Kamitani & Watanabe Wage All-H.A.T.E. War In Night 9 5★STAR GP Main Event

STARDOM held their third show in as many days on Monday, this time at the mecca of Japanese professional wrestling, Korakuen Hall, for the ninth event of the 5★STAR Grand Prix tour. The card featured another eight tournament matches but began with a non-tournament singles bout between Natsupoi and Anne Kanaya. As many fans now know, Natsupoi is set to retire from professional wrestling on January 3 and has begun her retirement tour. The former Wonder of Stardom Champion took on her fellow Cosmic Angel, Anne Kanaya, in what turned out to be an exceptionally emotional contest. Kanaya showed amazing fire against her mentor, but Natsupoi proved too much for the young wrestler, winning with the Fairy-ing Ring at 10:53. This was easily the best singles match of Kanaya’s career and a really good way to open the show.

There was also a second non-tournament match, a tag team bout pitting Matoi Hamabe and Saori Anou against Ema Maishima and Waka Tsukiyama. It was a quick contest, but it was nice to see Hamabe and Maishima get some more shine, as I think both have great potential. Anou ultimately pinned Maishima with the Pottering at 6:46.

The tournament proper commenced following the tag match. The opening contest saw Rian take on one of the tournament’s MVPs so far, Hina. Rian entered with an 0-4 record, but she’s been showing a ton of passion and, barring her squash at the hands of Suzu Suzuki, has been getting closer and closer to reaching the 10-minute time limit. Hina, for her part, has been absolutely stellar throughout the tournament, even if the wins haven’t followed. She came into the match at 1-3, with her lone victory coming against Aya Sakura. This was a fun match and a particular highlight for Rian. The Itoh Respect Army member was walloped for much of the contest, but she lasted far longer than most fans expected. Hina eventually put Rian away with a Mad Splash to score the three-count at 9:49. Hina still has plenty of work to do if she’s to make the playoffs, but she at least kept pace tonight.

Hina’s DREAM TRINE and God’s Eye ally Lady C took on Azusa Inaba in the next contest. Lady C arrived at Korakuen with an 0-4 record, just like Rian, although her winless start was far more surprising. Meanwhile, Inaba was 1-3, with her lone victory coming against Utami Hayashishita in what remains perhaps the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Lady C came out swinging, literally, as she gave Inaba what looked like more than 10 giant swings early in the contest. The former Artist of Stardom Champion wisely continued to use her size advantage to wear Inaba down, while the youngster showed plenty of heart in fighting back. Unfortunately for Inaba, Lady C was simply too strong, putting her away with a Chokeslam at 8:38.

The next match featured Natsuko Tora taking on Akira Kurogane, which many expected would be an easy win for Tora. The leader of H.A.T.E. absolutely unloaded her insanely impactful offence on the young Kurogane, but Kurogane simply refused to stay down. She absorbed everything Tora threw at her, including lariats, a cannonball in the corner, a trip into a sea of chairs on the outside, and much more, yet she kept getting back to her feet. Fans could tell Tora was becoming increasingly frustrated as the match wore on, especially as she continued to escalate her aggression. Unfortunately for Tora, her penchant for violence above all else, a philosophy she’s embraced since her Oedo Tai days, cost her in the end, as she and Kurogane fought to a double count-out at 8:41. With the draw, Kurogane earned the first 5★STAR point of her career, and she did so in memorable fashion.

The next match featured Cosmic Angels leader Aya Sakura taking on Julia Hart. I’ll spare all of you a rundown of how Julia Hart’s matches have gone, but suffice it to say that she returned to Korakuen sporting a 2-1 record, with her only loss coming against Ruaka a couple of days ago. Sakura, on the other hand, entered at 2-2. These two had a back-and-forth match that mostly featured strikes. You could tell Sakura was trying to draw something out of Hart that we haven’t seen from her in this tournament, but most fans didn’t feel like it amounted to much. Hart eventually won the rather plodding contest with Hartless at 8:02 to improve to 3-1.

The final match before intermission was the first of four on the card to eclipse the 10-minute mark. Starlight Kid, fresh off her big win over Momo Watanabe the day before, took on Yuna Mizumori, who entered the match riding a two-match winning streak. Both wrestlers came out of the gate at a blistering pace, as you’d expect from the current and former High Speed Champions. Following some exciting back and forth, Mizumori transitioned into her more powerhouse style, walloping SLK with a series of highly impactful moves, most notably a chest-thumping lariat.

SLK, for her part, fired back with some great counters and severely weakened her opponent with an awesome Stretch Muffler. SLK then went for a Moonsault, which probably would’ve ended the match right there. However, Yunamon got to her feet in time, met SLK on the middle rope, and rocked her with a huge move, yet somehow SLK kicked out of the ensuing pin attempt. The match finally came to an end at 10:55 when SLK planted Yunamon with a tremendous Tiger Suplex.

Starlight Kid’s stablemate AZM was up next as she took on Mi Vida Loca’s Itsuki Aoki. AZM entered the match with a 2-1 record, sporting wins over Tomoka Inaba and Sayaka Kurara, while Aoki was 4-1, with her only loss coming against Rina the night before. Aoki controlled much of the early going, using shoulder tackles to establish an early rhythm. One moment that got a big reaction from the crowd came when AZM climbed to the second rope for a crossbody, only for Aoki to nonchalantly walk away from the incoming attack, à la Samoa Joe.

