STARDOM NewYear Stars 2020
Osaka Evening Show
Event Date: February 11, 2020 (17:00 JST)
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Minato, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Venue: Osaka World Pavilion (Osaka Sekaikan)
Attendance: 188
Series: NewYear Stars 2020
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yurie Kozakai (1 – 4, 6), Yoritaka Ando (5)
Match 1
Jamie Hayter (SWA & Goddess Champ) vs Leo Onozaki
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: Jamie Hayter wins via pinfall after an ushigaroshi
Time: 4:28
Match Thoughts
This was a fine opener. Onozaki seemed outmatched, but she did fine against her much bigger and stronger opponent. Hayter relied on strength while Onozaki tried to get in some nice pinning holds (after her strikes were fairly ineffective).
Match 2
Itsuki Hoshino vs Konami vs Bea Priestley (Goddess Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Bea Priestley pins Itsuki Hoshino after a Kamigoye
Time: 5:07
Match Thoughts
Good match. Priestley and Konami pretty much just wanted to fight (and mostly kick) each other, so that kind of left Hoshino the odd person out. Hoshino repeatedly took advantage of Konami and Priestley not paying attention to her though. Hoshino came up with a few really good pin attempts on both of her opponents, and she forced Priestley to take her at least somewhat seriously. This was another good match for Hoshino.
Match 3
High Speed Grand Prix Round Robin Match
Zoey Skye (0 pts – 0:1:0) vs DEATH Yama-san (4 pts – 2:1:0)
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: Zoey Skye wins via pinfall after a back cracker
Time: 2:31
Match Thoughts
This was a fast and fun match. DEATH Yama-san came in with her funny shtick, but Zoey Skye wasn’t having any of it. Early in the match, Yama-san was able to trick Skye with some of her shenanigans, but Skye caught on pretty quickly. There were some nice exchanges here.
Match 4
Natsu Sumire & Saki Kashima & Natsuko Tora vs Saya Iida & Starlight Kid & Tam Nakano
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: Saki Kashima pins Saya Iida after My Emblem
Time: 10:47
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Stars worked well as a team in brief moments, but Oedo Tai worked well as a team throughout the entire match. Oedo Tai had a plan, and they executed it well. They were able to shut down any attempt at sustained offense from Stars, and they were able to isolate Saya Iida towards the end of the match. This was a string performance for Oedo Tai, and I liked it a lot.
Match 5
Leyla Hirsch & Jungle Kyona & Hana Kimura vs AZM & Utami Hayashishita (Future Champ) & Momo Watanabe
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: Utami Hayashishita pins Leyla Hirsch with a bridging German suplex
Time: 10:57
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I think Queen’s Quest had something to prove tonight after having recently lost the Artist of Stardom Titles. Although they struggled in the early parts of the match, Queen’s Quest did find their rhythm as a team in the later stages. Before that though, Tokyo Cyber Squad dominated with some strong individual performances from Hana Kimura and Leyla Hirsch. Kyona and Kimura worked well as a team, but Hirsch still feels a little left out when it comes to teamwork within TCS, and Queen’s Quest exploited that weakness.
Match 6
Maika & Syuri & Giulia (Artist Champs) vs Saya Kamitani & Arisa Hoshiki (Wonder Champ) & Mayu Iwatani (World Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Giulia pins Saya Kamitani after the Glorious Driver
Time: 17:09
Match Thoughts
Very good match. It started with Maika versus Kamitani, then it moved on to Syuri versus Iwatani. Those were both good sequences, but things really got interesting when Giulia and Hoshiki entered the match. They didn’t run in and attack each other, they just slowly walked towards each other. Hoshiki struck first. She grabbed Giulia by the hair and hit her with a headbutt. Hoshiki then just smiled while she waited for Giulia to regain her senses. Giulia then attacked Hoshiki, and that started a trend that would have Giulia and Hoshiki dare each other to hit them before striking as hard as they could.
The match opened up from there as well. Everyone got involved, and the match had a really good pace. Giulia and Hoshiki were still mostly focused on each other, but they both worked well with their teammates when they needed to. I enjoyed this quite a lot, and it make me look forward to a Giulia versus Hoshiki match even more than before.
Ring Area
After the match, Giulia says their match with Stars was fun, but their next challenge will be Oedo Tai when they come after the Artist of Stardom Titles. While Giulia is talking, Natsuko Tora, Natsu Sumire, and Saki Kashima come out. Each member of Oedo Tai takes an Artist title belt while Tora insults Donna del Mondo. Tora also proposes a date for their title match: February 22 in Osaka. Giulia says that’s fine, then she closes the show without the help of the fans in attendance.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. This was a second show of the day, and I think it was probably a little better than the earlier event. The second half on this show was quite good, even if the matches didn’t really mean much as far as story lines go. I liked the action, and that’s what’s most important. I was very much intrigued by Giulia versus Hoshiki though.
Match of the Night
Donna del Mondo vs Stars (main event)
I had the most fun with this one, even though I think the final three matches were all about equally good.
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/2020%e5%b9%b42%e6%9c%8811%e6%97%a5%e3%80%80stardom-newyear-stars-2020%ef%bc%88%e5%a4%9c%ef%bc%89/