STARDOM is presenting the final night of the 5STAR Grand Prix on August 31st in the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza Main Arena. It’s the promotion’s next major PPV and will be a big test for STARDOM under Taro Okada as the outcome of the show decides the upcoming direction for the World of STARDOM Championship. Along with semifinal and the final of the 5STAR Grand Prix tournament, the show features a World of Stardom Championship match as Tam Nakano challenges the leader of H.A.T.E. – Natsuko Tora.
The card has a couple of great match-ups that make you want to tune in to the show. The nine-match card features a good mix of interesting undercard clashes and multiple championship bouts and the ending to the prestigious tournament that has been the focus of STARDOM for the past month.
Let’s dive into the main card of the show.
FWC (Koguma & Hazuki) vs. Sayaka Kurara & Aya Sakura
In a tag team match, the current top babyface team in FWC faces the future top babyface team in Sayaka Kurara & Aya Sakura, and the match will be a big test for the Cosmic Angles duo as a team against one of the best tag teams on the planet.
The result is no doubt as Sayakurara has no chance of beating the former Goddess of STARDOM Champions, but it’s all about how well they do in their biggest match as a tag team as they will try to shine against Koguma and Hazuki.
Prediction: Koguma & Hazuki
Anna Jay vs. Momo Kohgo
After a successful 5STAR Grand Prix, Anna Jay has one last singles match to cap off her tour in STARDOM and it’s against Momo Kohgo, who has had a couple of matches against American talents before as part of the NJPW STRONG Women’s Title tournament, where she lost to fellow AEW Wrestler Willow Nightingale.
Unlike with other wrestlers, Anna Jay has the advantage here that she can communicate much easier with Momo Kohgo due to Kohgo speaking English well. With that, a solid match can be expected between them. Jay will likely get a final win before she goes back to AEW with all the new knowledge that she learned over the past three weeks.
Prediction: Anna Jay
Saya Iida vs. Xena
Two of the standouts of their respective blocks face off in a special singles match on the show, and this could be a legit show-stealer. Not many have been as tremendous as Xena has been in the past few months as STARDOM’s most improved wrestler of 2024 is coming off a great 5STAR run that saw her have many great performances, even if the results didn’t always go her way. Meanwhile, Saya Iida finished second to last in the “group of death” but was able to steal wins over AZM and Tam Nakano.
The match between them has no real stakes except for gaining momentum for the upcoming months, but both will try to get the win. Expect many chops and a fiery encounter in which Xena will likely escape with the win.
Prediction: Xena
God’s Eye (Lady C, Syuri, Saki Kashima & Ranna Yagami) & Risa Sera vs. NEO GENESIS (AZM, Miyu Amasaki, Mei Seira, Starlight Kid & Suzu Suzuki)
A multi-woman tag team match to get everyone on the card, the two sides had differing success when it came to the 5STAR Grand Prix. Overall, NEO GENESIS had a great 5STAR with AZM and Starlight Kid making it to the Quarterfinals, while Mei Seira and Suzu Suzuki were eliminated in a playoff match. Meanwhile, God’s Eye and Risa Sera all had disappointing results, with Syuri being the only one making it out of her group, but, even then, she got eliminated by Hanan in the quarterfinals.
This match is all about momentum, with one side looking to continue their run while the others will look to get things moving again. NEO GENESIS has been on a great run ever since the group was formed, and that will continue with a win on the final night of the 5STAR.
Prediction: AZM, Miyu Amasaki, Mei Seira, Starlight Kid & Suzu Suzuki
Cosmic Angels (Natsupoi, Yuna Mizumori & Saori Anou) vs. H.A.T.E. (Ruaka, Thekla & Konami)
A solid six-woman tag team match in the middle of the card between Cosmic Angles and H.A.T.E. The H.A.T.E. trio is coming off a disappointing tournament – not only because of their results but also in terms of their individual performances in the ring, so they’ll be looking to to gain some momentum here in a match that will be solid and could have some implications for multiple titles as the Artist of STARDOM Champions, Wonder of STARDOM Champion and one half of the Goddess of STARDOM Champion are all in the match.
There’s a show in Osaka EDION #1 in two weeks time, so this match could be used to find a contender for Natsupoi’s Wonder of Stardom Championship, but, with Natsupoi defeating Konami and Ruaka already in the 5STAR Grand Prix and Thekla holding the Goddess of Stardom Championship, it’s unlikely that a contender will come out of this match. Still, a H.A.T.E. victory over Yuna Mizumori seems likely.
Prediction: Ruaka, Thekla & Konami
Rina (c) vs. Hina – Future of Stardom Championship
The longest reigning and most successful Future of STARDOM Champion Rina is defending the title against Hina in a match between two twin-sisters. Rina recently tied the defence record of 10, which was previously held by Hanan, the older sister of both Hina & Rina. With a victory, Rina would set a new record, but Hina will certainly be hell-bent on becoming the third sister to hold the championship.
Hina hasn’t challenged for the Future of STARDOM Championship in over two years when she lost to Hanan at the Cinderella Tournament Final back in 2022 following comeback from injury. The match will be tremendous as the sisters have shown in the preview tags that they have great chemistry together and know how to have a more than competent match. With the stakes, emotional investment, and the championship on the line, it seems to be the perfect mix for this to potentially be one of the best Future of STARDOM Championship matches in history.
