*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

A flashback to 2015, and the event that had perhaps the best match of Kairi Hojo’s career up to this point. Here is the full card:

• Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen
• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe
• Reo Hazuki vs. Thunder Rosa
• Chelsea vs. Melissa
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Nikki Storm and Starfire
• World of Stardom Championship: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura

All the wrestlers above profiles on the website, you can click on their names to go straight to it.

Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen

Kato dropkicks Kamen from behind to start the match and hits a few more dropkicks to Kamen’s arm, but Kamen hits a double chop to the chest. Kato footstomps Kamen’s arm and applies a cross armbreaker, seated armbar by Kato but Kamen gets to the ropes. Irish whip by Kato but Kamen hits a shoulderblock, slap by Kato but Kamen blocks the scoop slam. Kamen hits a scoop slam of her own followed by an elbow drop for two. Kamen picks up Kato but Kato sneaks in a backslide for two. Kato goes off the ropes but Kamen hits a big boot followed by another kick for a two count. Kamen goes for a delayed vertical suplex but Kato gets out of it and hits a tilt-a-whirl into a schoolboy for two. Cross armbreaker takedown by Kato and Kamen quickly taps out! Haruka Kato wins the match.

I liked the arm work by Kato in this match but not much else. Kamen is just really tentative at times so her strikes lack impact, and while Kato is great to look at she isn’t at the skill level to get a good match out of Kamen. A typical Stardom opener but skippable nonetheless.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe

Yoneyama kicks Watanabe as they all give each other side headlocks, shoulderblock by Yoneyama but Wolf hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Wolf knees Watanabe in the corner and hits a diving crossbody, they grab Yoneyama and hit a double vertical suplex. Double kneedrop by both Wolf and Watanabe to Yoneyama, Watanabe puts Yoneyama in the tree of woe and Watanabe hits a dropkick. Wolf grabs Watanabe and applies a choke before covering her for the three count! The winner is Kris Wolf.

Besides the awkward ending (which Wolf made up for by doing a well balanced dance on the top turnbuckle afterwards) this was just way too clipped up. Very little of the match was shown. But just skim to Wolf’s top rope dance and you’ll be fine.

Reo Hazuki vs. Thunder Rosa

They tie-up to start, wristlock by Hazuki but Rosa reverses it. Hazuki gets the hold re-applied as they trade the hold back and forth, takedown by Rosa but Hazuki gets out of it and they return to their feet. Hazuki kicks Rosa and throws her down by her hair, facewashes by Hazuki in the corner and she nails the running kick. Hazuki goes for an elbow in the corner but Rosa moves and hits a dropkick. Double knee by Rosa in the corner and Rosa elbows Hazuki in the midsection. Leg drop by Rosa and a cover, but it gets two. Rosa picks up Hazuki but Hazuki slides away and applies a sleeper. Elbows by Hazuki in the corner, Irish whip, and Hazuki hits a running elbow. Hazuki goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, but the cover only gets two. Hazuki goes all the way up top but Rosa slaps her and tosses her off. Rosa picks up Hazuki and she applies a hammerlock before dropping Hazuki to the mat. Back up, Rosa hits a wrist-clutch overhead suplex, cover by Rosa but Hazuki barely gets a shoulder up. Rosa looks annoyed, which gives Hazuki time to sneak in a schoolboy for the three count! Reo wins!

This was too clipped to recommend (about 40% was missing) but I liked what I saw. Rosa is fun to watch and Hazuki is coming along nicely, though its possible that any awkward parts were simply edited out. What was shown was perfectly fine wrestling though.

