Stardom New Year Stars 2018
Event Date: January 7, 2018
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Shimizu, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan
Venue: Shimizu Marine Building Multipurpose Hall
Attendance: 205
Series: New Year Stars 2018
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Fuka
Match 1
Shiki Shibusawa vs Momo Watanabe
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Momo Watanabe wins via pinfall after a running double knee strike
Time: 4:19
Match Thoughts
Good opening match. Prior to the match, Watanabe said she wanted to beat up Shibusawa, and she prety much did. Shibusawa had a little offense and the beginning and a nice burst of offense late in the match, but otherwise this was Watanabe’s match. She struck, kicked, and suplexed Shibusawa a lot, and the finish wasn’t much of a surprise. It was a good match for Shibusawa to get experience, and it was good for Watanabe to be dominant going into the big Queen’s Quest versus Oedo Tai matches.
Match 2
Xia Brookside (IPW:UK Women’s Champ) & Kay Lee Ray vs Konami & Mari Apache (High Speed Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Kay Lee Ray pins Konami after a diving senton bomb
Time: 7:50
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Everyone had a good amount of time in the ring, and everyone seemed to face off against each of their opponents. Kay Lee Ray and Mari Apache wrestle to a standstill was fun, and watching Apache do whatever she wanted to Xia Brookside was fun in a different way. Konami kicked everyone very hard, and this whole match felt like both teams really wanted to show something. I liked it a lot.
Match 3
Hana Kimura (Goddess of Stardom Champ) w/ Tam Nakano vs Hiromi Mimura
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Hana Kimura wins via pinfall after a stalling suplex
Time: 9:41
Match Thoughts
Good match. Part of this felt like a comedy match, though not a full-blown one. Mimura and Kimura got into a shouting match at one point, and Kimura got Mimura to run the ropes and tire herself out at another. After a while the match got more serious, and Hana Kimura started to dominate. Mimura put up a pretty good fight, but Hana took charge of the match and didn’t really ever lose control. Kimura can be deceptive. At times it seems like she’s doesn’t care much, but that’s all for show. She shows surprising strength and smarts in every match she competes in.
Match 4
Sumire Natsu & Kagetsu (Goddess of Stardom Champ) w/ Hana Kimura, Tam Nakano vs Natsuko Tora & Jungle Kyona
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Kagetsu pins Natsuko Tora after an Oedo Coaster
Time: 14:18
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Oedo Tai jumped Team Jungle before the bell, and when Jungle tried to fight back, the entirety of Oedo Tai took the fight to the floor. Oedo Tai kept their advantage for most of the match, and Natsuko Tora seemed to be the one they wanted to isolate. Their plan went well, and this was a well executed match from Oedo Tai.
Match 5
Miranda & Rachael Ellering & Nicole Savoy (Shimmer Champ) vs AZM & HZK (Artist of Stardom Champ) & Io Shirai (Artist and Wonder of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Rachael Ellering pins AZM after a fallaway powerbomb
Time: 14:06
Match Thoughts
Good match. It started with some nice one on one setups, but it quickly devolved into everyone fighting everyone all over the place. Queen’s Quest had the speed advantage, but the World Selection team had a definite size and power advantage. The foreigners were starting to dominate, but Io Shirai helped keep Queen’s Quest in the fight. QQ managed to isolate and focus on Ellering (which makes perfect sense since she will be facing Shirai for her Wonder of Stardom Title soon), and that led to the finish of the match. This was chaotic and entertaining. I think the smaller HZK and AZM both performed very well with their bigger and more experienced opponents.
Ring Area
After the match, Rachael Ellering tells Io Shirai that she wants to be the best. Since Io Shirai is the best in Stardom, after Ellering takes her title, Ellering will be the best.
Show Impressions
Good show. The matches were consistently good throughout the night. Not all of the finishes were surprising, but they made sense heading into some big shows with some big matches over the next few weeks.
Match of the Night
Xia Brookside & Kay Lee Ray vs Konami & Mari Apache
All the matches tonight were good, but I really liked the action and competitive nature of this one.
Official Results (Japanese): http://wwr-stardom.com/?result=2018%E5%B9%B41%E6%9C%887%E6%97%A5%E3%80%80new-year-stars2018