STARDOM
STARDOM presented its first PPV following the 5STAR Grand Prix, ‘Namba Grand Fight’, on September 14th in Osaka. The attendance was 1,407, up 30 from the 13th Anniversary show in February. Before the injury crisis started, the attendance was around 1,800 in the EDION arena, so there is still a long way to go for the promotion to get close to their biggest numbers after it’s rebuilt. The number should be considered borderline fine to disappointing as the main event of the show had Tam Nakano defending the World of Stardom Championship against Maika in a match that STARDOM has slowly built up over the past seven months. A problem here was that the show happened two weeks after the 5STAR Grand Prix, and the show had close to zero build-up aside from a show at Korakuen Hall and a NEW BLOOD event the day before.
The show itself took a while to get going as the first couple of matches were fine. The only match that stood out was Mina Shirakawa and Saya Kamitani clashing in the opening match of the show which ended with Kamitani rolling up Shirakawa while having her foot on the ropes, which the referee didn’t see. It was the weakest match between them, but it gave Kamitani an important win after her loss against Maika in the final of the 5STAR Grand Prix. Mina Shirakawa hasn’t been part of any storyline in STARDOM since first appearing in AEW to take part in the storyline between Toni Storm and Mariah May. Her future in the creative plans of the company is questionable as she will soon head back to AEW since Mariah May called for her on a recent Dynamite episode.
Eye Contact won the match over 02Line as Hanan picked up the win over Miyu Amasaki in a good tag team match that was enjoyable and easy to watch. After the match, Mayu Iwatani and AZM teased a match for the IWGP Women’s Championship as AZM has set her eyes on the belt ever since defeating Mayu Iwatani in the 5STAR Grand Prix. Instead of making the match official, AEW’s Toni Storm appeared on the screen and announced that she will challenge Iwatani for the IWGP Women’s Championship on October 5th in Nagoya. It will be Toni Storm’s first official match in STARDOM in over five years as the former Red Belt Champion returns to try to claim another STARDOM title. Storm has history with Iwatani as she won the World of Stardom Championship due to Iwatani injuring her elbow during the match and won the rematch as well. It will have the simple story of Mayu trying to claim her first victory over Storm, which seems to be the trade for Shirakawa losing to Mariah May in a potential AEW Women’s World Championship match. It will be interesting how the ‘Timeless’ character will be received by the crowd and how different she will perform from her output in AEW.
Natsupoi successfully defended the Wonder of Stardom Championship for the first time against Hazuki in the best match on the show. From the moment the bell rang, the match had a high intensity with the ‘Wild Heart’ going at Natsupoi from the start and showing how much she wants to finally claim the White Belt. Hazuki’s ability to show her determination was the best part of the match and lifted everything both did to the next level. The finish felt a little flat, as after all the high-impact moves and strikes, a roll-up gets it done for Natsupoi, but it was still a great match that should be recommended to everyone who wants to check out STARDOM.
With that, Hazuki lost her sixth Wonder of Stardom Championship match and is now a combined 0-9 in Red and White Belt matches in her career. It’s unlikely that she will ever win the title, but she will still go down as one of the best Wonder of Stardom Title match wrestlers as she hasn’t missed in a single of her six tries. Hazuki’s matches against Arisa Hoshiki, Saya Kamitani, and Natsupoi are in contention to be the best White Belt match of the respective year. Meanwhile, Natsupoi’s next opponent is seemingly Thekla, who came out after the match, whispered something into Poi’s ear, and wrapped the H.A.T.E. towel around Natsupoi.
Tam Nakano successfully defended the World of Stardom Championship in the main event of the show against Maika, who cashed in her shot after winning the 5STAR Grand Prix two weeks prior. Coming into the match, the momentum couldn’t be more different as Maika won every match in the 5STAR and was the first-ever wrestler to win all tournament matches, while Nakano lost all six of her matches, but was able to capture the Red Belt on the final night of the 5STAR. The match between them was inevitable as it has been teased a lot over the last 7 months ever since Nakano returned from her injury.
The match itself was really good with a good starting sequence and a great ending phase, with both going all out. The only struggle was in the middle section, where Nakano tried to introduce the injured knee, but it was quickly forgotten by them. Nakano won with the Twilight Dream suplex and defeated the 9-0 5STAR winner in over 22 minutes to defend her title for the first time. After the match, Nakano called out Suzu Suzuki to face her on the Nagoya show. The match was supposed to happen at Gold Rush 2024 last year before Nakano injured her knee a month before. It will be a great and interesting match as it’s Suzuki’s first step back into the main event scene ever since losing to Maika at Dream Queendom in December of last year.