Chelsea vs. Melissa

Chelsea continues wrestling veterans, no better way to learn I guess. Armdrag by Chelsea to start but Melissa returns the favor. Chelsea kicks Melissa back and they face off again, waistlock by Chelsea but Melissa gets her back. Melissa picks up Chelsea and applies a front facelock and they trade holds until Melissa starts snapping Chelsea’s leg. Knees to the back by Melissa and she applies a bodyscissors but Chelsea gets out of it and applies a stretch hold. Side headlock by Chelsea but Melissa shoulderblocks her down and hits a scoop slam, Irish whip by Melissa but Chelsea hits a big boot. Roll-up by Chelsea but Melissa gets out of it and wraps up Chelsea’s legs into a modified crab hold. Chelsea gets to the ropes, Melissa picks her up and they trade elbows. Melissa goes off the ropes but Chelsea catches her with a heel kick for a two count. Lariat by Chelsea and she hits a back elbow, Chelsea charges Melissa and she gives her the monkey flip. Cover by Chelsea but it gets two. Chelsea goes up top but Melissa joins her. Chelsea pushes Melissa off but Melissa puts Chelsea on her shoulders, Chelsea slides off and goes for a sunset flip but Melissa sits on her for a two count. Irish whip by Chelsea, reversed, but Chelsea hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Chelsea goes off the ropes but Melissa hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Kondo Clutch by Melissa but Chelsea rolls close enough to the ropes to force the break. Curbstomp by Melissa, another cover, but Chelsea gets a hand on the ropes. Melissa grabs Chelsea but Chelsea gets away, Melissa goes off the ropes but Chelsea hits a full nelson slam. Cover by Chelsea but Melissa kicks out at two. Chelsea goes up top and goes for a diving crossbody, but Melissa ducks it. Melissa gets her up, spins around a few times and nails the Air Raid Crash for the three count! Melissa is the winner.

Let’s be honest, Chelsea isn’t a great wrestler. She may become one as she is young and training in Stardom, but currently she knows the basics and that’s about it. But she is cute as hell, is photogenic, and the crowd loves her so she has something going for her. Anyway this match was watchable but it never had any moment that stuck out or anything. It was a bit basic but it didn’t have any awkwardness which is a plus. I dunno, it wasn’t really a good match but it wasn’t bad either, just forgettable.

(c) Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Nikki Storm and Starfire

This match is for the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. Shirai and Starfire start off, Starfire armdrags Shirai into the corner but Shirai avoids her charge and elbows her in the chest. Starfire grabs Shirai’s arm and springboards off the ropes with a takedown, schoolboy by Shirai but it gets two. Iwatani runs in to help and Starfire is double teamed in the corner. Iwatani dropkicks Starfire in the corner and with Shirai they both apply armbars until the referee gets them to stop. Storm emerges in the ring but Shirai dropkicks them both back out of it. Shirai goes off the far ropes and sails out onto both of them with a plancha suicida. Shirai slides Storm back in the ring and she hits a double knee in the corner. Cover by Shirai, but it gets two. Irish whip by Shirai and she applies an Octopus Hold, Starfire runs in but Iwatani comes in too and she puts Starfire in a stretch hold as well. Shirai rolls up Storm from the hold but it gets two, she then applies an armtrap crossface but Storm gets to the ropes. Shirai goes for the tiger feint kick but Starfire kicks Shirai from the apron. Storm then grabs Shirai from inside the ring and hits the Cyclone Neckbreaker, but Iwatani breaks up the pin. Double Irish whip to Storm but she throws Iwatani into Shirai and hits a double neck breaker. Cyclone Neckbreaker by Storm to Shirai, cover, but it gets two. Storm tags in Starfire and Starfire hits a spinning DDT on Shirai, she picks her up and hits a wrist clutch suplex hold for a two count. Starfire drags Shirai up and elbows her but Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana. Head kick by Shirai, she goes up top but Starfire grabs her and shoves Shirai back to the mat. Now Starfire goes up to the second turnbuckle but Iwatani grabs her from the apron. Frankensteiner by Shirai, her and Iwatani go up to the same corner and hit a double missile dropkick. Cover, but Starfire kicks out. Shirai picks up Starfire but Starfire hits a wheelbarrow suplex. Back up they trade elbows, palm strike by Shirai but Starfire reverses the tombstone piledriver and hits a reverse DDT.

