11/23 Stardome in Tokyo, Japan: Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita vs. Jungle Kyona & Natsuko Tora, Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki vs. AZM & Konami

STARDOM: BEST OF GODDESSES
NOVEMBER 23, 2018
TOKYO, JAPAN AT KORAKUEN HALL
REPORT BY JWT, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT

If you attend a live event, please send results in the format of the following report to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

Attendance: 950-975 (I guessed 950, but I’ve seen two other people report 960 and 1,000 on Twitter.)

There were no guardrails of any kind and that will come into play.

The Show opened with Stardom’s Idol Group performing a song. It was a fun song and dance number if you’re into J-pop.

(1) Handicap Tag: Kaori Yoneyama & Ruaka (Jungle Assault Nation Faction) defeated Hanan & Hina & Rina (Trainees) when Ruaka pinned Hanan in 4:00. This was a pretty straight forward Trainee squash. The trainees worked mostly heel after jumping JAN after the handshake.  Lots of dropkicks and a couple Boston crabs but mostly the trainees took a beating.  Crowd really liked Yoneyama and Hanan looked promising despite eating the pin.

(2) Future of Stardom Championship Starlight Kid (Champion) defeated Natsumi in 8:00. This was a pretty solid match. A couple of notable spots were Natsumi locking up Starlight Kid in a pretty wicked looking inverted figure four and later using the ropes to trap Starlight Kid in a Paradise Lock which I thought actually made the hold look like something you could get stuck in without looking ridiculous. Starlight hit a second rope moonsault for the win. Starlight Kid is pretty clearly one of Stardom’s more popular acts.

(3) Tam Nakano & Saki Kashima (STARS Faction) defeated Bea Priestley & Chardonnay (Queen’s Quest Faction) in about eleven minutes. Hometown girls (Nakano & Kashima) got pretty strong face reactions though as the match continued there were scattered calls of “Bea” and “Chardonnay.”  Good tag match, Priestley is really good as a heel and Nakano and Kashima drew a lot of sympathy. Saki pinned Chardonnay as action broke down late.

(4) Hazuki & Kagetsu (Oedo Tai) defeated Hana Kimura & Mary Apache in 15:00. I don’t know if it was announced as some sort of hardcore match but Kimura hit Hazuki with a chair pretty early on and things broke down from there.  They fought in the crowd (at one point Kagetsu was essentially thrown into my lap. Mari Apache, being bigger that all three other women, used her size to play monster heel effectively despite Kimura being very over with the crowd, Oedo Tai are very much the cool heels that got over as faces.  Kagetsu looked a bit banged up and she seemed to get off to a slow start but as the match wore on she got some good spots in (including a dive that once again forced my section to bail out.)  The match broke down Hazuki pinned Apache with her finisher to get the win. Apache roughed up the ref to get her heat back.

This was the first match with a post-match promo in ring. Hazuki challenged Apache for the Stardom High Speed Championship.  I couldn’t catch all of it but it sounded like the promo was centered on Apache’s size being larger that most in the High Speed Division.

(5) Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki defeated AZM & Konami (Queen’s Quest) in 15:00. This match was centered on Hoshiki’s return to Stardom and her first appearance at Korakuen in six years.  Unsurprisingly, she spent most of the first half of the match selling with Iwatani coming in to fire up the crowd.  This match was strike heavy and AZM took the brunt of the punishment before taking the pin.

Following the match, Hoshiki asked to join Iwatani’s STARS Faction.  The crowd was into it but Tam Nakano hinted at some dissention when Mayu asked her faction-mates however she let Hoshiki join in the end.  Speaking of Iwatani, she is clearly both one of the most popular and best performers on the roster.

Intermission

(6) Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita defeated Jungle Kyona & Natsuko Tora (Jungle Assault Nation) to win the Goddesses of Stardom Tag Team Championship in 20:00. This match was centered on the feud between veteran Kyona and Hayashishita (she has only been in wrestling since August though it’s difficult to tell.) The pair got in each other’s faces during the ring introductions and Utami seemed intent on defeating Kyona specifically.  Watanabe was smooth in the ring and Kyona was very good as an arrogant heel. The match was very intense and Utami hit Kyona with her finisher to get the win and the titles.

After the match, Watanabe and Hayashishita cut a promo and Hayashishita tried to get Kyona to admit something but I’m not quite sure what as I couldn’t follow everything.  Kyona said something to her partner, Natsuko and she seemed to quit the faction before the rest of Kyona’s faction took her to the back.

Watanabe then called out the STARS faction and challenged them to be their first defense.  Watanabe seemed to press on Nakano’s reaction to Hoshiki joining the group but it looks like Watanabe and Hayashishita will defend their titles against Iwatani and Hashiki at some point down the line.

After STARS left all of Queen’s Quest joined Watananbe and Hayashishita in the ring and Hayashishita asked to join the stable alongside Watanabe.  She was welcomed into the group before Watanabe closed out the show.

Most popular wrestlers: Iwatani, Hayashishita and Kagetsu

Best match: Watanabe/Hayashishita vs Kyona/Tora

This was a really fun show and it lasted just under two-and-a-half hours.  Korakuen Hall was an experience as well to be sure.

If you attend a live event, please send results in the format of the following report to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!

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