Marigold
Marigold’s first-ever round-robin tournament, the Dream Star Grand Prix, kicked off on August 31st in Osaka. It’s set to last for a month and will end on September 28th in Nagoya. The first-ever line-up features 16 of the best female wrestlers in Marigold’s roster facing each other in a two-block system. In the tournament, there are many first-time-ever singles matches and some matches that fans haven’t seen in a long time.
It’s a major test for many wrestlers who get their first shot at competing in a round-robin tournament. With Rossy Ogawa’s tournament booking set to come into full effect, many interesting results could happen in the Dream Star that will shape the next couple of months in Marigold. It’s yet to be said what the winner of the Grand Prix will get, but, realistically, they could get a title shot of their choosing whenever they want – likely on January 3rd, 2025, at Ota Ward.
This past week featured a show in Shin-Kiba and at Korakuen Hall. The letter drew an attendance of 755 fans, which is an alright number for a promotion that aims to be the number two company, but it could be better. The two shows picked up where the Toyama show left off and were really good.
One of the bigger winners was Mai Sakurai, who defeated Bozilla in Shin-Kiba via count-out after outsmarting her with the Paradise Lock, which led to Bozilla losing her first match of the tournament in a good match to cap off the show. On the Korakuen Hall show, she defeated Kizuna Tanaka, who showed tremendous effort. Mai led the match well and helped to build up the comeback and fighting spirit spot of Tanaka, who is yet to pick up her first win as she is 0-3 in the tournament. Sakurai, on the other hand, is heading into the final three matches with a 3-1 record. She has the important tie-breakers over Nanae Takahashi and Bozilla, who are currently tied with her on the first place of the Star League.
NØRI is one of three wrestlers left in the tournament who are still undefeated as she now sits on the top of the Dream League with 8 Points after three wins and two draws. Her match against Nozaki was a strong 15-minute draw with fun action, but her match against Natsumi Showzuki was a stand-out match for both. NØRI defeated the Marigold Superfly Champion in a really good and competitive match. She needs to be a regular even after the Dream Star as she adds an intensity to her matches that only a couple in the promotion have, which makes her stand out in the GP. The match was a great kick battle, with both trying to prove that they could kick harder than their opponent. A rematch between them is needed as it could be a great defence for the Superfly Championship.
Sareee fought to a draw against Miku Aono in one of the best matches of the tournament. The two top champions collide, and they went crazy for 15 minutes straight, with Aono being the closest to beating Sareee so far. Sareee dominated most of the match, but Aono fought back and kept herself alive with her fighting spirit to get her offense in. The finish was well done with the ‘Sun God’ going for the pin, but the time expires right before it. This felt like a build-up to an even bigger match as Aono is the first one to give a blemish to Sareee’s perfect singles record in Marigold so far. The story built around Sareee in Marigold is tremendous, and everything around this match against Miku Aono showed exactly why. Coming into the match, Sareee disrespected Aono, but Aono forced Sareee to a draw, which Sareee was disappointed with. She hates everyone in Margiold and wants to beat them all, while everyone in Marigold hates her too. It creates such a fantastic dynamic whenever a Marigold talent faces her. It’s so simple, but well told, and Sareee plays her role so amazingly. Not only will the person who beat her for the World Title gain a lot, but whoever beats her first in general.
MIRAI gets the big win over Utami Hayashishita in a very good main event of the Korakuen Hall show. A fun 10-minute sprint that felt like a typical MIRAI tournament match. It had a slow start, but the pace picked up quickly, with the final five minutes being great. The finish came a bit out of nowhere as MIRAI hit two brutal lariats, which was a great finish, but it felt like it came two minutes too early. Nevertheless, the match was more than enjoyable. A very hard-hitting main that showed MIRAI’s growth since their first match well. Utami now needs to win her upcoming matches to still have a chance to advance, while MIRAI is still undefeated.
Official Dream Star Grand Prix Standings after Night 4:
Dream League –
8 – NØRI (3-0-2)
5 – MIRAI (2-0-1)
4 – Utami Hayashishita (2-2-0)
4 – Kouki Amarei (2-1-0)
3 – Natsumi Showzuki (1-2-1)
3 – Nagisa Nozaki (1-1-1)
3 – Victoria Yuzuki (1-1-1)
0 – Chika Goto (0-4-0)
Star League-
6 – Bozilla (3-2-0)
6 – Mai Sakurai (3-1-0)
6 – Nanae Takahashi (3-1-0)
5 – Miku Aono (2-1-1)
5 – Sareee (2-0-1)
2 – CHIAKI (1-2-0)
0 – Kizuna Tanak (0-3-0)
0 – Misa Matsui (0-4-0)
