WORLD WONDER RING STARDOM
NAGOYA GOLDEN FIGHT
OCTOBER 9, 2023
DOLPHIN’S ARENA
NAGOYA, JAPAN

Just days after the finale of the 5STAR Grand Prix STARDOM is back on Pay-Per-View with a strong-looking lineup that is missing its best match. The Natsupoi/Saori Anou vs AZM/Utami Hayashishita tag title match is now just a singles match due to both Hayashishita and Natsupoi suffering from Cervical Herniae. Despite losing a guaranteed show stealer this should still be a promising show.

HIGH SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP
MEI SEIRA DEF. SAKI KASHIMA (C)

Despite my belief that Seira should have dethroned AZM for the title and taken over the division, I like the way they built up to her first title win. Since winning the title Kashima has been ducking Seira, making it pretty clear that the (now) ex-champion wanted nothing to do with her. This made Seira’s win feel inevitable and gave her something to aim for. Following her Passion Injection match with Nanae Takahashi there was no better time to pull the trigger on the new High Speed champ.

The match was laid out in a way that fully showcased the abilities of Mei Seira as she got to dazzle the crowd with all the High Speed trickery while Kashima tried to slow it down and work a bit more heelish. Good crowning moment for the young woman who will be carrying this division for the foreseeable future. ***1/4

SAORI ANOU DEF. AZM

Anou gets her win back after losing to AZM in the 5STAR Grand Prix just two months ago. This was another strong match between the two as AZM gets to do her high-speed stuff and Anou just tries to kick her in the face for it, Anou can do the High Speed style when she needs to which is a nice wrinkle to the matches. It was that wrinkle that got Anou the win as she caught AZM in a roll-up to get the win. ***3/4

UWF RULES
SYURI DEF. MINA SHIRAKAWA – REFEREE STOPPAGE

I hate UWF-style matches. They almost always bore me and it’s disappointing that a match like Shirakawa vs Syuri was saddled with the stipulation. Syuri has pulled off miracles in past UWF matches, I even enjoyed her vs Konami because they were just throwing strikes, but this wasn’t good. It had completely vapid “technical” wrestling where they just flop around on the ground with no real intention behind it, poorly done submission transitions, and the occasional good strike.

Syuri kind of put over Mina for her efforts post-match which was the purpose of this match, it gives constant punching bag and natural babyface Shirakawa another setback and a goal of beating Syuri, but the match sucked any energy out of the moment. **

ARTIST OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
DONNA DEL MONDO (GIULIA, MAI SAKURAI & THEKLA) (C) DEF. MEGAN BAYNE, SUZU SUZUKI & MAIKA

I’m kinda shocked this only went 6 minutes. For a title match that’s surprisingly short but it didn’t matter too much as this was a story-centric match more than anything. It was focused on the odd pairing of GP final winner Suzuki teaming with GP final loser Maika against Maika’s stablemates. This match finished with miscommunication between Suzuki and Maika causing Maika to take the fall. I quite like them having Maika lose the match because she’s embracing the story of her losing confidence after losing the GP final and there’s a lot you can do with that arc, especially if she continues to get more angry and aggressive with each loss.

After the match, Maika immediately went after Suzuki and in the backstage comments promised to destroy the GP winner, all while ignoring Giulia’s pleas to stop fighting. Maika and STARDOM may have fallen into a major story for her and I for one am excited to see what comes next. ***1/2

WONDER OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
MIRAI (C) DEF. MOMO WATANABE

I was looking towards this match to deliver the standout MOTN, and they put in a great effort. Watanabe has been back at her best in recent months, and it is so enjoyable to see. She’s throwing kicks and dropping folks on their heads, which is fantastic. MIRAI is the perfect opponent for that as she’s a natural babyface who can fight back and move like a race car to hit lariats.

