wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM Nighter In Korakuen 12.8.25 Review
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen
December 8th, 2025 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,519
The Tag League Finals aren’t available yet (it was a PPV so it takes a few weeks to hit the streaming service) so I’m gonna tackle this show instead which has some ramifications for Dream Queendom.
Anne Kanaya vs. Matoi Hamabe
Both women are making their returns from injury. Neither is all that experienced. Given that, there wasn’t a ton to this match but that’s okay. They brought a lot of energy and were clearly happy to be back out there again. That made up for whatever amount of technical acumen this lacked. They threw some strikes late before battling for position on flash pin attempts. Matoi ultimately won with a Liontamer in 9:07. Spirited energy, though a bit long for their skill levels. [**¼]
AZM, Mei Seira and Miyu Amasaki vs. Kikyo Furusawa, Lady C and Tomoka Inaba
This feels like one of those tags that’s just here to fill out the card. While I don’t mind those, I do question it because Dream Queendom is right around the corner and next to nothing is announced, nor does it feel like much has been setup. Anyway, this was solid stuff. 02line, despite their poor record in the Tag League, work well together, and it was really nice to see Tomoka Inaba back. She was a highlight of 2025. Her against AZM was a highlight here. Kikyo gave Mei a good fight but ran into a dropkick that finished this in 8:01. Like I said, that was good, just ultimately kind of meaningless. [***]
Post-match, Yuna Mizumori came out and seemingly challenged Mei Seira for the High Speed Title.
FWC vs. Momo Kohgo and Yuria Hime
I’ve missed FWC proper. It still boggles my mind that this company refuses to do anything major with Hazuki. FWC looked way more comfortable out there doing their usual schtick than they did at any point during the Tag League as DLM. That’s understandable and also welcome to see. Momo and Yuria aren’t exactly a great duo so this certainly had a ceiling of just being good. They hit some awkward looking tandem offense before FWC got back on track and turned the tide. Hazuki got the win with the top rope senton on Momo in 8:44. Solid enough for what it was. [**¾]
After the match, Fuwa-chan, a YouTube star who I’m unfamiliar with, cut a promo. Apparently, she competed at the Tag League back in 2022 alongside Hazuki, losing to Saya Kamitani and Hina. She announced here that was she was returning to the ring and spoke with Hazuki, who she will be facing at Dream Queendom.
Aya Sakura, Natsupoi and Yuna Mizumori vs. Chi Chi, Miku Kanae and Sareee
This is here to get us closer to the Natsupoi/Sareee match that’s likely for Dream Queendom. Indeed, the two came face to face before the bell but Aya started against Chi Chi instead. They were more aggressive with each other than I expected, before Sareee came in with a mean streak. That set the tone for the match as everyone was really going after each other. You’d have thought Yuna and Miku were bitter rivals with how they were fighting. When Natsupoi finally got the hot tag, she immediately ran through Sareee and they were off to the races. We only got a brief preview of their eventual singles match but it was enough to add to my excitement level for it. The closing stretch between them was electric and when Poi pinned her with a straightjacket German Suplex, I lost it. This went 11:53 and was awesome. Tons of action and I’m so ready for Sareee/Natsupoi. [***¾]
Akira Kurogane, Bozilla, Itsuki Aoki, Rina Yamashita & Suzu Suzuki vs. Hina, Kiyoka Kotatsu, Ranna Yagami, Saki Kashima & Syuri
Mi Vida Loca jumped God’s Eye before the bell and once things cleared out, Saki got left alone with Bozilla, though that didn’t last long. Kiyoka went at Bozilla with vigor, yet it had no real impact. Kiyoka was legal for a while early on, which was more of her than I’ve typically seen. The match as a whole was pretty standard fare for these teams. God’s Eye showed fire and threw plenty of strikes and kicks while Mi Vida Loca were bullies at every turn. Akira is still riding the high of her tournament run and was really good here. Syuri and Yamashita trading shots was a lot of fun too. In the end, Suzu hit Hina with the Tequila Shot to win in 10:32. Like I said, standard stuff here but it was pretty good nonetheless. [***]
Azusa Inaba, Natsuko Tora, Ruaka and Saya Kamitani vs. Maika, Saori Anou, Sayaka Kurara and Xena
A very notable match here as former World of Stardom Champion Maika is making her big return. She also brought Xena back with her, who we haven’t seen in a long time. I’m happy to see that because Xena was just starting to get comfortable before she disappeared. This also is meant to preview Saori/Saya, which is the Dream Queendom main event. HATE did their usual antics to start, including a jump attack and brawling around the ringside area. It’s stuff we’ve seen a thousand times. As expected, Maika looked like she hadn’t lost a step and I thought Xena looked good out there. My issue with this match came from the booking. It never felt like Saori and Saya were a focal point and in fact, Maika was made to look like much more of a threat than Saori. Maika actually scored a rare pinfall over Saya with the Michinoku Driver in 13:23. A good match but an odd call. Maika could’ve just pinned Ruaka or Azusa. It feels painfully obvious that Saya is retaining since Maika won here and since her Tokyo Dome defense is right after. [***¼]
Artist of Stardom Championship: Fukigen Death, Konami and Rina [c] vs. HANAKO, Rian and Waka Tsukiyama
This isn’t exactly the most exciting Artist of Stardom Title match on paper. The champions aren’t my favorite (mostly because of Fukigen Death) and as good as HANAKO has been in recent months, her partners literally just went winless in the Tag League. Alas, they went out and had a solid enough match. We got the usual HATE shenanigans and formula, which worked since Rian and Waka are solid underdog faces. HANAKO, when left one-on-one with members of the opposition, came across as relatively dominant in spurts. The problem with this match was that they dragged it out. It had the New Japan problem of “because it’s the semi-main event it MUST go at least 20 minutes.” These teams are not designed for that kind of bout. It dragged on and the near falls weren’t enough to grab me as I never really got into any of them. Rina won with her bow and arrow submission after a long 21:41. There was a really fun 12-15 minute match in there. Too bad this went 21. [**½]
Wonder of Stardom Title #1 Contender’s Match: Ami Sohrei vs. Saya Iida
The winner gets Konami at Dream Queendom. Saya has always been a little powerhouse, while Ami has focused on her power game since returning. That set the stage for a hard hitting match where they tested their strength against each other and that was for the better. Despite shaking hands before the bell, they were beating the hell out of each other from the opening bell. Within minutes, we had a wild spot where Ami suplexed Saya on the apron and she took a NASTY landing. It’s one of the craziest bumps I’ve seen this year. Saya was up surprisingly fast from it (I do wish it was sold for more of the match) and they just kept at it. You’d have thought these two hated each other with the bombs they were throwing. I liked that it helped sell how important the title shot was. I thought Saya had it won with a dragon sleeper late but Ami found a way to fight and get to the ropes. The drama picked up late with some close calls, especially when Saya slipped out of Ami’s finisher and right into a tight pinning combination. A battle of lariats ended this with a bang before Saya finished Ami off with a Brainbuster in 20:23. Way better than I expected. A hard hitting, action-packed main event that was all kinds of awesome. [****¼]
