STARDOM –
In the past two weeks, STARDOM hadn’t uploaded their shows and are still behind multiple weeks due to the big tours they have been doing recently. The official English account stated that the regular upload schedule would resume after the tour and their return to Tokyo. But STARDOM still had some content, including the 9th NEW BLOOD Show on June 2nd which featured two title matches and two major singles matches
The Passion Injection match between Nanae Takahashi and Mai Sakurai was the first major match on this card. Giving lower-to-mid card roster members one of their best singles matches is becoming a Nanae trademark and the perfect role for her in the current landscape of STARDOM, while Mai Sakurai gets more comfortable in her new role as the arrogant Lady that makes fun of the “consumers”. The match was maybe the best one in Sakurai’s career, with great near falls and passion from both Wrestlers. Nanae picked up the win in the end.
The five-match series of Miyu Amasaki ended at New Blood as well with her facing her 02line Tag Partner AZM. The former High-Speed Champion didn’t lean into her typical wrestling style but instead played a grumpy veteran that beat the shit out of Miyu here. This match was pretty simple but effective, with the crowd rooting for the underdog in Miyu Amasaki, but it wasn’t enough for her when AZM beat her with the Double Foot stomp. After the match, both hugged each other.
The talented Inaba Sisters challenged for the NEW BLOOD Tag Team Championship in the semi-main event of this show. Azusa is just 15 years old while her sister is 20 and both of them already are great. It’s only a matter of time until the Inaba Sisters fully take over the Joshi World. Together they did really well against the first-ever Champions Starlight Kid and KARMA. Umesaki gets better at her alter ego in every match and with them dropping some of the nonsense like the Fireball and more the character gets more serious again which was needed after the terrible start of it. The focal point of this was the interactions between Tomoka and Starlight Kid with them slowly teasing a rivalry here that could be continued to build up in the future. This time, SLK got the better of Tomoka and retained the Tag Titles for a second time. Hanan & Saya Iida and AZM & Miyu Amasaki came out after the match and both Teams issued a challenge. The next New Blood Tag Title defense will be a three-way between WingGori, 02line, and the Champions.
Rina defended her newly won Future Of Stardom Championship in the Main Event of the show against Lady C. It’s scary how good Rina is at basically all aspects of wrestling at the age of 16. She controls matches, knows how to sell moves, and so on. She’s a future Top Girl of the company and this title reign will prove it. On the other side, Lady C didn’t have the best start in her career and is now slowly reaching the third year of experience, so this was her last chance for the Future Title. While her improvement was stagnant for a while, she improved over the last couple of months and gets more comfortable in her role, and it showed it here. A totally solid title defense with Rina walking out as the winner. The story of Rina’s Title run is about her defeating all the older talents that are about to reach the 3 years of experience mark, so her next opponent will be Waka Tsukiyama, who will reach the three-years of experience in October. It’s likely going to be the Main Event of the 10th New Blood show in August.
The Main Event of the recent Korakuen Hall show was Showdown of the Generations. It was Giulia, Mayu Iwatani, Syuri & Tam Nakano vs. Maika, Saya Kamitani, Utami Hayashishita & Suzu Suzuki and this match was as good as expected. A terrific 30-minute stretch of brilliant exchanges, creative sequences, and a bunch of storytelling. This featured everything imaginable. From the tensions of Utami and Saya to Tam and Giulia tagging to Maika and Suzu clearing the ring, a couple of times. On top of that, it teased several possible singles matches in the coming months. Utami vs Saya, Maika vs One of the Top Champs, and so on. This felt like a setup for the remainder of the year. The match ended in a 30-minute time limit draw, and they instantly set up a rematch for the July Korakuen Hall, but this time MIRAI competes in the match instead of Utami who walked out after the match and continues the tensions between her and Saya. The next match will be under Elimination rules so that a winner will be decided. This will be interesting since it will show who STARDOM wants to push in the upcoming months.
TJPW –
Tokyo Joshi announced that Yuka Sakazaki injured her neck and won’t compete in the unforeseeable future. With that, the Korakuen Hall Main Event between her and Mizuki against Rika Tatsumi and Miu Watanabe got changed and the Magical Sugar Rabbits officially vacated the Princess Tag Team Championship. It is yet to be announced how the next Champions will be decided. Furthermore, Yuka’s match against AEW’s Nyla Rose on the Summer Sun Princess Show will be changed. Nyla will still compete on the show, but it is yet to be announced what she will do.
Due to Yuka’s injury, the Tag Team Match between Hakuchumu and MagiRabi changed to a handicap match. This turned this match into an emotional fight of Mizuki against the Miu and Rika who dominated her through the whole match. The POP Champion fought hard from underneath and had a fantastic underdog performance with Yuka supporting her from ringside. She tried her best to not be destroyed by Hakuchumu, but it was inevitable that she falls to the power of Rika and Miu. It was Rika who pinned the POP Champion with the Hip attack in a little under 18 minutes in one of the best handicap matches in recent memory.
The Main Event of the show was Yuki Aino vs Arisu Endo for a shot at the International Princess Championship at Summer Sun Princess. It was the biggest match of Arisu Endo’s career and her first-ever Korakuen Hall Singles Main Event and this was great. The best singles match of both careers by far, with Aino and Endo shining. Yuki Aino was able to win the match and will face Rika Tatsumi for the International Princess Championship at Summer Sun Princess. Arisu showed great effort and played a fantastic underdog in this. She is a Superstar in the making. Just two years into her career and she just gets it. An amazing look, a great move-set, sells well and is easy to root for. She gets better from match to match and proves every time how much potential she has. Yuki Aino on the other side has a ton to prove after her last major title match against Shoko Nakajima for the Princess Of Princess Title wasn’t the best, but she looks better than ever right now with Rika as her opponent this will be a good match on a major show.
