STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2020
Event Date: September 13, 2020 (12:00 JST)
matches published on Stardom World
City: Chuo, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
Venue: Nishitetsu Hall
Attendance: 201
Series: 5★STAR GP
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Saya Iida (0 pts) vs Momo Watanabe (5 pts)
(referee: ?)
Result: Momo Watanabe wins via pinfall after the B-Driver (sunset driver)
Time: 6:28
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. I was hoping Iida might get her first two points tonight, but she had a tough time against Watanbe as the match went on. Iida started strong with a series of dropkicks followed by rapid-fire pin attempts, but once Watanabe got herself together she didn’t have much more trouble with Iida. Iida fought valiantly, but even her last-ditch efforts towards the end of the match looked weak and a little off. Maybe Iida is getting tired which is understandable since this is the third show in two days. Whatever the case may be, I hope Iida can get a couple points in her next (and last) tournament match.
Match 2
Saki Kashima w/ Natsuko Tora vs Himeka w/ Maika, Giulia
(referee: ?)
Result: Himeka wins via pinfall after the J.P. Coaster (torture rack into a sit-out facebuster)
Time: 6:20
Match Thoughts
Good match. Knowing that Oedo is all about cheating, Himeka attacked Kashima before the opening bell rang. Kashima took a beating, and it took a trip from Natsuko Tora to finally turn the momentum over to Kashima’s side. Kashima started to get some good offense after a brief ringside brawl, but back in the ring Himeka began to build back up and take control of the match. Kashima just wasn’t ready for Himeka tonight.
Match 3
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
DEATH Yama-san (2 pts) vs Konami (8 pts)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: DEATH Yama-san wins via pinfall with a rollup counter to the Triangle Lancer
Time: 5:36
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Yama-san tried to end the match quickly with a bunch of fast pin attempts, but Konami survived. Then Konami started to kick and tie Yama-san up in submission holds. Yama-san did everything she could to try to avoid Konami’s kicks and escape her holds, all the while looking for an opportunity for a sneaky counter. I was a little surprised Konami went so hard with some of her kicks and holds considering she and Yama-san are both in Tokyo Cyber Squad, but yeah, that was only a little surprising. Konami wants to win no matter what, and this match meant the difference between overtaking Himeka at the top of the block or remaining one point behind her with each of them only having one match left. This was an important match for Konami, so she wasn’t going to take any chances. Yama-san had other plans though, and that kept things interesting throughout the match.
Match 4
Riho & Jungle Kyona vs Hanan & Starlight Kid
(referee: ?)
Result: Jungle Kyona submits Hanan with a sharpshooter
Time: 7:20
Match Thoughts
Good match. Kyona and Riho make an interesting team. Kyona brings the power, and Riho brings the speed. Plus, their outfits already match, so they could make a really good team if they were to tag together a few more times. They were good here tonight, though some of their planned double-teams went awry thanks to Kid and Hana’s speed. Kid and Hanan fought well, and they were able to take advantage of Kyona and Riho inexperience working together, but ultimately Hana was singled out and and dominated as the match neared its finish. One very memorable part of this match is when Kyona put Kid and Hanan in a double-Boston crab, then Riho jumped off the top top with a double-stomp onto the Kid/Hanan stack. That, of course, led directly to the finish that happened soon after.
Match 5
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Natsuko Tora (4 pts) w/ Saki Kashima vs AZM (4 pts) (High Speed Champ)
(referee: ?)
Result: Natsuko Tora wins via pinfall with Marishiten (torture rack swung into a side slam)
Time: 7:30
Match Thoughts
Good match. People are finally getting wise to Oedo Tai’s ways. As soon as AZM entered the ring before the match, she attacked Tora. AZM got a bit of offense, but when Tora started to fight back, AZM hid underneath the ring and attacked Tora from behind. AZM kept up some good offense as the match went on, but Tora eventually started fighting back. Tora hit AZM with some really heavy moves and strikes, and Kashima helped Tora cheat a bit whenever the opportunity arose. The match started to wear on AZM, and by the end Tora cheated her way to a rather scary-looking finish. AZM nearly got dropped on her head right at the end of the match, and even Momo Watanabe at ringside looked scared for AZM. AZM walked away from the ring and looked okay though, so it looks like a disaster was averted.