This match didn’t have a lot of full-blown comedy, per se, but it did feel like these two wrestled with less intensity than some of the earlier matches. While that may sound like a bad thing, I actually felt it helped differentiate this contest from the rest of the show. Even so, they displayed some great technique, especially AZM, who was flying around the ring, landing countless strikes and weakening the larger Aoki with submissions. Aoki, on the other hand, used her immense power to bully AZM for long stretches. It made for a great clash of styles. AZM ultimately picked up the win after catching Aoki with a flash Azumi Sushi pinning combination for the three-count at 13:38. I could’ve watched these two wrestle for another five minutes. AZM is now in a great position in her block, sitting in second place with six points, while Aoki remains on eight and is now on a two-match losing streak after winning her first four contests.

Night 9’s semi-main event featured a heated STARS vs. H.A.T.E. clash between Saya Iida and Konami. Konami has been doing a gimmick throughout the tournament where, after each victory, she takes a black spray can and sprays her opponent in the face, referring to it as “cancelling” them. She entered this match at 3-0 with three “cancelled” opponents, while Iida was 3-1. These two previously met in a heated singles match at STARDOM Dream Queendom in December 2025, where Konami defeated Iida in a highly entertaining and emotional contest. While this match didn’t quite reach those same lofty heights, the fans in Korakuen loved what they saw. Konami utilised her tremendous striking and submission game to slowly wear down her opponent. Iida, for her part, showed the indelible heart she always does, fighting back with her trademark chops and throws.

Iida was spectacular in this match. She absorbed an incredible amount of punishment from the woman who destroyed Tokyo Cyber Squad back in 2020 and dished it right back out with precision and passion. Once again, she proved that she’s one of the most special talents on the roster. Konami was excellent as well, playing the sadistic heel who seemed more interested in torturing her opponent than simply winning the match. It was perhaps that very philosophy that cost Konami in the end, as Iida got her revenge, not only for her past self but also for the women who had been “cancelled” by Konami during this tournament, by planting her with a devastating Vertical Drop Brainbuster to secure the victory at 13:03. With the win, Iida moves into sole possession of first place in her block, overtaking Konami, who drops to second. Excellent match!

The main event saw an all-H.A.T.E. affair between faction leader Saya Kamitani and Momo Watanabe. There’s been a growing tension between these two that has been fascinating to watch. No one knows who will make the first move, or even if either woman will ultimately turn on the other. Adding to the intrigue is their shared history in Queen’s Quest, a friendship that was shattered when Watanabe betrayed the faction several years ago. That history only made the sense of unease surrounding this match even more palpable.

While I had some concerns that this was going to end up being a “storytelling” match, similar to Seth vs. Roman at SummerSlam, I’m happy to report that this was just a straight-up war. They were simply allowed to wrestle, and it was great. Definitely check this match out. In fact, check out the whole show.

Without going into too much detail, let’s just say these two made the absolute most of their time together, so much so that they battled to a 15-minute time-limit draw. It was Momo’s first draw of the tournament and Kamitani’s second. Afterwards, the two embraced, seemingly bringing their cold war to an end.

STARDOM will return for Night 10 of the 5★STAR Grand Prix on Saturday, August 8, from Sapporo. The card will feature six matches, including Maika vs. Rina, AZM vs. Natsuko Tora, and Lady C vs. Utami Hayashishita.

For more coverage from the tournament and everything surrounding STARDOM, WrestlePurists will keep you updated.

5★STAR Grand Prix – Current Standings (W-L-D):

Red Stars Block A:

Itsuki Aoki – 4-2 (8 points)

AZM – 3-1 (6 points)

Maika – 3-1 (6 points)

Natsuko Tora – 2-2-1 (5 points)

Rina – 2-2 (4 points)

Sayaka Kurara – 2-4 (4 points)

Tomoka Inaba – 2-3 (4 points)

Akira Kurogane – 0-3-1 (1 point)

Red Stars Block B:

Saya Iida – 4-1 (8 points)

Konami – 3-1 (6 points)

Rina Yamashita – 2-1-2 (6 points)

Maki Itoh – 2-1-1 (5 points)

Azusa Inaba – 1-3-1 (3 points)

Mei Seira – 1-2-1 (3 points)

Utami Hayashishita – 1-1-1 (3 points)

Lady C – 1-4 (2 points)

Blue Stars Block A:

Suzu Suzuki – 4-0 (8 points)

Julia Hart – 3-1 (6 points)

Ruaka – 3-1 (6 points)

Aya Sakura – 2-3 (4 points)

HANAKO – 2-2 (4 points)

Hina – 2-3 (4 points)

Miyu Amasaki – 2-3 (4 points)

Rian – 0-5 (0 points)

Blue Stars Block B:

Momo Watanabe – 3-1-1 (7 points)

Hanan – 3-1 (6 points)

Saya Kamitani – 2-0-2 (6 points)

Starlight Kid – 2-1-1 (5 points)

Ami Sourei – 2-2 (4 points)

Koguma – 2-3 (4 points)

Yuna Mizumori – 2-3 (4 points)

Kikyo Furusawa – 0-5 (0 points)