Package Piledriver by Starfire but she can’t make the cover, instead rolling to her corner and tagging in Storm. Iwatani is tagged in too, Iwatani trades elbows with Storm and Iwatani hits a crucifix hold for a two count. Wrist clutch Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, but Storm gets a shoulder up. Iwatani picks up Storm, she goes off the ropes but Storm levels her with a lariat. Storm picks up Iwatani and she hits a neckbreaker, she drags up Iwatani and she delivers the Cyclone Neckbreaker but Iwatani barely kicks out. Back up, Iwatani kicks Storm back but Storm uses the referee as a shield. Starfire comes in but Iwatani avoids her dropkick, Storm puts Iwatani’s legs on the top rope and nails the Cyclone Neckbreaker. Package Piledriver by Starfire, Storm grabs Iwatani and with Starfire they hit an assisted Cyclone Neckbreaker. Cover, but Iwatani again kicks out. Storm holds Iwatani but Starfire lariats Storm by accident, then Iwatani hits a reverse hurricanrana on Storm for a two count. Storm picks up Iwatani and hits the Perfect Storm, cover, but Iwatani still won’t stay down. Storm picks up Iwatani, they trade waistlocks as Shirai gets on the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick. Iwatani throws in a dropkick of her own and they also throw Starfire out of the ring. Iwatani and Shirai then spring up onto different corners and dive out of the ring onto Storm and Starfire. Iwatani slides Storm back in but Storm blocks the dragon suplex. Iwatani picks up Storm in a piledriver position, Shirai goes up top and they nail the spike piledriver. Dragon suplex hold by Iwatani, and she picks up the three count! Shirai and Iwatani are still your champions.

This one… I’m a bit torn. I enjoyed it, no doubt there. But I think the random clipping hurt the flow (about five minutes or so was cut total), the clips were rather obvious and it was almost like hitting reset on the match. That being said the match was fast paced and they both had some great moves without going into overkill. Iwatani was a beast here, just kicking out of everything, they are really building her up. It also felt like an important match, which I always appreciate in a title match. I still recommend to watch it, just don’t go in expecting a MOTYC, it fell quite a bit short of that due to the clipping and a few mistakes here and there.  Recommended

(c) Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura

This match is for the World of Stardom Championship. They jockey around to start, Hojo gets Satomura in the ropes and hits a spinning backfist before backing off. They lock knuckles, Satomura throws Hojo to the mat and she hits a scoop slam. Elbows by Satomura but Hojo hits a shoulder tackle. More shoulder tackles in the corner by Hojo, snapmare, and she dropkicks Satomura in the back. Hojo gets Satomura’s leg and applies a crab hold, but Satomura makes it to the ropes. Satomura slams Hojo to the mat and she goes for a crab hold, but Hojo slaps her. Kicks by Satomura as Hojo returns with elbows, but Satomura catches an elbow and applies a single leg crab hold. Hojo crawls to the ropes to force a break but Satomura quickly applies a stretch hold. Hojo rolls out of it but Satomura kicks Hojo in the back before hitting a hard knee to the chin. Satomura goes for a backdrop suplex but Hojo blocks it and applies a side headlock. Irish whip by Satomura but Hojo hits a really violent spear, she goes off the ropes again but Satomura nails a high kick. Hojo falls out of the ring to have her neck sprayed with the magic healing stuff only Japan has discovered before she rolls back in, but Satomura promptly kicks her in the chest. Irish whip by Satomura but Hojo reverses it, armdrag by Satomura and she applies a STF with a chinlock. Satomura picks up Hojo and hits a backdrop suplex. Kicks by Satomura in the corner, Irish whip, but Hojo collapses. Hard elbow by Satomura and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Satomura goes up top but Hojo avoids the body press, she picks up Satomura and chops her in the chest. Satomura fires back with elbows but Hojo holds down the rope when she charges, sending Satomura out to the apron. Hojo shoulder tackles her down to the floor, Hojo goes up top and she delivers a plancha suicida down to the floor. Hojo waits for Satomura to get up and from the apron hits a diving elbow smash, she slides Satomura back in the ring and goes up top, hitting another diving elbow smash.

