STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2020
Event Date: August 9, 2020 (11:30 JST)
matches published on Stardom World
City: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 402
Series: 5★STAR GP
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
Rina & DEATH Yama-san vs Hina & Saya Kamitani (Goddess Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Saya Kamitani pins Rina after a running shooting star press
Time: 5:13
Match Thoughts
This was a good opener. I was a little surprised that Yama-sana and Kamitani were in this match instead of in a tournament match against each other tonight, but I guess not every night will have eight tournament matches. I liked seeing Kamitani in this match. I know she’s moving beyond the young wrester status, but sometimes seeing her in a dominant position helps her character. She’s been the weak link by default in a lot of matches lately, so this match was a good boost for her.
Match 2
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Maika (2 pts) (Future & Artist Champ) w/ Giulia, Himeka, Syuri vs Saya Iida (0 pts)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Maika wins via pinfall after a cross-arm STO
Time: 7:19
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was even better than I expected it might be. Maika came into the match supremely confident, and I didn’t think she would have too much trouble with Iida. Iida was great tonight though, and she attacked Maika with power and strikes that had her reeling for a good part of the match. I really like both of these wrestlers a lot, and this match is a perfect example of why. They’re both really good at what they do.
Match 3
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Starlight Kid (2 pts) vs Mayu Iwatani (0 pts) (World Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Mayu Iwatani wins via submission with a modified dragon sleeper
Time: 13:33
Match Thoughts
Great match! After her loss to Giulia last night, I’m sure Iwatani felt like she needed a win tonight. Even so, it didn’t seem like she took Starlight Kid as seriously as she should have. Kid started the match with a flurry of offense in her high speed style, and Iwatani tried to match Kid speed for speed. Iwatani mostly kept up, but she also tripped up which gave Kid an early advantage. Iwatani then started to wrestle more of her own style of match, and she dominated Kid with a smile on her face. Iwatani’s smile was short-lived though, because Kid came back with a fantastic series of offense that looked quite brutal at times. That led to a tense finish with both wrestlers pulling out new and modified moves to try to deal with their friend and opponent. This match definitely showed that Starlight Kid has potential to move up the card. After this match and the match she had with Syuri last month, Starlight Kid is proving that she can go head to head with the best in Stardom.
Match 4
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
AZM (2 pts) (High Speed Champ) vs Momo Watanabe (0 pts)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Momo Watanabe wins via submission with a crossface chickenwing
Time: 9:54
Match Thoughts
Great match. Just like the previous match tonight, this was a unit battle with a young member facing the leader. And just like the previous match, the young member came out with a fast flurry of offense. AZM looked great against Momo Watanabe, and Watanabe had to push through some very tough looking predicaments to not get beat tonight. It feels like these intra-unit battles tend to be some of the most fiercely contested matches, and I love it.
Match 5
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Konami (2 pts) vs Tam Nakano (0 pts)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Tam Nakano wins via pinfall with a bridging tiger suplex
Time: 10:50
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Nakano came into this match with a plan to throw a lot of kicks, but Konami has a lot of kicks of her own. Plus, Konami loves to tie people up into submissions, so Nakano needed to try to keep Konami at a distance while landing more kicks than she was receiving. Nakano’s plan didn’t work so well for her early in the match. Konami tended to dominate Nakano, and it took Nakano a long time before she was able to sustain much offense. Nakano started landing more kicks though, and that led to a fun finish.
Match 6
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Natsuko Tora (0 pts) vs Utami Hayashishita (2 pts) (Goddess Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Utami Hayashishita wins via DQ (after Natsuko Tora hangs her over the top rope with a chain around her neck)
Time: 10:15
Match Thoughts
Great match. Tora attacked Hayashishita before the bell, and it seemed like Tora was more concerned with hurting Hayashishita than with winning the match. Tora repeatedly used weapons and cheated, and even though Hayashishita put up a strong fight, Tora punished her with tons of dirty offense. Tora’s chances in the tournament look slim, but she could very well destroy someone else’s chances just through the destruction she’s trying to cause. Also, if this match leads to a grudge match between Tora and Hayashishita (possibly a no DQ match), then I’ll be very happy.
Match 7
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Syuri (2 pts) (Artist Champ) w/ Maika vs Jungle Kyona (0 pts)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Syuri wins via submission with Suzaku
Time: 12:39
Match Thoughts
Great match. Once again I was really pulling for Kyona tonight, but I also really like Syuri, so I was torn. Regardless of the winner, I expected this to be a very competitive match. Kyona needs a big win, and Syuri is on a rampage right now, so I really wasn’t sure who was going to come out on top. Both wrestlers looked very strong, and they used their own styles in great ways. Kyona would hit a series of power moves, but then Syuri would counter and tie Kyona up. That happened throughout the match, and it was great to watch.
Match 8
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Himeka (2 pts) w/ Maika vs Giulia (2 pts) (Wonder & Artist Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Himeka wins via pinfall after a running powerbomb
Time: 15:14
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This was an important match, not just because whoever won would be sitting alone atop the red block with four points, but because it was another intra-unit battle. Himeka is the newest member of Donna del Mondo, so beating Giulia, the leader of the unit, would be huge. Plus, Giulia is the Wonder of Stardom champ, so you’d imagine a win from Himeka would put her in line for a title shot.
The action in this match consisted of a lot of strikes and an increasing amount of slams (mostly from Himeka). Himeka was able to use her size and power extremely well, and that put Giulia on the defensive a lot. Giulia tried to meet Himeka face to face in the center of the ring a lot, but Himeka often seemed to be a step or two ahead of Himeka. Even so, Giulia is difficult to put away, and the longer the match went on the more it felt like Giulia was going to mount a strong comeback. I liked this match a lot, and I think the importance of it made it a great main event for night two of the 5 Star GP.
Show Impressions
This was a great show. It was even better than night one. I think a lot of that had to do with the three intra-unit battles. Those matches felt especially important, and the action absolutely lived up to the importance.
As for the standings so far, DDM is still going strong. Sure, it’s only the second night of action, but I feel like all four members of DDM will be in contention for winning their block until very late in the tournament. I think Natsuko Tora is going to be the biggest spoiler in regards to her desire to just hurt people, and I think Saya Iida could be another big spoiler when she finally gets a win or two.
Match of the Night
Starlight Kid vs Mayu Iwatani
There were a lot of great matches tonight, and it’s really hard to pick just one. My initial reaction is that I enjoyed Starlight Kid vs Mayu Iwatani the most though, so I’m picking that one.
Standings After Day 2
Red Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Himeka | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Giulia (Wonder & Artist Champ) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Konami | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mayu Iwatani (World Champ) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Starlight Kid | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tam Nakano | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| DEATH Yama-san | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Saya Kamitani (Goddess Champ) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Blue Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maika (Future & Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Syuri (Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Utami Hayashishita (Goddess Champ) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| AZM (High Speed Champ) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Momo Watanabe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jungle Kyona | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Natsuko Tora | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Saya Iida | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/2020-8-9korakuen/