Stardom Shining Stars 2017
Event Date: June 11, 2017
matches published individually on Stardom World
City: Koto, Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Shinkiba 1st Ring
Attendance: 345
Series: Shining Stars 2017
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Fuka
Match 1
Hanan vs Hina & Rina
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: the match ends in a time limit draw
Time: 5:00
Match Thoughts
This was three little girls wrestling, three sisters in fact, and it was actually kind of cute. The girls all took it very seriously and even though they are very young, they seem to be on the right path if they want to be pro wrestlers.
Ring Area
After the match, Rina gets on the mic and thanks everyone for tonight. She also says that she was the best in the match.
Match 2
Hetzza & Starlight Kid vs Ruaka & AZM (Artist of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: AZM pins Starlight Kid with a bridging pin
Time: 5:45
Match Thoughts
These are still some of the younger rookies so some of the moves were kind of slow and weren’t very emphatic, but overall I quite enjoyed this match. Some of the sequences they put together were surprisingly good. AZM seemed to be the strongest as far as ability.
Match 3
Rebel & Shanna vs Hiromi Mimura & Konami
(referee: Barb Sasaki)
Result: Shanna pins Hiromi Mimura after a Dragon Slayer (double underhook side sitout facebuster)
Time: 9:56
Match Thoughts
This was pretty good. All four women were running around all over the place so it was a bit chaotic, but it was entertaining. This is the kind of match where there’s not really a clear narrative in the action, so you’re just waiting for the next big move that ends the match.
Match 4
Kaori Yoneyama & Hiroyo Matsumoto (Goddess of Stardom Champ, Oz Academy Openweight Champ, Sendai Girls World Champ) vs Natsuko Tora & Jungle Kyona (Goddess of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Kaori Yoneyama pins Natsuko Tora after a diving senton
Time: 9:45
Match Thoughts
I liked this. Matsumoto was the powerhouse of this match, and she showed her strength often. Eveyone else had good showings as well. I think the personalities of the four women in the match really came through.
Ring Area
After the match, Jungle Kyona says that she’s frustrated. She asks Yoneyama if she’s Jungle, but Yoneyama seems confused. Yoneyama says she has her own motto, but she’d like to join Team Jungle. With a new member, Jungle Kyona announces that they would like to challenge for the Artist of Stardom titles. They’ll decide which three of them will challenge for the belts later.
Match 5
Wonder of Stardom Title Match
Hana Kimura vs Mayu Iwatani (Wonder of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Barb Sasaki; title match official: Rossy Ogawa; special stipulation: if Iwatani wins, then Oedo Tai will break up)
Result: Mayu Iwatani wins via DQ when Kagetsu attacks
Time: 13:53
Match Thoughts
This was a very good match up until the end. Kimura started the match by posing on the ropes, then she dumped Iwatani to the floor when she mockingly went to pose for herself. This put Kimura in clear control of the match as she beat up Iwatani at ringside. Back in the ring things began to even out, but Kimura had worked on Iwatani’s leg which kept her from being as fast as she usually is. The match was going well until Kagetsu interfered, kicking Iwatani and the referee before double-teaming Iwatani with Kimura.
Ring Area
After the match, Kagetsu gets on the mic. She’s proud of herself and laughs as she tells Iwatani that she would never let Oedo Tai break up. Kimura says that with the return of Kagetsu and the soon-to-be return of Kris Wolf, Oedo Tai doesn’t need Iwatani. Kimura wants to take Oedo Tai to new heights and announces a challenge for the Goddess of Stardom titles.
Iwatani is annoyed. She doesn’t care about Oedo Tai or their cheating ways. She’s angry about Kagestu’s interference, but she’s glad she came back so Iwatani can beat her. She tells Kagetsu that she can challenge her for either the Wonder of Stardom title or the World of Stardom title that she’ll win on the 21st. Either way, Kagetsu will lose.
Match 6
HZK (Artist of Stardom Champ) vs Io Shirai (World of Stardom Champ, Artist of Stardom Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Io Shirai wins via pinfall after a diving moonsault
Time: 13:33
Match Thoughts
A very good match. This probably even a little better than I expected. Shirai took the match seriously, but she was having a little fun with HZK early. Shirai showed off a bit, doing things like sitting down on the apron to wait for HZK and walking on her hands to fall into a splash. After HZK kept hanging around and getting some offense of her own though, Shirai got more serious and attempted to put HZK away. I liked the build in the match, and I liked how even though HZK was getting beat up, she still kept going. She’s not on Shirai’s level yet, but HZK is good and will only get better.
Ring Area
After the match, Shirai tells HZK that she put up a good fight. She says that Stardom is changing, and tonight HZK showed her the future of the company. HZK says she will be stronger than everyone else. When she gets stronger, HZK would like another match with Shirai.
Mayu Iwatani then enters the ring. She says that Shirai is strong, but Iwatani sees herself with the World of Stardom Title. She won’t be second best again. She offers her hand to Shirai, but Shirai doesn’t shake it. Instead, she says that Queen Shirai won’t allow Iwatani to take her title.
Shirai calls for all the wrestlers to enter the ring. She gets the crowd to stand as well and asks for everyone to “bow to the queen.”
Show Impressions
This was a good show, though it did feel a little like a show meant to promote future matches more than being a standalone show itself. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just that these matches didn’t feel particularly important. Still, they were entertaining, and as usual they got progressively better as the night went along. I’m really looking forward to Iwatani versus Shirai for the World Title!
Match of the Night
HZK vs Io Shirai
I initially thought the Wonder of Stardom title match might be the best match as I was watching it, but I think the ending of that match and the surprising quality of the main event clearly makes HZK vs Shirai the winner of the night.