STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2020
Fukuoka Day Show
Event Date: September 12, 2020 (13:00 JST)
matches published on Stardom World
City: Chuo, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
Venue: Nishitetsu Hall
Attendance: 109
Series: 5★STAR GP
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
Hanan vs Momo Watanabe
(referee: ?)
Result: Momo Watanabe wins via submission with a crossface chicken wing
Time: 6:57
Match Thoughts
Good match. Watanabe was looking past Hanan, and even though Watanabe started to dominate the match quickly, her attitude allowed Hanan to mount a comeback later in the match. Hanan looked very good against Watanabe, and she got a few nice near falls in the later stages of the match. This was by far Hanan’s best match since her recent return to action.
Match 2
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
DEATH Yama-san (0 pts) vs Himeka (7 pts) w/ Giulia, Syuri
(referee: ?)
Result: Himeka wins via submission with a torture rack
Time: 4:31
Match Thoughts
Good match. Himeka had a much easier time tonight that in her match last Sunday. Yama-san ran around and got a little bit of offense, but once Himeka got her hands on Yama-san, the match was all but over. This was another strong performance from the overall points leader in the tournament.
Match 3
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Utami Hayashishita (6 pts) (Goddess Champ) vs Saya Iida (0 pts)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Utami Hayashishita wins via pinfall after an air raid crash
Time: 5:54
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Saya Iida was extremely aggressive throughout the match, and she had Hayashishita playing defense and having to come up with a lot of counters. Iida threw everything at Hayashishita, but Hayashishita is bigger and more powerful, and that helped her survive long enough to come back at Iida with some offense of her own. This was a nice battle of power versus power, though Iida’s power is much more compact and is best combined with her speed.
Match 4
Riho vs Konami vs Saki Kashima w/ Natsuko Tora vs Maika (Artist & Future Champ) w/ Himeka, Syuri
(referee: ?)
Result: Maika pins Saki Kashima after Sazanka (cross-arm back heel trip slam)
Time: 6:28
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Maika was the biggest target throughout the match (presumably since she’s a double-champ). Kashima sat around and did nothing at the opening bell, but Konami and Riho ended up ganging up on Maika. Maika took a lot of damage, but she also played good defense, and she drew Kashima into the match. Kashima was the leader of the attack on Maika for a while, but of course that didn’t last too long. Everyone started having nice sequences with everyone, but Maika eventually became the center of almost everything in the match. This was a fast and fun match, and I wouldn’t have minded if it had gone on twice as long.
Match 5
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Saya Kamitani (1 pt) (Goddess Champ) vs Tam Nakano (6 pts)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Saya Kamitani wins via pinfall with an inside cradle
Time: 11:06
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Tam Nakano completely dominated Kamitani early in the match. Nakano dared Kamitani to hit her, and though Nakano didn’t really toy with Kamitani, she was definitely pulling her along in the fight when she could have just been kicking her head off. Nakano starting working on Kamitani’s leg, and that became an issue for Kamitani throughout the match. Kamitani managed to get some good offense late in the match, but it was pretty sporadic. Nakano was in control most of the time, but she probably wasn’t as careful as she should have been, and that led to a rather surprising finish.
Match 6
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Natsuko Tora (4 pts) w/ Saki Kashima vs Jungle Kyona (4 pts)
(referee: ?)
Result: Jungle Kyona wins via DQ when Natsuko Tora hangs her by the neck with a chain over the top rope
Time: 8:50
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Kyona was wary of Tora and her cheating ways, but Kyona was also aggressive with her power attacks. This was a nice back and forth battle of power, but since it was so evenly fought, Tora of course decided to take some shortcuts with some weapons. Either Tora wasn’t very careful tonight, or Kashima wasn’t ready with her distractions of the referee in time, because the referee saw a lot of cheating in this match. The ref gave a ton of leeway to Tora and her weapons, but sometimes Tora pushes things too far. It’s interesting watching Tora in this tournament. Sometimes she seems to want to win, and sometimes she just wants to hurt people. Tonight she wanted to hurt someone.
