her against the ropes and tosses her to the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up and exchange elbows until Utami elbows Saya hard to the mat. Utami tries to go off the ropes but Saya grabs her and hits an elbow, Utami elbows Saya in the back in response and puts her in an Argentine Backbreaker before dropping Saya to the mat. Cover by Utami, but Saya kicks out. Utami picks up Saya but Saya grabs the ropes to block a suplex attempt, elbow to the back by Utami but Saya gets free and goes off the ropes. Utami gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya wiggles free, release German attempt by Utami but Saya lands on her feet and hits a moonsault side slam for two.

Saya goes to the top turnbuckle but Utami clubs her before she can jump off, sending Saya to the apron. Utami then lariats Saya, sending her crashing to the floor. Utami slides Saya onto the apron, she joins her and gets Saya on her shoulders, but Saya escapes and nails a hurricanrana down to the floor. Saya gets back into the ring with Utami slowly following, Saya goes for a pump kick but Utami catches it and hits an Air Raid Crash. Utami goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Saya and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Utami drags Saya to her feet and gets her on her shoulders, but Saya gets away and delivers a reverse hurricanrana. Heel kick by Saya and she quickly hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Saya positions Utami and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Utami recovers and elbows her in the back. Utami goes for a crucifix powerbomb but Saya reverses it into a hurricanrana, Saya charges Utami but Utami hits a sidewalk slam. Big lariat by Utami, she picks up Saya and goes for the Hijack Bomb, but again Saya reverses it with a hurricanrana. Pump kick by Saya, she cradles Utami before scooping her up with a suplex. Jumping heel kick by Saya, she picks up Utami and delivers a fisherman driver for a two count. Saya positions Utami and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing a Phoenix Splash for the three count cover! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship!

Even though the match wasn’t perfect, any claims that it was reckless or sloppy are very greatly exaggerated. Both wrestlers showed off their strengths here, as Utami was a beast and Saya stayed in the match with her quick moves and high flying expertise. With how many high risk moves Saya does, not every one is going to be hit perfectly, but she is still the most exciting wrestler in Stardom right now and just brings that unpredictability that is hard to find. While I really loved the bulk of the match as they meshed together well their two styles, I do think the end stretch was probably a couple minutes too long. There can be a point of excess and they may have crossed it, which isn’t really uncommon with big title matches and at least they didn’t let it go on for more than a few minutes. A really great match between two wrestlers that are only getting better, the fact they can do a match like this so early in their careers says so much about their potential down the road.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Giulia
World of Stardom Championship

Giulia and Syuri quickly end up on the mat and trade holds, but they end up in a stalemate and back on their feet. Syuri works a headlock but Giulia Irish whips out of it, Giulia kicks Syuri in the leg but Syuri tackles her when she goes off the ropes and both wrestlers spill out of the ring. They jockey for position down on the floor and Syuri goes for an armbreaker, but Giulia blocks it so Syuri applies a seated armbar instead. The referee gets her to stop but Giulia grabs Syuri from behind and tries to suplex her into the ring post. Syuri blocks it and goes for a high kick, but Giulia ducks and she kicks the post by accident. Giulia throws Syuri into the post before sliding her back into the ring, Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri elbows her and they trade shots. Giulia trips Syuri and puts her in a STF, but Syuri gets to the ropes for the break. Giulia hits a running elbow in the corner, she sits Syuri on the top turnbuckle before picking her up and suplexes her to the mat. Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri swats her away and hits a Backstabber. Syuri throws Giulia into the corner, knees by Syuri and she hits a suplex. Sleeper by Syuri but Giulia is too close to the ropes and quickly gets the break. Snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Giulia in the back a few times. Giulia crawls to the corner, Syuri charges her but Giulia slides out to the apron and dumps Syuri out of the ring. Kick from the apron by Giulia, she goes out after Syuri and puts her in a stretch submission hold on the floor.

The referee again has to tell them to knock it off, Giulia lets go and throws the referee into Syuri. Giulia then catapults off the referee’s back and dropkicks Syuri, she picks her up and drags Syuri up onto a table with her. Giulia grabs Syuri while standing on the table and nails a piledriver, breaking the table in the process. Giulia gets back in the ring while Syuri holds her head on the floor, the referee by now has recovered and he starts the count. Giulia goes back out after Syuri and brings her back to the ring, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Syuri falls back out of the ring so Giulia has to go after her, snapmare by Giulia and she kicks Syuri in the back. Another kick by Giulia, she gets a running start but Syuri hits her with a piece of plexiglass that the commentary table was using. Syuri picks up Giulia and hits a single arm suplex, she gets up on the apron and hits a dropkick down to the floor. Syuri gets Giulia back to the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving Fameasser, but Giulia reverses her cover into a submission, but Syuri gets to the ropes. Giulia picks up Syuri, Syuri gets away and hits a release German. Giulia fires back with her own release German, Codebreaker by Syuri but Giulia catches her kick and delivers a capture suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up and face off from opposite corners, they charge each other and Giulia kicks Syuri in the head. Syuri fires back with a jumping knee, she picks up Giulia and hits a double knee gutbuster for two. Syuri goes for Giulia’s arm and applies an armbar, Giulia reaches for the ropes so Syuri traps that arm as well.

Giulia eventually manages to get a boot on the bottom rope, running knee by Syuri and she goes to the top turnbuckle. Giulia recovers and joins her, but Syuri knocks her back to the mat. Giulia slaps Syuri to the apron but Syuri kicks her in the head over the top rope, kick to the chest by Syuri and she returns to the turnbuckles. Giulia gets back up again and climbs the turnbuckles with her, hitting a double underhook suplex down to the mat. Giulia charges Syuri but Syuri spears her into the turnbuckles, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia wiggles away and the two trade cradles. Backdrop suplex by Giulia, she picks up Syuri but Syuri avoids the Glorious Driver and slams Giulia to the mat. Syuri picks up Giulia again but Giulia slides off and nails an Emerald Flowsion for a two count. Both wrestlers are slow to cover and trade slaps while still on their knees, Syuri kicks Giulia when they return to their feet which sends Giulia crashing back to the mat. More kicks by Syuri, but Giulia eventually ducks one and suplexes Syuri. Knee to the face by Giulia, but Syuri kicks out of the cover. Giulia picks up Syuri and nails the Glorious Driver II, but again Syuri gets a shoulder up. Giulia immediately gets Syuri to her feet and drops her with a Northern Lights Bomb, but they are too close to the ropes and Syuri grabs the bottom one to stop the count. Giulia drags Syuri up but Syuri blocks it when Giulia goes for another one, Giulia goes off the ropes but Syuri kicks her in the head. Another high kick by Syuri, she picks up Giulia and hits a modified Emerald Flowsion of her own for two. Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia spins off and covers Syuri. Syuri gets out of it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick. Spinning backfist by Syuri and she hits a few more, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders and nails the Red World for the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship.

This match was great for a few different reasons. First, after a long show they put on a match that played out differently than everything we’ve seen so far. It was more grounded and strike-oriented, but with enough big spots spread around to keep the excitement up and make the match feel special. These two are both so fluid, everything was snug but not to the point of feeling reckless or dangerous, they just have really good chemistry for two wrestlers that don’t face off often. Its quite a contrast to the last match, as here the ending stretch felt just right (even though the matches had the same run time) and it felt like it ended at the precise right time within the match flow which is easier said than done. Syuri is one of the best strikers in wrestling but Giulia looked great as well, it felt like a real war between the two with both having convincing near falls. A well structured match with two of the best wrestlers in Joshi wrestling, a must-see match that delivers on every level.  Highly Recommended

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Event: Stardom “Osaka Day and Night” (Evening Show)
Date: March 28th, 2021
Location: EDION Arena Osaka #2 in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 227
Broadcast Information: Streamed on Stardom World

As part of my project to review as many events as possible in April that are available to Western fans via an official streaming service, we next stop by Stardom! Even though this event took place in March, it was uploaded in April so it still qualifies. Stardom put on two events on March 28th (the other was uploaded at the end of March) that contained a Trios Tournament that spanned over both days. So we get the conclusion of that, plus some other random fun matches as well. Here is the full card:

• Bea Priestley vs. Lady C
• Momo Watanabe vs. Konami vs. Starlight Kid
• Mayu Iwatani and Saya Iida vs. Natsupoi and Syuri
• Top Unit Tournament Third Place Match: AZM, Saya Kamitani, and Hayashishita vs. Giulia, Himeka, and Maika
• Top Unit Tournament Final: Mina Shirakawa, Tam Nakano, and Sayaka vs. Natsuko Tora, Ruaka, and Kashima

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

Bea Priestley vs. Lady C

They lock up to start, Lady C pushes Bea into the ropes but Bea switches positions with her and kicks her in the stomach. Irish whip by Bea, Lady C goes for a shoulderblock but Bea doesn’t go down. Lady C tries a few more times and finally knocks Bea to the mat, Lady C goes off the ropes but Bea punches her in the midsection. Stomps by Bea and she chokes Lady C with her boot, Irish whip by Bea and she elbows Lady C in the face. Snapmare by Bea and she follows with a dropkick for a two count. Bea applies a chinlock but Lady C gets to the ropes for the break, Bea picks up Lady C but Lady C fights back with an elbow. Bea challenges Lady C, more elbows by Lady C but Bea elbows her hard to the mat. Bea goes off the ropes but Lady C boots her in the face, both wrestlers slowly get up and Lady C boots Bea in the face again for a two count cover. Lady C picks up Bea and hits a side Russian leg sweep, but that gets a two count as well. Lady C goes for the chokeslam but Bea blocks it and hits an elbow, running knee by Bea and she covers Lady C for two. Bea goes for a suplex but Lady C blocks it and boots Bea. Lady C picks up Bea but Bea reverses the chokeslam attempt into a cradle for two. Enzuigiri attempt by Bea but Lady C ducks it, running boot by Lady C and she gets a two count. Elbows by Lady C, she goes off the ropes but Bea drills her with a jumping knee. A second knee by Bea follows, and she covers Lady C for the three count! Bea Priestley is the winner.

I haven’t really formed a strong opinion on Lady C either way as she has a unique skill set that will take some dedication on Stardom’s part to build up, but this was fine for an opener. I was a little surprised that Bea gave Lady C so much offense, with the rookie even winning the shoulderblock battle, but knowing as I do now (at the time of the review) that Bea was on her way out of Stardom it makes more sense. Bea still treated Lady C like the rookie that she is, and won rather easily once she got in control, but she respected the chokeslam and gave Lady C several nearfalls. I think Lady C still has a bit of a ways to go, but solid experience for the young wrestler.

Momo Watanabe vs. Konami vs. Starlight Kid

They are slow to engage but eventually all three lock knuckles, they break and apply waistlocks to each other but Momo sneaks in a schoolboy on Konami for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and elbows Konami out of the ring, Momo snapmares Starlight Kid and kicks her in the back. PK by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo kicks Starlight Kid in the chest and goes off the ropes, but Konami pulls her out of the ring and throws Momo into the ring post. Konami returns to the ring and dropkicks Starlight Kid in the head, cover by Konami but it gets two. Konami twists Starlight Kid in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back, stomps by Konami and she puts Starlight Kid in a camel clutch. Momo breaks it up, sending Konami back out of the ring as she gives Starlight Kid her attention. Starlight Kid fights back but not overly effectively, as Momo boots her back to the mat. Scoop slam by Momo and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Momo, Starlight Kid goes for a crossbody but Momo catches her. Starlight Kid cradles Momo to the mat anyway and dropkicks her, Konami runs in and delivers a sliding kick to Momo’s chest. Konami picks up Momo but Momo blocks the suplex, Starlight Kid comes over so Konami goes after her instead. Starlight Kid gets away and hits a side headlock takedown/headscissors on both Momo and Konami, she hits a standing moonsault on both of them but it only gets a two count.

Starlight Kid picks up Konami but Konami hits a kick combination, Starlight Kid slides away as Momo gets up and all three trade elbows. Momo wins the strike battle against both opponents, she charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid avoids her charge. Momo knocks Konami to the mat before going back to Starlight Kid, dropkick by Momo to Starlight Kid and she hits a second one. Vertical suplex by Momo, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Momo applies a crossface chickenwing but Konami sneaks in and puts Momo in a sleeper hold. Momo gets out of it and the two trade kicks until Konami catches one and applies an ankle hold. Momo gets out of it but Konami quickly locks it back in, Starlight Kid returns and she tries to break it up but Konami trips her and puts them both in submissions. Momo and Starlight Kid work together to crawl to the ropes for the break, Momo rolls out of the ring while Konami focuses on Starlight Kid, but Starlight Kid avoids her boot and hits one of her own. Konami and Starlight Kid trade elbows but Momo hits a double Somato on both of them, regular Somato by Momo to Starlight Kid but it gets a two count. Momo picks up Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid slides away but Momo delivers a PK. Momo goes for a B Driver but Konami kicks her first, which allows Starlight Kid to hit a sunset flip powerbomb on Momo.

