Suzu Suzuki Maintains Commanding Lead in STARDOM 5★STAR GP

By: Noah Leatherland

The STARDOM 5★STAR GP carried on in the Kobe Sambo Hall, with a card full of round robin action. While the Red Stars blocks are more or less decided, there is still much to play for the in Blue Stars, headlined by Suzu Suzuki keeping an undefeated run.

In Kobe, Suzuki came up against Aya Sakura. Entering on four points with only one other match left in her tournament campaign, Sakura needed a win against the World of Stardom Champion to keep her Grand Prix hopes alive. However, Suzuki dispatched of Sakura much like she did to her tag partner to win the red belt, Sayaka Kurara. A bridging German suplex was the final blow that Suzuki needed to seal the victory. Suzuki now has five wins in five Grand Prix bouts, putting her comfortably at the top of Blue Stars A on ten points.

While Suzuki is flying high, the rest of Blue Stars A continues to battle for the other qualifying places. AEW’s Julia Hart continued her impressive debut run in the 5★STAR Grand Prix. The Hartless submission once again gained her two points, this time making Miyu Amasaki submit to the hold. Hart now sits second in the block on eight points.

Elsewhere in Blue Stars A, HANAKO and Hina both helped their chances with wins in Kobe. HANAKO put away the winless Rian, a booming powerbomb leading her to victory. Ruaka had the chance to move up to eight points and join Hart, had Hina not stopped her. The Mad Splash kept Ruaka down for a pinfall, and keeping her within reach. HANAKO, Hina and Ruaka now all sit on six points in joint third place. HANAKO and Ruaka have two matches to go (one against each other), while Hina only has one.

Over in Blue Stars B, it is also a tight race to finish in the top three. Saya Kamitani opened the Kobe event with a win over Yuna Mizumori. By beating the High Speed Champion with the Star Crusher, Kamitani moved up to first place with eight points. Her H.A.T.E. stablemate Momo Watanabe also earned her eighth point of her campaign, coming by way of a time limit draw with Hanan. The tie also moved Hanan up to seven points, just behind Kamitani and Watanabe. For now, Hanan shares her third place spot with Starlight Kid, who moved up to seven points with a win over Koguma off a moonsault.

Hanan and Kid must also keep an eye over their shoulders. Ami Sohrei scored a vital win over Kikyo Furusawa, coming by way of a Raiden Shiku. The win moves Sohrei up to six points and within touching distance of a qualifying spot.

Here are the full results for STARDOM 5★STAR GP in Kobe, courtesy of purolove.com:

• Blue Stars B: Saya Kamitani [8] def. Yuna Mizumori [4] (9:29)
• Blue Stars A: HANAKO [6] def. Rian [0] (9:07)
• Blue Stars B: Ami Sohrei [6] def. Kikyo Furusawa [0] (7:56)
• Red Stars A: Mei Seira [5] def. Lady C [2] (4:29)
• Blue Stars B: Starlight Kid [7] def. Koguma [4] (9:49)
• Blue Stars A: Julia Hart [8] def. Miyu Amasaki [4] (7:05)
• Blue Stars A: Hina [6] def. Ruaka [6] (11:31)
• Blue Stars B: Hanan [7] vs. Momo Watanabe [8] – Time Limit Draw (15:00)
• Blue Stars A: Suzu Suzuki [10] def. Aya Sakura [4] (11:55)

Here are the updated standings for the STARDOM 5★STAR GP:

Red Stars A:

• AZM [9]
• Maika [9]
• Itsuki Aoki [8]
• Natsuko Tora [8]
• Rina [7]
• Tomoka Inaba [6]
• Sayaka Kurara [4]
• Akira Kurogane [1]

Red Stars B:

• Rina Yamashita [9]
• Saya Iida [9]
• Konami [8]
• Maki Itoh [8]
• Mei Seira [5]
• Utami Hayashishita [5]
• Azusa Inaba [4]
• Lady C [2]

Blue Stars A:

• Suzu Suzuki [10]
• Julia Hart [8]
• Ruaka [6]
• HANAKO [6]
• Hina [6]
• Aya Sakura [4]
• Miyu Amasaki [4]
• Rian [0]

Blue Stars B:

• Momo Watanabe [8]
• Saya Kamitani [8]
• Hanan [7]
• Starlight Kid [7]
• Ami Sohrei [6]
• Koguma [4]
• Yuna Mizumori [4]
• Kikyo Furusawa [0]