Stardom Shining Stars 2017
Event Date: June 17, 2017
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Naka, Yokohama, Japan
Venue: Yokohama Radiant Hall
Attendance: 245
Series: Shining Stars 2017
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Fuka
Match 1
Hina & Rina vs Hanan
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: the match ends in a time limit draw
Time: 5:00
Match Thoughts
This was, understandably, a lot like their match on the previous show. Hanaan usually maintained control, but her sisters kept double-teaming when they needed to in order to keep the match going. Hanaan looked like she was about to win when the short time limit expired. This was a fine opener for the young girls. They’re showing some pretty good personality, especially Rina.
Match 2
Ruaka & Hetzza vs Dancing Stars (Starlight Kid & Hiromi Mimura)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Hiromi Mimura pins Ruaka with the Endless Waltz (seated rollup)
Time: 7:29
Match Thoughts
I liked this one. There was a lot of back and forth with no real narrative to the action, but the pace was high and it was fun to watch. I think the best action took place between Ruaka and Starlight Kid, followed closely by the final sequence where Mimura and Ruaka traded pinning combinations.
Match 3
Three Way Battle
Rebel vs Hana Kimura vs Natsuko Tora
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Hana Kimura pins Natsuko Tora after a diving front dropkick
Time: 9:52
Match Thoughts
Good match. Kimura was being her arrogant self in the beginning, so Rebel and Tora dumped her out of the ring and started this three way match on their own. They kept preventing Kimura from getting into the ring for a while, but she eventually made it back in. From there it seemed to gradually shift so the majority of the action was between Kimura and Tora. This made the match feel like a succession of one-on-ones rather than three-way action, but it was still entertaining.
Match 4
Gabby Ortiz & Shanna vs Konami & Mayu Iwatani (Wonder of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Konami pins Gabby Ortiz after a buzzsaw kick
Time: 9:31
Match Thoughts
Good match. It started strong right away with Shanna exchanging moves with Iwatani in a very nice opening sequence. Konami and Ortiz followed that up with a sequence of their own, then the match started to work into a nice flow. This was Ortiz’s Stardom debut, and she looked good even if she did become a punching (and kicking) bag at times. Out of this match I’d like to see Shanna challenge Iwatani for the Wonder of Stardom Title at some point.
Match 5
Artist of Stardom Title Match
Team Jungle (Kaori Yoneyama & Jungle Kyona (Goddess of Stardom Champ) & Hiroyo Matsumoto (Goddess of Stardom Champ, Oz Academy Openweight Champ, Sendai Girls World Champ)) vs Queen’s Quest (AZM & HZK & Io Shirai (World of Stardom Champ)) (Artist of Stardom Champs)
(referee: Daichi Murayama; title match official: Rossy Ogawa)
Result: Jungle Kyona pins AZM after a diving splash and Team Jungle becomes the new Artist of Stardom Champs
Time: 16:48
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a good main event and a nice title match. Everyone in the match contributed and helped make this match fun to watch. The newest member of Team Jungle, Kaori Yoneyama, had a surprisingly good sequence somewhere towards the middle of the match that felt like really helped turn the tide. Prior to that, Queen’s Quest seemed to be largely in control, with Io Shirai looked dominant as usual. Later in the match Jungle Kyona got isolated, but the teamwork of Team Jungle (and the power of Matsumoto in particular) helped the challengers immensely.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. I really liked the title match, it had Gabby Ortiz’s Stardom debut, and all the matches had something about them that set each one apart.
Match of the Night
Artist of Stardom Title Match
All the matches on this show were entertaining, but this felt the most competitive. As it should. And I liked how there were little surprises in it such as Yoneyama’s strong performance and Io Shirai getting shut down at times by Team Jungle.
Official Results (Japanese): http://wwr-stardom.com/?result=2017%E5%B9%B46%E6%9C%8817%E6%97%A5%E3%80%80shining-stars2017