Konami breaks up the cover but Starlight Kid sends her out of the ring with a satellite headscissors. Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Oedo Tai with a plancha, but Bea and Natsuko catch her. Konami gets up on the apron and hits a sliding kick to Starlight Kid, Konami slides Starlight Kid back in the ring  and delivers a leg clutch suplex hold for two. Konami picks up Starlight Kid and goes for the Triangle Lancer, but Starlight Kid rolls through it and they trade flash pins. Momo runs in and hits a suplex on Konami but Starlight Kid drops her with a double arm DDT. Release German by Konami and Starlight Kid, and all three wrestlers are down on the mat. They all make it up before the ten count, Konami grabs Starlight Kid and hits a German suplex hold for two. She goes for the Triangle Lancer and gets it locked in, but Momo kicks her in the head to break it up. Crossface chickenwing by Momo to Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid blocks the suplex attempt out of the hold into a cradle for two. She goes for the Ki-chan Bomb but Konami kicks her in the head, Konami goes off the ropes but Momo delivers a B Driver for two. Momo drags Konami to her feet but before she can hit the Peach Sunrise, the bell rings as the time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I’ll forgive this match for not giving me a more decisive ending as it was just so entertaining. I mentioned at the top that all three are quality wrestlers and they showed here that my evaluation was well-placed. Three way matches usually have some awkward pauses or dumb looking spots, but everything here was so fluid and they had so many reversals which showed how familiar they are with each other. Whether it be the B Driver breakup, Triangle Lancer breakup, Ki-chan Bomb breakup… they weren’t just interrupting moves but doing so in a violent fashion that immediately led to more offense, not wrestlers looking at each other planning the next spot. In a way these are the unsung heroes of Stardom, always putting on great matches but not getting the respect they deserve (although SK I think is in line to get a push soon). A great match that the rest of the wrestlers on the card will struggle to match.  Highly Recommended

Mayu Iwatani and Saya Iida vs. Natsupoi and Syuri

Syuri and Mayu start the match, Syuri takes it to the mat and they jockey for position before reaching a stalemate. They tag out as Saya and Natsupoi come in, hard shoulderblock by Saya and she covers Natsupoi for two. Natsupoi avoids Saya’s next strike and hits an armdrag, but Saya chops Natsupoi in the chest repeatedly. More chops by Saya, Natsupoi goes for the tag but Syuri is in no rush to get back in the ring. Saya drags Natsupoi to the middle of the ring but Natsupoi cradles her for two, spinning kick to the stomach by Natsupoi and she delivers a dropkick. She tags in Syuri, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Mayu off the apron. Natsupoi returns and they double team Saya, Natsupoi leaves after a moment and Syuri kicks Saya into the corner. Running knee by Syuri and she covers Saya, but Mayu breaks it up. Saya clubs Syuri in the chest but Syuri knocks her back, she goes off the ropes but Saya hits a spinebuster and makes the tag to Mayu. Back kick by Mayu but Syuri kicks her into the corner, Mayu avoids her charge however and delivers a sliding kick to Syuri’s face. Natsupoi comes in to help but Mayu grabs both their hands and hits a double springboard armdrag. Saya runs into the ring and they both hit dropkicks on an opponent,

Mayu picks up Syuri but Syuri knees her in the stomach and hits a double underhook suplex. She tags Natsupoi, Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Superkick by Mayu and she tags Saya, dropkick by Saya and she chops Natsupoi in the chest. Syuri cuts her off but Mayu comes in too, as STARS hit jumping chops on their opponents. Running elbow by Saya to Natsupoi, but her cover gets a two count. Saya goes for the Northern Lights Suplex but Natsupoi blocks it and hits a running neckbreaker. Assisted splash by Natsupoi to Saya and she kicks her in the head, jackknife by Natsupoi but Mayu breaks it up. Double Irish whip to Iida but she ducks an attempted lariat and Mayu sails off the top with a double crossbody. Missile dropkick by Saya to Natsupoi, but it gets two. Saya picks up Natsupoi and delivers the Northern Lights Suplex, but Syuri breaks up the cover. Saya picks up Natsupoi but Natsupoi gets out of the suplex attempt, superkick by Natsupoi and she goes up top, hitting the Swivel Body Press for two. Natsupoi picks up Saya but Mayu superkicks her, lariat by Saya to Natsupoi and she covers Natsupoi for two. Saya picks up Natsupoi but Natsupoi reverses a suplex into an inside cradle for two. They trade flash pins until Natsupoi applies a rolling La Magistral and picks up the three count! Syuri and Natsupoi are the winners!

This was pretty pedestrian, with the main wrestler holding it back being Natsupoi. I like Natsumi a lot and I don’t think this match defines her or anything, but she was really off here as she messed up several moves. With most wrestlers in Stardom being so smooth, it really sticks out when a wrestler is not holding up their end of the match. Even beyond that, the action was *fine* but nothing memorable before it suddenly ended ten minutes in. Good wrestlers but average match.

AZM, Saya Kamitani, and Hayashishita vs. Giulia, Himeka, and Maika
Top Unit Tournament Third Place Match

Giulia and Utami start the match, Utami pushes Giulia into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Waistlock by Utami but Giulia reverses it into a wristlock and the two trade holds. Giulia gets Utami to the mat and works a headlock but Utami gets back to her feet and they continue going back and forth. Neckbreaker by Giulia, she picks up Utami and sags in Himeka. Himeka throws Utami into the corner and hits a body avalanche, they both run into each other with shoulderblocks until Himeka knocks Utami to the mat. Utami quickly gets back up and returns the favor, stomp by Utami and she tags in Saya. Stomps by Saya in the corner but Himeka blocks the scoop slam and clubs on Saya’s back. Himeka throws Saya into the corner and takes in Maika, Saya fights back but Maika returns her blows. Maika tags in Giulia, neckbreaker by Giulia and she covers Saya for two. Giulia picks up Saya and throws her down by the head, Himeka returns and stomps Saya in the corner. Backbreaker by Himeka and she applies a crab hold, but Saya gets into the ropes for the break. Saya finally gets away from Himeka and hits a dropkick, she goes for a slam but Himeka blocks it and goes for her own slam.

Saya blocks that as well and finally hits a scoop slam, giving her time to tag in AZM. Tilt-a-whirl armbar by AZM, she lets go and schoolboys Himeka but it only gets two. Maika comes in to help but AZM rolls them both to the mat and puts them both in armbars. Giulia breaks it up, AZM goes off the ropes but Giulia catches her with a knee. Armdrag by Maika and Himeka kicks AZM in the chest for a two count. Himeka tags Giulia, Irish whip by Giulia to the corner but AZM reverses it. Giulia avoids AZM’s charge and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner, she goes to the top turnbuckle but AZM joins her. Giulia puts AZM in a guillotine while on the top turnbuckle, she lets her go after a moment but AZM avoids her missile dropkick. AZM goes for a kick but Giulia catches it and puts her in a STF, but it is broken up. Giulia picks up AZM but AZM gets away from her and hits La Mistica, giving her time to tag Utami. Dropkick by Utami and she hits a running elbow on Giulia in the corner followed by a kick to the head for a two count. Utami picks up Giulia and tries to get her on her back, but Giulia slides away. Utami gets her up anyway and hits a Samoan Drop, picking up a two count cover. Utami picks up Giulia but Giulia elbows her and the two trade strikes.

Giulia goes off the ropes and applies a stretch hold, but Utami gets into the ropes for the break. Dropkick by Giulia and she tags in Maika. Maika flings Utami around the ring and hits a STO, cover by Maika but Utami kicks out. Sleeper by Maika but Utami drives her into the corner to break it up, crucifix roll by Maika and she goes for an armbar, but AZM breaks it up. Maika goes off the ropes and hits a judo toss, she picks up Utami and hits a scoop slam for a two count. Utami gets Maika’s back and applies a sleeper, she gets Maika to the mat and puts her in a guillotine choke but Maika muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Utami fires back with a release German, Utami starts to fire up but Giulia kicks her from behind. Himeka comes in too but Utami fights them off, AZM dropkicks Himeka and Queen’s Quest all get on the ropes to hit Maika with a triple dropkick. Well that was the idea anyway. Deadlift German by Utami to Maika, but Himeka breaks it up. The ring clears with Utami and Maika alone, Utami picks up Maika and gets her on her shoulders but Maika slides off. Sleeper attempt by Maika and she gets it locked in, cover by Maika but the bell rings as the time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Couple things. First of all, Stardom being too big of cowards to even have a definite ending in a “3rd Place” match is annoying, its not like all six of these wrestlers can’t take a pin and its basically them saying “there is no 4th place unit!” which is lazy. The action also wasn’t as crisp as I’d expect from these six, with several awkward moments and missed spots. Maybe due to having two shows in one day these teams had little time to chat about the match, but it wasn’t very smooth. Some sections were great, as Utami and Maika have good chemistry and Giulia is really owning her new look to the point I think I now like this one better. But between the cop-out ending and the choppy action, definitely a disappointment considering the wrestlers involved.

Mina Shirakawa, Tam Nakano, and Sayaka vs. Natsuko Tora, Ruaka, and Kashima
Top Unit Tournament Final

Saki and Unagi start the match, Saki immediately charges Unagi and boots her in the chest. Elbows by Saki in the corner, she goes off the ropes but Tam kicks her from the apron. Mina comes in too and they triple team Saki, Unagi covers Saki but it gets a two count. Unagi tags Tam, stomps by Tam and she snapmares Saki before kicking her in the back. Tam goes off the ropes but Ruaka trips her from ringside, giving Saki time to tag in Ruaka. Ruaka goes off the ropes and pushes over Tam, she grabs Tam by the hair and tosses her into the corner. Punch to the stomach by Ruaka and she puts Tam in the ropes before her Oedo Tai friends come over to help attack her. Big boot to the back of the head by Ruaka and she covers Tam for two. Ruaka picks up Tam and tags Natsuko, Natsuko knocks Unagi and Mina off the apron before going back to Tam and throwing her down by the hair. Bootscrapes by Natsuko and she boots Tam, she tags in Ruaka who hits a running boot while Tam is against the ropes. Tam falls out of the ring where Natsuko greets her, but Unagi comes over to even the odds. Unagi and Mina are knocked back while Tam is rolled back into the ring, Tam fights back with an elbow but Ruaka kicks her. They trade blows until Tam does the matrix cradle for a two count.

Tam knocks Ruaka back and finally makes the hot tag to Unagi, Unagi picks up Ruaka and hits a face crusher. Leg drop by Unagi and she covers Ruaka for two. Unagi picks up Ruaka and applies the Gory Special, but Saki breaks it up. Saki and Ruaka Irish whip Unagi but Unagi blocks it, Mina runs in and they both attack Ruaka and Saki. Unagi goes off the ropes but Ruaka boots her in the head and tags in Natsuko. Hard shoulderblocks by Natsuko, she picks up Unagi but Mina runs in and hits a Lou Thesz press. Leg drop by Unagi and she crawls to her corner to tag Tam. Neckbreaker and she hits a cartwheel kneedrop for two. Tam picks up Natsuko but Natsuko elbows her off, Tam elbows her back and they trade shots. After an assist from Unagi, Tam knees Natsuko in the back and hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Tam charges Natsuko but Saki comes in and his a hurricanrana, Cannonball by Natsuko to Tam in the corner and she hits a Samoan Drop. Diving footstomp by Saki and Natsuko follows with a diving body press for a two count cover. Natsuko picks up Tam but Tam blocks the slam, eye rake by Natsuko and she hits a lariat for a two count. Natsuko picks up Tam and hits a few elbows, she goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a heel kick. Tam tags in Mina while Natsuko tags Saki, they immediately trade elbows until Mina knocks over Saki with a double chop.

Mina charges Saki in the corner and hits an elbow, dropkick by Mina and she covers Saki for two. Mina throws Saki in the corner but Saki avoids her charge, Ruaka runs in and shoulderblocks Mina. Diving footstomp by Saki, but Mina kicks out of the cover. Saki picks up Mina and delivers a double underhook facebuster, but Tam breaks up the pin. Saki picks up Mina but Tam comes in and superkicks Saki, backdrop suplex attempt by Mina but Saki blocks it. Mina trips Saki instead and applies a submission hold, but Natsuko breaks it up. Cosmic Angels take control for a moment but it doesn’t last long, as Oedo Tai all hit slams around different corners. Natsuko, Ruaka, and Saki all go up different corners and go for diving body presses, but all three miss. Ruaka and Natsuko are knocked out of the ring, dropkick by Mina to Saki and she falls out of the ring as well. Unagi goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto all three with a plancha, Saki is rolled back in while Mina goes up top, hitting a diving elbow strike for two. Mina picks up Saki but Saki gets away, superkick by Tam to Saki and she hits a release German. DDT by Mina to Saki, but Natsuko breaks up the cover. Mina and Tam pick up Saki and hit heel drops, Mina grabs Saki but Saki quickly applies the Kishikaisei for the three count! Oedo Tai win the match and the tournament!

I can understand doing the tournament with the lesser wrestlers in a faction to try to put them over, but its hard to take this Oedo Tai team seriously while Bea and Konami are at ringside cheering along. And they didn’t even cheat! Just lots of boots. Its hard to accept Ruaka as a real main event threat due to her status as Child and Recent Opening Match Jobber, and she didn’t really add anything positive to the match. Uninspiring offense by Oedo Tai aside, Cosmic Angels looked pretty good here and had a variety of entertaining offense, which the match desperately needed. This is a very “house show” main event, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t special either, I can respect Stardom wanting to spotlight the bottom section of the Oedo Tai faction but sadly it just didn’t lead to an entertaining match. Hot ending aside, the first half was just too drab and overall it was just an average match.

The post Stardom “Osaka Day and Night” (Evening Show) on 3/28/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom 10th Anniversary ~Hinamatsuri All-Star Dream Cinderella~
Date: March 3rd, 2021
Location: Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 3,318
Broadcast Information: Streamed Live on PPV and Samurai TV!

It is time for what will likely be the biggest Joshi event of the year! Since Bushiroad purchased Stardom, one of their goals was to have Stardom run in bigger buildings when the time was right, which leads them to Nippon Budokan for All-Star Dream Cinderella. They went all-out for the show, as SEAdLINNNG invades with big singles matches involving Nanae Takahashi and Yoshiko. Also, there is a Rumble with former wrestlers returning, and a total of five title matches. This review will be long so strap in, here is the full card:

• High Speed Championship: AZM vs. Natsupoi
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Himeka and Maika vs. Natsuko Tora and Saki Kashima
• All-Star Rumble with Momoe Nakanishi, Mima Shimoda, Chigusa Nagayo, Kyoko Inoue, Kikutaro, Gokigen Death, Emi Sakura, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Miho Wakizawa, Yuzuki Aikawa, Yoko Bito, Yuuri Haruka, Koguma, Yuna Manase, Hiromi Mimura, Starlight Kid, Rin Kadokura, Bea Priestley, Ruaka, Mei Hoshizuki, Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Saya Iida, and Lady C
• Nanae Takahashi vs. Momo Watanabe
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Syuri vs. Konami
• Mayu Iwatani vs. Yoshiko
• World Of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Saya Kamitani
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship, Hair Vs. Hair Match: Giulia vs. Tam Nakano

I will be watching the live broadcast, so matches will be shown in full. All Joshi wrestlers on the event have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

(c) AZM vs. Natsupoi
High Speed Championship

They charge each other and get right into a fast exchange, they avoid each others dropkicks and after some flash pins attempts they end up back on their feet. Kick by Natsupoi and she throws AZM into the corner, dropkicking her down to the floor. She goes up top but AZM quickly recovers and gets onto the apron before kicking Natsupoi in the head. Natsupoi falls to the floor, AZM gets on the second turnbuckle and dives out of the ring with a double footstomp. AZM rolls Natsupoi back in and hits a swandive dropkick, cover by AZM but it gets two. She applies the Fujiwara Armbar but Natsupoi quickly gets to the ropes, Natsupoi throws AZM into the corner but AZM avoids her charge. Kick to the chest by Natsupoi, she goes off the ropes and delivers a dropkick. Natsupoi goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but AZM rolls through it and applies a submission.

