Stardom NEWYEAR STARS 2020
Event Date: January 2, 2020 (18:00 JST)
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Koto, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Shinkiba 1st Ring
Attendance: 408
Series: NEWYEAR STARS 2020
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yurie Kozakai
Match 1
Rina & Ruaka vs Hina & Leo Onozaki
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Hina pins Rina with the Gedo Clutch
Time: 3:56
Match Thoughts
This was a fine opener. Fast-paced and short. Queen’s Quest (Hina and Leo Onozaki) probably looked a little better than Tokyo Cyber Squad (Rina & Ruaka), but both teams were good. My favorite past of the match was probably Rina’s very nice royal octopus hold, but she should have held it a bit longer.
Match 2
Leyla Hirsch vs Itsuki Hoshino vs Saya Iida
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Leyla Hirsch pins Itsuki Hoshino after a diving moonsault
Time: 4:49
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was Hirsch’s first match in Stardom, and she made a good impressions. She used her sizable strength advantage in this three-way bout, and she looked good. Hoshino used her speed, and Iida used a combination of speed and strength, and everyone battled fairly evenly in this short match. I think Hoshino was the smartest in the ring, but Hirsch’s power was difficult to overcome.
Match 3
Zoey Skye & Natsu Sumire & Natsuko Tora vs Utami Hayashishita (Future, SWA, & Artist Champ) & Momo Watanabe (Artist Champ) & Bea Priestley
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Momo Watanabe pins Natsu Sumire with Tequila Sunrise (bridging hammerlock & half nelson suplex)
Time: 11:41
Match Thoughts
Very good match. It started off great even before the bell with Natsu Sumire incessantly throwing things at Queen’s Quest as they tried to pose during their ring entrance. The match was back and forth, but after a while (and after some cheating), Oedo Tai began to take over. Queen’s Quest is strong though, and made a few quick comebacks as the match went on. I particularly enjoyed the segment between Priestley and Skye and the segment leading up to the finish between Sumire and Watanabe.
Match 4
Session Moth Martina & Jamie Hayter vs Andras Miyagi & Giulia
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Giulia submits Martina with Stealth Viper
Time: 7:38
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Giulia was the most aggressive person in this match by far. She started by leading Miyagi in an attack on Martina and Hayter before the opening bell, and Giulia continued to try to hurt and humiliate her opponents throughout the match. She did a good job of it too. Giulia was a monster. Hayter could barely keep up, and Martina didn’t want any part of her. This was a lot of fun to watch.
Match 5
AZM (Artist Champ) & Kagetsu vs Starlight Kid & Mayu Iwatani (World Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: AZM submits Starlight Kid with La Mistica
Time: 15:02
Match Thoughts
Great match. This match was part of Kagetsu’s road to retirement, so she had a rather unusual pairing with AZM as her partner. They turned out to be a great team, and it’s a shame we won’t get to see them together like this again. Kagetsu likes to humiliate people, and AZM seemed to have a great time joining her. Starlight Kid took an unusual amount of punishment throughout the match, but especially early on when Kagetsu and AZM completely had their way with her. After a while it seemed like Iwatani and Kagetsu were just there to support Starlight Kid and AZM, and that was fine. Starlight Kid and AZM had a great match against each other that built up very nicely to its finish.
Match 6
Death Yama-san & Konami (Goddess Champ) & Jungle Kyona (Goddess Champ) & Hana Kimura vs Saya Kamitani & Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano & Arisa Hoshiki (Wonder Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Konami submits Saya Kamitani with the Triangle Lancer
Time: 14:39
Match Thoughts
Great match. This was a fun and chaotic main event where most of the match was fought with all eight women in and out of the ring at all times. That is, except for the first few minutes when Saya Kamitani got absolutely destroyed. Kamitani got a little bit of revenge later when her team isolated Jungle Kyona for a while, but Kamitani definitely took a ton of damage throughout the match. Tokyo Cyber Squad (Hana Kimura’s team) looked like the better team tonight overall, but both sides had moments of dominance. I enjoyed this quite a lot.
Ring Area
After the match, Tokyo Cyber Squad closes out the show by promising to take over Stardom in 2020.
Show Impressions
This was a fun show. They started the year on a high note, and I’m excited to see what the rest of the year brings!
Match of the Night
Stars vs Tokyo Cyber Squad (main event)
I think the final two matches of the night were both great in their own ways, but the main event had more going for it overall.
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/2020%e5%b9%b41%e6%9c%882%e6%97%a5%e3%80%80newyear-stars-2020/