SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
STARDOM 5STAR SPECIAL
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
OSAKA, JAPAN AT OSAKA WORLD PAVILION
AIRED ON STARDOM WORLD
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
AZM said she’s a champion so she’d crush Sumire.
(1) HIGH SPEED CHAMPION AZM vs. NATSU SUMIRE – NON-TITLE MATCH
Kashima distracted the referee and Tora threw Sumire her whip. She swung, but AZM ducked and stole it. AZM cracked Sumire across the midsection. When the ref turned around AZM dropped it and played an Eddie Guerrero, pretending Sumire had hit her with it. Watanabe yelled at Sumire to apologize from ringside. Sumire refused. She demanded AZM apologize. AZM slapped her and went high speed before running into a boot from Sumire. Kashima connected with a forearm in front of the ref. Sumire wanted a cradle DDT but AZM caught her with the sushi for the win.
WINNER: AZM in 7:24.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Thank the heavens Sumire is back after two months away. She’s the MVP of Stardom, able to make any match entertaining.)
-Konami said she and Death were teaming for the first time in a while. Riho was excited to team with Iida for the first time.
(2) TOKYO CYBER SQUAD (Konami & Death Yama-san) vs. RIHO & SAYA IIDA
Death and Iida started. Death posed to the crowd so Iida ran up next to her and gorilla posed as well. There was a bit of work between Konami and Riho but nothing to really sink your teeth into. Double dropkicks from Iida & Riho to Death. Missile dropkick from Iida. Tiger feint kick from Riho into an Iidabashi but Konami made the save. Death pinned Iida with an O’Connor roll.
WINNERS: Tokyo Cyber Squad in 8:07.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Will future historians note this as the final match Tokyo Cyber Squad ever won? Perhaps. On our next show it’s TCS vs. Oedo Tai with TCS forced to disband should they lose.)
-Himeka introduced herself as the 5Star Grand Prix runner-up. She regretted not winning and would take it out on Kyona. Kyona promised to shut her mouth.
(3) JUNGLE KYONA vs. HIMEKA
Himeka played up her height over Kyona with a call for a test of strength. Himeka went for a torture rack right away but Kyona slipped out. Body slams. Hair toss. She choked Kyona with her boot on the ropes. Another body slam and a lion-tamer. Rope break from Kyona. They traded shoulder tackles. Himeka eventually went down.
Diving clothesline and a single-leg crab as Kyona gained the offensive for the first time at 6:30. Rope break from Himeka. Diving splash to the back of Himeka. She fought off a sharpshooter attempt. Sidewalk slam. They traded forearms. Clothesline from Himeka. She called for the running powerbomb at 10:00 but Kyona backdropped out.
Suplex from Kyona. Sharpshooter. Himeka eventually made it to the ropes. Kyona went up top but Himeka cut her off. Kyona fought back and powerbombed her off the second rope for a two-count. Kyona looked for her gutwrench powerbomb on the big gal but Himeka fought back. Lariat from Kyona. Jungle Buster? Could she do it? The crowd gasped as she successfully picked her up but Himeka dropped out. Knee strikes to Kyona. Torture rack bomb but Kyona kicked out at two and a half. Clothesline from Himeka and they both went down. The bell rang.
DECISION: Time limit draw in 15:00.
(Pageot’s Perspective: That was a very nice surprise. They played the power vs. power card as you’d expect but with a bit of variety mixed in. It never felt like they were chasing down the clock and, with the way Kyona is booked, I certainly wasn’t anticipating a draw. I assumed Himeka would just go over clean in seven minutes. This sets up a little rivalry between the two of them that they can go back to in the future when there are bigger stakes on the line. Himeka now has a 7-2-2 singles record in Stardom, the exact same as Syuri’s 2020 singles record.)
-Watanabe said this was payback for ruining her match against Kyona in Korakuen Hall.
(4) QUEEN’S QUEST (Momo Watanabe & Goddess Of Stardom Champions Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani) vs. OEDO TAI (Natsuko Tora, Saki Kashima, & Bea Priestley)
QQ charged and attacked Oedo Tai before the bell, not bothering to disrobe or unmask. Triple-teaming to Tora. Oedo turned it around and isolated Kamitani. Hot tag to Hayashishita, who unloaded on Kashima. Tora tagged in and also got worked over. It took Priestley to turn the momentum back to the heels but Watanabe ensured it didn’t last long. Watanabe and Priestley battled. Sumire tripped Watanabe as she ran the ropes. Priestley wanted Queen’s Landing but Watanabe caught her with a victory roll for two. Kamitani tagged back in at 10:00. Single-leg crab to Priestley. Rope break. Tora in for some double-teaming. Kamitani ran through her playlist on Priestley. Everything broke down. Priestley pinned Kamitani with a kamigoye.
WINNERS: Oedo Tai in 13:28.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Snooze.)
-Nakano said Stars would protect Stardom. Giulia said they’d show them the first steps to hell. Syuri wanted to gain momentum over Iwatani ahead of their red belt match on October 3.
(5) DONNA DEL MONDO (Wonder Of Stardom Champion Giulia, Future Of Stardom Champion Maika, & Syuri) vs. STARS (World Of Stardom Champion Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, & Starlight Kid) – ARTIST OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
Kid and Syuri started. By 10:00 Kid was in control of Maika. Tag to Syuri. Iwatani tagged in for the red belt preview. Next it was Nakano and Giulia tagging in for their white belt preview. Giulia had Stealth Viper locked on at 15:00 but she released it to prevent a rope break. Nakano dropped her with a kick. Both women were down. Tag to Kid. She hit a couple moves before Giulia effortlessly took over again. Crossface but Iwatani broke it up. Triple-team to Giulia for a near-fall. A trio of synchronized crossbodies to the heels at 20:00. Code red from Kid to Giulia but the partners broke up the pin again. Kid went up top but Maika cut her off and hit a superplex. Everything broke down. Back suplex from Giulia to Kid but she kicked out. Syuri prevented another code red. DDM hit their three-way elevated kick to Kid. Glorious Driver for the pin.
WINNERS: Donna Del Mondo in 22:55 to retain the trios titles.
-Nakano tackled Giulia as the teams were recovering. She had to be pulled off. Iwatani and Syuri got in each other’s faces. Stars left and DDM closed the show. Giulia said she couldn’t pin Nakano here but she would on the 28th when it’s her and Syuri against Iwatani & Nakano in a tag match. Syuri threatened DDM all belts with her taking the red and Maika & Himeka taking the tag titles. Giulia called to the Stardom staff to update Twitter with some announcement. She waited for the fans to check their social. “Oohs” came from the crowd. December 20 they’ll be back in Osaka on the road to Stardom’s 10th anniversary. October 3 they’ll also have a new DDM member.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Even when there are titles on the line it’s hard to care about a six-person tag but this was a fine match. Now that the Grand Prix is over we’re backing off from the chaos booking and sticking with the tried and true. When this was announced you knew Kid was taking the pin and sure enough. The trio of Giulia, Syuri, & Maika continue to hold the best 2020 record of any act in Stardom at 7-0 in six-woman tags. In second place is the trio of Tora, Kashima, & Sumire at 7-1.
Overall this was just the filler show they usually deliver when in Osaka. In six days we’re back in Korakuen, which are usually important shows, but there’s really nothing significant announced other than the TCS break-up match. That’s followed by the Yokohama show on October 3, which is a truly big show with four titles on the line. We should start seeing some tag league teams announced soon as well.)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.