Natsupoi quickly gets to the ropes again, AZM goes up top and nails a diving double footstomp for two. AZM goes off the ropes and hits La Mistica, but Natsupoi rolls out of it. Head kick by AZM, she goes off the ropes but AZM hits La Mistica again. Natsupoi gets to the ropes, AZM runs to the corner but when she goes for the triple jump attack, she is greeted by a dropkick from Natsupoi. AZM and Natsupoi trade elbows as they return to their feet, AZM goes off the ropes but Natsupoi catches her with a kick. Backlash by Natsupoi, but AZM kicks out. Waistlock by Natsupoi and she nails a German suplex hold, but that gets a two as well. Natsupoi goes up top and delivers the twisting body press, but the cover gets a two count. Natsupoi picks up AZM but AZM elbows her off, rolling inside cradle by AZM but it gets a two count. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, so Natsupoi superkicks AZM in the face. Natsupoi drags up AZM and hits rolling German suplexes, but the third only gets a two count. Natsupoi picks up AZM and nails a Cross-Arm German Suplex, and she picks up the three count! Natsupoi wins and is the new champion!

A really fun way to kick off the show. Not everything was super smooth but the energy helped make up for that as it was just go-go-go from the opening bell. Fans that only watch Stardom may not been as familar with what Natsumi has been up to in recent years but she is fantastic, and she got a pretty dominating win here as by the end of the match she was firmly in control. AZM hit some killer footstomps and stayed in the match, but it almost felt like a coming-out party for Natsumi and I assume she’ll hold the title for awhile. A quality match to begin the big event.  Recommended

(c) Himeka and Maika vs. Natsuko Tora and Saki Kashima
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Oedo Tai jump DDM before the match starts and isolate Maika, double teaming her. Saki stays in as the legal wrestler and kicks Himeka before tagging in Natsuko, bootscrapes by Natsuko but Himeka kicks her from the apron. This gives Maika time to recover and she tags Himeka, Himeka and Natsuko trade shoulderblocks with Himeka winning the battle. Saki runs in but Himeka stacks them both in the corner and hits a lariat. She puts both up on the turnbuckle and places them in an Argentine Backbreaker together before dropping them to the mat. Himeka picks up Natsuko and delivers a Jumping Knee, but Natsuko kicks out of the cover. Himeka tags Maika, Maika tosses Natsuko around the mat before hitting a STO for a two count. Stomps by Maika and she hits a lariat, but she didn’t notice that Saki blind tagged herself in. Saki jumps in the ring with a bulldog to Maika, Maika is thrown into the corner and Saki hits a running knee. Saki gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a headscissors into a cradle, picking up a two count.

Natsuko is tagged back in, she stacks both opponents in the corner and delivers a cannonball. Samoan Drop by Natsuko, she tags Saki and Saki hits a diving footstomp. She quickly tags Natsuko back in, diving body press by Natsuko but Maika kicks out of the cover. Swinging side slam by Natsuko, but that gets a two count as well. Natsuko picks up Maika but Himeka runs in to help, Saki kicks Himeka however and she falls out of the ring. Natsuko tags Saki, flying headscissors by Saki to Maika but Himeka cuts her off with a knee. Himeka and Maika charge Saki but accidentally lariat each other, scoop slam by Saki to Maika and she goes up top but Maika recovers and joins her. Superplex by Maika to Saki, she picks her back up and hits a STO but Natsuko breaks up the cover. Himeka comes in and with Maika they hit a lariat on Saki followed by a sliding lariat for a two count. Maika picks up Saki but Saki slides away and pins her down for a two count. Natsuko has found her way back in but she eats a double chokeslam, Maika picks up Saki and nails a Michinoku Driver II for the three count! Donna del Mondo win and retain the championship.

Normally I like title matches to be a little longer than this, but considering the participants and the fact this was a pre-show match, I don’t mind it as much here. This was pretty well-worked, nothing mind blowing but a good match within their limitations. Maika and Himeka are a bundle of fun, I could watch them all day as they bring something fresh and interesting to Stardom’s matches. Saki really brought her A game today which helped elevate the match, and Natsuko didn’t do much which is for the best. Oedo Tai wrestled the match oddly straight besides from the pre-bell jumping, with no cheating which surprised me. A solid match to keep the show rolling along, even if it was nothing special.

Stardom All-Star Rumble

Starlight Kid and Mei Hoshizuki are the first two in the match. They start pretty traditionally as they trade holds, armdrag by Starlight Kid, Mei catches her crossbody attempt but Starlight Kid spins it around into a cradle for two. Dropkick by Mei as Gokigen Death comes down, but she just poses while the other two keep fighting. They get tired of this and jump her, but Starlight Kid and Death end up double teaming Mei. Momoe Nakanishi is the next wrestler to enter the match, she goes up top but Death and Starlight Kid shake the ropes to knock her off. Irish whip to Momoe but she runs over all three opponents and poses on the mat with Death. The veterans stay in control and pose on Starlight Kid and Mei, as Koguma enters the match! First time we have seen Koguma wrestling in almost six years. Koguma hits a falling body press on Death and Starlight Kid before they all get into a fast exchange. Meanwhile the next wrestler is already on their way to the ring, Unagi Sayaka! Starlight Kid is attacked by everyone in the corner but is able to knock back Unagi, Unagi is stomped on by everyone while Saya Iida enters the match. Saya chops everyone, and while she is doing that Mina Shirakawa comes down as the next wrestler in the match.

By now there are too many people in the ring, a common issue in Battle Royal style matches. The Stardom wrestlers get into an exchange while Yuna Manase enters the match. Yuna and Saya exchange shots, Starlight Kid comes over to help but Yuna lariats both of them. Suddenly all of Gatoh Move appear on the ramp as Emi Sakura is the next wrestler down, Emi immediately goes after Momoe and hits a crossbody in the corner. Everyone watches as Emi and Momoe trade dropkick attempts before they hug, but we take a break as Lady C is wrestler #11 to join the match. Lady C snapmares Emi and puts her in a headscissors, and you know what is coming as this starts a giant headscissors chain with all the wrestlers (except Momoe, who runs over all of them instead of joining them). яндекс As it is broken up, Kyoko Inoue enters the ring but she is immediately attacked by everyone. She fights back but Lady C drops her with a chokeslam, everyone covers Kyoko but she kicks out. Lariat by Kyoko to Lady C, and she covers her for the three count! Lady C is eliminated.

Ruaka is the next wrestler, she shoulderblocks Kyoko to the mat and boots her, but Kyoko fires back with a lariat for the three count! Ruaka is eliminated. Rina Kadokura enters the match while Emi tricks Kyoko and gets everyone to cover her again, this time getting the three count! Kyoko Inoue is eliminated. We get some Random Chaos in the ring a Hiroyo Matsumoto is the next entry, she is in no rush to enter but eventually makes it into the ring. Miho Wakizawa is wrestler #16, while in the ring Hiroyo is beating everyone with a giant tawashi. Or something like one. Momoe is set up in the ropes to get a rubber band snapped in her face, but it accidentally gets sent back into Miho by mistake. Mima Shimoda comes into the match and dumps Yuna Manase over the top rope! Yuna Manase is eliminated. The legend Bea Priestley enters but Emi chops her in the chest and everyone tries to throw her out of the ring. She hangs on as Yuuri Haruka makes her entrance, meanwhile Mima is thrown over the top rope along with Bea in quick succession. Mima Shimoda and Bea Priestley are eliminated!

Yuuri applies an armbar to Death but it gets broken up, the camera pans to the stage and we see Hiromi Mimura is on her way down. Before she gets in the ring, Emi helps dump Yuuri over the top rope to the floor! Yuuri Haruka is eliminated. Hiromi winds up for an attack but is kicked by Miho, but Starlight Kid comes to the rescue. Hiroyo whacks Hiromi with a backpack, Miho puts Hiromi in the Backslide and she gets the three count! Hiromi Mimura is eliminated. Yoko Bito is the 21st entry, while Hiroyo dumps a box full of tawashis in the ring. Miho hits a Frankensteiner on Emi onto all the tawashis, and Emi is covered by multiple wrestlers for the three count. Emi Sakura is eliminated. Miho is slow to recover so everyone covers her as well, picking up another three count! Miho Wakizawa is eliminated. Not done yet, the mob rolls up Hiroyo, keeping her down for the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto is eliminated. That clears the ring a little bit. Yuzuki Aikawa enters as the next wrestler, and she still looks the same as she did when she retired eight years ago. As she slowly walks down, Saya and Starlight Kid work together to throw Rin over the top rope. Rin Kadokura is eliminated. Not wasting time, Chigusa Nagayo quickly follows as she enters the match, Saya Iida greets her and the two trade blows. While they duke it out, the final wrestler enters the match – Kikutaro! 

Back in the ring (which most wrestlers aren’t even in anymore as they stand on the apron) Chigusa drops Saya with a Death Valley Bomb but Saya kicks out of the cover. Chigusa picks up Saya and drops her with a heel kick, but again Saya gets a shoulder up. Saya hulks up and knocks over Chigusa with a double chop, but her cover gets two as Chigusa puts Saya in an armlock. No one helps her and Saya submits! Saya Iida is eliminated. Yuzuki comes in the ring finally and challenges Chigusa, kicks by Yuzuki but Chigusa blocks the heel drop and punches her in the stomach. Yuzuki throws Chigusa into the corner and hits a body avalanche, as everyone else joins in attacking Chigusa in the corner. Yuzuki and Yoko both kick Chigusa, cover by Yuzuki but it gets a two count. She tries again with everyone else helping her, but that gets a two count as well. Chigusa gets back up but is schoolboyed from behind, and finally she is held down for the three count! Chigusa Nagayo is eliminated.

Kikutaro still hasn’t entered the ring but finally does so, he’s in full creeper mode as everyone runs away from him. He grabs Unagi but Mina attacks him, Kikutaro covers both of them but Starlight Kid breaks it up. Starlight Kid attacks at Kikutaro, he gets away but Chigusa jaws at him from the apron. Chigusa takes one for the team as Kikutaro grabs her… intimately, she gets back in the ring and hits him with an elbow. Everyone else joins in stomping down Kikutaro, Momo☆Latch by Momoe and she holds down Kikutaro for the three count! Kikutaro is eliminated. Moonsault by Momoe to Death, and she holds her down for the three count as well! Gokigen Death is eliminated. Starlight Kid and Momoe go after each other, Momoe jumps up to the top turnbuckle but Starlight Kid pushes her off before she can hit a move. She keeps hitting Momoe as she dangles on the top rope, dropkick by Starlight Kid and Momoe crashes to the floor. Momoe Nakanishi is eliminated. Snapmare by Yoko to Koguma, she picks her up but Koguma snaps off a DDT. Starlight Kid grabs Koguma and holds her for Yoko, but Koguma ducks and Yoko kicks Starlight Kid by accident. Yoko charges Kid but Kid holds down the top rope, sending Yoko to the apron. Koguma runs over and kicks Yoko, sending her to the floor! Yoko Bito is eliminated. 

We are down to five wrestlers! Cutter by Koguma on Starlight Kid and she nails a German Suplex Hold for the three count! Starlight Kid is eliminated. Koguma and Unagi trade flash pins, but Unagi gets help from Mina and Yuzuki as they hold down Koguma for the three count! Koguma is eliminated. We are down to three – Mina Shirakawa, Yuzuki Aikawa, and Unagi Sayaka. Yuzuki fights off both Cosmic Angels before getting into an elbow exchange with Mina, slap by Mina but Yuzuki slaps her back. Mina elbows Yuzuki against the ropes and charges her, but Yuzuki avoids the dropkick and hits a heel drop. Yuzuki goes for a tiger suplex but Unagi saves Mina, Mina then returns the favor but Yuzuki nails Mina with a heel kick and delivers the Tiger Suplex Hold for the three count! Mina Shirakawa is eliminated. Yuzuki charges Unagi but Unagi dumps her onto the apron, she goes for a kick but Yuzuki gets her out onto the apron with her. Kicks by Yuzuki as they both stand on the apron but Unagi catches one, heel drop to the back by Unagi and she hits another one to send Yuzuki to the floor. Yuzuki Aikawa is eliminated.  Unagi Sayaka is the last wrestler standing and is the winner!

Its always hard to ‘rate’ Battle Royals, and ones that take place in Japan tend to be even more difficult due to the more lighthearted atmosphere. There was a lot of wrestlers standing out of the way while the planned spots were going on, with some wrestlers such as Koguma disappearing for long periods of time. Some of the exchanges were really enjoyable though, such as Chigusa Nagayo/Saya Iida and the final threesome, and it was really nice of Chigusa Nagayo to “take one for the team” with Kikutaro as I can only imagine the Internet’s reaction if he had done that to Starlight Kid. It was great seeing Yuzuki again in particular, and none of the returning wrestlers looked too out of place. Its a long match with stretches of nothing, but still enough fun moments that long time Joshi fans will likely find something to enjoy.

