Pantoja’s Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix 2025 Finals Review

Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix Finals

September 14^th, 2025 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,260

We’ve reached the finals of a weird tournament. It has been good but it hasn’t had the highs of some other tournaments and the scheduling was awkward. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing how it wraps up. Of note, Seri Yamaoka gets a forfeit win over Rea Soto tonight. Seri finishes with 8 points while Rea ends at 3.

Star League: Chika Goto [5] vs. Kizuna Tanaka [2]

Nothing but pride on the line in this one. However, both have been good in this tournament about bringing heart and energy to the table. Chika utilized her power game while Kizuna looked to take things to the mat, going for an armbar several times over. That was the crux of this back and forth encounter. I like Chika’s Giant Swing. It’s not Claudio Castagnoli level but it’s probably my favorite take on the move besides his. There were a few moments where you could see that Kizuna is still rather green, especially when it came time to throw strikes. They just looked awkward and too choreographed. Chika bested her with a Chokeslam after a spirited 7:12. Solid enough opening contest here. About what you’d expect given who was involved. [**¾]

Star League: Chanyota [4] vs. MIRAI [7]

These are women on opposite runs. Chanyota started hot at 2-0 but hasn’t won since while MIRAI started slow and has picked up down the stretch. I thought MIRAI entered today with a shot to win it all but that’s incorrect since Mai faces Miku later and they have 8 and 9 points, respectively. Anyway, this was BIG MEATY WOMEN SLAPPING MEAT. Two powerhouses just running at each other with shoulder blocks and lariats galore. Seriously, that was the majority of the bout and I mean that in a good way. It’s a big deal for Chanyota to go toe-to-toe with MIRAI, who is much higher on the card. Their hard hitting brawling took them outside where they traded more shots. That went on until they were both counted out at the 5:11 mark. That was going really well up until the weak finish. Maybe they run it back soon. MIRAI had an underwhelming tournament overall. [***]

Star League: Misa Matsui [6] vs. Nagisa Nozaki [7]

Another match without anything on the line, which is disappointing. That said, this is interesting since it’s two heels. The crowd was into pretty much everything they were doing despite them being villains. And interestingly, they had a respectful match. There were still a few cheap shots here or there and Misa piled up chairs outside for a body slam but otherwise, this didn’t have much in the way of nefarious antics. Misa fired up when the fight moved back in the ring, including hitting a solid running knee. Nagisa wrecked her with a single leg dropkick but Misa pulled her into a tight pinning combination to win this in 5:51. Another energetic little match that didn’t overstay its welcome. [***]

Star League: Mai Sakurai [8] vs. Miku Aono [9]

The winner here takes the Star League. There’s history here including a match in last year’s tournament (***¾) and Mai dethroning Miku for the United National Title at First Dream earlier this year (****). Given that and what was on the line, this felt like a big deal.  They went through a feeling out process in the early going, trying to make sure they aren’t the one to make the first mistake. Their knowledge of each other was evident. With the higher point total, Miku was more subdued of sorts. She was happy to grind this down to a slower match. Her target was the leg and  Mai did a strong job of selling. Mai worked the leg too but Miku was doing a better job of doing damage. Things got more physical as the fight moved outside ad up into the crowd, with the highlight there being Mai snapping off a suplex on the floor. However, the actual high point of the match was Miku’s Styles Clash off Bret’s Rope. The near fall being because Mai got her hand on the ropes rather than a kickout was perfect. I really liked the finish as Miku trapped Mai in an STF, knowing the clock was winding down. Time expired at 15:00 and she finishes the block with 10 points to win it. A very smartly worked match that showcased the chemistry between these two very talented women. Their best match together. [****¼]

Dream League: CHIAKI [3] vs. Maria [4]

Another match featuring two heels, though it’s two who haven’t been as interesting or as good as Nagisa and Misa earlier. They played into the heel stuff with a cheap dropkick by Maria to start. They traded stuff and some of it, especially a spinning slam by Maria, came off awkwardly. CHIAKI did hit a nice fisherman suplex though. Maria ultimately won with a VICIOUS looking driver that put CHIAKI right on her head in 4:46. [**]

