AZM: Faster Than The Future

By: Jeff Brown

Every match and every move featuring AZM sees the future inked on the canvas. A generation of wrestling is being written every time she walks down the entrance ramp. Innovation at a pace that knows no limits links complicated sequences elegantly together, not unlike Paganini composing a caprice for the violin, and makes it all seem preternatural and shocking to first-time viewers and longtime fans alike. While there is a natural talent, there is also an Olympic-level training regimen in the STARDOM dojo to finally hone these abilities. AZM is not merely a “gifable exhibitionist”, but a “grand storyteller” who blurs the lines between performance and reality as a champion.

This championship story begins with a name that will forever be associated with AZM: Starlight Kid. As ground zero of the title run, this match garnered a lot of attention, and rightly so. The feud was already steeped in history and conflict, but over the last few years, STARDOM has quietly been growing and putting out a consistent product, and this time there were a lot of new eyes on the STARDOM ring. It was high-speed style on the edge of adhesion; fans were witnessing the limits of both the human body and mind. While imagination and innovation were definitely hallmarks, equally important was the story of the rivalry between these two. They both want to occupy the same space, and that drives both competitors to hit their limits and push beyond.

Koguma and Natsupoi were the next challengers, and being that these were three combatants with a relatively short window of time, gears were shifted before the bell even rang. It was one continuous 8-minute sprint built around every style of pin attempt imaginable, and AZM got Natsupoi down for the 3-count. Next was Mei Suruga. The cult favorite and star of YouTube returned to the wonder ring as the next challenger and posed a riddle for the champion to solve. Underneath the colorful entrance and comedic trappings is a fierce technical wrestler in her own right. Mei has a strong lucha style but is grounded in the fundamentals, so she was able to go hold for hold with AZM. Koguma, who had held the title in 2015, notably returned to STARDOM in 2021. Since returning, Koguma has been in the middle to upper midcard, usually doing quite well but never winning the biggest of her matches throughout the year. This match is quite notable as it was the main event of night 6 of the Golden Week Fight Tour 2022. They were given 11 minutes to do the high-speed division justice and prove that this reign was a legacy-defining run for AZM. Flashing Champions 2022 was the stage for the next defense against Thekla. DDM’s Toxic Spider Thekla, being so submission- and grappling-based, offered a fresh approach to the high-speed formula. This was a lot of catch-as-catch-can grapple sequences, along with limb work from both competitors. Like many of these title matches, the runtime is under 10 minutes, which AZM excels at maximizing.

Thekla challenges AZM for the High-Speed Championship. c/o Stardom

A somewhat unlikely challenge came from Momo Kohgo. The former Actwres Girl, with a quick style rooted in lucha, had the underdog fire needed to present the title holder with a sizable hurdle. Her win-loss record was not to be the focal point, lest AZM get caught in a flash pin or one of her signature moves like a 619 or missile dropkick. After yet another defense, the young Rina tried to stall out this run. Both starting in Joshi at such similar ages, AZM herself was in Rina’s position, the young hopeful finding her way up the card. This match may have been more of a test or proving ground for the young Oedo-Tai member, but the element of danger was present with her stablemates near and her proclivity for leverage pins.

A callback to the summer of 2019 saw Fukigen Death and Hazuki once again in a 3-way for the High-Speed title. Yet another main event for the division on day 19 of the 5 Star GP, Hazuki lost the title the last time they met and had not made the belt a focus since her return to STARDOM. This match, while under 8 minutes, was the best anyone could ask for and worthy of its show-closing position. 3 seasoned professionals who knew the importance of the spotlight upon them.

Another outsider stepped up, the bubble-laden Momoka Hanazono. Purified chaos, a match with no clear plan other than to endure the nonsense and bubbles. Hanazono is an incredibly gifted comedic wrestler and can often beat herself by being overly ambitious with her moves. This was a survival of the quirky offense, and AZM needed to keep her wits about her.
Dream Queendom 2022 saw AZM take on another outsider. A dream match for the fans in the know, Hikari Shimizu was a high water mark in the reign; for the uninitiated, they didn’t have long to see what all the clamor was for. Part of the freelance group COLOR’S and an ancillary Cosmic Angel, Shimizu is a staple of the independent scene as well as a former Actwres Girl. Shimizu had a lot to prove and was one of the toughest opponents yet, with her obtaining breathtaking nearfalls that left the viewers doubting the referee’s count. Genuine moments of these two clicking and making high art in between the ropes were the biggest takeaway from the bout.

Starlight Kid returned, and the Triangle Derby tournament was the site of this next chapter in the continual feud. Whilst retaining elements of their previous encounters, both went for limbs and a grounded approach. AZM pulled inspiration from the Thekla match, perhaps with a grappling focus. It’s often a risk to venture outside of a tried and true formula, but this kept echoes of past matches while creating a new atmosphere with the submission attempts. AZM hits a brutal off-the-top rope arm submission that marries everything the high-speed division offers.
In between title defenses, AZM and Hazuki stepped into a New Japan ring on April 8 at Sakura Genesis. They were in a 3 way with none other than Mercedes Moné, and everyone showed up ready for greatness. AZM, with her reputation for dazzling speed, was like Shane van Gisbergen showing up to a Nascar street race this year and, from 3rd place, having a performance that had fans making note of his name after his victory. While AZM did not win, her performance clearly made her name part of many conversations afterwards.

AZM tries to capture the IWGP Women’s Title from Mercedes Mone. c/o New Japan Pro-Wrestling

AZM had a unique opponent in Saki Kashima, especially after the crowd- and critic pleasing recent outings. Not a traditional high-speed competitor, Kashima’s style is more akin to a southern territory heel, with lots of stalling, mind games, and cheating. Having said that, she is very cagey, and her zombie revival pin is on par with AZM’s own AZM sushi rollup and usually guarantees a victory. When the match began, Kashima said that because it’s a title match, she would be honorable and not make the match about her getting a pin in seconds. After a handshake attempt, Kashima made this match about her getting a pin in seconds.

Her next challenge would once again come from outside of STARDOM, as Mei Seira earned a shot against the champion. The former Marvelous wrestler had made a return from a hiatus and was eager to show the world what she was capable of. The 21-year-old is definitely of a similar style to AZM, so they complemented each other perfectly in a 10 minute match jam-packed with counters and pin attempts. AZM getting to wrestle guests adds a uniqueness to this reign, and for the uninitiated, they have new names and companies to track down after getting acquainted with these Joshi.

At Flashing Champions on May 27th, AZM was in a 3-way outing with Kashima and Fuken Death. In a glorified handicap match, the deck was stacked against her. In about 5 and a half minutes, the 458-day title reign ended when Kashima pinned Fuken Death. AZM can take solace in not being pinned or submitted, but the title left her waist nonetheless.
After her loss of the title, AZM found herself and her Queen’s Quest stablemates in a cage match against Oedo Tai, with the final wrestler left in the cage expelled from their team. As the match broke into chaos and brawling, AZM saw Kashima, the person who took her title, prone on the mat and ascended the fencing. Standing atop the cage, AZM surveyed the carnage below and targeted Kashima with a breathtaking leap, double-foot stomping into the next chapter of her story.

This article first appeared in Issue #12 of Monthly Puroresu.