Nanae Takahashi vs. Momo Watanabe

Momo and Nanae face off and trade slaps, Nanae pushes Momo into the corner and hits a series of elbows. Momo avoids one and kicks Nanae in the head, she hits her own elbows but Nanae gets her back and hits a German suplex. Nanae elbows Momo while she is against the ropes, snapmare by Nanae and she kicks Momo in the back. Momo returns the favor but Nanae catches the PK attempt and hits a dragon screw. Lariat by Nanae but Momo fires back with a dropkick, she dropkicks Nanae down in the corner and delivers a hard dropkick to the chest. More dropkicks by Momo and she kicks Nanae repeatedly in the chest. Nanae eventually catches one but Momo slaps her, headbutts by Nanae and she kicks Momo onto the apron. Nanae picks up Momo and hits a short range lariat, elbows by Nanae and she slams Momo to the mat for a two count cover. Nanae goes off the ropes but Momo nails a head kick, elbows by Momo and she kicks Nanae in the head. Momo goes off the ropes and hits the Somato, but Nanae kicks out of the cover.

Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers the diving Somato, but again Nanae kicks out. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing but Nanae gets to the ropes for the break, Momo picks up Nanae and hits the B Driver, but Nanae rolls through it and hits one of her own for a two count. Both wrestlers slowly get up, jumping kick by Nanae and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but Momo avoids the Refrigerator Bomb and hits a knee to the back of the head. Momo goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving Somato, but it gets two. Momo goes back up again but Nanae joins her and hits a superplex. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle and this time nails the Refrigerator Bomb, but the cover only gets a two. Nanae picks up Momo but Momo slides away and delivers a Tequila Sunrise for two. Momo drags up Nanae but Nanae gets away and hits an elbow. Head kick by Momo, she goes off the ropes but Nanae catches her with a lariat. Nanae picks up Momo and drops her with the Nana☆Racka but Momo barely kicks out. Nanae picks Momo back up and nails the One Second EX, and she picks up the three count! Nanae Takahashi is the winner.

While this match was “good,” something felt like it was missing. Maybe due to the length or placement on the card, it didn’t have that pop I was expecting and never really felt like it elevated itself. If not for the history between Nanae and Stardom, it would have felt like a pretty standard veteran vs. young star match. Which probably isn’t fair, there was nothing “wrong” with the match at all, it just didn’t feel special either. Even with their limited time they seemed to run of out ideas, with lots of Somatos and elbows, and it makes you wonder if they just aren’t too familar with each other and decided to keep it simple. Hard hitting for sure, and Momo held her own, it just felt more like an introduction than an all out war. A decent enough match, but ultimately nothing that will leave a lasting impression once the show ends.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Konami
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

They circle each other to start before grappling for position on the mat, Syuri goes for the armbreaker but Konami easily blocks it and goes for one of her own. Syuri gets to the ropes to break the hold, sliding kick by Konami and Syuri falls out to the floor. Natsuko comes over but Konami pushes her away and slides Syuri back in, stomps by Konami and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Konami quickly transitions to the Fujiwara Armbar, Syuri rolls out of it but Konami keeps a hold on the arm. Syuri rolls out again and gets a hold of Konami’s ankle, but Konami reverses it and applies her own ankle hold. Konami gets Syuri’s back in a crucifix before driving her to the mat, she gets a stretch hold locked in but Syuri gets to the ropes. Strike combination by Konami and she delivers a head kick, but Syuri fires back with a release German. Konami hits a suplex of her own and applies a sleeper, Syuri gets up but Konami plants her with a Sleeper Suplex for two. Konami goes for a Buzzsaw Kick but Syuri catches her leg and hits a double knee gutbuster.

Konami quickly connects with a head kick but is too hurt to capitalize, they slowly get to their knees and trade elbows. They trade kicks as they return to their feet, running knee by Syuri and she covers Konami for two. Syuri applies a guillotine before putting Konami’s feet on the top rope and dropping her with a DDT for a two count. Syuri picks up Konami but Konami slides away and applies a cross armbreaker. Syuri quickly gets out of it and applies a Stretch Muffler, but Konami gets to the ropes for the break. Syuri gets Konami on her shoulders and hits a modified Emerald Frosion, but Konami kicks out of the cover and quickly applies a modified armbar. Syuri muscles out of it and gets the Stretch Muffler re-applied, but modifies it to also tie up Konami’s arm (Stardom called this move the “White Tiger”). Konami struggles for a moment but is forced to submit! Syuri wins the match and retains the championship.

Konami shook Syuri’s hand after the match and gave her a hug, showing a level of post-match respect that is rare for a member of Oedo Tai. This definitely had a different feel than most matches in Stardom, as it was a very ground-based and submission focused match. It really did feel like a match these two would have had against each other in 2016, obviously Konami is more polished now than she was back then but the structure reminded me of the older days of Konami. As far as mat-based matches go, this was pretty fun to watch and very fluid, and you could tell they are very comfortable with each other as nothing looked forced. I wouldn’t have minded a little more excitement in the closing stretch as it ended with little warning, but still an enjoyable match that probably meant more to the wrestlers than it meant to anyone else.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani vs. Yoshiko

They tie-up to start, Yoshiko pushes Mayu into the ropes and gives a clean break. Kick by Mayu but Yoshiko blocks the armdrag, hitting one of her own. Hard shoulderblock by Yoshiko, she picks up Mayu and throws her down by the hair. Bootscrapes by Yoshiko in the corner and she delivers a running boot, cover by Yoshiko but it gets two. Yoshiko quickly applies a headlock but Mayu gets into the ropes, Yoshiko picks up Mayu and kicks her in the back. Yoshiko keeps stomping on Mayu’s back before picking her up and applying a stretch hold. Mayu gets into the ropes for the break, Irish whip by Yoshiko but Mayu reverses it and hits a headscissors. Mayu goes off the ropes and drills Yoshiko with a dropkick, sending the SEAdLINNNG wrestler out of the ring. Mayu gets a running start and sails out onto Yoshiko (mostly missing) with a plancha suicida, she slowly recovers and slides Yoshiko back in the ring. Mayu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Mayu but it gets a two count. Mayu picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko blocks the suplex attempt, low kick by Mayu but Yoshiko catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Yoshiko but Mayu crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break. Yoshiko quickly gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton onto Mayu’s back, she goes back up to the second turnbuckle and connects with a regular diving senton for a two count cover.

Yoshiko picks up Mayu but Mayu gets her to the mat with a reverse hurricanrana. Dodonpa by Mayu, but it gets a two count. Mayu picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko gets to the ropes to block the dragon suplex, Mayu pulls her off the ropes but Yoshiko elbows her off. Mayu ducks a lariat and drops Yoshiko with a release German, Yoshiko gets back up but Mayu delivers the dragon suplex hold for a two count. Mayu goes up top and goes for a moonsault, but Yoshiko gets her feet up to block the move. Both wrestlers are slow to recover, they trade strikes when they return to their feet until Yoshiko knocks Mayu back to the mat. Mayu gets back up but eats another hard elbow for her trouble, Mayu returns to her feet and temporarily knocks Yoshiko to her knees before eating two hard lariats. Yoshiko picks up Mayu and slams her to the mat from a fireman’s carry, but Mayu kicks out of the cover. Yoshiko positions Mayu and goes to the top turnbuckle, she nails the diving senton but Mayu barely kicks out of the cover. Yoshiko drags up Mayu but Mayu gets her back and applies a schoolboy for two. Superkick by Mayu and she kicks Yoshiko in the head, another superkick by Mayu and she covers Yoshiko for two. Mayu picks up Yoshiko and delivers the Two Stage Dragon Suplex Hold, but Yoshiko barely gets a shoulder up. Mayu quickly goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault, cover by Mayu and she gets the three count! Mayu Iwatani is the winner.

There was a lot to enjoy here, a really entertaining match. Its kinda amazing these two still have such great chemistry after all these years, and everything they did here clicked. Yoshiko’s work on Mayu’s back was top notch, probably good enough it could have used a little more long term selling by Mayu but Mayu constantly looks in pain so it still worked out. I really loved the ending, with Mayu not wasting a second before going to the moonsault. No slow dramatic climb up the turnbuckles and pointing to the crowd, just quickly taking advantage of a hurt Yoshiko who is not the easiest wrestler to pin. The time just flew by and I wouldn’t have minded if it was a few more minutes, but they told their story and told it well. I don’t know where Stardom and SEAdLINNNG’s relationship is going from here, but this was a great hard hitting match that delivered on the expectations.  Highly Recommended

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Saya Kamitani
World of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Utami pushes Saya into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Saya quickly kicks her and they lock-up before trading holds, they go through an exchange off the ropes ending with Utami dropkicking Saya in the chest. Utami picks up Saya and hits a scoop slam, another slam by Utami and she covers Saya for two. Utami puts Saya in the ropes and delivers a sliding kick to the back, double kneedrop to the back by Utami and she covers Saya for two. Utami applies a Camel Clutch but Saya inches to the ropes for the break. Utami stomps at Saya and boots her in the corner, Utami picks her up and hits a scoop slam for a two count. Saya fights back but Utami avoids her dropkick and kicks Saya in the back. Saya fires back with a dropkick of her own, hurricanrana by Saya and Utami falls out of the ring. Saya goes off the ropes and dives out onto Utami with a tope con hilo, she picks up Utami and tosses her back into the ring. Saya goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Saya but it gets a two count. Saya picks up Utami but Utami elbows her and the two trade shots. Utami wins the battle, she picks up Saya and goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Saya and she covers Utami for a two count. Saya picks up Utami but Utami slides away and delivers a sliding kick.

Utami picks up Saya but Saya snaps off a Canadian Destroyer, scoop slam by Saya and she goes up top but Utami hits her from behind and knocks her onto the apron. Saya comes back into the ring with a swandive hurricanrana, she picks up Utami and hits a Northern Lights Suplex Hold for two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami slides away and hits a release German. Utami gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya spins off and delivers a heel kick. Saya picks up Utami and drops her with a fisherman sitout slam, cover by Saya but it gets a two count. Saya picks up Utami and slams her in front of the corner, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Utami avoids the Phoenix Splash. Utami applies a sleeper but Saya drives her back into the corner to break it up, Saya charges Utami but Utami gets her on her shoulders and nails the Air Raid Crash. Utami gets the sleeper on but Saya gets a toe on the ropes for the break. Utami picks up Saya and gets her onto her shoulders, she spins Saya around and slams her to the mat for a two count. Utami picks up Saya and gets her up in a crucifix, but Saya hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Utami recovers first and picks up Saya, rocking her with a hard lariat. Another lariat by Utami, she picks up Saya and nails the Hijack Bomb (Spinning BT Bomb) for the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

While the last match was great, this one was even better. Even though Saya wasn’t an A+ challenger, she still brought everything she had and she has never looked better than she did here. Everything she hit was smooth as butter and her selling was top-notch, as she made everything Utami did look like death. She did so well in the match, I actually was buying into the nearfalls which is the biggest compliment I can give to a match that on paper had a clear winner. The dynamic between Utami’s power and Saya’s finesse created constantly entertaining back and forths, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire match as there was no telling what they were going to do. The ending was definitive as Utami threw Saya right through the ring, a fitting ending to an evenly contested match. These two are the future of Stardom if they stick with wrestling, easily the best match of Saya Kamitani’s career and a great showing from Utami as well.  Highly Recommended

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

After circling each other they start tracking strikes, waistlock by Giulia and they trade holds. Tam gets Giulia to the mat but Giulia applies a headscissors, Tam slaps Giulia before returning to her feet. Tam goes for a cutter but Giulia applies a sleeper, snapmare by Tam and she kicks Giulia in the back. Giulia goes for a dropkick but Tam moves and applies a sleeper, Giulia tries to get out of it with a backdrop suplex but Tam lands on top of her. They trade elbows until Tam knocks Giulia to the mat, Giulia rolls out of the ring to recover while Tam waits for her in the ring. Giulia returns after a moment and picks up Tam, but Tam wiggles away. Release German by Giulia with Tam ending up on the apron, Giulia goes out to the apron as well and kicks Tam in the head. Giulia goes for a suplex but Tam blocks it, big boot by Giulia and she hits a cutter onto the apron. Tam falls out of the ring with Giulia going out after her, Giulia twists Tam in the guardrail and chokes her. Giulia stops choking her long enough to throw Tam into the railing, big boot by Giulia and she throws Tam into the rail again. Giulia gets a table and sets it up at ringside, she grabs Tam and pulls her up onto the table with her. Giulia gets Tam up and drops her onto the table with a piledriver, she returns to the ring while Tam slowly follows behind her. Giulia plants a sliding kick on Tam, cover by Giulia but it gets a two count.

Giulia gets on the top turnbuckle but Tam slowly gets up and joins her, Giulia grabs her head however and applies a guillotine choke while still on the turnbuckles. She lets go after a moment and Tam flops back to the mat, she goes for a missile dropkick but Tam avoids it. Tam goes for a knee but Giulia catches it, she gets Tam up in a Glorious position but Tam reverses it with Reverse DDT. Giulia recovers first and mounts Tam, slapping her in the face. Hard elbow by Giulia and she goes off the ropes, but Tam catches her with a heel kick. Giulia falls out of the ring, Tam goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her with a plancha. Tam slides Giulia back in, Tiger Suplex Hold by Tam but Giulia gets a shoulder up. Tam picks up Giulia but Giulia blocks her suplex attempt, getting to the ropes. Tam pulls her away and hits Giulia’s Glorious Driver, but it gets a two count. Tam drags up Giulia and kicks her repeatedly in the head, but Giulia ducks a kick and drops her with a backdrop suplex. Giulia picks up Tam but Tam pushes her away, headbutt by Giulia and she delivers a Glorious Driver for a two count cover. They both slowly get up and trade slaps, Tam connects with a series of slaps before knocking Giulia to the mat. Giulia gets back up and returns the favor, heel kick by Tam and she hits a second one. Giulia comes at Tam but Tam picks her up and drills Giulia with a Sitout Tam Screwdriver for a two count. Tam drags Giulia back up and nails the Twilight Dream, and she keeps Giulia down for the three count! Tam Nakano wins and is the new Wonder of Stardom Champion!

