STARDOM: 10th Anniversary Show | Sun 17th Jan 2021 | 11:30 | Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.
MATCH ONE | FUTURE of STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Saya Iida [STARS] Vs Unagi Sayaka [COSMIC GIRLS]
Most people think of Joshi Wresting and believe it needs to be fast paced and aerial but what is so great about Stardom is that it bucks that trend and smashes that stereotype.
Saya Iida is a small and strong wrestler in the same vain as IMPACT star Jordynne Grace, she focuses on technical submissions and hard hitting moves to conquer her much smaller opponents.
Unagi Sayaka on the other hand is tall and slender, young and full of fire and resilience who will jump you from the top rope as well as hit you with powerful slams and submission holds.
Match Time: 12m 04s
WINNER: Saya Iida via Diamond Cutter into a Solidify.
Star Rating: ****.5
MATCH TWO | SINGLE MATCH: Natsupoi [Donna del Mondo] Vs Konami [Oedo-Tai]
Konami is a tough no nonsense competitor who is a part of heel faction Oedo Tai here she faces Natsupoi, a young and somewhat wholesome competitor who has some great basics in the ring; she is a part of the Donna del Mondo faction. The match has a good back and forth with neither woman being able to get the upper hand; Natsupoi focuses her attack on high flying moves and bouncing off the ring ropes while Konami brings things down to the mat in a display of submission grappling. Konami has spent the whole match attacking Natsupoi’s arm locking in multiple Arm Bar variations. She become frustrated and pushes over the referee before introducing a chair to the equation resulting in Konami being disqualified.
Match Time: 08m 03s
WINNER: Natsumi via a DQ win.
Star Rating: ****
MATCH THREE | HIGH-SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP Match: AZM [Queen’s Quest] vs Kaori Yoneyama [YMZ]
AZM is the current High-Speed champion and is facing a returning Kaori Yoneyama for the championship tonight. The match starts off fast, the two women out manoeuvring each other with Yoneyama getting the upper hand on the young champion. AZM is fighting from underneath for most of the match but when Yoneyama makes a mistake, AZM capitalises and shows why she is an up and coming shining star in the world of Joshi and as a part of the Queen’s Quest faction.
Match Time: 05m 36s
WINNER: AZM via Submission.
Star Rating: ****.25
MATCH FOUR | SINGLE BATTLE: Starlight Kid [STARS] Vs Tam Nakano [COSMIC ANGELS]
This is the battle of the Tiger Suplex Hold, a finishing manoeuvre of both Starlight Kid and Tam Nakano. This match is exactly what you would expect from a Joshi Wrestling match, fast paced, hard hitting, submission heavy, and high flying spectacle. These two women show us why the Japanese are some of the best professional wrestlers in the world and why STARDOM is the go to place for Gaijin wrestlers to gain experience.
Match Time: 10m 53s
WINNER: Tam Nakano via Tiger Suplex Hold
Star Rating: ****.75
MATCH FIVE | FOUR WAY ELIMINATION TAG BATTLE: Syuri & Himeka [Donna del Mondo] Vs Saya Kamitani & Momo Watanabe [Queen’s Quest] Vs Bea Priestley & Saki Kashima [Oedo-Tai] Vs Mayu Iwatani & Ruaka [STARS]
* Pinfall
* Submission
* DQ
* Over the top rope elimination
*When one of the members of a team loses, that whole team adopts the disqualification over the top rope rule.
This match is messy in the best way, before the match starts the rules are explained and then we get to it, four women in the ring ready to fight and claim dominance for their faction. The first elimination occurs out of nowhere when Mayu Iwatani jumps onto the top rope to do a move on the competitors inside the ring; Saki Kashima sees her chance and pushes her off the rope with both feet touching the floor. Saki Kashima is soon eliminated by Syuri of Donna del Mondo, who Oedo-Tai have been feuding with over the last few months. Now we have Donna del Mondo and Queen’s Quest fighting it out to be victorious wanting to prove they are the best faction in the company. Saya Kamitani picks up the win for Queen’s Quest on this occasion.
Match Time: 15m 04s
First Fall: Saki Kashima via over the top rope elimination to Mayu Iwatani [07m 33s]
Second Fall: Syuri via a Seiryu to Saki Kashima [09m 44s]
WINNER: Saya Kamitani via a Star Crusher.
Star Rating: ****.75
MATCH SIX | WONDER of STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH | NO DQ MATCH: Giulia [Donna del Mondo] Vs Natsuko Tora [Oedo-Tai]
Giulia and Natsuko Tora are facing off in a huge No DQ match for the White Belt, The Wonder of STARDOM Championship, solidifying the rising tensions between Donna del Mondo & Oedo-Tai. The weapon of choice for this match seems to be chairs and turn buckle pads but just because it’s a No DQ match doesn’t mean that there isn’t fantastic wrestling going on inside the ring. Giulia and Tora have insane amounts of chemistry and don’t hold anything back elevating themselves and the match with hard hitting attacks and brutal looking power moves. Having all of Oedo-Tai and Donna del Mondo on the outside of the ring, sporting their STARDOM tracksuits brings another quality to the match, showing faction loyalty is a huge part of STARDOM and it’s also something we don’t see in any other promotion. Giulia retains her Wonder of STARDOM Championship and this is a must see match, if you want to know how the women of Japan create a truly memorising No DQ bout.
Match Time: 18m 34s
WINNER: Giulia via a Glorias Driver
Star Rating: ****.75
MAIN EVENT | MATCH SEVEN | WORLD of STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Utami Hayashishita [Queen’s Quest] Vs Maika [Donna del Mondo]
The current World of STARDOM Champion Utami Hayashishita faces off against challenger Maika in a phenomenal match that brings together everything we love about Joshi Wrestling and STARDOM as a whole. These two women battled for over 20 minutes inside and outside of the ring giving us some of the best and most lethal hard hitting action of the whole night. Maika of Donna del Mondo was unsuccessful but looked strong in defeat against the top woman, Utami Hayashishita, and top prize in the company.
Match Time: 24m 12s
WINNER: Utami Hayashishita via a BT Bomb.
Star Rating: *****
STARDOM returns for Great Eve Festival on 30th January 4am GMT, 1pm JST, 11pm Sat ET, 10pm Sat CT and 8pm Sat PT, available on stardom-world.com.
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