Stardom Shining Stars 2017
Event Date: July 2, 2017
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Koto, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Shinkiba 1st Ring
Attendance: 275
Series: Shining Stars 2017
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Fuka
Match 1
Hina & Rina vs Ruaka
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: the match ends in a Time Limit Draw
Time: 5:00
Match Thoughts
This was a fine preliminary match from three very young women who are still learning. Nothing looked like it connected terribly well, but there were some fun moments such as when Ruaka attempted to put Hina in a Boston Crab multiple times, but Rina kept interfering and frustrating Ruaka.
Match 2
Hanan w/ Hina, Rina vs Starlight Kid
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Starlight Kid wins via pinfall with a crucifix pin
Time: 5:59
Match Thoughts
This was another preliminary match, though both of these young women are a little more experienced in the ring. They kept the pace up and had some nice sequences going on. It felt a little like they were going too fast at times, trying to move to the next move or hold without letting anything really sink in, but they’ll learn as they gain more experience.
Match 3
Hana Kimura & Kagetsu (Goddess of Stardom Champs) vs Gabby Ortiz & Shanna
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Kagetsu pins Gabby Ortiz after an Ebisu Drop (Samoan Driver)
Time: 12:38
Match Thoughts
This was pretty good. It never seemed to get into a great rhythm, but it was fun enough to watch. It kind of felt like it was just a lot of stuff happening until it ended. Ortiz, again, took a lot of the beating from Oedo Tai, while Shanna stood her ground well against Kimura and Kagetsu’s superior teamwork.
Ring Area
Shanna congratulates Oedo Tai on their victory. She offers her hand to Kagetsu, but Kagetsu kicks her in the stomach. Shanna recovers and tells Kagetsu that she wants to challenge Kris Wolf for the High Speed Championship. Kagetsu passes the decision to Hana, and Hana says Shanna can do whatever she wants. All three women joke about not understanding each other, but the match seems to be made regardless of the communication barriers.
Match 4
Natsuko Tora & Jungle Kyona (Artist of Stardom Champ) vs AZM & HZK
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Jungle Kyona pins AZM after a running lariat
Time: 12:42
Match Thoughts
Good match. AZM was a bit of a weak link for her team, but she looked good in the ring. Tora spent a lot of time in the ring for Team Jungle, but Kyona was the one to repeatedly turn the match to their favor throughout. I liked the anger between Kyona and HZK. Though it didn’t necessarily pay off in this match, it feels like they might be headed towards something a bit more personal.
Ring Area
Kyona gets on the mic and expresses how much she hates Oedo Tai. She suggests that Team Jungle and Queen’s Quest join forces to take them down. HZK doesn’t like the idea, but her shared hatred of Oedo Tai leads her to accepting Kyona’s offer. HZK will team with Jungle Kyona to take on Oedo Tai, and after that, HZK wants to face Kyona one-on-one. Kyona agrees.
Hana Kimura and Kagetsu come out to the ring. Kagetsu is confident that she and Hana will win, so she offers to put the titles on the line against HZK and Kyona. Hana approves, so the match is made. Kyona says that after she and HZK take the belts from Oedo Tai, HZK will join Team Jungle. HZK doesn’t say anything, but she shakes Kyona’s hand.
Match 5
Konami & Yoko Bito vs Hiromi Mimura & Mayu Iwatani (World of Stardom Champ, Wonder of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Yoko Bito pins Hiromi Mimura after a high kick
Time: 10:24
Match Thoughts
Good match. This went about as expected, with Iwatani and Bito being dominant and Konami and Mimura taking a bit of a beating (mostly Mimura). This was a good tag match leading into the big Korakuen Hall show though. I feel like it could have been longer, especially since it was the main event. I also would have liked to to have seen Iwatani and Bito get a little more heated in their interactions, but it was a fine match regardless.
Show Impressions
The focus here definitely seemed to be Korakuen Hall. I enjoyed the talking segments for what they were, but the matches overall didn’t quite live up to some of the recent shows leading up to tonight.
Match of the Night
Natsuko Tora & Jungle Kyona vs AZM & HZK
This was the only one where I felt any real emotion between the competitors, and I think it helped the match. Kyona and HZK have an interesting thing going on between them.
Official Results (Japanese): http://wwr-stardom.com/?result=2017%e5%b9%b47%e6%9c%882%e6%97%a5%e3%80%80shining-stars2017