Stardom Osaka Nighttime Event
Event Date: February 24, 2018
matches published individually on Stardom World
#stardomworld
City: Minato, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Venue: Osaka World Hall
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
Shiki Shibusawa vs Starlight Kid vs Tam Nakano
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Tam Nakano pins Starlight Kind after a spin kick
Time: 4:49
Match Thoughts
This was a better than average opener. The three women went for a series of pinfall attempts right from the start, then they moved on to some double-teaming. Kid and Nakano both had some moments when they dominated, though this match was pretty even throughout. The best part was probably Kid’s double Muta Lock on both Nakano and Shibusawa at the same time. She should have kept the hold on longer, but it was fun while it lasted.
Match 2
IPW:UK Women’s Title Match
Natsuko Tora vs Xia Brookside (IPW:UK Women’s Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama; title match official: Rossy Ogawa)
Result: Xia Brookside wins via pinfall with a bridging inverted prawn hold after pulling Tora from the top turnbuckle
Time: 8:53
Match Thoughts
Good match. Brookside with a lot of hard strikes, and she seemed to be ahead of Tora throughout much of the match. Tora had a string of offense in the middle of the match, but Brookside survived the onslaught and fought back with her superior speed. This was a solid match, though I never really felt like Tora was going to take the title from Brookside.
Match 3
Jenny Rose & Bea Priestley & Kaori Yoneyama vs Momo Watanabe & HZK (Artist Champ) & Io Shirai (Artist, Wonder Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Io Shirai pins Jenny Rose after a diving moonsault
Time: 10:32
Match Thoughts
Good match. Priestley and Watanabe started the match by exchanging some hard kicks, and that set a good tone for the rest of the match. Every woman had a few moments to shine. It ended up with Shirai and Rose in the ring. Rose used her power to get some early offense on Shirai, but Shirai’s tenacity, brains, and agility allowed her to quickly come back and dominate Rose in the end.
Match 4
Shimmer Title Match
Jungle Kyona vs Nicole Savoy (Shimmer Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama; title match official: Rossy Ogawa)
Result: Nicole Savoy wins via submission with the Rings of Saturn
Time: 13:22
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Savoy dominated the early part of this match. She was so in-control of Kyona that it seemed like Savoy didn’t take the match very seriously after a while. Kyona persevered despite the pain, and she began to mount a comeback that was rather impressive. This was a very hard fought match, and Kyona managed to win a lot of respect from Savoy (and probably a lot of fans). I really enjoyed this and would definitely watch it again.
Match 5
SWA Title Match
Miranda vs Toni Storm (Progress Women’s Champ, SWA Champ, World of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki; title match official: Rossy Ogawa)
Result: Toni Storm wins via pinfall after a piledriver
Time: 8:24
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. I would say this was practically an exhibition for Storm. It took Miranda quite a while to get going, and even when she did get a little offense, it never felt like Storm was in trouble. This was Miranda’s last match on her tour with Stardom, so this was possibly a way for the company to thank her for her work. It was definitely her most high profile match in Stardom.
Match 6
Sumire Natsu & Hana Kimura (Goddess Champ) & Kagetsu (Goddess Champ) vs Konami & Hiromi Mimura & Mayu Iwatani
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Kgetsu pins Hiromi Mimura after the Oedo Coaster
Time: 17:00
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was Mimura’s last match in Osaka, so she became the focal point near the end of the match. The best part for me was the fight between Kagetsu and Iwatani though. They hit hard and moved very quickly against each other. Out of this entire match, what I really want to see come out of it is a singles match between Kagetsu and Mayu Iwatani.
Show Impressions
This was an entertaining show. It easily felt like a more important show than the daytime event earlier the same day. The title matches were mostly good, and the main event was fun.
Match of the Night
Shimmer Title Match
This was the best match in my eyes. The struggle that Jungle Kyona went through was very engaging.