Hojo charges Satomura and hits a shoulder tackle in the corner followed by a neckbreaker for a two count. Cross-armed submission hold by Hojo but Satomura wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Hojo hits a few footstomps to Satomura’s back and she stretches Satomura some more, but Satomura kicks her off. Satomura gets up and they trade elbows, back kick by Satomura and she nails the spinning kick to the head. Cartwheel knee drop by Satomura, she positions Hojo before going up top, but Hojo gets her feet up on the diving body press. Hojo puts Satomura in the tree of woe, she goes up top but Satomura goes up with her and goes for a death valley bomb. Hojo blocks it and pushes Satomura back into the tree of woe, hitting the diving footstomp. Cover by Hojo, but Satomura kicks out. Hojo stomps on Satomura in the stomach but Satomura gets back up and elbows her. Hojo elbows her back, she goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her hard in the face. Cross armbreaker by Satomura but Hojo manages to wiggle to the ropes. Satomura drags Hojo out and re-applies it, but again Hojo gets a toe on the ropes. Satomura kicks Hojo out of the ring, where Hojo gets more magic healing spray. Satomura goes out after her, she drags Hojo up to the entrance stage and drills her with a Death Valley Bomb! Satomura brings Hojo back to the ring, she picks up Hojo and drops her with a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two. Satomura applies a sleeper hold, cover by Satomura but Hojo kicks out. Satomura positions Hojo, she goes up top and she finally hits the frog splash, but Hojo barely gets a shoulder up. Satomura picks up Hojo but Hojo avoids the Death Valley Bomb by grabbing the top rope. Satomura shakes her free and nails it anyway, but she can’t keep Hojo down. Satomura goes for another one but Hojo slides down her back, elbow by Satomura but Hojo blocks the overhead kick.

Backfist by Hojo and she hits a series of elbows, but Satomura levels her with a high kick. Hojo ducks Satomura’s heel kick and finally knocks her down with a backfist, Hojo picks up Satomura and hits an Alabama Slam. Hojo goes up top and nails her beautiful diving elbow drop, she covers Satomura but it gets two. Hojo goes up top again but Satomura is up and she nails a Pele Kick. Satomura goes up with Hojo but Hojo elbows her off, she goes for another diving elbow drop but Satomura gets her legs up and quickly applies a cross armbreaker. Seated armbar by Satomura but Hojo rolls to the ropes to force a break. Satomura picks up Hojo and kicks her in the chest repeatedly, she picks up Hojo but Hojo rolls up Satomura for a two count. Satomura gets on the sleeper but Hojo is too close to the ropes and gets a foot on them. Satomura goes up top but Hojo punches her and joins her, hitting a superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hojo goes up top but Satomura avoids the diving elbow drop, Satomura picks up Hojo and hits a Death Valley Bomb before applying the cross armbreaker. Satomura traps her leg too, she then rolls over Hojo and applies an elevated single leg crab hold before rolling it back over, but Hojo gets free. Satomura kicks Hojo in the chest a few times and then drills her with a kick to the head. Satomura picks up Hojo but Hojo gets away and applies a guillotine choke. Satomura slams out of it and applies the cross armbreaker but Hojo gets her hands linked and gets out of it. Satomura picks up Hojo and hits another Death Valley Bomb, she covers Hojo but the bell rings signifying the match is a Draw. Kairi Hojo is still your champion!

Man what a match. To call this hard hitting would be an understatement, everything they did was brutal. Even something simple like a kick breakout or a spear was made to look extra violent, there was no holding back here at all. The time went quickly for a 30 minute match as they did a good job mixing in strikes, submissions, and big moves to pop the crowd. I didn’t mind the slight overkill since it was a title match, overall it was just great stuff. MOTYC right here.  Highly Recommended

event reviewed on 6/21/15

The post Stardom “Galaxy Stars 2015” on 6/14/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: High Speed Championship and the WWS Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches in Japan:

• May 17th, 2015 vs. Koguma
• June 20th, 2015 vs. Io Shirai
• July 26th, 2015 vs. Kris Wolf
• September 23rd, 2015 vs. La Rosa Negra

Signature Moves:

• Package Piledriver

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Gaijin Invaders

The post Starfire appeared first on Joshi City.

