wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2024 Night 1 Review
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix Night 1
August 10th, 2024 | Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama, Kanagawa
The 5STAR Grand Prix has arrived. I’m a bit worried about this year because while the talent is obviously there, STARDOM is doing things differently under new management, including doing four blocks which worked miserably for New Japan.
I always appreciate the little opening they do where they showcase everyone. Maika is rocking a new look and I am here for Two Belts Poi.
Blue Stars A Block: Anna Jay [0] vs. Saori Anou [0]
It’s wild that Anna Jay is in this but no Mina Shirakawa. It looks like that’s a swap between companies as Mina posted a photo of her travels yesterday. Didn’t realize we also had Two Belts Saori (don’t know her second title but she did win the Artist of Stardom belts with meltear). This will be a great learning experience for Anna Jay all around. Not much to write home about in this match. It had some good back and forth as Anna traded strikes with Saori to better effect than you might expect given who these two are. Anna kept going back to her sleeper which she was getting over in funny fashion over in AEW. She had a few awkward moments though I think part of it was due to her gear. She had to keep fixing her top several times and almost after every bump which may have made things uncomfortable at points. Saori began throwing Germans down the stretch while Anna resorted to the same hook kick. She then countered a backslide into her own pin to score the upset over Saori in 5:32. Big win for Anna. A fine, short little match. I said New Japan booking tropes are taking over STARDOM and that includes the opening night upset trend. [**¾]
Red Stars A Block: Konami [0] vs. Ruaka [0]
HATE vs. HATE. I wrote more than I expected for that opener and this one isn’t going to get much. Thankfully, they didn’t do the whole thing of overbooking HATE matches with nonsense (at least not yet, I’m watching you New Japan bookers). Instead, they just had a very basic match and that’s what I expect from every Ruaka outing. She’s not an interesting worker and she’s probably the biggest case of “WE DON’T NEED THIS MANY PEOPLE IN THE TOURNAMENT.” I did like them shaking hands only to try and jump each other. Konami carried most of this and Ruaka took black mist before Konami hit a nice kick for two. Ruaka had one final burst but fell to a big boot in 6:26. About as ho-hum a match as you’ll find. [**]
Blue Stars A Block: Miyu Amasaki [0] vs. Xena [0]
Miyu is another person in Ruaka’s camp of not being ready for this kind of showing but she has shown more flashes of potential to me. Plus, I’m already a big Neo Genesis mark. Xena proved herself in a big way against Maika a bit ago so I’m intrigued by her run in this. These two actually make for good opponents because Xena can play the powerhouse and Miyu is good at getting thrown around while showing some fire in her comebacks. However, just as Xena got going, Miyu rolled her into a tight pinning combination to win in just 2:15. Hard to really rate that as it never got going but I do appreciate flash pin wins in tournaments like this and on shows this long. [NR]
Blue Stars B Block: Ranna Yagami [0] vs. Saki Kashima [0]
Our first match from one of the B Blocks. Ranna is also likely not ready for this spot but like Miyu, she shows flashes of potential and her kick-based offense is fun. Saki is also a blast in these things in a Toru Yano like manner. Saki was a pest from the start, looking to shill some stuff so Ranna attacked to get this started. Saki went to do a move with the poster she came out shilling off Bret’s rope and seemed to completely miss only to still celebrate. Ranna then pulled her into a crucifix pin to win in 3:29. I don’t mind a quick match on these shows but if you’re doing multiple that only go 2-3 minutes because you overstuffed the tournament, that’s a problem. A bit more to rate here and what we got wasn’t good. [*]
Blue Stars B: Hanan [0] vs. Suzu Suzuki [0]