There is a lot to digest here. First, the emotion was certainly there and it just had a more urgent feeling than the last few matches. They weren’t really focused on trading bombs but having a real struggle, full of one-upmanship and emotion that was tangible. They still had a couple big moves but honestly they weren’t needed, the table spot was neat but added little to the match as that wasn’t what the match was about. Its harder to rate matches that are more about story and heart than smooth wrestling and big moments, but when considering all things this was a very captivating and memorable match. They didn’t fall into the ‘trading 2.999 nearfalls’ trap that many “epic” matches fall into, so each pinfall felt meaningful. Tam killed Giulia at the end, which was needed as a non-definitive ending just wouldn’t have worked to end this match and feud. A fitting way to end one of the best Joshi events in years, a very entertaining match that will be talked about in Stardom circles for years to come.  Highly Recommended

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Event: Stardom “10th Anniversary”
Date: January 17th, 2021
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 713
Broadcast Information: Aired on Samurai TV! on 1/24/21

As is my custom, I try to review all of Stardom’s big events, which tend to happen about once a month at Korakuen Hall. I don’t really have time to review every Stardom show, as they have quite a few, but their TV tapings usually deliver. This is a big show for Korakuen Hall, with four title matches. None of the title matches are high-end on paper however, so the wrestlers are going to have to work hard to make this a memorable event. Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Saya Iida vs. Unagi Sayaka
• Konami vs. Natsupoi
• High Speed Championship: AZM vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• Starlight Kid vs. Tam Nakano
• Bea Priestley and Saki Kashima vs. Himeka and Syuri vs. Mayu Iwatani and Ruaka vs. Momo Watanabe and Saya Kamitani
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Giulia vs. Natsuko Tora
• World Of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Maika

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

(c) Saya Iida vs. Unagi Sayaka
Future of Stardom Championship

The match is Joined in Progress, as Saya hits a jumping double chop on Unagi. Saya goes off the ropes and hits a running elbow, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya and Unagi trade elbows on their knees, they keep exchanging elbows until Unagi drops Saya with a scoop slam. Unagi goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Saya kicks out of the pin attempt. Unagi picks up Saya and gets her up on her back, but Saya spins off and hits a dropkick. Unagi goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a modified Spinebuster, Northern Lights Suplex Hold by Saya but it only gets two. Saya chops Unagi into the corner and hits a dropkick, modified Diamond Dust by Unagi and she covers Unagi for the three count! Saya Iida wins and retains the championship.

Even with this being heavily clipped, it still wasn’t the most smooth match. Both are wrestlers that benefit a lot from having the right opponent, or at least one they have chemistry with, and some interactions just didn’t click here. Too cut up to really evaluate, but not the ideal start to the show.

Konami vs. Natsupoi

The match is Joined in Progress, as Natsupoi goes for a dropkick but Konami moves and kicks her in the side. Stomps by Konami while Natsupoi is against the ropes, she grabs Natsupoi’s arm and knees her in the elbow. Snapmare by Konami but Natsupoi lands on her feet, kick by Natsupoi and she delivers a neckbreaker. Dropkick to the knee by Natsupoi and she follows with a dropkick to the chest, Konami ends up against the ropes but Natsupoi dropkicks her again. Natsupoi goes up top and hits the diving crossbody, but Konami rolls through it and goes for the cross armbreaker. Natsupoi gets a toe on the ropes to force the break, fisherman suplex by Konami and she covers Natsupoi for two. She quickly goes back to Natsupoi’s arm but Natsupoi gets out of it, kicks by Natsupoi and she delivers the Backlash for a two count cover. Natsupoi charges Konami in the corner but Konami kicks her back and applies a hanging armbar over the top rope. She lets go and climbs to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick for two. German suplex by Konami and she nails the Buzzsaw Kick, but Natsupoi barely gets a shoulder up. Triangle Lancer attempt by Konami but Natsupoi reverses it into a cradle for two. Rolling La Magistral by Natsupoi but Konami kicks out and applies a seated armbar. Natsupoi inches to the ropes for the break but Konami is slow to break the hold, pushing down the referee. She gets a chair and wraps Natsupoi up in it, while maintaining the armbar. The referee has seen enough and calls for the bell. Natsupoi wins by DQ!

I don’t mind matches ending in DQ to help establish a character, my main issue here is just that Konami doesn’t need to take Ls against wrestlers at Natsupoi’s level. Konami was doing well in the match anyway, so it felt like a forced way to show that Konami is “evil” now to use the chair to lose the match. Even worse, she didn’t do a long post-match beatdown which would have made more sense, instead just leaving the ring and strolling to the back like nothing happened. The action was fine as both are quality wrestlers and I was enjoying what they were doing, the DQ ending just didn’t feel necessary in this case.

(c) AZM vs. Kaori Yoneyama
High Speed Championship

AZM charges Yoneyama as they go into a fast exchange, armdrag by Yoneyama and they trade trips for quick one counts. Kick by AZM and she runs to the ropes, but Yoneyama pushes her out of the ring and hits a jumping knee off the apron. Yoneyama slides AZM back in and goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick to the back. Knee to the back of the head by Yoneyama, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving senton for two. Yoneyama goes all the way up but AZM recovers and joins her, Yoneyama pushes AZM back but AZM kicks her in the head and re-joins her. AZM snaps Yoneyama’s arm on the top rope and brings Yoneyama back into the ring with a head-spiking headscissors. AZM goes up top and delivers a diving footstomp, she puts Yoneyama in a Fujiwara Armbar but lets go so she can kick Yoneyama in the head. AZM picks up Yoneyama and drives her into the mat from the second turnbuckle, double armbar by AZM but Yoneyama gets a foot on the ropes. AZM goes up top again but Yoneyama joins her, suplexing AZM to the mat. Yoneyama is up first and grabs AZM, knee to the head by Yoneyama but AZM fires back with a kick. They trade flash pins with neither getting the three count, Chaos Theory attempt by Yoneyama but AZM rolls through and kicks Yoneyama in the head. La Mistica by AZM, Yoneyama tries to get to the ropes but AZM pulls her back to the middle of the ring and applies a Grounded Octopus Hold. Yoneyama struggles for a moment but has no choice but to submit! AZM is the winner and retains the championship.

Even though this was short, they packed a lot into it and overall it was a fun match. Since I don’t watch YMZ, I don’t get to see Yoneyama wrestling as “herself” very often so that was a nice change of pace. She isn’t a high end wrestler but is more than capable of being more than just a clown. AZM looked good in victory as she took some of Yoneyama’s offense before winning clean with a submission in the middle of the ring. It won’t by itself vault AZM up the card but its a step in the right direction as she claims another quality win.  Mildly Recommended

Starlight Kid vs. Tam Nakano

They lock knuckles to start and trade holds, snapmare by Tam but Starlight Kid ducks the kick to the back. Springboard armdrag by Starlight Kid but Tam avoids her dropkick, hitting a running knee of her own. Tam picks up Starlight Kid, snapmare by Tam and she kicks Starlight Kid in the back. Scoop slams by Tam, Starlight Kid tries to fight back but Tam kicks her back to the mat. Irish whip by Tam but Starlight Kid hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Tam drops her onto the apron. Starlight Kid grabs Tam and DDTs her onto the apron, Starlight Kid gets back in the ring and goes to the top turnbuckle, diving down onto Tam. Back in the ring, Starlight Kid goes for a Tiger Suplex but Tam gets out of it. Tam goes for a backdrop suplex but Starlight Kid lands on her feet, slap by Starlight Kid but Tam elbows her back. They trade shots until Tam elbows Starlight Kid to the mat, Tam picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid blocks the Tiger Suplex and cradles her for two. Armdrag by Starlight Kid, she goes off the ropes and ducks Tam’s kick attempt before nailing the Tornado Star Suplex Hold for a close two count. Starlight Kid picks up Tam and goes for another suplex but Tam spins away and delivers a heel kick. Tam grabs Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid again blocks the Tiger Suplex Hold into a cradle as the two trade flash pins. Knee to the back of the head by Tam and she delivers a sliding kick to the front. Tam quickly picks up Starlight Kid and drops her with a Tiger Suplex Hold for the three count! Tam Nakano is the winner.

This was good because both wrestlers are really good, but the strong focus on the Tiger Suplex Hold took me out of it a bit. I know that was the story going in, as Starlight Kid had pinned Tam a month prior with the move which normally is used by Tam, but they went a little overboard with it. Starlight Kid didn’t do hardly any of her regular signature moves as she was too focused on telling the Tiger Suplex story, and while Tam was more diverse she also went for the hold several times before succeeding. They clearly had a story idea going in, which was fine but they didn’t have enough around it to make a complete match. Also, while I appreciate new moves more than anyone else, the Tornado Star Suplex is a little convoluted. All that being said, the action was smooth and Tam is an underrated talent, but I do think they could put on a better match if they let the action flow more naturally. Mildly Recommended

Bea Priestley and Saki Kashima vs. Himeka and Syuri vs. Mayu Iwatani and Ruaka vs. Momo Watanabe and Saya Kamitani

Bea, Saya, Ruaka, and Himeka start the match but Bea soon leaves the ring, allowing everyone else to fight instead. Himeka is double teamed at first but shoulderblocks both opponents, Saya dropkicks Ruaka but Ruaka hits a jumping crossbody on both of them. Saki trips Ruaka from the floor while Bea runs in to clean house, as the action ends up on the floor with the wrestlers brawling around the ring. Except Mayu, who is just watching. Mayu eventually does get in the ring and dives out (under the top rope) with a tope suicida onto a bunch of wrestlers, but is immediately stomped down by Oedo Tai for her trouble. Back in the ring, Bea elbows Ruaka but Momo kicks her from the apron and joins the match. Boots by Bea but Momo dropkicks her, Syuri runs in and snapmares Momo before kicking her in the back. Momo ducks the front kick and cradles Syuri for two, Saki comes in and covers both of them but she only gets a two count. Mayu attacks Syuri from behind, she grabs Syuri and Momo by the hand and jumps up to the top rope to hit a double armdrag, but Saki runs in and pushes Mayu from the top rope to the floor. This eliminates Mayu via Over The Top, so STARS is out of the match.

Back in the ring, Syuri and Momo take turns kicking Saki before turning to each other and doing more kicking. Double arm suplex by Syuri to Momo and she covers her for two. Syuri picks up Momo but both Bea and Saki run in, and both connect with flying headscissors. Momo is booted out of the ring, but Himeka comes in and lariats both Saki and Bea. She kicks Bea out of the ring while Saki stays in with Syuri, face crusher by Saki but Syuri catches her with a double knee gutbuster for two. Syuri puts Saki in the Seiryu, and she has no choice but to submit! Oedo Tai is eliminated.

Syuri and Momo trade elbows until Syuri hits a release German, PK by Syuri and she covers Momo for two. Syuri kicks at Momo but Momo nails a head kick, Buzzsaw Kick by Momo and she hits a second one for a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing but Syuri elbows out of it and they trade blows again. Momo elbows Syuri to the mat but Syuri catches her kick and kicks Momo in the head. Syuri charges Momo but Momo catches her with a suplex and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Saya and Himeka run in as the legal wrestlers, dropkick by Saya and she puts Himeka in a crab hold. Himeka gets into the ropes for the break, Saya goes off the ropes and dropkicks Himeka in the back. Saya goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick, covering Himeka for a two count. Saya picks up Himeka but Syuri runs in and knees Saya, Himeka and Syuri go off the ropes and both hit knees on Saya. Himeka goes up top and Syuri helps her hit a Swanton Bomb, but Syuri breaks up the cover. Himeka picks up Saya and hits a hard lariat, Himeka puts Saya in the Argentine Backbreaker before slamming her to the mat. Saya reverses the cover into one of her own, but Syuri breaks it up again. Syuri goes for a kick but connects with Himeka’s head by mistake, Momo kicks Himeka and Saya delivers a springboard crossbody for two. Saya drags Himeka up and drops her with the Star Crusher, picking up the three count! Queen’s Quest win the match!

The main issue here is just that there was too much going on and until the final pairing, no one was really able to get into a rhythm. The bit with Mayu at the beginning was also odd and gave the match almost a playful/not serious feel which shouldn’t have been what they were going for (although you can’t stop Mayu from being Mayu). A few of the pairings were really good, particularly any time Momo and Syuri were in the ring together and the Saya/Himeka parts, the match just would have worked better as a straight tag match. Overall an easy watch, just ultimately forgettable.

(c) Giulia vs. Natsuko Tora
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They get into a Sumo position to start and Natsuko pushes Giulia into the ropes, Irish whip by Natsuko but Giulia reverses it. Giulia goes for an armdrag but Natsuko blocks it, Giulia hits the armdrag on the next attempt and delivers a dropkick. Giulia goes off the ropes but Natsuko hits a hard shoulderblock, she throws Giulia down against the ropes and gives her some bootscrapes. Running boot by Natsuko and she hits a second one, which sends Giulia out of the ring. Natsuko goes out after her and throws Giulia into a chair tower that had been set up at ringside (presumably by Oedo Tai), Oedo Tai go over to attack her but Donna del Mondo fight hem off. Natsuko returns to the ring and takes off a turnbuckle pad so she can hit Giulia with it, she tries to throw Giulia into the exposed corner but Giulia blocks it. Giulia gets a chair but Natsuko catches it when she tries to use it and takes it from her, Irish whip by Natsuko but Giulia avoids the chair swing and dropkicks Natsuko. Syuri and Natsupoi slide some small boards of some sort in the ring while Giulia sets up a chair and puts Natsuko on it. She then stacks of some the boards on Natsuko’s back and punches down on it, breaking the boards. Dropkick by Giulia, she picks up Natsuko but Natsuko blocks her kick and they do an awkward strike exchange ending with a Giulia backdrop suplex.