*Over the next month, I will be slowly bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying.*

After reviewing smaller events in the world of Joshi lately, it is nice to get a chance to review one of the bigger events of the year. Lots going on for Stardom on this show, as three titles are up for grabs. Also, we get Chelsea being accepted as a full member of the roster as she wrestles the legendary Meiko Satomura. Here is the full card:

– Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen
– Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe vs. Reo Hazuki
– High Speed Championship: Koguma vs. Starfire
– Chelsea vs. Meiko Satomura
– Wonder of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Nikki Storm
– World of Stardom Championship: Kairi Hojo vs. Mayu Iwatani

This is going to be fun, onto the matches!

Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen

Kato attacks Kamen before the match starts and applies a sleeper into a cross armbreaker, she then applies a seated armbar but Kamen gets to the ropes. Shoulderblock by Kamen and she hits a couple more, but Kato avoids the elbow drop. Back up they trade strikes, Kamen gets Kato up on her shoulder and she rams her stomach-first into the turnbuckles. Body avalanche by Kamen, she picks up Kato but Kato dropkicks her in the knee and rolls her into a cross armbreaker. Kamen powerbombs out of the hold but Kato immediately re-applies it, face crusher by Kato and she hits a seated senton for two. High kick by Kamen and she delivers a boot. Vertical suplex by Kamen but Kato quickly rolls her up for two. Kato goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl horizontal cradle, but Kamen kicks out. Kato goes off the ropes but Kamen catches her with a vertical suplex. German suplex hold by Kamen and she picks up the three count!

This was probably the most ‘straight’ I have seen Kamen in a match and while I don’t think she is a great wrestler it did make the match easier to watch. Plus Kato is cute which never hurts. In-ring wise just average but not a bad way to open up the card.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe vs. Reo Hazuki

All four women are legal, first pinfall/submission wins the match. They start all applying wristlocks to each other, and Wolf bites Watanabe on the arm. Yoneyama is still holding Hazuki so Wolf bites her too, Irish whip to Hazuki but Yoneyama rolls up Wolf for a two count. Wolf is thrown to the ropes by all three and she eats a triple big boot, Yoneyama holds Wolf next so that Hazuki and Watanabe can both dropkick her. Yoneyama then dropkicks both Hazuki and Watanabe, but everyone fights back against her. Yoneyama is stomped down on the mat and then attacked by all three while he is tied up in the ropes. Face crusher by Hazuki and a kick by Wolf, cover by all three but Yoneyama kicks out. Yoneyama is thrown into the corner and all three of her opponents hit running strikes, but Wolf rolls up Hazuki from behind for a two count. Hazuki elbows Wolf but Wolf sneaks in a modified sunset flip for two. Kicks by Wolf to Hazuki, Hazuki applies a waistlock but Watanabe applies a waistlock to Hazuki. Yoneyama pushes all three against the ropes and rolls up Watanabe, but it gets two. Shoulderblock by Yoneyama to Hazuki, and Yoneyama slams Wolf on top of Hazuki. Yoneyama puts Watanabe near the pile and hits a senton on all three of them, she lays them next to each other on the mat but all three avoid the diving senton. Somato by Watanabe to Yoneyama but Hazuki breaks it up. Full nelson slam by Hazuki to Watanabe, but Wolf breaks that up, Wolf picks up Hazuki but Hazuki elbows her off. Wolf elbows her back, Yoneyama runs in as they trade elbows and grabs them but Wolf and Hazuki get her to the apron. Wolf and Hazuki kick Yoneyama and Watanabe out of the ring, then Wolf boots Hazuki for a two count cover. Wolf picks up Hazuki, she hits a suplex and picks up the three count!