Alright, new STARDOM regime, let’s not mess this one up. It feels like a surefire banger. Hanan attacked before the bell as she has had some issues with Crazy Star in 2024. Suzu weathered that storm and got going pretty soon afterward, hitting her big running dropkick through the crowd. They kept up the intensity through all of their exchanges, giving me hope that were getting something special from these two. Suzu had things in control but Hanan came back with a back suplex and sent Suzu outside. She followed with a cross body that missed, setting up a brawl through the crowd. They fought there and stopped each other from getting back in, resulting in a double countout after 8:55. That was good but disappointing because it should’ve been so much more. I’m assuming they meet again at some point down the road or at least in a Crazy Star/wing*gori tag. [***]
Red Stars A Block: Hazuki [0] vs. Manami [0]
If there’s anything just out there, Hazuki wins her block dammit. I believe Manami is from Sendai Girls and Hazuki is a great opponent because she can make anything work. Hazuki brought the fight right from the opening bell, firing off facewashes and kicks that had a lot of aggression behind them. Hazuki is like the sweetest girl yet she has some intense matches. Even something as routing as her springboard dropkick has some snap to it. Manami started her comeback, which featured impressive offense of her own including particularly vicious versions of a Codebreaker and Northern Lights Suplex. They traded stuff from there until Hazuki hit a corner Lungblower and added a top rope senton to get the win in 9:10. Okay, now we’re starting to cook. I wouldn’t call that great but it is a step up in quality. Manami had a solid first match here and Hazuki is Hazuki. She will always deliver. I do wish the finish was better. It was kind of lackluster. [***¼]
Red Stars B: Mei Seira [0] vs. Tomoka Inaba [0]
I’m so excited for Mei to be in the tournament and Tomoka has been very impressive from what I’ve seen of her. They didn’t come right out of the gates after each other but this didn’t take long to get to the pace Mei is known for. The spot where Mei just reeled off like four dropkicks into the row to Tomoka’s knee while it was trapped in the ropes is the kind of stuff I expect in a Mei match. Tomoka also worked the leg, which I didn’t really expect from either lady and it led to something of a slower match. Mei was showing that she can work that style though and had standout moments like her dead sell of a knee strike that looked great. When she missed a dropkick outside, that took things up a notch. Tomoka’s leg work set up an ankle lock and different kneebar variations. Mei survived it all and just when Tomoka hit a sitout piledriver of sorts, time expired at the 15:00 mark. And the quality just keeps going up. The first really good match of the tournament as these two went at it. Would love to see a title match down the line. [***¾]
Blue Stars A Block: Starlight Kid [0] vs. Syuri [0]
Honestly, this is my most anticipated match of night one. They had a good outing last year (***½) but SLK is red hot right now and I think this will be better. The early action here was good outside of a spot where SLK slipped on a springboard. She sold it like it happened because her leg hurt but Syuri awkwardly stood there and still waiting for the attack so it looked off. I liked SLK going after the leg. Even though we saw it in the previous match, it worked here to negate Syuri’s kicks (that were already causing SLK problems) and set up the Stretch Muffler. Syuri responded with a Stretch Muffler of her own which was cool to see, especially when she lifted SLK and spun her around with it. What a spot. The near falls after that were great, with flash pins and close calls adding to the drama and since it’s night one, every result was kind of in doubt so it felt wide open. Syuri was throwing wild German suplexes and SLK was fighting back with the babyface fire we all missed while she was trapped in Oedo Tai. Alas, another Stretch Muffler from Syuri made her tap out in 11:08. Well that ruled and indeed, we are moving on up. The first great match of the tournament and both women are off to a strong start for an MVP bid. [****¼]
Red Stars B Block: AZM [0] vs. Momo Watanabe [0]
They met in last year’s tournament (***½) though things are different now. AZM is now part of Neo Genesis and looks poised to that next big step like Starlight Kid. Right off the bat, HATE got involved and helped Momo gain the early upper hand. While I wasn’t a fan of some HATE interaction already, it did set up AZM as the underdog babyface and it’s a role I feel like she’s going to do well in. Here, she fought from beneath and got her ass kicked at points but never gave up and every hope spot she pulled out received the kind of reaction they were looking for. Her arm submissions had the crowd roaring for a victory. They teased the Azumi Sushi counter finish like we got in the Gauntlet Match on the July shows but AZM rolled through it twice for her own near fall. She kicked out of some big moves Momo threw at her and nailed a Destroyer before adding one off the top and winning with Azumi Sushi in 11:24. Yes, more like that from AZM. Momo was a great bully here and AZM was the perfect underdog. [***¾]