Natsuko fires back with a spear, they both slowly get up and Natsuko avoids Giulia’s charge in the corner. Running elbow by Natsuko and she hits a cannonball in the corner, Samoan Drop by Natsuko and she covers Giulia for two. Natsuko picks up Giulia and hits a lariat, swinging side slam by Natsuko and she covers Giulia for two. Konami and Saki come in the ring with a table, Natsuko picks up Giulia and puts her on the table which is set up near the corner. Natsuko goes up top but Syuri and Natsupoi grab her from the apron before she can jump, giving Giulia time to recover and toss Natsuko off the top turnbuckle. Natsuko is given her chain and she hits Giulia in the chest with it, she wraps the chain over Giulia’s neck and tries to hang her over the top rope. Natsuko goes for a spear but Giulia moves and hits Natsuko in the head with a chair. Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she gets more of the boards and stack them in the middle of the ring. Giulia picks up Natsuko and slams her onto the boards, cover by Giulia but it gets a two count. Giulia picks up Natsuko but Natsuko blocks the Glorious Driver, Giulia hits a backdrop suplex instead though followed by a sliding kick. Giulia puts Natsuko on the top turnbuckle and joins her, hitting a superplex.

Saki breaks up the cover however, Giulia grabs Saki and kicks her out of the ring. Giulia charges Natsuko but Natsuko moves, sending Giulia into the corner exposed earlier in the match. Bea and Konami run in the ring and both attack Giulia, they get the table re-set up in the corner and put Giulia on it. Natsuko goes up top and hits a diving body press through the table, she picks up Giulia but Giulia slides away from the Samoan Drop and hits a DDT. Giulia picks up Natsuko but Natsuko throws blue dust in her face, scoop slam by Natsuko and she delivers a guillotine leg drop for a two count. Natsuko picks up Giulia and hits a Death Valley Bomb, but Syuri pulls out the referee when he goes to make the count. This leads to Oedo Tai and DDM brawling at ringside while Giulia quickly cradles Natsuko for a two count. Natsuko gets her chain but Giulia kicks her arm away and delivers a headbutt. Giulia picks up the chain and warps it around Natsuko’s neck, swinging her around the ring with it. Giulia tosses Natsuko over the top rope so she can hang her by the chain, she pulls her back in after a moment and nails the Glorious Driver for the three count! Giulia wins and retains the championship.

While there were problems with this match, them making it a No DQ match was definitely the way to go. Their exchanges that didn’t involve weapons were just awkward and poorly done, as Natsuko just isn’t ready for a more traditional style of wrestling and may never be. But when they focused on weapons and chaos, it was a pretty entertaining match as they had a variety of violent ideas. I liked DDM helping just as much as Oedo Tai was so it wasn’t just the “heel” group getting involved, and the constant action helped the time go by. I can’t ignore the poor strike exchanges and iffy transitions, but if you just focus on the weapons-related portions of the match this was a fun and memorable defense for Giulia.  Recommended

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Maika
World of Stardom Championship

They trade holds to start, Utami gets Maika to the mat but Maika quickly gets away from her and they return to their feet. They trade strikes until Maika takes Utami down and puts her in a Fujiwara Armbar. Utami gets to the ropes for the break but Maika keeps on her arm, takeover by Maika and she applies an armlock. Boot to the face by Maika but Utami avoids her charge in the corner and drops her with a Schwein. They both are slow to recover, Utami is up first but Maika back bodydrops out of a powerbomb attempt. Maika whacks Utami in the back of the head, she picks her up and hits a STO for a two count. Maika goes for the cross armbreaker but Utami blocks it so she switches to a Triangle Choke instead. Utami slams out of the hold, both wrestlers slowly get up but Utami avoids Maika’s charge and hits an elbow. Utami goes up top but Maika recovers and joins her, hitting a superplex.

Maika picks up Utami but Utami gets away and delivers a big release German suplex. Maika fires back with a release backdrop suplex, dropkick by Maika and she slams Utami to the mat for a two count cover. Maika picks up Utami and goes off the ropes, but Utami rocks her with a lariat. Another lariat by Utami and she covers Maika for two. Utami picks up Maika but Maika gets away from the BT Bomb and applies a sleeper hold. Utami almost goes out but uses the ropes to slam backwards to break the hold, lariat by Maika but Utami delivers a lariat of her own. Both wrestlers get to their knees and trade strikes, a battle that Utami wins with a hard slap. Utami gets Maika up in the Argentine Backbreaker before spinning her around and slamming Maika to the mat. Utami drags up Maika and drills her with the BT Bomb, cover by Utami and she gets the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

These are two of my favorite wrestlers in Stardom, just to make by biases clear. Samurai TV clipped almost half of this match which is suspicious, but everything they showed was fantastic. Maika has improved so much, she deserves this little push she is getting as unlike Natsuko Tora she looks like she belongs. She stood toe to toe with Utami and traded shots, with none of it looking awkward or out of place. Utami nailed all her big moves with ease, and came out of the match looking like a boss and bonafide Ace. I have to take into consideration how much of the match was missing, maybe they clipped out the bad parts, but as shown it was a very enjoyable match with no real flaws.  Recommended

The post Stardom “10th Anniversary” on 1/17/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “10TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR DREAM FESTIVAL ~ PROLOGUE ~ OSAKA DREAM CINDERELLA”
Date: December 20th, 2020
Location: EDION Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,027

Before closing the door on 2020 for good (which I am very happy to do), I first wanted to review one of Stardom’s last big events of the year.  There is a lot going on here, with FIVE championship matches as they go out with a bang. A total of six titles are on the line, as Syuri and Giulia have a double title match for their SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship and the Wonder of Stardom Championship, respectively. Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Maika vs. Saya Iida vs. Saya Kamitani
• Konami and Natsuko Tora vs. Riho and Ruaka
• Bea Priestley and Saki Kashima vs. Himeka and Natsupoi
• High Speed Championship: AZM vs. Mei Hoshizuki
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Shirakawa, Nakano, and Unagi Sayaka vs. Gokigen Death, Iwatani, and Starlight Kid
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship/SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Giulia vs. Syuri
• World Of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Momo Watanabe

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

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

They immediately get into it as Maika is attacked by both opponents, she fights them both off and shoulderblocks Iida out of the ring. She goes to Kamitani but Kamitani elbows her and the two trade shots, they go at it for over a minute before Kamitani gets Maika into the corner and stomps her down. Maika fires out of the corner with a hard shoulderblock, she goes off the ropes but Kamitani flips away from her and delivers a dropkick. Iida returns and dropkicks Kamitani, chops by Iida to both opponents and she knocks Maika to the mat. Kamitani grabs Iida but Iida chops her to the mat as well, Iida picks up Maika and they trade shoulderblock attempts. Iida knocks over Maika first but Maika returns to her feet and returns the favor. Maika goes for a suplex but Iida lands on her feet, she applies the Iida Bridge but Kamitani breaks it up. Kamitani knees Iida in the corner and hits a dropkick, over by Kamitani but it gets a two count. Kamitani goes up top and delivers a diving crossbody, but Maika breaks it up.

Irish whip by Maika to Kamitani but Kamitani hits a heel kick, Kamitani picks up Iida and hits a scoop slam. Kamitani goes to the top turnbuckle but Maika elbows her before she can jump off, Maika joins Kamitani and hits a superplex down to the mat. Maika picks up Kamitani and hits a cross-arm STO, but Iida barely breaks up the pin. Iida goes off the ropes and hits a double chop, Iida goes up top but Maika elbows her and goes up as well. Iida blocks the superplex attempt and hits a headbutt, she floats over Maika and nails a powerbomb. Iida grabs Kamitani but Kamitani blocks a suplex and boots Iida in the head. Kamitani picks up Iida but Iida spins away and delivers a Northern Light Suplex, Iida goes up top but she is interrupted by Kamitani. Iida grabs Kamitani anyway and spikes her with a front flip DDT, but Kamitani barely gets a shoulder up. Iida grabs up Kamitani and hits the brainbuster, getting the three count cover! Saya Iida is the new champion!

Even though Iida isn’t my favorite wrestler in this match, she certainly put in the work here and elevated herself to the occasion. Three way matches are always a bit of a tough sell, in this case Maika just disappearing but at least she took a hard powerbomb first to explain it. Iida finally has graduated by winning just via fluke pins, as the DDT and Brainbuster are both more exciting ways to win matches. I am curious to see where they go with Saya Iida as champion, a pretty entertaining opener to get the show off to a solid start.  Mildly Recommended

Konami and Natsuko Tora vs. Riho and Ruaka

This is joined in progress with Oedo Tai in control, but Riho and Ruaka both connect with running strikes. They single out Konami, face crusher by Riho and Ruaka delivers a running body press for a two count. Ruaka goes off the ropes and she boots Konami in the head, another boot by Ruaka and she delivers the Fisherman Suplex Hold for two. Ruaka elbows Konami and goes off the ropes, but Natsuko hits her from the apron with a chair. Konami quickly puts Ruaka in the Triangle Lancer, and Ruaka submits! Konami and Natsuko Tora are the winners!

Samurai TV! felt the same way about this match as I did, as they butchered the shit out of it. Good for you, Samurai TV. There wasn’t enough here to really comment on but Konami looked good. Love Konami.

Bea Priestley and Saki Kashima vs. Himeka and Natsupoi

We join this match in progress as Himeka picks up Saki, she gets her onto her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker before slamming her to the mat for a two count. Himeka throws Saki into the corner and hits a lariat, Bea runs in to help but Himeka avoids her charge and stacks them both in the corner. Himeka gets both opponents on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, she releases them after a moment and kicks them both out of the ring. Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto them with a diving crossbody, Himeka slides Saki back in but Saki avoids her lariat attempt and cradles her for two. Himeka is up first and hits a hard lariat, running powerbomb by Himeka and she covers Saki for the three count! Himeka and Natsupoi are the winners.

This was obviously clipped to just the last minute so I didn’t get to see much of Bea, but Himeka is such a treat to watch I don’t mind. She is so good with her facial expressions she is captivating to watch, and her power moves were all hit well here. A hot ending, I assume the rest of the match was good as well.

(c) AZM vs. Mei Hoshizuki
High Speed Championship

As one would expect they start off with a fast exchange which ends with a double kip-up stalemate, AZM goes for Mei’s arm and gets the Fujiwara Armbar but Mei quickly gets to the ropes. Irish whip by AZM to the corner and she delivers a dropkick, cover by AZM but it gets a two count. AZM goes back to the arm but Mei gets to the ropes again, they trade elbows back on their feet until AZM boots Mei to the mat. AZM goes off the ropes, Mei goes for a dropkick but AZM avoids it. AZM charges Mei but Mei drops her onto the second rope, she quickly goes to the apron and hits a dropkick before returning to the ring to hit a second one. Mei connects with a series of dropkicks, she covers AZM but it gets a two count. Irish whip attempt but Mei but AZM blocks it, they trade elbows until AZM knocks Mei to the mat. AZM picks up Mei and runs up the corner, but Mei recovers and pushes her down to the floor. Mei goes to the floor but AZM avoids her dropkick, kick by AZM from the apron and she returns to the ring. Mei slowly follows but AZM grabs her as she gets on the apron and hits a hurricanrana to get her back into the ring. Vertical suplex by AZM, she goes up top and nails a diving double footstomp but Mei barely kicks out. AZM picks up Mei and applies La Mistica but Mei gets out of it and the two trade flash pin attempts. Mei applies a series of cradles with no luck, they trade even more flash pins but still neither gets the win. Both wrestlers go off the ropes, AZM rolls Mei to the mat and applies a cradle for the three count! AZM wins and retains the championship.

I started out really liking this match but the ending didn’t do a lot for me. They had pretty good chemistry considering they probably don’t get a lot of chances to practice together, and everything was done very smoothly. But I didn’t really enjoy the last couple minutes of the match just being flash pins – I have nothing against flash pins but after the hard elbows and head-spiking it felt like nothing else mattered up to that point as they just went back and forth on 20+ cradles. A match can be ‘high speed’ without that, as Hazuki showed, and I’d rather they just kept going with the violence. Still an entertaining match, I just wish they had a different plan for how to end it.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Shirakawa, Nakano, and Sayaka vs. Gokigen Death, Iwatani, and Starlight Kid
Artist of Stardom Championship

Mayu and Tam start the match, Mayu gets Tam’s back but Tam spins her off and hits a cutter. Cartwheel kneedrop by Tam, and she covers Mayu for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Starlight Kid grabs her from the apron, Death comes in and all three hit running strikes on Tam in the corner. Snapmare by Mayu and she kicks Tam in the back before tagging in Death, Death puts Tam in a stretch hold but Tam gets into the ropes for the break. Death tags Starlight Kid, scoop slam by Starlight Kid and she covers Tam for two. Knees by Starlight Kid to Tam, Tam goes for a backdrop suplex but Starlight Kid lands on her feet. Tam kicks Starlight Kid in the head, Death and Mayu run in but Tam DDTs both of them. The STARS team rolls out of the ring, Mina and Sayaka come in and help Tam hit a plancha down onto all their opponents. We clip ahead to Sayaka and Death in the ring as the legal wrestlers, Sayaka gets Death on her back but Death gets away and cradles Sayaka for the three count! Unagi Sayaka is eliminated via pinfall.

Tam hits Death from behind, sending Death to her corner as she tags in Starlight Kid. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Starlight Kid to Tam, Mayu comes in and they hit double 619s. Standing Moonsault by Starlight Kid, and she covers Tam for two. Starlight Kid picks up Tam but Tam kicks her away, elbow by Starlight Kid and she delivers a cross-legged suplex hold for two. Tam is positioned in the middle of the ring as the members of STARS take turns hitting top rope moves, with Starlight Kid hitting a diving crossbody off of Mayu’s shoulders for two when the pin is broken up. Starlight Kid drags up Tam but Tam blocks the Tiger Suplex, backdrop suplex by Tam and Mina comes in to help. Double strike to Starlight Kid, Tam goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the Destiny Hammer for two. Tam picks up Starlight Kid and goes for a suplex, but Starlight Kid lands on her feet and nails the Tiger Suplex Hold for the three count! Tam Nakano is eliminated via pinfall.