The ending made me laugh as I think Hazuki was supposed to kick out of the boot but Wolf had such a ferocious cover that she couldn’t, so the referee just pretended like she did. A four way undercard match isn’t going to be great almost by design but it was fine. Ultimately meaningless of course, I’d rather have seen Wolf and Hazuki in a singles match as they have pretty good chemistry but in a four way no one really gets a chance to shine. But it was harmless fun and a good way to get three of the newer wrestlers on the card.

(c) Koguma vs. Starfire
High Speed Championship

Side headlock by Starfire to start but Koguma Irish whips out of it and hits a scoop slam. Irish whip by Starfire to the corner, reversed, and Koguma hits an armdrag. Wristlock by Starfire and she hits a leg drop on Koguma’s arm. Mexican Surfboard by Starfire, she lets go and charges Koguma but Koguma pulls down the rope and Starfire spills out of the ring. Koguma goes up to the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Starfire with a plancha suicida. Koguma slides Starfire back in, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. DDT by Koguma and she applies a sleeper hold on the mat. Starfire drives Koguma into the turnbuckles to get out of it but Koguma hits a cutter for another two. Koguma elbows Starfire into the corner, Irish whip, Koguma avoids Starfire in the corner and she applies a horizontal cradle for two. Koguma goes back to the sleeper but Starfire slams her off, waistlock by Koguma but Starfire pushes her off and hits an elbow in the corner. Koguma goes for a roll-up but Starfire reverses it into a pin of her own for two. Capture suplex hold by Starfire, but she gets a two count on that as well. Starfire goes up top but Koguma recovers and joins her and hits an avalanche cutter. Cover, but Starfire kicks out. German suplex hold by Koguma, but Starfire gets a shoulder up. Koguma throws Starfire into the corner and goes up top, but Starfire slides away and hits a bridging muscle buster hold for a two count. Elbows by Koguma, she goes off the ropes but Starfire hits a lariat. Starfire picks up Koguma and she hits a Michinoku Driver for a two count cover. Starfire positions Koguma, she goes up top but Koguma throws her off to the mat. Now Koguma goes up but Starfire grabs her from behind and hits the Splash Mountain! Package Piledriver by Starfire and she picks up the three count, Starfire is your new champion!

This one started slow, which is never a good thing in an eight minute match, but I really enjoyed the stretch run. Koguma is still a kid, literally, so losing the title won’t hurt her and Starfire has been looking really good lately. Loved the Splash Mountain straight to Package Piledriver finish, just felt really definitive, no question she earned the win. Overall a good match.  Mildly Recommended

Chelsea vs. Meiko Satomura

Chelsea asks to lock knuckles to start but Satomura kicks her in the leg and applies a wristlock. Chelsea reverses it but Satomura applies a hammerlock and they trade holds. Pancake by Satomura, Chelsea goes for an elbow drop by Satomura moves and hits one of her own. Knuckle lock by Satomura and she throws Chelsea to the mat before applying an armlock. Chelsea gets out of it and applies a leg lock into a single leg crab hold. Satomura quickly gets out of it and applies a cross kneelock, but Chelsea gets to the ropes. Chelsea pushes Satomura down and goes for a figure four, but Satomura kicks her in the chest. More kicks by Satomura, she kicks Chelsea in the leg and applies a kneelock. Shoulderblock by Satomura, she picks up Chelsea and goes off the ropes, but Chelsea hits an armdrag. Armlock by Chelsea but Satomura reverses it into a single leg crab hold, but Chelsea wiggles to the ropes and gets the break. Irish whip by Satomura and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner but Chelsea hits a rolling neckbreaker followed by a leg drop for two. Rolling vertical suplexes by Chelsea, she bridges the last one and she gets a two count. Chelsea goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody, but Satomura gets a shoulder up. Chelsea goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her, uppercut by Satomura and she hits a DDT. Satomura goes off the ropes and she drills Chelsea with the cartwheel knee drop, but the covers gets two. Satomura gets Chelsea on her shoulders but Chelsea elbows off, Satomura goes off the ropes but Chelsea hits a backbreaker for two. Uppercut by Satomura and she kicks Chelsea in the side of the head. Single leg crab hold by Satomura and Chelsea quickly taps out!

