STARDOM 5★STAR SPECIAL in OSAKA
Event Date: September 22, 2020 (13:00 JST)
matches published on Stardom World
City: Naniwa, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Venue: EDION Arena Osaka – Second Stadium
Attendance: 294
Commentary: none
Ring Announcer: Yoritaka Ando
Match 1
Natsu Sumire w/ Saki Kashima, Natsuko Tora vs AZM (High Speed Champ) w/ Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani, Momo Watanabe
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: AZM wins via pinfall with AZM Sushi
Time: 7:24
Match Thoughts
Good match. There was a bit of a comedy segment where AZM pulled an Eddie Guerrero and framed Natsu Sumire for using a whip on her when AZM was actually the one to use the whip behind the referee’s back. AZM cried and demanded that Sumire apologize in front of the referee, only to lure Sumire into getting slapped when she got close. This was a fun match, and it was good to see Sumire back in action.
Match 2
DEATH Yama-san & Konami vs Saya Iida & Riho
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: DEATH Yama-san pins Saya Iida with an O’Connor Roll
Time: 8:07
Match Thoughts
Good match. Both teams were evenly matched, and both had good teamwork throughout. I think Iida paired up with Yama-san the best, and Konami paired up best with Riho, and those battles helped make this a fast and fun match.
Match 3
Himeka w/ Giulia, Maika, Syuri vs Jungle Kyona
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Time Limit Draw
Time: 15:00
Match Thoughts
Very good match. As expected, this was power versus power. Himeka seemed to be the stronger wrestler throughout the first part of the match, but Jungle Kyona would not stay down. After a while, Kyona began to surge with offense, but then it was Himeka’s turn to not stay down. This was a nicely fought battle that made both wrestlers look good (although this combined with some of Himeka’s performances in the 5 Star GP makes it feel like she might have trouble putting people away despite her strength).
Match 4
Saki Kashima & Bea Priestley & Natsuko Tora w/ Natsu Sumire vs Saya Kamitani (Goddess Champ) & Utami Hayashishita (Goddess Champ) & Momo Watanabe w/ AZM
(referee: Duke Sado)
Result: Bea Priestley pins Saya Kamitani after Kamigoye
Time: 13:28
Match Thoughts
Good match. Queen’s Quest (specifically Momo Watanabe) wanted revenge on Oedo Tai (specifically Bea Priestley) after Oedo Tai ruined Watanabe’s final match in the 5★STAR GP, so this match did feel like a good grudge match. It also felt pretty chaotic with everyone coming in and out of the ring throughout most of the match. There was a nice sequence between Watanabe and Priestley towards the end of the match, but when Kamitani got a tag after the match had been going on for a while, I could feel that the end was near. This was a nice re-introduction to in-ring action for Priestley though, and hopefully this is the beginning of Oedo Tai getting some momentum on their side. Any momentum would be great at this point.
Match 5
Artist of Stardom Title Match
Starlight Kid & Tam Nakano & Mayu Iwatani (World Champ) vs Maika (Artist & Future Champ) & Syuri (Artist Champ) & Giulia (Artist & Wonder Champ) w/ Himeka
(referee: Daichi Murayama)
Result: Giulia pins Starlight Kid after the Glorious Driver, Donna del Mondo are successful in their second Artist of Stardom title defense
Time: 22:55
Match Thoughts
Very good match. This served a few purposes. It was, or course, a title match, but it was also a preview of the upcoming World of Stardom title match (Iwatani vs Syuri) and the Wonder of Stardom title match (Giulia vs Nakano). We got to see some nice preview action from both of those pairings, and the match was fun overall. It turned into basically a tornado tag later in the match, but I think that’s to be expected. I think the biggest narrative throughout the match was the ongoing hatred between Giulia and Nakano. Their rivalry affected the action more directly than anything else, and it helped add some more tension to a match that was heavy on chaos and multi-person attacks.
Ring Area
After the match, Tam Nakano attacks Giulia. As they’re being pulled apart, Mayu Iwatani shoves her Wonder of Stardom Title in Syuri’s face.
Show Impressions
This was a good show. After such a string of great shows for the 5★STAR GP, this one maybe didn’t feel quite as exciting, but it was still very entertaining. Plus, this show is doing a lot of work building up the Yokohama Budokan show coming up on October 3.
Match of the Night
Artist of Stardom Title Match
Another good defense from the dominant team of Donna del Mondo.
Official Results (Japanese): https://wwr-stardom.com/news/2020-9-22osaka/