Stardom New Year Stars 2018
Event Date: January 3, 2018 (18:00 JST)
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Koto, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Shinkiba 1st Ring
Attendance: 445
Series: New Year Stars 2018
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Fuka
Match 1
Hanan w/ Hina, Rina vs Ruaka vs Shiki Shibusawa
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Shiki Shibusawa pins Hanan with a prawn hold
Time: 5:36
Match Thoughts
This was okay. There were times when you could really see all of the wrestlers thinking hard about what to do next, and sometimes one of them would do something that didn’t make much sense in a three way battle (such as not attempting to break up a pin), but this wasn’t a bad rookie opener. I liked some of the fake-outs and team-ups.
Match 2
Kaori Yoneyama vs Hiromi Mimura
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Kaori Yoneyama wins vis pinfall with a seated roll-up
Time: 7:22
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. This was kind of goofy, but it was fun. Yoneyama mentioned Mimura’s shout before the match, and the two of them traded shouts while in a submission hold at one point during the match. There were also a lot of comedy bits where Toneyama got upset with the crowd for supporting Mimura instead of her, and of Mimura going for a signature move only to be thwarted by Yoneyama slowly moving out of the way time and time again. I did like the personality shown by both women here.
Match 3
Xia Brookside (IPW:UK Women’s Champ) & Miranda vs Starlight Kid & Konami
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Xia Brookside pins Starlight Kid with a bridging split leg pin
Time: 7:16
Match Thoughts
Good match. Miranda looked particularly good in this one. She controlled the flow of the match when she was in the ring, mostly against Starlight Kid. Brookside and Konami seemed like a more even battle with some back and forth action. The finish seemed to be a bit understated, but it worked well.
Match 4
Rachael Ellering & Nicole Savoy (Shimmer Champ) & Kay Lee Ray vs Natsuko Tora & Jungle Kyona & Mari Apache (High Speed Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Kay Lee Ray pins Natsuko Tora after a Gory Bomb
Time: 11:41
Match Thoughts
Good match. Savoy, Ellering, and Ray all looked very good in this one. It almost felt like it was an exhibition for them, but Kyona, Apache, and (to a lesser degree) Tora put up a good fight. Ellering was fast and chaotic, Savoy was strong and technical, and Ray had some nice strikes. They worked well together.
Ring Area
Delirious and Mandy Leon come out to the ring. They are joined by Rossy Ogawa, and they have a title belt with them. Delirious announces that Ring of Honor is going to hold a 16 woman tournament to crown the inaugural Women of Honor Champion, and four members of the Stardom Roster will participate: Kagetsu, Hana Kimura, HZK, and Mayu Iwatani.
Match 5
Sumire Natsu & Kris Wolf (AWS Women’s Champ) & Hana Kimura & Kagestsu (Goddess of Stardom Champs) w/ Tam Nakano vs AZM & Momo Watanabe & HZK (Artist of Stardom Champ) & Io Shirai (Artist of Stardom & Wonder of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: HZK pins Kris Wolf after a running single-leg dropkick
Time: 18:09
Match Thoughts
Good match. The match started with a brawl, then Oedo Tai started to take control with superior numbers and lots of dirty and humiliating tactics. Queen’s Quest would make a comeback though, fighting hard to push Oedo Tai back. Oedo Tai seemed to have trouble keeping up at times, but at other times they were in complete control. I liked the way the match flowed back and forth, and I liked the teamwork shown by both groups.
Ring Area
After the match, Io Shirai celebrates Queen’s Quest winning the first main event of 2018. She’s tired of Oedo Tai, so she proposes a 5-on-5 match on January 21st.
Kagetsu gets on the mic and says Oedo Tai lost to Queen’s Quest on purpose tonight and they should be thanking Kris Wolf. Kagetsu also announces that Tam Nakano will join her in fighting against Queen’s Quest at Korakuen Hall.
Nakano is excited to get back into the ring, a little too excited for Kagetsu’s taste. Kagetsu then suggests a stipulation for their tag match. The person who loses the match will have to leave their team. Shirai thinks Kagetsu is stupid, but she agrees to the stipulation.
Show Impression
I liked this show. As usual, the matches got better as they went along. Throughout the night there was a little comedy, some pretty good fights, and some fun action. It didn’t seem like a super important show, but it was a good one.
Match of the Night
Queen’s Quest vs Oedo Tai
This one had the best back and forth action of the night.
Official Results (in Japanese): http://wwr-stardom.com/?result=2018%E5%B9%B41%E6%9C%883%E6%97%A5%E3%80%80new-year-stars2018