Stardom Shining Stars 2017
Event Date: June 25, 2017
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Nishi, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Venue: Osaka City Nishi Ward Center
Attendance: 305
Series: Shining Stars 2017
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Fuka
Match 1
Ruaka & Starlight Kid vs Hanan & Hiromi Mimura
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Hiromi Mimura pins Ruaka with the Endless Waltz (seated rollup)
Time: 8:20
Match Thoughts
This was a pretty good opener. Mimura was the oldest of the group by a good number of years, but she was also the shortest of the bunch. Ruaka had a little fun with Mimura’s height by putting her hand up for a test of strength and stretched her arm out of Mimura’s reach. Mimura didn’t like that very much and retaliated with a kick to the back after she had tagged Hanan in. From there the match was decent. I liked the teamwork from both teams.
Match 2
Hetzza vs Konami
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Konami wins via submission with a modified Kona Lock (figure four calf slicer)
Time: 5:21
Match Thoughts
This was pretty good, but Hetzza never seemed to have a chance. Konami controlled the pace of the match right from the start. She began with some takedowns and kicks, but Hetzza eventually managed a little bit of offense. Konami then moved to submissions which Hetzza didn’t really have an answer for.
Match 3
Gabby Ortiz vs Shanna
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Shanna wins via pinfall after a Dragon Slayer (lifting double underhook facebuster)
Time: 9:18
Match Thoughts
This was okay. They didn’t seem quite in sync all the time, so some moments felt a little awkward or forced. But when they did get on the same page the match was nice. The finish was good, and there was a good exchange from the apron to the floor which culminated with a dive from Shanna. Ortiz said this was her first singles match, so for that I think it was an impressive showing.
Match 4
Hana Kimura & Kagetsu (Goddess of Stardom Champs) vs AZM & HZK
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Hana Kimura pins AZM after a brainbuster
Time: 12:19
Match Thoughts
Good match! Queen’s Quest (AZM & HZK) looked surprisingly good against the new tag champs. At the beginning of the match though, Oedo Tai (Kimura & Kagetsu) immediately took the fight to ringside. They brawled with Queen’s Quest with both teams getting some shots in, but Oedo Tai seemed to have the advantage. The brawl eventually made it to the stage area where Kagetsu accidentally hit Kimura in the head with a chair. Queen’s Quest would take over and dominate the majority of the match from there. I like that Queen’s Quest had such a strong showing with Io Shirai taking time off for injury, but I also really liked Oedo Tai’s teamwork. They were the better team in this match.
Match 5
Natsuko Tora & Jungle Kyona (Artist of Stardom Champ) vs Yoko Bito & Mayu Iwatani (Wonder of Stardom Champ, World of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Mayu Iwatani pins Natsuko Tora after a diving frog splash
Time: 16:16
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a nicely competitive main event. The momentum shifted back and forth throughout the match, but if I had to give one team the edge I would say B.I. Ho (Bito & Iwatani) got the better of Team Jungle (Tora & Kyona) overall. Kyona did well, but there were long stretches of the match where Tora simply got beat up by her opponents. Tora did manage some good offense though, and she had a few nice near falls on the new World of Stardom Champ Mayu Iwatani. Ultimately though, this was Iwatani’s match. She looked extremely confident in the ring.
Show Impressions
This show was okay. It didn’t feel particularly important and the three undercard matches were fine, but they weren’t great. The two closing tag matches were good though.
Match of the Night
Oedo Tai vs Queen’s Quest
Both of the final two tag matches were good, probably equally so but for different reasons. I think the in-ring action might have been better in the Team Jungle vs B.I. Ho, but I liked the story going on throughout the Tai/Quest match. It was simple, but I liked how the momentum shifted through Kagetsu’s mistake and it took her and Kimura almost all of the rest of the match to make a comeback. I also liked the showing from Queen’s Quest.
Official results (Japanese): http://wwr-stardom.com/?result=2017%E5%B9%B46%E6%9C%8825%E6%97%A5%E3%80%80shining-stars2017