I will say this, for reasons unknown the crowd really loves Chelsea, I am guessing they are going to go the idol-route with her as she is extremely adorable and very photogenic. I was hoping Satomura would be more vicious in this as aside from the crab holds she wasn’t really doing much, and Chelsea’s offense is 50/50 on whether it looks solid or a bit awkward. A pretty average match, with Satomura in there to lead I was hoping for a bit more.

Post match Chelsea cuts a quick promo in Japanese that the crowd likes, and even though she has notes it is still fairly impressive as she hasn’t been in Japan very long. Chelsea is ‘officially’ now part of the Stardom roster.

Io Shirai vs. Nikki Storm
Wonder of Stardom Championship

This match is for the vacant championship. They tie-up to start but break cleanly, wristlock by Storm but Shirai quickly reverses it. Armbar by Storm on the mat but Shirai rolls away and both are back on their feet. Storm applies a stretch hold but Shirai wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Storm attacks Shirai in the corner, Irish whip, but Shirai hits a rebound missile dropkick. Storm falls out of the ring, Shirai goes out to the apron but Storm yanks her out of the ring with her. Storm removes the mat at ringside and she hits a neckbreaker on the floor. Shirai gets the special magic spray while Storm picks up Shirai and throws her into the ring post. Storm puts Shirai on the apron and she hits a dragon screw neck whip down to the floor. Damn. Storm rolls Shirai back in and slams her head into the mat. Storm slams her head into the mat again and applies a stretch hold followed by a choke, Storm picks up Shirai and she hits another neck breaker. Cover by Storm but Shirai kicks out. Storm picks up Shirai but Shirai applies a front facelock, which Storm promptly reverses into a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Storm picks up Shirai and she hits a snap leg clutch neckbreaker, but Shirai kicks out at two. Storm charges Shirai, Shirai moves but Storm avoids the tiger feint kick. Shirai and Storm trade elbows, Shirai goes for a swandive move but Storm catches her and snaps her neck over the top rope. Storm drags Shirai’s feet over the second rope and hits another dragon screw neckwhip, but Shirai gets a foot on the ropes.

Storm is pissed as she picks up Shirai, she puts her on the top turnbuckle but Shirai punches her back. Shirai goes off the ropes and she hits a cartwheel into a dropkick. Storm falls out of the ring, Shirai runs to the corner and hits a moonsault down to the floor. Shirai rolls Storm back in and hits a swandive missile dropkick followed by a tiger feint kick and another swandive missile dropkick for a two count. Crossface by Shirai but Storm gets to the ropes. Shirai positions Storm, she goes up top but Storm catches her from behind. Storm grabs Shirai and hits a sit-down powerbomb, Storm picks up Shirai and hits a spinning neckbreaker. TKO by Storm but Shirai barely gets a shoulder up. Storm picks up Shirai and elbows her, she sets up Shirai in the ropes and delivers a running neckbreaker. Storm puts Shirai up on the top turnbuckle, she grabs her and drops her with a dragon screw neck whip, but Shirai gets a shoulder up. Storm picks up Shirai but Shirai gets away and hits a tombstone piledriver. Shirai is up first, she picks up Storm but Storm elbows her back. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, cover, but Storm kicks out. Arm trap German suplex hold by Shirai, but it only gets a two. Shirai goes up top, she nails the moonsault and she gets the three count! Shirai is your new champion!