MIRAI finally being given the ball by STARDOM and running with it to put on great matches has done wonders for her (no pun intended) and she’s quickly becoming one of the cornerstone people on the roster, especially with so many top names currently out with injury. ****1/4

KAIRI SENDOFF
KAIRI, NANAE TAKAHASHI & MAYU IWATANI DEF. CLASSMATES (KOGUMA, SAYA IIDA & HAZUKI)

I don’t think any match could have summed up KAIRI’s return to Japan more than this one. She wins (of course) while being one of the least interesting parts of the match. Who knew when she returned just 18 months ago that she’d have worn out her welcome so quickly and avoided elevating anyone in her entire time in Japan?

Conversely, who knew Nanae Takahashi would become a key cog in the wheel for STARDOM when she returned for the NEO Stardom Army group? She and Iida were the standout performers in this match, with the crowd being hot for any of their exchanges.

KAIRI and Koguma were the two involved in the finishing stretch, and I think KAIRI wanted this as she clearly has a lot of respect for Koguma. Despite her falling into the role of comedy tag wrestler in the past 12 months, Koguma has always been praised by the early STARDOM crew as one of the more talented wrestlers they’d ever come across so I think the closing stretch was KAIRI’s way of giving some shine to Koguma before leaving. Now, would I opt to elevate someone I respect by losing to them? Yes, but that’s probably why I’m not a pro wrestler. KAIRI hit her trademark elbow drop one last time to get the win and put the dagger in the heart of the STARS trio.

For a last send-off to KAIRI, it was cool to see STARDOM get five homegrowns in the ring alongside company co-founder Nanae Takahashi, it was a nice moment for the STARS/Classmates trio to go against this all-star team, and even if they didn’t win they put up enough of a fight to look good.

Bon voyage KAIRI. I’ll never forget the comeback at World Climax or the matches with Iwatani and Mercedes Mone. Sadly, there never seemed to be a solid plan for her in STARDOM she was just flown in to the bigger shows wherever it would least impact ongoing storylines, and the refusal to ever have her take losses meant we never got big matches with Giulia, a Tam Nakano rematch, a Saya Kamitani rematch, or a Syuri match.

I hope this WWE return goes the way KAIRI wants, and she can avoid losing to wrestling’s biggest nepo baby on SmackDown. ****1/4

WORLD OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
TAM NAKANO (C) DEF. NATSUKO TORA

I’ve always enjoyed the dynamic that Tora and Nakano have. One is a pretty ruthless heel who will use any edge she can to win, whereas Tam Nakano is the babyface idol who shows heart to fight through anything to win. When you put them in the ring together, you’re going to get a real battle of good vs. evil.

This started off with Tora using weapons and cheating to beat down Nakano, in a manner similar to their Wonder of Stardom tournament match back in 2020 on one of STARDOM’s first shows after the COVID hiatus. I find it’s best for Tora to go with her inner brawler in matches like this because she’s quite good at beating people up and it saves her cool shit for later in the match.

Speaking of cool shit, when the match got going, these two were doing some crazy stuff, Tora’s shoot headbutt on the top rope to Nakano followed by a nasty drop was one of the craziest spots I’ve seen in STARDOM in some time.

The match ended with a pretty dangerous-looking Violet Screwdriver where Nakano’s leg folded under her; I’m honestly shocked she didn’t come out of that with an injury, as good triumphed over evil, and we set Nakano on a collision course with Suzu Suzuki next month in Osaka. ****

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a great show that got us right into the post-GP swing. KAIRI’s goodbye was a great match and a nice moment if you’re a big fan of hers, the Artist match was short, but it furthered STARDOM’s best current storyline with Maika’s growing rage being very interesting, MIRAI and Tam Nakano continued their strong runs as champs with another set of strong matches, while the undercard had Mei Seira’s crowning moment. The world of STARDOM never stops and this show is proof, days after the GP, days before tag league, and yet it delivered the kind of quality we’ve all come to expect from the company.

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