Match 6
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Saya Kamitani (3 pts) (Goddess Champ) vs Mayu Iwatani (6 pts) (World Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Mayu Iwatani wins via submission with a modified dragon sleeper
Time: 10:35
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Kamitani came into this match with a lot of confidence, but Iwatani controlled the match right from the start. kamitani got in some offense and looked good throughout the match, but Iwatani’s experience set her clearly apart from her younger opponent. Kamitani seemed to throw everything she had at Iwatani, while Iwatani was more calculating in her attack. Ultimately this was a dominant performance from the Wonder of Stardom champ, and it was a promising performance from Kamitani.
Match 7
5★STAR GP Red Stars Match
Tam Nakano (6 pts) vs Giulia (6 pts) (Artist & Wonder Champ) w/ Himeka
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Tam Nakano wins via pinfall with a bridging tiger suplex
Time: 10:24
Match Thoughts
Great match! Tam Nakano versus Giulia might be the Stardom feud of the year. Every time they get in the ring together it feels like they genuinely hate each other. This match built up quickly with some nice back and forth action, but the mood got a lot darker when Nakano got on top of Giulia and just started hitting her in the face. That seemed to wake Giulia up (after she recovered), and the match got pretty brutal from there until the end. Nakano’s usually bubbly attitude completely changes whenever she even just talks about Giulia, and the strikes and slams both women were throwing felt like they were meant to hurt as much or more than they were meant to win the match. An important part of this match that was certainly not lost on Nakano was that with both women tied at six points, the loser would be mathematically knocked out of the tournament. I think that gave Nakano even more incentive to beat Giulia down.
Ring Area
After the match, Tam Nakano vows to take everything away from Giulia. They are now one and one against each other, and they will settle things on October 3rd in Yokohama. Giulia responds by saying that Nakano has made her angry now. Giulia calls Nakano trash before throwing down the mic and leaving the ring. Nakano responds by saying Giulia is stupid trash that floats through space (Nakano has a thing about being the cutest in the universe, and she talks about space a lot, so it makes sense).
Match 8
5★STAR GP Blue Stars Match
Maika (6 pts) (Artist & Future Champ) w/ Himeka vs Utami Hayashishita (9 pts) (Goddess Champ)
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Maika wins via referee stoppage (with a kata ha jime)
Time: 13:55
Match Thoughts
Great match! If Utami won this match, then she would win the block tonight, but a win for Maika would mean the block would still be halfway open. Maika took a quick lead with her throws and slams, but Utami fought back and started to overtake Maika through sheer power. Utami’s power attacks forced Maika to adjust the way she approached the match. Maika incorporated more power into her own attacks to try to counteract Utami. That didn’t work so well for a while, but it did lead to Maika being able to apply more holds and submissions later in the match when both wrestlers started to slow down a bit. Maika took full advantage of every hold she applied, and she wore Utami down as the match neared its finish. Maika and Utami match up extremely well together, and I could watch them wrestle many, many more times.
Show Impressions
This was a great way to end Stardom’s trio of shows in Fukuoka. The tournament is nearing its end, but the tops of the blocks are still pretty open to a number of different scenarios playing out. And as far as tonight, ending with two matches featuring two great rivalries was super smart. It had me leaving these three shows very, very happy.
Match of the Night
Tam Nakano vs Giulia / Maika vs Utami Hayashishita
I can’t pick between these two matches, so I won’t. Both were very important as far as the tournament standings go, and both had great action. I love them both, and I’m picking them both.
Standings After Event 7
Red Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Himeka | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Tam Nakano | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Konami | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Mayu Iwatani (World Champ) | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Giulia * (Wonder & Artist Champ) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| DEATH Yama-san * | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Saya Kamitani * (Goddess Champ) | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Starlight Kid * | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
* = numerically eliminated
Blue Stars
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utami Hayashishita (Goddess Champ) | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Maika (Future & Artist Champ) | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Momo Watanabe | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Syuri (Artist Champ) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Jungle Kyona * | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Natsuko Tora * | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| AZM * (High Speed Champ) | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Saya Iida * | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
* = numerically eliminated
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/20200913hakata/