This was an awesome match, I hadn’t seen Storm until this most recent run in Stardom and she is so good in just about every way. The concentration on the neck/upper back was spot on from start to finish, this is one of the more enjoyable matches I have seen in awhile. My only complaint is that Storm did so well at killing Shirai, it didn’t feel right that Shirai came back and won the match. She should have been done. But still, find a way to watch this match, especially if you are already a fan of Io Shirai or Nikki Storm.  Highly Recommended

(c) Kairi Hojo vs. Mayu Iwatani
World of Stardom Championship

Wristlock by Hojo to start but Iwatani rolls out of it and reverses it. They trade hammerlocks and headlock takedowns, with neither getting an advantage. Hojo pushes Iwatani into the ropes but Iwatani elbows her in the chest. They both go for dropkicks with no luck, and they trade elbows back on their feet. Iwatani goes off the ropes but so does Hojo and she hits a spear. Hojo clubs Iwatani into the corner and she chokes Iwatani with her boot. Iwatani slides out of the ring and then under it, Iwatani goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Iwatani dropkicks Hojo in the chest while she is against the ropes, Hojo falls out of the ring but Iwatani sails out onto her with a plancha off the top turnbuckle. Back in the ring Iwatani snapmares Hojo and she stands on her arm. Iwatani wraps Hojo’s arm over the top rope before applying a wristlock. Seated armbar by Iwatani and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Hojo rolls out of it. Iwatani picks up Hojo and kicks her to the mat, Irish whip by Iwatani as Iwatani goes for a springboard move, but Hojo dropkicks her in mid-air. Hojo dives Iwatani a dropkick of her own, she goes up top and she hits a diving elbow smash. Running shoulderblock by Hojo in the corner and she hits a rolling neckbreaker for a two count. Single leg crab hold by Hojo but Iwatani makes it to the ropes for a break. Hojo quickly re-applies it but Iwatani gets to the ropes again, Hojo charges Iwatani in the corner but Iwatani kicks her right in the face. Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, but it gets a two count. Sling Blade by Iwatani, she picks up Hojo and hits a judo throw. Iwatani goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp to Hojo’s arm for a two count. Iwatani goes for the dragon suplex but Hojo blocks it, Hojo grabs Iwatani’s leg and she applies a submission hold.

Back up, Hojo picks up Iwatani but Iwatani wiggles away and rolls up Hojo for a two count. Hojo positions Iwatani near the corner, she goes up top but Iwatani recovers and joins her. Hojo and Iwatani trade elbows, Hojo hits Iwatani down in the tree of woe but Iwatani gets herself free. Iwatani re-joins Hojo up top and she suplexes her down to the mat. Iwatani hits a crucifix bomb, but Hojo gets a shoulder up. Iwatani drags Hojo up and goes for the dragon suplex, but Hojo blocks it. Iwatani pulls Hojo back and hits it anyway, but Hojo lands in the ropes so she has to break the hold. Hojo rolls out of the ring and gets the special cure spray (they are putting over Iwatani’s dragon suplex as a really big move), Iwatani rolls Hojo back in and she hits a diving footstomp. She goes up top again but Hojo has a second wind and joins her. Hojo puts Iwatani in the tree of woe, she goes up top and she hits a diving footstomp. Hojo puts Iwatani down on the mat, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the diving elbow drop. She is too hurt to cover right away however, and when she finally does Iwatani is able to kick out. Iwatani is up first and she elbows Hojo, but Hojo elbows her back. They both fall back to the mat again. Iwatani is up first and she goes for her dragon suplex, but Hojo gets away, roll-up by Iwatani but it gets a two count. Spinning backfist and a club to the face by Hojo, she picks up Iwatani and slams her in front of the corner. Hojo goes up top and she nails a second diving elbow drop, and this time she picks up the three count! Hojo is still your champion.

This was a great war. I say it like that because by the end both were exhausted, which says a lot because both have amazing cardio. I couldn’t even tell at times towards the end if they were just selling really well or legitimately not all there, it turned sloppy but in a good way. Hard to explain. Iwatani having her dragon suplex hold protected was great, and the offensive moves were on point. It also never went too far into being excessive, everything made sense. Just a great match between these two young Stardom stars.  Highly Recommended

event reviewed on 5/24/15

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