FanPost

STARDOM 5* Grand Prix Recap: Shinkiba 9/7/19

Hey, everyone. There are a lot of shows going in a short period, recently, so I’ll probably be doing 4 recaps this week! It’s a lot to keep up with, but fortunately, it never feels like a chore because of the amazing talent of the performers of Stardom. As for the rest of the 5* Grand Prix, only matches for points will be included in the recaps. A marvelous display of professional wrestling took place in Shinkiba on the 7th and here’s how it went down:

(Red Stars) Natsu Sumire vs. Hazuki – Natsu says this is the match she’s most looked forward to in the tournament, and expresses her intent for it to stay friendly with her Oedo Tai cohort. Hazuki has nothing to say, unsurprisingly. The latter was apparently not aware that the match was supposed to be friendly, as she turns an opening handshake into a DDT rather viciously. That sets the tone for the rest of the contest, as these two go right at each other. This was much faster paced than we normally see from Natsu matches, and it ends when Hazuki hits a brutal-looking brainbuster for the 3 count. Afterwards, Hazuki finally gives Natsu that handshake and they embrace. No hard feelings, it seems.

Hazuki def. Natsu Sumire via pinfall

(Red Stars) Hana Kimura vs. Avary – Avary is beginning to lose it due to being alone in Red Stars with no points. Hana is still not pleased about losing to that bean sprout, Saki Kashima, and vows not to lose again. I think many of us have been a bit grossed out by some of Avary’s heeling choices, but none of us moreso than Hana to start this match. It doesn’t stay comedic for long, however, as the theme becomes Avary’s desperation working against Hana’s aloofness, until Hana realizes the need to step up her game. By the end, the two feel pretty evenly matched, but Hana finds an opening to lock in the Ground Manjikatame and it’s over.

Hana Kimura def. Avary via submission

(Red Stars) Momo Watanabe vs. AZM – AZM seems to be running late, as she cuts her promo short in under 10 seconds. Momo is curious to see how she matches up with her stable mate, as they haven’t gone one-on-one in a few years. Daichi is very over in Shinkiba. AZM is playing mind games with Momo right off the bat, and as she often does, go for a quick series of cover attempts to try to end it quickly. Looks like Momo might’ve caught AZM in the mouth with a kick early, not that it slows the 16-year-old down one bit. AZM looks sharper in this match than she has in any of her other tournament matches. This is quality stuff from two young women (teenagers!) who clearly put a lot of thought into how to make this one count. In the end, Momo stuns AZM with a kick to the head, and capitalizes by locking in a crossface chickenwing sleeper hold, to which AZM quickly submits. Great match. One of my favorites of the whole tournament so far.

Momo Watanabe def. AZM via submission

(Blue Stars) Kagetsu vs. Jamie Hayter – Jamie is working on finding her inner peace, apparently, and it’s not going well. Kagetsu is excited to face Jamie for the first time in singles action. Jamie has such great presence. It’s been said that Kagetsu, as elite as she is in nearly every area, lacks a certain X factor – and Jamie is all X factor. As seems to be happening a lot in these intra-stable matches, Jamie uses what should be a friendly opening handshake as an opportunity for an ambush, turning Kagetsu inside out with a lariat. Kagetsu responds with an impressively effortless Michinoku driver on the bigger Jamie, evening the odds. This feels almost like a High Speed Championship match for stretches with the rapid-fire pace. Daichi takes a shoulder tackle from Jamie as Kagetsu throws him in her path, then with him out of the picture, hits Jamie with a dose of green mist to the face, setting up the 450 splash and a Death Valley Driver for the 3 count. Another post-match embrace displays the unity of Oedo Tai in spite of the ferocity of their contests against one another.

Kagetsu def. Jamie Hayter via pinfall

(Blue Stars) Natsuko Tora vs. Jungle Kyona – Natsuko has little to say, but the evil in her eyes is undeniable. Jungle remembers each encounter with Natsuko from the past, noting that she’s never beaten Natsuko. Natsuko doesn’t even let Jungle make it down the entrance ramp before going on the attack. The bell rings during this ambush, before Jungle can even get her jacket off – not sure that’s how that should work but I don’t make the rules. Natsuko remains in control until an attempt to hit Jungle with an Oedo Tai sign is forcibly stopped by Daichi, giving Jungle an opening to unleash on Natsuko. As is often the case with Natsuko’s matches, this feels less like a wrestling match and more like a fight. Natsuko even hangs Jungle over the side of the ring by the neck with her Blue Stars sash in disturbingly creative fashion before literally taking her outside. Eventually, a spear attempt from Natsuko is beautifully countered by Jungle into the Hammer Throw Powerbomb, putting Natsuko down for the count. Fun match.

Jungle Kyona def. Natsuko Tora via pinfall

(Red Stars) Mayu Iwatani vs. Tam Nakano – Tam says she feels like she’s been picking up pieces of a puzzle in the tournament so far and that God has brought her to this turning point. I’m not entirely sure what she’s talking about but I like her energy. Mayu doesn’t have much to say for her part. Mayu’s left knee, which was injured earlier this year, is wrapped and Tam wisely hones in on it. Both ladies escape several attempts at finishers, but after emptying just about everything in her back of tricks, Mayu hits the full two-stage Dragon Suplex for the win. Fantastic match. They share a very emotional hug after it’s over, walking out in each other’s arms, and the affection between them is evident.

Mayu Iwatani def. Tam Nakano via pinfall

(Blue Stars) Bea Priestley vs. Arisa Hoshiki – The Wonder of Stardom Champion and the World of Stardom Champion both acknowledge the interesting dynamic of this….clash of champions match. Taking after Konami in Arisa’s last match, Bea goes right after Arisa’s legs. After taunting Arisa over who the better champion is, Arisa is able to rally and unleash a flurry of offense ending with a pair of knees to the midsection. The Red Belt champion doesn’t stay down long, however, going back to work on Arisa’s legs at the first opportunity. Shortly after wriggling out of an attempted Queen’s Landing, Arisa hits a pair of bicycle knees, and after taking one from Bea in return, she uncorks a Thesz press into a pinning combination, and shockingly, Bea is unable to kick out. The White Belt Champion gets the upset win (to this author’s great delight, might I say). After the match, Arisa looks for Will Ospreay, who apparently is not, in fact, in attendance. Those who followed their Twitter exchange will be aware that Arisa earned the right to use one of Ospreay’s signature moves as a result of defeating his significant other in this match. That’s something fun to watch out for moving forward.

Arisa Hoshiki def. Bea Priestley via pinfall

Final Thoughts

This was, in my opinion, the best show of the tournament so far when going by match quality. There wasn’t a weak entry among the Grand Prix matches, and my match of the night nod would go to Tam/Mayu, although AZM/Momo was narrowly behind it. A great show capped off by what was (for me) a highly satisfying victory for the White Belt Champion. Two thumbs up.

5* Grand Prix Standings After 5 Days

Blue Stars

6 Points: Jamie Hayter, Konami, Utami Hayashishita

4 Points: Bea Priestley, Andras Miyagi, Arisa Hoshiki, Jungle Kyona, Kagetsu

0 Points: Natsuko Tora

Red Stars

6 Points: Tam Nakano, Hana Kimura, Momo Watanabe, Mayu Iwatani

4 Points: Saki Kashima, AZM, Hazuki

2 Points: Natsu Sumire

0 Points: Avary

Media Wrap

In case you were wondering (and I know you were), P-chan is doing just fine.

Utami’s return is anticipated to be in early November.

A 24-song Stardom CD is to be released in October, per Rossy Ogawa.



The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.