STARDOM NEW SUMMER 2020
Day 1
Event Date: July 11, 2020 (12:30 JST)
matches published on Stardom World
City: Koto, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Shinkiba 1st Ring
Attendance: 140
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
Rina & DEATH Yama-san vs Konami & Jungle Kyona
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Konami submits Rina with the Triangle Lancer
Time: 7:04
Match Thoughts
Good match. I think this, more than anything, was a “welcome back” for Jungle Kyona and a way for Tokyo Cyber Squad to work together after the loss of Hana Kimura. Yama-san and Rina were outmatched by Kyona and Konami, and even though Yama-san did have some great offense, Kyona and Konami dominated this match. Kyona and Konami wisely isolated Rina for much of the match, so it was only a matter of time before the inevitable outcome. This was a nice exhibition for Tokyo Cyber Squad, and it was a good way to start the show.
Ring Area
After the match, Ruaka joins the rest of Tokyo Cyber Squad as they all raise each other’s arms in the center of the ring. Jungle Kyona points up to the sky, and they all salute Hana Kimura with a “yes sir!”
Match 2
Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita vs Saya Iida & Tam Nakano
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Utami Hayashishita pins Saya Iida with a bridging German suplex
Time: 13:32
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I expected this to be sort of an exhibition for Hayashishita and Kamitani since they supposedly still have a tag title shot at some point in the future. The match kind of was an exhibition for them, but it wasn’t easy. Kamitani still shows some of her inexperience in the ring, and she had a tough time against Tam Nakano after a strong start. Hayashishita fared better, but she ended up having a tough time against Iida as the match went longer. Nakano and Iida were a great team, and bought into more than a few near falls from them before the match was over. Nakano and Iida dominated a large portion of the final few minutes of the match, and that forced Hayashishita and Kamitani to work even harder if they wanted any hope of coming out of this with a win. This was a lot closer and more exciting than I expected it to be.
Match 3
Starlight Kid vs Syuri (Artist Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Syuri wins via submission with Suzaku
Time: 10:19
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Syuri and Starlight Kid started the match with a handshake, but things stopped being friendly shortly into the match. After a few high-speed sequences of exchanges that ended in more or less of a stalemate, Syuri really started to lay into Kid with strikes and submission attempts. Syuri went for her arm bar submission (Suzaku) early, and that had Kid’s arm hurting for the rest of the match. Syuri might have gotten a bit too confident though, and that allowed Starlight Kid to come back with some fast and agile offense. Syuri was thrown off, but she recovered and started again with strikes and submissions. This was a strong match for Syuri, and a valiant effort for Starlight Kid.
Match 4
AZM & Momo Watanabe vs Riho (High Speed Champ) & Mayu Iwatani (World Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Mayu Iwatani submits AZM with a modified dragon sleeper
Time: 13:23
Match Thoughts
Very good match. For the first part of the match, Riho was paired with AZM, and Iwatani was paired with Watanabe. Both of these match-ups were great. Riho and AZM zipped around the ring and put on a great high-speed performance, and Iwatani and Watanabe gave us a preview for a possible future World of Stardom title match. After the first few segments, everyone started fighting everyone, but it never really slowed down. Riho and Iwatani smiled nearly constantly as they kicked, slammed, and twisted Queen’s Quest. AZM took a more grim approach to things, and I loved the difference between the two teams. This was a lot of fun.
Match 5
Natsu Sumire & Saki Kashima & Natsuko Tora vs Himeka & Maika (Artist Champ) & Giulia (Artist Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Saki Kashima pins Giulia with Kishikaisei
Time: 20:35
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Donna del Mondo came into the match very confident. With Giulia and Maika being Artist of Stardom champs and with Himeka being new, big, and powerful (at one point she even had Kashima and Sumire both on her shoulders in a double torture rack), why shouldn’t they be confident? They dominated the first part of the match, and they made an example out of Saki Kashima. Kashima got slammed repeatedly as Donna del Mondo tagged in and out in rapid succession. Eventually Oedo Tai had enough, and they started to double and triple team while using distractions, weapons, and other dirty tactics. From there the match became more of a back and forth battle. Kashima got some revenge late in the match when she faced Giulia one on one for a while, but again Donna del Mondo showed their strength. That led to a very nice finish that certainly has Artist of Stardom title implications.
Ring Area
After the match, Giulia is furious. Her faction-mates hold her back from attacking Saki Kashima until she calms down enough to stand still. Kashima taunts Giulia, and she has to be held back again. Kashima tells Donna del Mondo that they want the Artist titles, then Kashima slaps Giulia. Oeda Tai walks away smiling.
Giulia says she’s already decided to give Oedo Tai a title match, and she yells for them to come back to the ring. Syuri (who had been at ringside during the match) asks Giulia to calm down. Giulia yells that she is calm. After Giulia actually calms down, Syuri says that today is no problem. Donna del Mondo are the Artist champs, and they’ll prove that they’re the best by defending them against Oedo Tai. Syuri then closes the show.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. Nothing felt particularly important, but it set up a lot of groundwork for future shows, it built up some teams, and it teased some budding rivalries. Plus, all the action was good. So yeah, I quite enjoyed this show.
Match of the Night
Syuri vs Starlight Kid
It might not have been the most competitive match towards the end, but I really enjoyed the tension between Starlight Kid’s high speed style and Syuri’s more submission oriented attack. I think most of the matches on this show were about even in terms of how good they were, but I’m most likely to revisit Kid versus Syuri before anything else on this show.
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/20200710-2/