STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2020
Event Date: September 6, 2020 (13:00 JST)
matches published on Stardom World
City: Taihaku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Venue: Sendai PIT
Attendance: 156
Series: 5★STAR GP 2020
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
Hina & Rina vs Hanan & Mayu Iwatani (World Champ)
(referee: Mac Takeda)
Result: Mayu Iwatani submits Hina with a modified dragon sleeper
Time: 5:35
Match Thoughts
Good match. In just her second match back after a lengthy time away recovering from an injury, Hanan was in a much better position to win tonight than she was last night. Hanan was smart and let Iwatani do most of the work. Hina and Rina worked as a unit almost the entire time, and they got some offense on the World of Stardom champion, but it was only a matter of time before Iwatani was able to overcome the sisters. Hanan got to celebrate a win tonight, and she probably didn’t even break a sweat.
Match 2
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Jungle Kyona (2 pts) vs Saya Iida (0 pts)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Jungle Kyona wins via pinfall after a diving splash
Time: 6:35
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was power versus power, but Kyona is bigger and more powerful than Iida. Iida persevered, but she kept coming up short when she and Kyona would trade strikes or go for power moves. Iida did best when she was using some of her quicker moves like dropkicks. Kyona was just too strong though, and Iida couldn’t outlast her bigger opponent.
Match 3
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Himeka (6 pts) w/ Maika, Giulia vs Saya Kamitani (0 pts) (Goddess Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Time Limit Draw
Time: 20:00
Match Thoughts
This was pretty surprising. Himeka came into the match sitting alone at the top of the block, and Kamitani came in tied for last with zero points. Himeka dominated the first part of the match, which isn’t surprising at all, but then Himeka took an ill-advised trip out to ringside. Himeka enjoyed slamming Kamitani all around the ringside area, but Kamitani managed to run Himeka shoulder-first into the ring post. Himeka’s shoulder was already taped up, so the shot with the post made the target even bigger. Kamitani proceeded to focus almost all of her attacks on Himeka’s shoulder, and that was enough to keep Himeka struggling for any sort of offense for the rest of the match. Kamitani was relentless, and she even shoved the referee out of the way more than a few times (which I felt was getting her very close to a disqualification). The match wasn’t always pretty, and it was often not pretty at all, but it definitely did a lot for Kamitani’s respectability in the tournament. Granted, Kamitani had trouble putting away an already injured opponent, but still, it showed she has a lot of determination.
Match 4
Saki Kashima w/ Natsuko Tora vs Momo Watanabe
(referee: Mac Takeda)
Result: Momo Watanabe wins via DQ when Kashima hits her repeatedly with a chair
Time: 6:45
Match Thoughts
Good match. After Kashima helped Tora choke Watanabe with a chain last night, Watanabe was ready for some revenge. Watanabe started strong and went right after Kashima. Kashima endured the onslaught and began to pick Watanabe apart by capitalizing on mistakes. Watanabe wouldn’t be stopped though, so Tora made her presence felt later in the match to help Kashima. Ultimately, Oedo Tai wasn’t interested in actually winning the match tonight. Kashima and Tora just wanted to hurt Watanabe, so that’s what they did. They also made her really, really angry, so we’ll see where this goes from here.
Also, this match was originally scheduled to be a 5★STAR GP match with Watanabe versus Syuri, but Syuri missed tonight’s event due to a family emergency. Looking on Twitter, Syuri’s mother was hospitalized on September 5th. Syuri’s absence gave Watanabe a bye in her match, but I think everyone’s thoughts are with Syuri right now.
Match 5
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Starlight Kid (2 pts) vs Tam Nakano (4 pts)
(referee: Mac Takeda)
Result: Tam Nakano wins via pinfall with a bridging tiger suplex
Time: 6:58
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Nakano said she wouldn’t go easy on Starlight Kid just because their in the same unit, and Nakano lived up to her word. It was a fair and clean match, but Nakano rocked Kid with more than a few rough kicks. Kid used her speed to gain advantages, but Nakano was familiar enough with Kid’s offense that she was able to counter some of Kid’s most powerful moves. It felt like Nakano was in control of the match most of the time, though it was still a good fight.
Match 6
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Natsuko Tora (2 pts) w/ Saki Kashima vs Maika (4 pts) (Artist & Future Champ) w/ Himeka
(referee: Mac Takeda)
Result: Natsuko Tora wins via pinfall after Ascension (after a clothesline with a handful of chain)
Time: 7:03
Match Thoughts
Good match. Tora has recently become somewhat more focused in the ring. She’s still cheating as much as ever, but she’s being smarter about it and it actually trying to win matches. Kashima was there to distract the referee on multiple occasions, and Tora was quick to use her chain as a weapon all throughout the match. Tora also started the match by immediately dumping Maika out to the floor, and that put Maika at a disadvantage the entire time. Maika looked great in the center of the ring when she was slamming and trying to submit Tora, but Tora’s shortcuts were plentiful and effective. Donna del Mondo is having a tough night.
Match 7
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Konami (4 pts) vs Giulia (4 pts) (Artist & Wonder Champ) w/ Himeka
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Konami wins via submission with a triangle armlock
Time: 11:26
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Giula came into the match with a lot of confidence, and she dominated the first few minutes, but Konami quietly revealed her plan of attack over time. Konami used a great combination of kicks and submissions focused mainly on Giulia’s head and neck, and it was very effective. Giulia was visibly slowed by Konami’s attacks throughout the match, and the fact that Giulia had to cancel her appearance at a show (that ended up being canceled altogether anyway) made Konami’s attacks seem even more vicious. Giulia even exacerbated the situation by going for one of her headbutts and hurting herself more than Konami in the process. Konami looked great, and once again, Donna del Mondo is having a tough night.
Match 8
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
AZM (2 pts) (High Speed Champ) vs Utami Hayashishita (4 pts) (Goddess Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Utami Hayashishita wis via pinfall with a bridging German suplex
Time: 12:02
Match Thoughts
Great match. AZM started off the match in her usual high speed style, and she even suckered in Hayashishita in a fake handshake (even though Hayashishita knew what was coming and went to shake AZM’s hand anyway). AZM ending up sending Hayashishita out to the floor about halfway through the match, and Hayashishita was hurting badly. Hayashishita had to push through the pain after she got back into the ring, and that was when she finally started to slow AZM done and hit the High Speed champ with some power moves. By the end of the match Hayashishita was dominating AZM, but AZM still kept peppering Hayashishita with quick moves and some really nice pinning combinations. This was a superb way to end tonight’s show.
Show Impressions
This was a very good show. All of the matches were about equally good, though they did seem to build up towards the end of the night. I think the tournament is developing nicely. I’m intrigued by every match so far for one reason or another.
Match of the Night
AZM vs Utami Hayashishita
This was one of the more competitive matches of the night, and the combination of speed verus power was a lot of fun to watch.
Standings After Day 4
Red Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Himeka | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Konami | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Tam Nakano | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Giulia (Wonder & Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Mayu Iwatani (World Champ) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Starlight Kid | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Saya Kamitani (Goddess Champ) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| DEATH Yama-san | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Blue Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utami Hayashishita (Goddess Champ) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Maika (Future & Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Syuri (Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jungle Kyona | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Momo Watanabe | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Natsuko Tora | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| AZM (High Speed Champ) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Saya Iida | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/20200906sendai/