Dream League: Mayu Iwatani [8] vs. Victoria Yuzuki [9]

This is a big one. If Utami Hayashishita loses the next match, the winner here takes the block. There’s also great history as Yuzuki idolizes Mayu. They met in STARDOM last year (***¼) and Mayu took Yuzuki’s Superfly Title at Shine Forever earlier this year (***¾). This was hyped as Master vs. Apprentice, including them wearing similar masks during their entrances. Despite shaking hands before the bell, Mayu attacked with a loud dropkick to kick us off. That set off a wild start that included a Yuzuki German Suplex and her nearly stealing this with a rollup. I liked that Mayu was in control for a lot of this but she would get a bit too cocky and it would cost her or Yuzuki’s knowledge of her idol would open a door for her. Then when it was time for Yuzuki to get going, Mayu would find a way to stop her with a quick shot or something utilizing her veteran advantage. Everything they did looked great whether it was trading suplexes or Mayu wrecking Yuzuki with a superkick. I really liked how you could sense Yuzuki’s desperation. She had the points advantage but she was dying to beat Mayu. The submission Yuzuki worked looked brutal and Mayu was turning red as she struggled to get free. They reached the final minute of the time limit and the frantic nature picked up and Yuzuki made a crucial mistake of stopping to line up a move instead of just hitting one. That made the time limit expire at 15:00. A fantastic match and another chapter in this story they’re telling with Yuzuki and Iwatani. Probably the best match I’ve ever seen from someone who is only two years into their career. [****½]

Dream League: Kouki Amarei [6] vs. Utami Hayashishita [9]

If Utami wins, she’s in the finals and is one step closer to her goal of winning this back-to-back years and choosing who to defend her title against. I’ve pointed out numerous times that I feel Kouki has all the makings of a big star for Marigold. A win over the champion would be huge for her, though Kouki has struggled to regain her form since her injury. That said, she looked quite good here. She had to withstand a beating early on, as Utami was aggressive from the opening bell. She was overpowering Kouki, who had to fight from beneath to get anything going. Once she did, she wore down Utami with a half crab. Things eventually moved outside and once they got there, you could kind of see the finish coming. Kouki managed to get inside and hold Utami off to win via countout in 9:51. A solid match yet one that almost felt like going through the motions at points. Maybe a fully healthy Kouki will do better against Utami in the future. [**¾]

Dream Star Grand Prix Finals: Miku Aono vs. Victoria Yuzuki

Miku was one of the favorites to win it all while Yuzuki is kind of a surprise finalist. It feels like the woman who is kind of “now” for Marigold against the future of Marigold. There’s a 15-year age difference here. Yuzuki only had about 15 minutes of rest and it was clear as she came out with her hair all messed up and looking like she had been through a war. The crowd was behind Yuzuki and Miku wisely played up the heel stuff just a little bit, like getting in a cheap shot to Yuzuki’s leg after a clean break. Not enough to be a full villain but playing into the crowd reaction. Miku put the pressure on Yuzuki, not taking much time in between attacks and using submissions to wear her down. The Styles Clash on the apron really did a number on Yuzuki but she did manage to counter an attempt on the outside. Yuzuki took to the sky to rally and it helped. However, you could really tell that she was laboring at points. Next year, they need to do the finals on a different night. The drama was high in the closing stretch as it really felt like anyone could win. I thought Yuzuki was done after another Styles Clash but she used one last burst of energy to turn it into a pin. Miku kicked her in the head and used Nanae Takahashi’s old finisher to win the tournament in 14:48. A very good capper to the tournament that I think would’ve been better had it been on a different night. That said, what we got was very strong and Miku winning is a great choice. [***¾]

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Obviously, there are a few matches that underwhelmed but the show was very good overall. It never felt overly long, there are some great matches in there, and they set things up nicely going forward.