Mina comes in as the last wrestler on Cosmic Angels, double chop by Mina and she puts Starlight Kid in a stretch hold which is broken up by Mayu. Double vertical suplex to Mina, Mayu sits on the turnbuckle while Starlight Kid goes to get on her shoulders, but Mina recovers and knocks them both off the top turnbuckle. Mina gets a running start and knocks Mayu out of the ring, eliminating her! Mayu Iwatani is eliminated via Over The Top.

Starlight Kid is still on the turnbuckle and dives off with a crossbody onto Mina, getting a two count. Mina plants Starlight Kid with a DDT, she picks up Starlight Kid and elbows her in the head. Irish whip by Mina but Starlight Kid reverses it, Starlight Kid charges Mina but Mina avoids her charge and dumps her onto the apron. Mina kicks at Starlight Kid to try to send her to the floor while Death tries to hold her up, Mina gets a running start and dropkicks Starlight Kid to the floor, eliminating her! Starlight Kid is eliminated via Over The Top.

Now we are down to just Mina and Death. They trade elbows before Mina hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep, dropkick by Mina and she covers Death for two. Mina picks up Death but Death gets away, cradle attempt by Death but Mina reverses it into her own two count. Mina goes off the ropes and hits a Lou Thesz Press, but Death rolls it over into a two count cover. Spinning backfist by Mina, she gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving seated senton for two. Mina picks up Death and nails the GSS, cover by Mina and she gets the three count! Cosmic Angels win and retain the championship.

Elimination Matches are a bit of a tough sell for me as they tend to be overly random, but this one I think accomplished its goal of putting over Cosmic Angels and putting a final nail in their split from STARS. As I mentioned at the top, the tag rules are very loose/non-existent as Mayu wasn’t even the legal wrestler when she was eliminated, and the structure was all over the place to get to the final 3 vs. 1 situation. Mina handled her business to retain the titles but it didn’t feel like a title match, more like an early card ‘special attraction’ type match as the Elimination gimmick didn’t do the quality wrestlers in the match any favors. A fun casual watch but nothing more.

(c) Giulia vs. (c) Syuri
Wonder Of Stardom Championship/SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

Syuri pushes Giulia into the ropes to start, she tackles her instead of giving a clean break but Giulia switches positions with her as they jockey for position. They end up back on their feet, Backstabber by Syuri and she kicks Giulia in the back for a two count cover. Syuri goes off the ropes but Giulia catches her with a slam, she picks up Syuri but Syuri snaps off a German suplex. Giulia returns to her feet and hits a German suplex of her own, but Syuri delivers a running knee and both wrestlers end up down on the mat. They trade elbows as they get back up, Giulia wins the elbow battle as she knocks Syuri back down and stomps on her back. Giulia goes off the ropes but Syuri gets up and hits a step-up enzuigiri, kick to the head by Syuri and Giulia collapses to the mat. Syuri drags Giulia up and kicks her some more, head kick by Syuri and Giulia is out. The referee checks on her as Syuri doesn’t go for a cover, she picks Giulia back up and kicks her repeatedly in the chest. Giulia finally catches one but Syuri gets away and kicks her again anyway, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia slides off and applies a standing armbar. Syuri gets out of it and hits a Schwein, picking up a two count. Giulia rolls out of the ring but Syuri follows her out, Syuri picks up Giulia and takes her up the ramp, knees by Syuri but Giulia blocks the German suplex. Giulia gets Syuri’s back and drops her with a Glorious Driver, they both slowly crawl back to the ring to try to beat the generous count, with both making it.

Giulia goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding knee, she puts Syuri on the top turnbuckle and joins her, hitting an Avalanche Glorious Buster for a two count. Giulia picks up Syuri and hits a double underhook suplex, but that gets a two as well. Giulia goes for a running boot but Syuri avoids it and applies a sleeper, but Giulia gets out of it with a backdrop suplex. Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri slides away, Giulia applies a double underhook and nails a Package Piledriver for two. Giulia grabs Syuri but Syuri throws her to the mat, kick to the back by Syuri and she hits a running knee in the corner. Another knee to the back by Syuri and she hits a STO for a two count. Syuri picks up Giulia and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets two. Giulia fires back with a big boot, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Syuri blocks it. Giulia ducks Syuri’s kick and hits one anyway, front dropkick by Giulia and she covers Syuri for two. Giulia picks up Syuri and hits the Glorious Driver II, but Syuri barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri levels her with a head kick, Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri but Giulia grabs the bottom rope to break up the pin. Syuri drags up Giulia but Giulia headbutts her, spinning backfist by Syuri and both wrestlers are down. Before either moves, the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Some online didn’t like this match due to them getting worked too hard by Giulia’s gimmick and thus hating everything she does, but this was a real quality match. It may have helped I saw the clipped TV version. But this was just non-stop hard hits and big bombs, its matches like this that make me not at all surprised when wrestlers are taped up or retire early as they were really laying it into each other. Since they were going for the Draw, the end stretch was maybe a bit too long but the transitions were so smooth I didn’t mind too much. Giulia having a reversal or back-up plan for everything is fun to watch, such as switching suddenly to the Package Piledriver, as her arsenal is incredibly deep. One of the more exciting matches I’ve seen in the last few months, really entertaining match between two wrestlers with surprisingly good chemistry.  Highly Recommended

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Momo Watanabe
World of Stardom Championship

We join this one in progress as Utami throws Momo into the corner, but Momo jumps up on the turnbuckles and hits a tornado DDT. Utami rolls out of the ring to regroup but Momo goes out to the apron and hits a PK. Momo jumps down to the floor and removes the mats at ringside, she grabs Utami but Utami gets away. Momo gets her again however and drops Utami with the B Driver on the exposed floor. Back in the ring, Momo kicks at Utami and covers her for two. Momo picks up Utami and elbows her repeatedly, Momo goes off the ropes and avoids Utami’s dropkick attempt before kicking her in the chest. Momo goes for a dropkick but Utami moves, Momo avoids Utami’s charge as well but Utami knocks over Momo with a hard shoulderblock. Running elbow by Utami in the corner and she hits a dropkick, Utami goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Utami picks up Momo and gets her on her shoulders, but Momo slides away. Utami blocks Momo’s kicks and hits a big lariat, Utami picks up Momo and goes for the BT Bomb, but Momo slides away. Utami blocks her suplex attempt and hits a Samoan Drop, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Momo recovers and joins her. Avalanche Uranage by Momo but Utami recovers and hits a Release German.

Momo quickly gets back up and hits a Tequila Sunrise, Utami rolls through it however and they get back up to trade elbows. Utami goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the head, Somato to the back by Momo and then from the front for a two count. Momo applies a crossface chicken wing but Utami gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Momo goes up top and delivers the diving Somato for a two count cover. Momo goes back up top but this time Utami hits her before she can jump off and goes up top as well, she gets Momo on her shoulder and drops her with an Avalanche Schwein for a two count. Utami drags Momo up and gets her on her shoulders, she spins her around and slams Momo to the mat for two. Momo goes for a Triangle Choke but Utami quickly powerbombs out of it, she picks up Momo and goes for the BT Bomb, but Momo gets out of it and goes back to the crossface chicken wing. She gets Utami back up and delivers the Tequila Sunrise, but Utami kicks out. Momo picks up Utami and goes for the Peach Sunrise, she nails it but Utami barely gets a shoulder up. Elbows by Momo and she kicks Utami in the head, another head kick by Momo but Utami blocks the next Peach Sunrise attempt and hits a backdrop suplex. Utami grabs Momo around the waist and hits three rolling German suplexes, but it only gets two. Utami picks up Momo, she gets her up in the crucifix and nails the BT Bomb for the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

This was probably a little too clipped to get a great feel of the match as a whole, but the 13 minutes or so of the match Samurai TV showed was great. Some are worried about Momo’s future in Stardom but I am not – she may never be the “Ace” but she will always have a good place in the promotion as she is just too good not to. Utami continues to be impressive as well as she seems to grow some in the ring each time I see her. Like the last match, they weren’t holding back as the match was full of hard strikes, big moves, and snug suplexes. As presented, no real downtime whatsoever and it had the urgent feel of a big title match. While I am sure the full match was quite good as well, even as shown here its easy to recommend.  Recommended

The post Stardom Osaka Dream Cinderella on 12/20/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hanan and Saya Iida vs. Mina Shirakawa and Tam Nakano

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid vs. Natsupoi and Syuri

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

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

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

(c) Giulia vs. Himeka
Wonder of Stardom Championship

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

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

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

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

The post Stardom Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League on 10/29/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

AZM vs. Starlight Kid

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

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

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

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

Hanan vs. Mina Shirakawa

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

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

Natsu Sumire and Yuna Manase vs. Riho and Saya Iida

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

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

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

Death Yama-san vs. Natsupoi

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Natsuko Tora and Saki Kashima

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Event: STARDOM 5☆STAR GP 2020 – Day 2
Date: August 9th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 402

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

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

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

Day 2 has an almost full slate of matches, here is the full card:

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

I am watching the version uploaded to Stardom World, for better or worse, so all matches will be reviewed in full. Lets get to it!

Maika vs. Saya Iida

Both wrestlers try to knock the other over to start with neither having any luck, they trade pushes and elbows until finally Maika knocks over Saya with a hard shoulderblock. Maika picks up Saya and hits a scoop slam, another slam by Maika and she stomps on Saya. Maika stands on Saya’s back before flinging her around the ring with tosses, STO by Maika and she covers Saya for two. Maika puts Saya in a Mexican Surfboard while Jushin Liger approves from the stands, she lets go after a moment and stomps Saya into the corner. Irish whip by Maika but Saya ducks the lariat and connects with a dropkick. Scoop slam by Saya and she stomps on Maika, chops by Saya in the corner and she chops Maika some more in the middle of the ring. A double chop sends Maika to the mat, she goes off the ropes and hits a back elbow for a two count cover. Mounted elbows by Saya and she covers Maika again, but Maika pushes her off. Saya picks up Maika but Maika gets away and elbows her in the midsection, they trade shoulderblocks until Maika knocks Saya down. Saya immediately gets back up and returns the favor, scoop slam by Saya and she goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick for two. Northern Lights Suplex by Saya, but that gets a two count as well. Maika gets Saya’s back and applies a sleeper, she swings Saya around and delivers a side slam for a two count. Maika picks up Saya and drops her with a Cross Arm Buster (cross-arm STO), cover by Maika and she gets the three count! Maika wins and now has four points in the tournament.

For an opener, this was decent enough. Maika has really improved her skills since first participating in Stardom, she is still a little clunky at times but its already vastly better and she looks a lot more comfortable than she did before. Saya is just an eternal JTTS but she held her own here, making Maika look good while getting in a few spots so it wasn’t a squash. For a shorter tournament match with a clear winner, a good match to kick off the tournament matches for the day.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid attacks Mayu right off the start as they go into a fast exchange, takedown by Mayu and she puts Starlight Kid in a submission hold. Back up, Mayu works the headlock but Starlight Kid gets out of it and the two return to their feet. Scoop slam by Mayu and she puts Starlight Kid in a stretch hold, she lets go and snapmares Starlight Kid before kicking her in the back. More kicks by Mayu and she puts Starlight Kid in a crab hold, but Starlight Kid gets into the ropes for the break. Mayu picks up Starlight Kid and hits a scoop slam, Mayu puts Starlight Kid in the ropes and kicks her in the back. cover by Mayu but it gets two. Mayu applies a Camel Clutch but lets go to stomp on Starlight Kid. Irish whip by Mayu but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody, she goes for a standing moonsault but Mayu moves out of the way. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and this time she hits the standing moonsault, Starlight Kid picks up Mayu but Mayu blocks the cross-legged suplex. Hard elbow by Mayu but Starlight Kid fires back and the two trade blows. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Mayu kicks her in the stomach, head kick by Mayu and she goes up top, hitting a footstomp to Starlight Kid’s back.

Mayu charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid moves, Starlight Kid rolls Mayu to the mat but Mayu avoids her dropkick and applies a crab hold. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes for the break, Mayu goes off the ropes and dropkicks Starlight Kid in the chest. Mayu goes up top but Starlight Kid avoids her doublestomp attempt and hits a jumping lariat. Starlight Kid grabs Mayu, they struggle for position before Starlight Kid hits a dropkick. Starlight Kid charges Mayu but Mayu drops her onto the apron, Starlight Kid grabs Mayu and DDTs her into the apron. Starlight Kid goes up top and connects with a diving crossbody, she slides Mayu back in and delivers the cross-legged suplex hold for two. Starlight Kid goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a tornado DDT, she quickly goes to the second turnbuckle again and hits a moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Mayu but Mayu blocks the Ki-chan Bomb and slams Starlight Kid to the mat. Mayu goes up top and hits a moonsault to Starlight Kid’s back, she goes for the Two Stage Dragon Suplex but Starlight Kid blocks it and cradles Mayu for two. Back up, Starlight Kid gets Mayu’s back but Mayu shakes her off and hits a superkick, German suplex by Mayu and she puts Starlight Kid in the Child Crusher (modified Dragon Sleeper) for the quick tap-out victory! Mayu Iwatani wins and now has two points in the tournament.