This will be a title change as Rina’s nearly 500-day-long reign will come to an end as Hina will capture her first-ever championship in her nearly six-year-long career in a big and well-deserved moment. Anything else would be a shocking surprise
Prediction: Hina
Natsuko Tora (c) vs. Tam Nakano – World of Stardom Championship
Natsuko Tora makes her first defence of the World of Stardom Championship against Tam Nakano in a match that has been building up since before the 5STAR when Tora and H.A.T.E. destroyed Tam Nakano’s knee, leading to the favourite to win the 5STAR not only getting eliminated after a few days, but also losing all of her matches and being last in her block with 0 points. Natsuko Tora then gifted Nakano a chance at her World of Stardom Championship with the thinking that Nakano is at her lowest and Tora would have an easy chance embarrass the former World of STARDOM Champion even more. Throughout the tournament, Natsuko Tora has been bullying and beating up Nakano, continuing to destroy her knee at every chance, including at the contract signing that ended with Tora beating up the leader of Cosmic Angels.
The quality of this match will have a lot to do with how the crowd reacts to it, as it will be a dramatic match featuring the top babyface of STARDOM trying to overcome the top heel of the company, who will lock in multiple knee submissions to try to force Nakano to tap. The crowd needs to be hot, or else the drama can’t be conveyed the way the match will be designed to.
This match could have multiple outcomes, and all of them sound realistic – Tam Nakano could straight-up win, Natsuko Tora could straight-up win and they move on from the story, or Tora could win and they do another blowoff match with a bigger stipulation at Dream Queendom. The storyline screams for a major victory of Tam Nakano over Natsuko Tora, but it’s tough to say if it will happen on this show as Tora has been champion for just a month and has yet to defend the title. A title loss would quickly lead to H.A.T.E. turning on Tora as she would look like a geek who lost to an injured Nakano.
Prediction: Natsuko Tora
Hanan vs. Saya Kamitani – 5STAR Grand Prix 2024 Semifinal
In a rematch from the Blue Stars B Block, Hanan faces Saya Kamitani. ‘The Young Lioness’ defeated Suzu Suzuki in a playoff match and got the surprise upset over Syuri to earn her spot in the semi-final, while Kamitani defeated Starlight Kid in one of the best matches of the tournament in the quarterfinal.
The match between them in the block was fine, as Hanan got the victory to even qualify for the playoff. In general, Hanan’s performances in this tournament have been solid at best, and this outing needs to land against Kamitani, who has been slowly finding her footing as a heel inside the ring. The result is no question as Kamitani gets her win back to advance to the final to try to capture the crown that was supposed to be hers last year.
Prediction: Saya Kamitani
Mayu Iwatani vs. Maika – 5STAR Grand Prix 2024 Semifinal
A major first-time-ever match-up between the two most successful wrestlers in STARDOM this year, Maika comes into the semifinal not only undefeated but as the only wrestler to win all of her matches with a record of 7-0, while Mayu Iwatani has only lost one singles match in all of 2024 (against AZM in Kobe), and is the current IWGP Women’s Champion. There’s a strong chance that the winner of the tournament is coming out of this fixture.
The match will be tremendous as nobody in STARDOM is better than Mayu Iwatani, who has had one fantastic match after the other this tournament. On the other side, Maika has proved plenty of times that she is a great singles wrestler who can have a high-quality level match like the one she had against AZM in the quarterfinal.
Maika’s momentum is too high to bet against her. The wall of the IWGP Women’s Champion is high, but Maika can tear it down to come one step closer to getting another chance at Natsuko Tora.
Prediction: Maika
Winner Semifinal #1 vs. Winner Semifinal #2 – 5STAR Grand Prix 2024 Final
The seeds of this match between Maika and Kamitani were planted way before the 5STAR and it’s tough to think that it won’t happen in the 5STAR final, as Saya Kamitani’s heel run started when she turned on Maika to help Natsuko Tora win the World of STARDOM Championship, and, if results lead us to this final, she will have to chance to not only prevent Maika from getting another red belt match, but also earn herself a shot at the top belt of STARDOM. Everything makes it seem as if it’ll be this match in the final, and it would be shocking if either Maika or Kamitani goes out in the semis given that it would only make sense for either to win the Grand Prix over the other in the final.
Maika has the chance to make history and become the first-ever wrestler to win the 5STAR undefeated, while Kamitani would redeem herself for the 2023 version of the Grand Prix, where she was supposed to win the tournament but got injured on the first night after a crossbody which caused her to be out for many months. The quality of the match itself is important as Kamitani has been slowly figuring out her heel work. She still struggles with the first few minutes but then has the skill to put on a great match, while Maika is consistently great. If they find the chemistry they had in their match in February and bring it home with a great finishing stretch, it would could be a well-executed final, which the tournament definitely needs.
This match will be decided by whoever wins the World of STARDOM Championship match. If Natsuko Tora retains, Maika will walk out as the winner of the tournament. If Tam Nakano wins the Championship, a win of both is realistic, but Saya Kamitani would likely take home the 5STAR Grand Prix. As Natsuko seems to be the favourite to retain the World of Stardom Championship, a Maika win seems likely.
Prediction: Maika