Ring Area
After the match, Kyona says she doesn’t accept what Tora has become. Regardless, Kyona will destroy Tora and her weapons. Tora responds by saying everyone is tired of Kyona acting like a tragic heroine, and on the 28th, Oedo Tai is going to have a big surprise for Kyona.
Match 7
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Starlight Kid (2 pts) vs Giulia (4 pts) (Artist & Wonder Champ) w/ Himeka, Maika
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Giulia wins via submission with Bianca
Time: 9:27
Match Thoughts
Great match. Starlight Kid has really been coming into these tournament matches with a lot of fight, and tonight was no exception. Kid wanted to beat Giulia not just to get two points, but to boost her confidence by beating the Wonder of Stardom Champion. For most of this match, Kid hung right in there with Giulia. They traded holds and counters, and they were both getting some nice offense that led to close near falls. Kid surprised Giulia more than a few times with some quick and effective counters, but Giulia had some dangerous counters of her own. When Giulia was able to slow Kid down, that’s when things got dangerous for Kid. This was a lot of fun.
Match 8
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
DEATH Yama-san (0 pts) w/ Konami vs Mayu Iwatani (2 pts) (World Champ) w/ Tam Nakano
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Mayu Iwatani wins via pinfall with a diving moonsault
Time: 4:13
Match Thoughts
Good match. It seems unfair that DEATH Yama-san would have to fight Himeka and Mayu Iwatani on the same show, not to mention that this is the first of two shows taking place today. Yama-san made the most of it though, and she played up the comedy hard in this match. Yama-san came to the ring being pushed by Konami on a hand cart, and she tried to end the match quickly when the bell rang. Iwatani was fresh and fast though, so Yama-san did her best to stay away and pick her spots. Yama-san also found a copy of Mayu Iwatani’s book, and the book became an important part of the match for both women. It was kind of goofy, and there was a good amount of nice wrestling in-between the silliness.
Match 9
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
AZM (2 pts) (High Speed Champ) vs Syuri (4 pts) (Artist Champ) w/ Maika, Himeka, Giulia
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: AZM wins via pinfall with Azumi Sushi
Time: 9:35
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Backstage before the match, Syuri briefly spoke about her mother passing away just a week ago. She said that she’s not sure what to do with her feelings, so she’s just going to put all of her feelings into wrestling. AZM spoke too, and she said she was nervous about facing a senior to her like Syuri. In the match, Syuri definitely seemed more in-control most of the time, but AZM did hit some rough moves throughout the fight. Later in the match, AZM started to work on submissions, but that also drew Syuri into putting on some more submissions herself. In the end though, Syuri was dominating, but AZM’s high speed style allowed her to stick around with quick and sneaky holds and counters.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. There continue to be some surprising wins/upsets, and it’s keeping things interesting. This was a strong show, and it was only one of two for the day.
Match of the Night
Starlight Kid vs Giulia
It’s difficult for me to pick my favorite match tonight, because a lot of the matches were about equally entertaining for different reasons. My first reaction when thinking about it is that I’d probably go back and watch Starlight Kid versus Giulia again first, so that’s my pick.
Standings After Event 5
Red Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Himeka | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Konami | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Giulia (Wonder & Artist Champ) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Tam Nakano | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Mayu Iwatani (World Champ) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Saya Kamitani (Goddess Champ) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Starlight Kid * | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| DEATH Yama-san * | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
* = numerically eliminated
Blue Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utami Hayashishita (Goddess Champ) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jungle Kyona | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Maika (Future & Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Momo Watanabe | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Syuri (Artist Champ) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| AZM (High Speed Champ) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Natsuko Tora | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Saya Iida * | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
* = numerically eliminated
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/20200912hakata-hiru/