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STARDOM Dream Queendom Review – 12.29.22

2 years ago

STARDOM Dream Queendom Review – 12.29.22

STARDOM Dream Queendom Review – 12.29.22

By: Trent Breward

As 2022 comes to a close, STARDOM’s main protagonist finally stood atop the mountain, ending a journey that forged her into the diamond she now is.

It took everything Giulia had and then some. She knew she couldn’t beat Syuri in a straight wrestling match, and anytime she tried the champ began to take control. Halfway through their war Syuri connected with a flush roundhouse kick that nearly ended the match then and there. Giulia only just staggered to her feet before the ten count.

The only way Giulia was going to win was by turning it into an ugly fight, which is exactly what she tried to do. It didn’t take long for the two to end up on the outside, and then Giulia launched Syuri with a capture suplex off the entrance ramp, into the emptied chairs as the audience that previously filled them scurried away.

Even then Syuri wouldn’t go down easy. The challenger tried to follow that up with a piledriver through the table – a move she had used to great effect in their first title match in March – only to have it reversed and go head first through the table herself.

All Giulia had was her heart and her determination. She did the impossible and kicked out of the dreaded Syu-Sekai finisher Syuri had crafted to win the title 365 days ago. Then she called upon her friends, using the finishers of Maika, Himeka and even the late great Hana Kimura.

With both champion and challenger out on their feet, Giulia introduced to both Syuri and the world her new crushing finishing move: a Pumphandle Northern Lights Bomb. Syuri has been nigh unbeatable since joining STARDOM at the start of 2020, but after everything this match had extracted from her, not even the invincible champion could endure that.

A hellacious match capped off an incredible journey that Giulia had undertaken in order to finally hold the Red Belt. From losing her hair to her greatest rival, seeing her faction strain at the seams, to falling short in March when she first challenged Syuri for the World of Stardom Championship – those failures seemingly prepared her to make tonight count.

They might have gone their separate ways after March, but the friendship and love between Giulia and Syuri was still there in the aftermath. They embraced, and Syuri officially passed on the championship by strapping it around her former tag team partner’s waist. The Red World Syuri had created is no more, now Giulia reigns supreme.

It was a night for title changes. Nanae Takahashi and Yuu managed to convert their Goddess of Stardom Tag League victory into championship gold, overwhelming meltear by sheer force and power. Tam Nakano and Natsupoi were clearly outgunned early, but they would have expected that heading into the match. They took the fight to 7Upp where they could, having to change plans on the fly as they tried to figure out how to counteract the power game.

Natsupoi bounced off of Yuu multiple times, and was even plucked from the air as the champion jumped from the top rope to the outside. Despite this noticeable disadvantage the tag team champions fought with their all to retain the titles, and came close on several occasions.

Nonetheless, the power game was just too much. Yuu lifted Natsupoi up in the air for a Last Ride Powerbomb, parading the hapless fairy around the ring before nearly driving her through the canvas. For the first time since 2014, Nanae Takahashi holds the Goddess of Stardom Tag Titles. Now they need to atone for their rare failure – MaiHime emerged from the #1 contenders match victorious and were the only team to hand 7Upp an outright defeat during their tournament run.

Prominence too walked away from Ryogoku Hall with championships around their waists. Oedo Tai wanted a hardcore match, and they came prepared with a myriad of weapons and even a bicycle. However they were walking into Prominence’s world. Ultimately the weapons game favored the challengers.

While Starlight Kid and Momo Watanabe were thrown into a pyramid of chairs, it left Saki Kashima to try and fend off a red hot Suzu Suzuki. Despite her best attempts to catch her off guard with the Revival flash pin, the former Ice Ribbon champion sealed the deal with Rolling German Suplexes. After invading STARDOM in February (opening the door for the incoming flood of outside talent), Prominence end the year with a dominating championship performance.

Only Queen’s Quest managed to walk away with their titles still in hand. AZM dispatched Hikari Shimizu in a fun and action packed High Speed Championship opener, while Saya Kamitani came another step closer to breaking the White Belt defense record by putting away Haruka Umesaki. The Diana youngster looked out of her depths in the semi main event early, but rallied to make it a competitive fight. However she was clearly outmatched by a champion who had grown into a bonafide main eventer through the year.

Over 3800 people walked through the doors of Sumo Hall to witness the final STARDOM show of the 2022, capping off a record breaking year for the company by just about every metric. Those in attendance got to witness the beginning of a new era, with Giulia now on top of the world.

Match Results:

  • Super Strong Stardom Machine and Super Strong Stardom Giant Machine won the Stardom Rumble
  • High-Speed Championship: AZM (c) def. Saya Iida
  • Mayu Iwatani, Hanan & Momo Kohgo def. Hazuki, Koguma & Saya Iida
  • Mina Shirakawa & Unagi Sayaka def. Thekla & Mai Sakurai
  • Goddess of Stardom No. 1 Contendership: MaiHime (Maika & Himeka) def. The New Eras (MIRAI & Ami Sourei) and BMI2000 (Natsuko Tora & Ruaka)
  • KAIRI vs. Utami Hayashishita wrestled to a 15-minute time limit draw
  • Artist of Stardom Championship: Prominence (Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera & Kurumi Hiiragi) def. Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe, Starlight Kid & Saki Kashima) (c) in a Hardcore Match
  • Goddess of Stardom Championship: 7Upp (Nanae Takahashi & Yuu) def. meltear (Tam Nakano & Natsupoi) (c)
  • Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani (c) def. Haruka Umesaki
  • World of Stardom Championship: Giulia def. Syuri (c)

Rapid Fire Takeaways:

  • Fifteen minutes clearly wasn’t enough for KAIRI and Utami Hayashishita, who fought to a hard hitting draw. Once more Utami came undone with her HiJack Bomb launching her opponent too close to the ropes. The same thing happened when she lost the World of Stardom Championship to Syuri a year prior. Still, there’s clearly unfinished business here. KAIRI hit the Insane Elbow but time ran out before she could get the pinfall. An even affair between two behemoths in joshi.
  • Mina Shirakawa made an impact in her return in a number of ways. Flanked to the ring by Xia Brookeside and Mariah May, the newly minted Club Venus announced themselves to the world. After showing her injury didn’t slow her down, she put away Thekla and then officially broke off her Pink Kabuki partnership with Unagi Sayaka, who was left in tears by her friend’s change of heart.
  • It wasn’t the last time we’d see Mina. After another successful defense, Saya Kamitani called out Shirakawa. After the unfortunate ending to their last match it seems Mina is still on Saya’s mind. It’s a match that will have to wait though. While Mina kept away from the ring, the Future of Stardom Champion Ami Sourei made her way in, setting herself up as the next challenger. With Momo Watanabe’s record within her grasp, it seems a favorable matchup on paper. Upsets do happen though.
  • AZM is breaking records with her second High Speed Title reign, and after another successful defense she made it clear who she wants next: Starlight Kid. Their February match where AZM won the title drew a lot of attention in the West, and now the two eternal foes will be looking to replicate that success in January.

Date:

December 29, 2022

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