Photo Credit: STARDOM
By Noah Leatherland
STARDOM kicked off their annual Cinderella Tournament, with the winner receiving a wish for any prize they desire. With tournament matches having a time limit and over-the-top-rope eliminations, the field was narrowed down on the opening day in Aichi.
The opening match saw quite an upset. The High Speed Champion Yuna Mizumori was knocked out of the tournament by Rian. Rian quickly took the microphone declared that she is going to win the whole tournament, and also wants Mizumori’s High Speed Title.
Next, Aya Sakura came to ring sporting her mop from the press conference, ready to take on Fukigen Death. Sakura secured her place in the next round with a picture-perfect German Suplex, scoring the pin, and continuing her mopping backstage.
Ranna Yagami’s kicking prowess proved to be too much for Waka Tsukiyama. While Yagami’s win allows her to look forward to the rest of the tournament, Tsukiyama was left to look inward in the face of defeat:
It’s frustrating, isn’t it? My condition was actually pretty good… But if I can’t win, it means something’s not quite there, I suppose… I’ll go and find what’s missing.
While Starlight Kid, Mei Seira and Maika are off representing STARDOM in Mexico, Tabata represented CMLL in the Cinderella Tournament. She came up against Natsupoi as her first round opponent. Natsupoi picked up a submission victory, making Tabata tap out to the Poi Lock.
The next match saw the Future of Stardom Champion HANAKO face Yuria Hime. The match spilled out to ringside, with the two slamming each other on the hard ground. As the referee’s count neared 20, Hime looked to return to the ring. However, HANAKO held onto her leg, stopping Hime but at the expense of a double count out. As a result, both women are eliminated from the tournament. After the decision, Hime challenged HANAKO for the Future of Stardom title. Having previously challenged Hina for the belt last year, Hime is feeling much more confident this time around:
HANAKO has watched my training ever since before my debut, and when I first challenged for the belt, it was held by the two members of New Blood… Back then, I couldn’t properly convey my feelings. But this time, I believe my feelings truly came across. I absolutely will take the Future belt from HANAKO and do a belt gravure shoot, so everyone, please wait for it!
Despite the draw, HANAKO is not showing any signs of doubt:
Even before her debut, Yuria had such conviction and incredible drive—she’s just like Mina (Shirakawa). That Yuria and I have always fought for this future. I wanted to battle her. I’ll knock that girl out and defend my title for the fourth time!
Then, the two members of the Itoh Respect Army were pit against each other, as Maki Itoh faced Kikyo Furusawa. Although the two weren’t thrilled to be facing one another, they did not hold back on vying to reach the tournament’s second round.
Eventually, Itoh made Furusawa tap out from the Itoh Deluxe. Despite the hard-fought battle, it seems the Itoh Respect Army remains a united front:
Maki Itoh: I’ve hurt my precious comrade…
Kikyo Furusawa: Master, that really hurts!
Itoh: Will you carry on as the “Itoh Respect Army” after this?
Furusawa: Yes!
Ito Maki: The Itoh Respect Army! We’re absolutely going to make it big—!
Furusawa: Ooh—!
Ito Maki: I’ll make sure the company sells official Itoh Respect Army T-shirts—!
After that, Saori Anou faced Fuwa-chan in what quickly became a heated match-up. Fuwa-chan attacked Anou as she was still making her entrance, starting the hostilities early. This match became the second of the night to end in a double disqualification. After fighting over the top ropes to the apron, Fuwa-chan brought Anou crashing down to ringside with a suplex. Both women were eliminated from the tournament, but they still continued to scrap at ringside and to the back. Even as Anou gave her post-match comments, calling this loss a stain on her career, Fuwa-chan attacked again, keeping the fight going.
In the main event Hanan came up against her STARS stablemate, Momo Kohgo. Despite Kohgo’s best efforts, she fell short of her ally, and Hanan scored a pin after hitting Kohgo with a backdrop. Advancing into the next round, Hanan made her desires for the future known:
This year’s Cinderella, I absolutely intend to win the tournament properly and wrap that white belt around my waist! There’s no other choice but for me to take it from Konami!
(Quotes translated via DeepL)
Hanan will face Ranna Yagami in the second round. Rian will meet Natsupoi. Thanks to HANAKO and Yuria Hime’s tie, Aya Sakura immediately heads into the quarter finals. Maki Itoh also gets the same advantage thanks to Saori Anou and Fuwa-chan’s tie.
Here are the full results for STARDOM Cinderella Tournament Opening Day, courtesy of purolove.com:
Date:
March 7, 2026
Category:
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