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STARDOM: Supreme Fight Review – 2.4.23

2 years ago

STARDOM: Supreme Fight Review – 2.4.23

STARDOM: Supreme Fight Review – 2.4.23

By: Trent Breward

For the first time in three years STARDOM were performing in front of a crowd allowed to cheer and vocally support their favorites. It should come as no surprise that everyone decided to go extra hard on this night.

That being said, Suzu Suzuki and Giulia would just as soon try to maim one another in an empty building. Such is the history between the two former Ice Ribbon wrestlers.

While much of the fury had been spent in their first one on one confrontation back in October, it didn’t take long until the vicious side of these two women bubbled to the surface. Both entered the match sporting heavily taped shoulders, and this was a weakness that both challenger and champion exploited throughout the match.

Giulia’s size advantage kept the younger Suzu grounded through much of the first half of the match, with the champion put on the back foot whenever the match opened up and Suzu could create some distance. The biggest shot of the night belonged to Suzu Suzuki, who landed an avalanche German Suplex and even managed to bridge it in an attempt to give Giulia no time to recover.

However one big shot wasn’t going to be enough. Giulia endured the worst Suzu could throw at her, and eventually started to stack knockout blows one after another. The Northern Lights Bomb finished the job, completing Giulia’s first successful defense of the World of Stardom Championship.

It was an important win for STARDOM as a promotion, because in two other big matches the outsiders reigned supreme. The Osaka crowd were red hot for the MaiHime pairing, but an early injury scare quietened both the crowd and the challengers for the Goddess of Stardom belts. Himeka’s Jumbo Knee off the apron had her landing awkwardly, doing major damage to an already hurt knee a painting a huge target for the experienced champions.

Maika did her best to carry the load while Himeka struggled to recover, pulling off impressive feats of strength and keeping the champions guessing, but the effort soon left her exhausted. Himeka tagged back in, and while she was able to land some big blows the knee injury stopped her from building any true momentum, and she was never able to tag back out.

The Running Powerbomb had many in the crowd thinking they were about to see a title change hands, but Nanae Takahashi was able to draw from her passion and kick out. It was the biggest blow Himeka could possibly land, and eventually she was overwhelmed by the first ever World of Stardom Champion. Maika and Himeka can hold their heads up high, but they left the building without championship gold around their waist.

Earlier MIRAI did her best to stand up against the immovable force Chihiro Hashimoto. The Ace of Sendai Girls out wrestled and out muscled last year’s Cinderella Tournament winner for much of the match, hitting MIRAI with the kind of strength she had not yet encountered.

It was a testament to her resolve that she kept in the match for as long as she did. MIRAI even managed to trouble Hashimoto with a couple of high impact moves, including a big lariat that took both women off their feet. Still, Hashimoto has earned a reputation as being one of the toughest joshi around, and she proved it in Osaka. A couple of crushing German suplexes drove MIRAI’s neck hard into the mat, and she was unable to beat the count.

History was also made in Osaka as Saya Kamitani broke Momo Watanabe’s record for the most successful defenses of the Wonder of Stardom Championship. She did so by beating the former record holder at her own game.

Crowd restrictions were lifted, and those crowds were forced to flee as Momo Watanabe sent the champion six rows deep into the chairs, and used her Oedo Tai teammates to wreak havoc at every opportunity. Saya could have easily been overwhelmed, but responded by hitting a double foot stomp from the top rope to the outside, nearly driving Momo through a table in the process.

Later, she endured a Peach Thunder Suplex and responded with one of her own. Anything Momo could do, Saya could do better – including defending the Wonder of Stardom Championship.

The record now sits at fourteen, and Saya is over 400 days into her reign. The run has put her in the history books, and now the only question is how much longer can she hold on to the title for?

Match results:

  • Saki Kashima won the Naniwa Roulette Match
  • Triangle Derby Match: Classmates (Hazuki, Saya Iida & Koguma) (4) def. Unique Glare (Starlight Kid, Ruaka & Haruka Umesaki) (4)
  • Konami, Syuri & Ami Sourei def. Utami Hayashishita, AZM & Lady C
    Chirhiro Hashimoto def. MIRAI
  • Goddess of Stardom Championship: Nanae Takahashi & Yuu (c) def. Maika & Himeka
  • Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani (c) def. Momo Watanabe
  • World of Stardom Championship: Giulia (c) def. Suzu Suzuki

Rapid Fire Takeaways:

  • It was only fitting that the first person to walk out in front of the cheering audience was Mayu Iwatani. The Icon of Stardom was such an integral part of the company’s success during the early stages of the pandemic and their entire history. She deserved that moment
  • Saki Kashima surprised many people to win the highly entertaining Naniwa Roulette match. To the victor goes the spoils, and she called her spot: Saki will challenge AZM for the High Speed Title.
  • It’s always a joy to see Konami back in a Stardom ring. It’s been over a year since she went on hiatus, but whenever she shows her face it’s like she never left.
  • A lot of people shone a little brighter with the return of cheering, but one of the biggest winners was Lady C. As impressive as a giant swing is, it is always better when the crowd is counting the rotations.
  • The entrants for this year’s Cinderella Tournament were announced. A total field of 36 wrestlers will compete in the single elimination tournament starting in March. At this point there are two wrestlers competing who will be named at a later date. With the final happening just prior to the Grand Queendom show at Yokohama Arena, the stakes have never been higher for someone wanting to be featured on the biggest stage STARDOM can provide.
  • 7Upp might have retained the Goddess of Stardom Tag Titles, but they can’t rest for long. Natsuko Tora and Ruaka made their way out after the match to lay down a challenge. The Oedo Tai pair came within inches of beating 7Upp in the Goddess of Stardom Tag Tournament, and will be hoping for a bit more luck this time with even more at stake.

Triangle Derby Standings:

RED TRIANGLE BLOCK

8 – Neo Stardom Army (Nanae Takahashi, Yuu & Yuna Mizumori)
8 – Club Venus (Mina Shirakawa, Mariah May & Xia Brookside)
7 – Queen’s Quest (Utami Hayashishita, AZM & Saya Kamitani)
6 – Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Natsupoi & SAKI)
4 – Unique Glare (Starlight Kid, Ruaka & Haruka Umesaki)
4 – Bari Bari Bombers (Giulia, Thekla & Mai Sakurai)
0 – H & M’s (Mayu Iwatani, Momo Kohgo & Hanan)

BLUE TRIANGLE BLOCK

9 – Abarenbo GE (Syuri, MIRAI & Ami Sourei)
8 – Prominence (Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera & Kurumi Hiiragi)
6 – Gold Ship (Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora & Saki Kashima)
6 – Rebel x Enemy (Ram Kaichow, Maika Ozaki & Maya Yukihi)
4 – MaiHime With C (Maika, Himeka & Lady C)
4 – Classmates (Hazuki, Saya Iida & Koguma)
0 – Team Lollipop (Waka Tsukiyama, Rina Amikura & Yuko Sakurai)

Date:

February 4, 2023

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