6/23 STARDOM SAKI KASHIMA’S HOMECOMING report: Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, & Konami vs. Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, & Saki Kashima for the trios titles

STARDOM SHINING STARS
JUNE 23, 2019
MATSUE, JAPAN AT SHIMANE PREFECTURAL CONVENTION CENTER
AIRED ON STARDOM WORLD
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Saki Kashima was outside the arena to welcome everyone to her homecoming show. She reminded us that she would be challenging for the trios titles in the main event.

-Brookside said Iida is a fellow member of Stars so she was excited to face her. Iida viewed it as an opportunity to gain experience and vowed to do her best.

(1) SAYA IIDA vs. XIA BROOKSIDE

Brookside kicked out of the Iidabashi before coming right back with a roundhouse kick to the head and a codebreaker.

WINNER: Xia Brookside in 5:11.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Nothing to see here.)

-Onozaki said her opponents are both weird.

(2) DEATH YAMA-SAN vs. NATSU SUMIRE (w/Natsuko Tora) vs. LEO ONOZAKI

Sumire convinced Death to team-up with her against Onozaki early on. Death held her in a camel clutch for a dropkick from Sumire. They looked to reverse the spot but Death dropkicked Sumire instead. Sumire with the crotch assault to Onozaki. Tora jumped onto the apron and also rubbed her boot in Onozaki’s face. Tora distracted the ref while Sumire whipped Onozaki with her whip. Death put a leglock on Onozaki. Sumire repeatedly kicked Death to the mat, hurting Onozaki each time. Running back elbow from Death to Sumire in the corner. Standing switches. Sumire kicked Death between the legs. Onozaki rolled them both up but they kicked out. Death set up both for a second rope senton but they both moved out of the way. Sumire disposed of Death and hit her northern lights suplex on Onozaki but the rookie kicked out. A unique full nelson with her legs forced Onozaki to tap.

WINNER: Natsu Sumire in 5:54.

(Pageot’s Perspective: It’s impossible not to be entertained by a Sumire singles match. If anyone from Stardom were to follow in Kairi Sane and Io Shirai’s footsteps by entering the 2019 WWE Mae Young Classic she would be my pick.)

-Lucas said she’d never seen Hoshiki & Storm team together but it didn’t matter because TCS was the future and TCS always wins. Hoshiki confirmed this was the first time they’ve tagged. She was dressed like Storm with football grease on her cheeks, a backwards baseball cap, and oversized sunglasses and an oversized jacket.

(3) STARS (Wonder Of Stardom Champion Arisa Hoshiki & NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm) vs. TOKYO CYBER SQUAD (Bobbi Tyler & Zoe Lucas)

Storm and Tyler started with Storm of course coming out on top. Tags to Hoshiki and Lucas. The heels worked over Hoshiki. Tag to Storm at 5:40. She took out Lucas and tagged Hoshiki back in. Kicks to Lucas connected but the British duo quickly took control again. Paydirt from Tyler to Hoshiki. Step-up enziguiri. Storm took out both opponents. Hoshiki hit Tyler with one knee strike and pinned her.

WINNERS: Stars in 9:02.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Ugh. The story of the match was Storm’s ability to easily dispose of two opponents at once while Hoshiki was unable to land even two offensive maneuvers in a row against a pair of lower midcarders. Your white belt champion, ladies and gentlemen.)

-Miyagi addressed all the hillbillies in Shimane before hitting the “best and the worst” catchphrase. Hayashishita said they’d show them the strength of QQ.

(4) QUEEN’S QUEST (World Of Stardom Champion Bea Priestley, Goddess of Stardom/SWA World/Future Of Stardom Champion Utami Hayashishita, Goddess of Stardom Champion Momo Watanabe, & AZM) vs. OEDO TAI (High Speed Champion Hazuki, Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, & Natsuko Tora w/Natsu Sumire)

