Saya Kamitani, Starlight Kid Deliver Match Of The Tournament Contender At 5★STAR GP Night 6
Korakuen Hall was the site of STARDOM’s 5★STAR Grand Prix event on Tuesday, featuring eight tournament matches with major implications for the competition. Three wrestlers made their tournament debuts, including AEW’s Julia Hart, who competed in the 5★STAR match of the night against Rian. Hart entered the tournament as a replacement for the injured Bea Priestley and recently captured the Artist of Stardom Championships alongside Skye Blue and Thekla on July 18.
Hart made quick work of Rian, defeating the young STARDOM star with the Heartless at 5:31. While the match was relatively short, the 5★STAR Grand Prix presents Hart with an opportunity to prove herself as a singles competitor in one of the most competitive tournaments in wrestling. Rian, meanwhile, left Korakuen Hall with an 0-2 record.
The second match of the card saw the surging Itsuki Aoki take on the struggling Sayaka Kurara. Aoki entered the bout having already defeated fellow Mi Vida Loca teammate Akira Kurogane to become the first wrestler in her block to reach six points, while Kurara was looking to stop the slide after suffering three straight defeats following her opening two wins. Unfortunately for Kurara, the losing streak continued as Aoki caught her with the Rasha Hasami for the victory at 10:04. Kurara became the first wrestler to lose four consecutive tournament matches this year, while Aoki became the first competitor to reach four wins, doing so without suffering a defeat.
High Speed Champion Yuna Mizumori was next in action against Ami Sourei, with both wrestlers entering the match at 0-1 and looking to build momentum. The bout became a battle of speed versus power, but it was Sourei who came out on top after hitting the Pineapple Girl with the Ikazuchi no Gotoku at 7:29. Sourei moved to 1-1 with two points, while Mizumori fell to 0-2 in the tournament.
Next, fans in Korakuen Hall saw Lady C, who entered the match with an 0-3 record, take on Maki Itoh, who had already picked up three points in the tournament. Itoh was caught early by a huge giant swing from the former Artist of Stardom Champion, but she used her speed and body control to avoid Lady C’s more dangerous offense. Itoh eventually caught Lady C with the Itoh Clutch to secure the victory at 8:03. Itoh now sits on five points after four matches, while Lady C remains winless at 0-4 with three tournament bouts remaining.
The final match before the intermission saw two former World of Stardom Champions, Natsuko Tora and Maika, go to war. Interestingly, the two previously met in singles competition exactly two years ago, with that match also taking place for the World of Stardom Championship. Tora emerged victorious on that occasion after Saya Kamitani turned heel on Maika before going on to form and lead the H.A.T.E. faction, a role she continues today.
Two years later, Tora once again got the better of Maika, overcoming a burst of blue mist to the face before hitting a Swanton Bomb for the victory at 11:18. Tora moved to 2-2 with four points, while Maika fell to 3-1 with six points.
Following a brief intermission, the action continued with former Neo Genesis allies Miyu Amasaki and Suzu Suzuki facing off. Suzuki entered Korakuen Hall with a 1-0 record, while Amasaki was still searching for her first points at 0-2. The reigning World of Stardom Champion dominated much of the match, with the bout resembling an extended squash at times. Amasaki showed plenty of heart and resilience, but Suzuki was simply too strong, eventually putting her away with a huge German Suplex at 7:05. Suzuki moved to four points, tying her at the top of the block, while Amasaki remains scoreless.
Utami Hayashishita looked to pick up her second win in three matches in the semi-main event against Konami, who entered the bout with a perfect record and continued her post-match tradition of spraying her opponents with black paint. Konami was relentless throughout the contest, using her punishing kicks and brutal attacks on the outside to wear down the former World of Stardom Champion. Utami struggled to build any meaningful momentum, with her offence unable to slow down the reigning Wonder of Stardom Champion’s assault. Konami’s dominance was on full display as she locked in her Sleeper Hold to force the victory at 12:41 before continuing her ritual by spraying Hayashishita in the face with black paint.
The main event saw Starlight Kid take on Saya Kamitani in a match many had marked as a potential Match of the Tournament contender. The two last met in singles competition on February 7, when they produced a genuine Match of the Year candidate for the World of Stardom Championship. That bout was also the one where Kamitani famously suffered a finger injury but continued competing. Despite neither woman having wrestled in the 5★STAR Grand Prix before this show, they wasted no time making up for lost ground from the opening bell.
The match quickly spilled to the outside, with both women exchanging brutal strikes and high-impact manoeuvres around ringside. The most devastating moment came when SLK, sporting new yellow and green gear, launched herself from one of the seating entrances onto Kamitani. The dive was reminiscent of former STARS leader, Mayu Iwatani, who has famously performed the same move on several occasions.
After the match found its way back to the ring, Kamitani was eventually able to build momentum, though not before SLK had done significant damage to her right leg. Kamitani responded with well-timed kicks from her other leg, as well as a series of suplexes to weaken the Neo Genesis leader. Both women continued throwing everything they had at one another in an attempt to put the other away, but neither could find the decisive blow. Given their previous singles encounter went beyond 27 minutes, the result was perhaps fitting, as the match reached the 15-minute time limit without a winner.
For those in Korakuen Hall or watching on STARDOM World, the contest still delivered, but both wrestlers now sit at 0-0-1 in the tournament standings. With plenty of matches remaining, they will have opportunities to make up for the draw with victories later in the competition.
The 5★STAR Grand Prix returns on August 1 from Sendai PIT with another eight-match card scheduled, including HANAKO vs. Suzu Suzuki, Julia Hart vs. Hina, Saya Kamitani vs. Koguma, and Hanan vs. Starlight Kid in the main event.
For more coverage from the tournament and everything surrounding STARDOM, WrestlePurists will keep you updated.
5★STAR Grand Prix – Current Standings:
Red Stars Block A:
Itsuki Aoki – 4-0 (8 points)
Maika – 3-1 (6 points)
AZM – 2-1 (4 points)
Natsuko Tora – 2-2 (4 points)
Sayaka Kurara – 2-4 (4 points)
Tomoka Inaba – 2-3 (4 points)
Rina – 1-2 (2 points)
Akira Kurogane – 0-3 (0 points)
Red Stars Block B:
Konami – 3-0 (6 points)
Rina Yamashita – 2-1-2 (6 points)
Saya Iida – 3-1 (6 points)
Maki Itoh – 2-1-1 (5 points)
Azusa Inaba – 1-2-1 (3 points)
Mei Seira – 1-2-1 (3 points)
Utami Hayashishita – 1-1-1 (3 points)
Lady C – 0-4 (0 points)
Blue Stars Block A:
Ruaka – 2-0 (4 points)
Suzu Suzuki – 2-0 (4 points)
Aya Sakura – 1-1 (2 points)
HANAKO – 1-1 (2 points)
Hina – 1-1 (2 points)
Julia Hart – 1-0 (2 points)
Miyu Amasaki – 0-3 (0 points)
Rian – 0-2 (0 points)
Blue Stars Block B:
Hanan – 2-0 (4 points)
Koguma – 2-1 (4 points)
Momo Watanabe – 2-0 (4 points)
Ami Sourei – 1-1 (2 points)
Kikyo Furusawa – 0-3 (0 points)
Saya Kamitani – 0-0-1 (1 point)
Starlight Kid – 0-0-1 (1 point)
Yuna Mizumori – 0-2 (0 points)