Blue Stars B Block: Risa Sera [0] vs. Saya Kamitani [0]
Saya was the heavy favorite to win it all last year until a night one injury took her out for the rest of the Grand Prix. Now we have a heel Saya and that could be good or it could go the way of SHO and Ren Narita in that it makes really good wrestlers almost unwatchable. Risa Sera isn’t around much. Anyway, this was what I feared. Saya’s heel look is fantastic but when it comes to the work, it’s just cheap heel stuff and that’s not the best use of her. It’s difficult to balance this and may take some time because Saya’s offense is using big, often aerial moves that generate a pop. You have to strip that down to be a heel and it can take time to get that right. They were also off on several spots that didn’t come off well. I wasn’t a big fan of bringing out all the chairs and it just reeked of the cheap stuff New Japan does with the House of Torture, which is a bad omen for HATE. In the end, Saya won by countering a Styles Clash with really weak punches and a rana rollup in 10:48. Maybe this is all a ploy by Saya and she wins the thing, turns back face, and vanquishes Natsuko. [**]
Red Stars A Block: Maika [0] vs. Natsupoi [0]
Had Maika not dropped the title a night after Poi won hers, it would’ve been the top two champions facing off here. Maika attempted to attack before the bell but Natsupoi was ready and they went right into it. It was clear that this was going to be a classic power vs. speed matchup. Maika looked to negate that by press slamming Natsupoi to the outside, where the white belt holder seemed to hurt her foot. It didn’t seem to matter too much as she was back to using that quickness to get going and she worked in some submissions to ground Maika. That included a guillotine that seemed like it was on the verge of giving her the big win. Maika responded with four straight suplexes and Natsupoi was bumping like her life depended on it. Natsupoi gave it one final shot on a spinning pin attempt but Maika turned it over for the three count in 13:11. Maybe I’m just a Natsupoi mark but I really enjoyed that. Just good speed vs. power stuff. [***½]
Red Stars B Block: Mayu Iwatani [0] vs. Tam Nakano [0]
Last year’s tournament bout between them went to a draw (****½). This time around Tam no longer has the red belt but Mayu is still the IWGP Champion. Also, apparently Mayu has a 3-0-3 career record against Tam. This was evenly matched to start, with a nice hint of more aggression than usual from both ladies. Things took a turn when Mayu did a dragon screw off the apron, hurting Tam and giving her a target to attack. I liked Tam going the extra mile here, knowing that it’ll take a lot of beat Mayu, and opting for four consecutive Germans rather than the usual three. There was one point where Tam got a near fall that I 100% believed was the finish. That’s the kind of drama this had down the stretch. Tam survived so much of what was thrown at her, including a Dragon Suplex, but once Mayu hooked her for the wheelbarrow variation, it was over at the 13:45 mark. A bit shorter than I expected but a tremendous main event between two of the best. I liked last year’s match more but this was an excellent closer to the show and a reminder that Mayu is the GOAT. [****¼]
| BLUE STARS A BLOCK | POINTS | BLUE STARS B BLOCK | POINTS | RED STARS A BLOCK | POINTS | RED STARS B BLOCK | POINTS |
| Anna Jay | 2 (1-0) | Ranna Yagami | 2 (1-0) | Konami | 2 (1-0) | Mayu Iwatani | 2 (1-0) |
| Miyu Amasaki | 2 (1-0) | Saya Kamitani | 2 (1-0) | Hazuki | 2 (1-0) | AZM | 2 (1-0) |
| Syuri | 2 (1-0) | Hanan | 1 (0-0-1) | Maika | 2 (1-0) | Mei Seira | 1 (0-0-1) |
| Koguma | 0 (0-0) | Suzu Suzuki | 1 (0-0-1) | Yuna Mizumori | 0 (0-0) | Tomoka Inaba | 1 (0-0-1) |
| Starlight Kid | 0 (0-1) | Thekla | 0 (0-0) | Natsupoi | 0 (0-1) | Saya Iida | 0 (0-0) |
| Xena | 0 (0-1) | Risa Sera | 0 (0-1) | Manami | 0 (0-1) | Momo Watanabe | 0 (0-1) |
| Saori Anou | 0 (0-1) | Saki Kashima | 0 (0-1) | Ruaka | 0 (0-1) | Tam Nakano | 0 (0-1) |