This match started clunky, which is unfortunate in a match that isn’t that long, but once they got going it was really good. The fast pace exchange had a slip-up, then Mayu’s “submission hold, release hold to stomp on Starlight Kid, submission hold” offense wasn’t overly exciting. But after about five minutes they kicked into another gear and Mayu started doing her neck bumps and all was right with the world. Starlight Kid is a legitimate star and can hold her own with anyone, but for a tournament match I’d have been fine if they cut out the first few minutes and just had a fire eight to ten minute match. Still good quality and a good showing by both, but not without its flaws.  Mildly Recommended

AZM vs. Momo Watanabe

AZM offers a handshake however its a ruse as she goes for a small package instead but Momo blocks it, AZM throws Momo to the mat anyway and goes off the ropes, hitting a springboard armdrag. AZM applies a double armbar but Momo gets to the ropes, AZM dropkicks Momo in the corner but Momo dropkicks her back. Momo kicks AZM in the corner and stomps on her, Momo throws down AZM by the hair a few times and stomps her some more. Scoop slam by Momo and she covers AZM for two. Momo applies a crab hold but she lets go after a moment, footstomp to AZM’s back by Momo and she kicks her in the back as well. Cover by Momo but AZM quickly kicks out. Momo elbows AZM but AZM elbows her back, Irish whip by Momo but AZM blocks it and applies a satellite armbar. AZM goes for a suplex but Momo blocks it, hurricanrana by AZM and Momo slides out of the ring. AZM goes to the apron and kicks Momo in the chest, Momo tries to get back into the ring but AZM drives her head into the mat as she goes. AZM goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, Fujiwara Armbar by AZM but Momo gets to the ropes. AZM goes off the ropes and goes for a headscissors, but Momo catches her and goes for the B Driver. AZM gets out of that, they trade head kick attempts but both miss. AZM rebounds out of the corner but Momo kicks her in the head, Somato by Momo and she holds it for two. Momo applies a crossface chickenwing but AZM gets a toe on the ropes, Momo kicks AZM and nails the Diving Somato, but AZM barely kicks out. Momo grabs AZM but AZM gets away and applies a double armbar, but Momo gets out of it. La Mistica by AZM and she applies a seated armbar, but Momo gets to the ropes for the break. AZM gets Momo’s back and applies a Victory Roll for two, Momo promptly kicks AZM in the head but AZM blocks the Tequila Sunrise. AZM goes for a cross armbreaker but Momo rolls thought it and kicks her, Momo applies the crossface chickenwing and AZM taps out! Momo Watanabe wins the match and has two points in the tournament.

This is more what I’d want/expect from a short tournament match. In this setting, we know most of the matches aren’t going to be very long so they may as well pack in as much action as they can. That doesn’t mean they have to go ‘high speed’ the entire time but them not wasting a lot of effort on moves that mean nothing is appreciated. I loved all the reversals and blocking of their signature moves, as it shows how comfortable and familar they are with each other as both had to work hard to do much of anything of substance. It made the ‘big’ moves feel bigger when there was a struggle to do them and they weren’t just trading bombs back and forth. Even though Momo won, AZM put up a fight and didn’t come across as the lesser wrestler, even though she is only 17 which bodes well for her future. Overall an entertaining midcard match that shows why both are so highly thought of by the Stardom fan base.  Recommended

Konami vs. Tam Nakano

They trade holds to start, snapmare by Konami and she kicks Tam in the back. She goes for a PK but Tam catches her leg and returns to her feet, hitting a cutter. Running knee by Tam while Konami is against the ropes, Konami flops down to the floor and Tam goes to the top turnbuckle, but Konami moves when Tam dives off and Tam lands on the other wrestlers hanging around at ringside. Konami gets on the apron and kicks Tam in the chest, she picks up Tam and throws her into the guardrail. Konami drags Tam to the apron and puts her in a headscissors, she lets go after a moment and slides Tam back into the ring. Konami picks up Tam, snapmare and she puts Tam in a headscissors. Sleeper by Konami but Tam gets into the ropes for the break, Konami picks up Tam but Tam hits her with an elbow. Konami elbows her back and stomps on her midsection, she throws Tam into the corner and throws her into the other corner, but Tam avoids her charge. Tam goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her in the chest, cover by Konami but Tam bridges out of it and hits a neckbreaker. Tam throws Konami into the corner and hits a running elbow, diving crossbody by Tam and she covers Konami for two.

Tam gets Konami’s back but Konami gets away, sleeper by Konami but Tam spins out of it and elbows Konami. Tam and Konami trade elbows and then kicks, Konami goes off the ropes but Tam connects with a running elbow. Konami hits a running knee before both wrestlers kick the other in the head, sending them to the mat. Konami recovers first and applies a guillotine but Tam inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Konami charges Tam and delivers a sliding kick, dropkick by Konami and she covers Tam for two. Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Tam blocks it, cradling Konami for a two count. Konami goes for a kick but Tam blocks it and hits a backdrop suplex. Tam goes up top but Konami recovers and joins her, and she DDTs Tam down to the mat. Head kick by Konami, she picks up Tam and goes for the Triangle Lancer, but Tam rolls though it. Kick to the chest by Konami but Tam connects with a spinning heel kick, another heel kick by Tam and she hits a superkick. Konami blocks the next one and re-applies the sleeper, but Tam drops back to get break the hold. Spinning heel kick by Tam and she hits a Tiger Suplex Hold, picking up the three count! Tam Nakano wins and gets two points in the tournament.

A weird little match. It felt like they wrestled the first nine minutes as if they were having a 20 minute match, then cut out the end run to go right to the finish. Konami was the clear dominate wrestler in this match and all the way up to the end she seemed to have the match in control. Its not that the tiger suplex hold isn’t a well respected move by Tam but usually there is a bit more of a lead up to it getting the win. The ending just felt very sudden considering the structure up to that point, I wish they had gone a few more minutes to better tell the story. That being said, the action was very solid as Konami is a technically sound wrestler and Tam is easily carried, so for a midcard match on the show I still think it delivered. Ten minute matches are hard for many wrestlers to do and tell their entire tale, it can be a tough adjustment and these two didn’t quite pull it off even though the effort and output was there to put on a memorable match.  Mildly Recommended

Natsuko Tora vs. Utami Hayashishita

Natsuko attacks Utami as she gets in the ring, before she can even get her rope or mask off, throwing her into the corner. Natsuko stomps on Utami’s mask and throws it out of the ring, she picks up Utami and tosses her out of the ring as well. Natsuko follows her out and throws Utami into the guardrail, but when she tries again it is reversed by Utami and Natsuko goes into the steel. Utami slides Natsuko back in the ring, scoop slam by Utami and she puts Natsuko in a camel clutch. She lets go after a moment and stomps on Natsuko, but Natsuko pulls her down by the hair. She goes for a senton but Utami moves, Utami charges Natsuko but Natsuko slides out of the way and hits a cannonball in the corner for a two count. Natsuko picks up Utami but Utami slides away, lariat by Natsuko but Utami stays up and lariats her back. Utami gets Natsuko’s back and drops her with a German suplex, but Natsuko gets back to her feet and hits a German suplex of her own. Another German suplex by Utami, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Utami is up first and hits a Samoan Drop, but Natsuko kicks out of the cover. Utami applies a sleeper and takes Natsuko to the mat, but Natsuko gets to the ropes to force the break. Utami applies an Argentine Backbreaker but Natsuko gets out of it, Utami charges her but Natsuko pushes the referee in front of her and Utami hits the referee by mistake.

Natsuko and Utami exit the ring but Natsuko gets her chain and hits Utami with it. She then gets a stack of chairs, placing them on Utami’s chest before going up onto the apron. Diving senton by Natsuko onto the chairs, she slowly recovers and gets back in the ring while Utami rolls around in pain on the floor. The referee has regained his senses and starts the count, but Utami barely makes it back in the ring. Natsuko gets her chain and tries to slam Utami onto it, but Utami gets her back and German suplexes Natsuko onto the chain. Lariat by Natsuko, and she covers Utami for two. Swinging Side Slam by Natsuko, but that gets a two count as well. Natsuko slams Utami in front of the corner, she goes up top and delivers the diving body press, but Utami barely gets a shoulder up. Natsuko gets her chain and goes up top, but Utami recovers and joins her. Natsuko bops Utami with the chain and starts choking her with it while still sitting on the top turnbuckle. Utami elbows out of it and gets Natsuko on her shoulders, but Natsuko rakes her in the eyes and slides out to the apron, still holding the chain she chokes Utami over the top rope, the referee gets her free but Natsuko keeps choking Utami anyway. During this the referee calls for the bell, as Natsuko is DQed! Utami wins and now has four points in the tournament.

On one hand, this is probably the best way that they can use Natsuko. Weapons, violence, and cheating is the only method one will buy Natsuko as standing a chance, and she is pretty convincing at it. On the hand, she did all this cheating and bashed Utami with various weapons – but she still lost. That’s the Natsuko Tora Story – cheats a lot, uses lots of weapons, still manages to lose. She needs to take an excursion to Oz Academy and learn from Mayumi Ozaki on how to use those tactics to actually get victories. But it was pretty entertaining, one of the better Natsuko matches I’ve seen in awhile as they used the time well and some of the spots did look hurt-y. Utami hit her moves well but really this was more a match for Natsuko, as she keeps ramping up the pain. A really solid match, we’ll see if as the tournament progresses if Natsuko learns to turn her tactics into wins.  Recommended

Jungle Kyona vs. Syuri

They start the match slow as they jockey for position on the mat, but they reach a stalemate and return to their feet. Waistlock by Kyona but Syuri reverses it into a wristlock, they trade holds while standing until Syuri armdrags Kyona to the mat. Kyona gets out of it as they get back up, elbows Kyona but Syuri kicks her back. Hard shoulderblocks by Kyona and she hits a body press for two. Kyona throws Syuri into the corner but Syuri kicks her when she charges in and applies an armbar over the top rope. She lets go after a moment and stays in control, running knee by Syuri in the corner and she hits a second one for a two count. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Kyona blocks it and gets into the ropes for the break. Syuri picks up Kyona and hits a half hatch suplex, stomps by Syuri but Kyona catches her with a fallaway slam. Kyona gets Syuri on her shoulder and drops her hanging on on the top rope, dropkick by Kyona to Syuri’s back and she covers her for two. Kyona picks up Syuri and they trade elbows, kicks to the chest by Syuri but Kyona catches one and elbows her in the leg.

Syuri fires back with a cross armbreaker takedown, she switches it to a seated armbar but Kyona gets out of it. Kick by Syuri but Kyona elbows her hard in the chest, release German by Syuri but Kyona returns with a lariat. Kyona goes for a suplex but Syuri reverses it into a guillotine choke. Kyona muscles out of it and connects with the vertical suplex, she picks up Syuri and hits a scoop slam. Kyona goes up top and hits a diving body press to Syuri’s back, she picks up Syuri and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Kyona applies a Scorpion Deathlock but Syuri crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break. Dropkick by Kyona and she hits a lariat in the corner, she puts Syuri on the top turnbuckle and goes for the Kinniku Buster but Syuri slides around and puts her in a sleeper instead. Syuri knees Kyona and puts her in in a cross armbreaker, she switches it to the seated armbar, but Kyona gets to the ropes. Syuri goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a sit-down powerbomb for two. Kyona goes for the Hammerthrow Bomb but Syuri blocks it, high kick by Syuri and she hits a double knee gutbuster for two. Syuri applies a cross armbreaker but switches it to the Suzaku this time, and Kyona has no choice but to submit! Syuri wins and now has four points in the tournament.

This was just a really solid, well worked match. It didn’t have that big WOW moment but they used their time really well that kept the action moving without ever feeling like they were rushing. Kyona looked strong in defeat, which is kinda her thing, as she fought out of several Syuri submissions and was just one Hammerthrow Bomb away from picking up the possible win. Syuri’s strikes and submissions were all on point and came out of it looking beatable, but damn hard to beat which I think is a good sweet spot for her. Not a spectacular match or a MOTYC, but smart and entertaining from bell to bell.  Recommended

Giulia vs. Himeka

After a brief feeling out process, Giulia tries to get Himeka’s back but Himeka shrugs her off and goes for a backdrop suplex. Giulia lands on her feet, Himeka goes for a lariat but Giulia ducks it, leading them to a stalemate. Giulia works a side headlock but Himeka tosses her to the mat to get out of it, Irish whip by Himeka but Giulia reverses it. Himeka doublestomps on Giulia’s back when she pancakes and throws her hard into the corner before hitting a lariat. Crab hold by Himeka but Giulia gets to the ropes, Himeka twists up Giulia in the ropes and charges her, hitting a lariat. Himeka tries to dump Giulia out of the ring but Giulia won’t let her, but another lariat finally sends her crashing down to the floor. Himeka goes out after her and goes for a slam, but Giulia wiggles away and the two trade strikes. They return to the ring before the count so they can keep elbowing each other, boot by Giulia and she dropkicks Himeka in the knee. Giulia applies a STF but Himeka gets into the ropes for the break, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle but Himeka elbows her before she can jump off. Himeka grabs Giulia but Giulia gets out of the powerbomb attempt, neckbreaker by Giulia out of the corner and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick.

Giulia picks up Himeka and goes for a suplex, but Himeka elbows out of it and hits a Samoan Drop. Himeka goes off the ropes but Giulia boots her in the head, knee by Himeka but Giulia hits another running boot. Giulia goes off the ropes but Himeka levels her with a lariat, leaving both wrestlers down on the mat. They slowly get up and start trading elbows again, with Himeka winning the battle. Himeka gets Giulia on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, but Giulia slides off and puts Himeka in the STF. Himeka gets to the ropes for the break, Giulia goes off the far ropes and boots Himeka in the head. Giulia goes for a backdrop suplex but Himeka blocks it, she hits Himeka and tries again, and this time is able to drop her. Michinoku Driver by Giulia, but her cover only gets two. Giulia sets up Himeka for the Glorious Driver but Himeka hiptosses out of it, running knee by Himeka and she covers Giulia for a two count. Giulia gets up but Himeka greets her with a lariat, another lariat by Himeka and she covers Giulia for two. Argentine Backbreaker by Himeka and she slams Giulia to the front for another two count. Himeka picks up Giulia and nails the running powerbomb, cover by Himeka and she gets the three count! Himeka wins and now has four points in the tournament.

I knew the result before watching the match but I am still surprised by the execution. This was just a Himeka match, she had her way with Giulia for much of it and just beat her into the ground at the end without a hope spot in sight. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Giulia had yet been pinned in such a definitive way since joining Stardom so they are definitely making a statement with their plans for Himeka. I enjoyed all the strike battles and they have good chemistry, its no secret that Giulia is one of my favorite Joshi wrestlers so I was going to enjoy this either way but Himeka more than held her own. An entertaining main event on the top of a really solid card by Stardom, I still would have it a touch below MOTYC level but Himeka came out of it looking like a beast which will only help her down the road.  Recommended

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