Hayashishita and Tora started. Hazuki tagged Kagetsu, forcing her into the ring against her favorite, AZM. Kagetsu responded by spitting water in the faces of AZM, Watanabe, and the referee. Double-flapjack from the tag champs slamming Kagetsu onto Miyagi. Watanabe and Hazuki battled for a while. Priestley and Kagetsu faced off again at 8:30. Priestley took a barrage of offense from all four Oedo Tai members. AZM prevented an Oedo Coaster. Hayashishita with a torture rack slam to Kagetsu. Top rope double-stomp from AZM to Kagetsu for a two-count. AZM botched a tilt-a-whirl into an armbar so Watanabe came in to try to help cover and they repeated the spot a minute later. Miyagi spit water in AZM’s face. Kagetsu hit a death valley driver but Hayashishita broke up the pin. Kagetsu avoided a four-way dropkick from all of QQ. Oedo Tai cleared the ring. Kagetsu, Miyagi, and Hazuki hit simultaneous suicide dives. Oedo Coaster from Kagetsu to AZM for the pin.

WINNERS: Oedo Tai in 13:45.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Just an average eight-person tag. Nobody here really has any stories going on right now aside from Kagetsu’s infatuation with AZM and it doesn’t seem like that will ever amount to anything considering her willingness to hurt and pin her here. Watanabe vs. Hazuki for the high speed title would be a good match.)

-Kashima said it was her homecoming show and the Artist title match. She wanted her hometown crowd to see her win. Konami said the probability of TCS retaining was 100%. Yes sir!

TCS had a bouquet of flowers for Kashima but Kimura smashed them over her head instead. The referee called for the bell.

(5) TOKYO CYBER SQUAD (Hana Kimura, Konami, & Jungle Kyona) vs. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, & Saki Kashima) – ARTIST OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP

Kimura beat Kashima to ringside and continued to club her with the bouquet until it fell apart. She threw Kashima head-first into a chair in the front row and stomped away at her head. Kimura found a fan’s umbrella on the ground and cracked Kashima across the back. Kimura strung up Kashima in the ropes and TCS posed with her while Zoe Lucas held up the TCS sign. (Interesting that Kimura is shamelessly stealing that classic Oedo Tai move.) Kyona tagged in and hit a giant swing on the bean sprout. Konami was next and hit a soccer kick to the spine. Kashima fired up at 6:00 and hit a big splash off the top rope to the crowd at ringside.

Iwatani tagged in for the first time at 7:20. She had a moment’s advantage over the champions before falling to Kyona. Nakano tagged in for the first time at 9:54. Stars triple-teamed Kyona. Kyona and Nakano traded blows. Kashima re-entered the match but immediately fell to Konami. Konami wouldn’t break a submission hold in the ropes so Iwatani kicked her in the back to break it up. Pedigree from Kashima to Konami. Kyona prevented the pin. Triple superkicks from Stars to Konami. Nakano & Iwatani with their wheelbarrow codebreaker German suplex combo. Kashima headed up top but Kimura stopped her and Kyona pulled her off the turnbuckle. Kyona took out Nakano and Kimura took out Iwatani. German suplex from Konami to Kashima and she held on for a second and a third. As Konami came off the ropes Kashima grabbed her and they tumbled to the mat. Kashima tried to get Konami’s shoulders down for a pin but Konami was flopping around. The referee counted two anyway, Konami kicked out, and after a significant delay he then counted three.

WINNERS: Stars in 16:41 to capture the trios titles.

-TCS complained to the referee. Kimura shoved him into the corner and Konami stomped away at him before Kimura pushed him out of the ring.

Stars celebrated with the titles only for Kagetsu, Miyagi, and Sumire to crash the party. Kagetsu congratulated them on regaining the titles. She apologized for dampening the mood but said they want them too. She issued a formal challenge. Kashima said they nearly broke the record for most defenses last time they held them. This time they would. Kagetsu said her own hometown show is July 20 so they should do the match there.

(Pageot’s Perspective: Up until the ending it was a good match. The hometown girl on the defense for so much obviously got the fans into it and Kimura was wrestling as heel as possible. That ending was bad, though. It didn’t look like Konami’s shoulders were down for even one of the three three-counts and the delay in the ref’s counting between slap two and slap three was very awkward. Stardom doesn’t usually do anti-authoritarian stories where wrestlers are being screwed over by management so I doubt that’s where this is going, even if TCS did beat him up afterward for cheating them out of their gold. I suppose this Stars trio with the belts makes more sense long-term, though, and it certainly puts more weight behind the possibility of Kyonami taking the tag titles from Watanabe & Hayashishita.)