Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2024 Night 4 Review

STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix Night 4

August 15^th, 2024 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,460

We’ve got a strong crowd on hand for night 4 (but the fifth show) of this Grand Prix and we’re in Korakuen, which typically gets notable events. 14 tournament matches are on tap and this feels more like a PPV on paper than a typical show.

The wrestlers getting a night off are Xena, Saya Kamitani, Hazuki, and Mei Seira.

Red Stars B Block: AZM [4] vs. Tam Nakano [0]

Two of my favorites to start us off and one of my most anticipated matches of the entire tournament. Tam hung tough with AZM through the fast-paced opening but then AZM kicked her leg (out from under her leg) and hit a double stomp off the apron, swinging things in her favor. Tam had to use her veteran knowhow to get back into this, like chasing down an unsuspecting AZM as she went for a springboard and wearing her down with a hanging Dragon Sleeper. AZM ended up putting the focus on the arm, which has kind of been her thing lately but she’d throw in kicks to the bad leg whenever she could. Tam’s Azumi Sushi counter led to one of the best near falls of the tournament and when AZM actually applied it, it was another strong close call. AZM hit a Destroyer and then won with Azumi Sushi in 9:43. A shocking result as Tam is now 0-3 and kind of has no shot to make it anywhere in this tournament. A hell of a match and one of the best openers you’ll see in Japan this year. [****]

Post-match, Natsuko Tora hit the ring and cut a promo. I don’t know what was said but it was announced later in the day that Tam is getting a shot at the red belt. I know it’s odd since she dropped three in a row but she never lost the title in the first place so it makes sense.

Blue Stars B Block: Ranna Yagami [2] vs. Thekla [0]

Thekla is one of my favorites in this tournament but her first match was terrible. I came in hoping for more since she’s facing a traditional babyface this time. Ranna immediately dropkicked her before the bell, proving she’s a smart youngster. From there, it was some decent back and forth with Thekla getting frustrated a bit until she put down Ranna with her spinning DDT in 3:40. I mean, it was better than the Saya match. [**]

Blue Stars A Block: Koguma [0] vs. Miyu Amasaki [2]

Koguma got Miyu to do her taunt dance with her only for Miyu to try for a rollup. Koguma countered with her own pin, winning 0:49. Moving on. [NR]

Red Stars B Block: Saya Iida [2] vs. Tomoka Inaba [4]

Nobody is having a better Grand Prix than Saya Iida. She might be 1-1 but she’s had great matches with Tam and Mayu so far. They opened this by going right after each other and trading forearms in the center of the ring. That evolved into chops and more people need to talk about how Saya has some of the best chops in the business. Props to Tomoka because she has adapted well to every style she’s seen so far. Whether it’s a fast-paced match or a hard hitting battle like this, she has been great. The crowd got behind Saya more and more as this progressed and bit on her near falls in a big way. She had something doing with a diving shoulder block only to run into some kicks from Tomoka who finished her off with one PK style kick after 7:18. I do wish Tomoka didn’t stop after hitting the ropes for her PK because it kills the momentum. Anyway, that ruled and Saya is quickly becoming the Tomohiro Ishii of this tournament. Not a threat to win but going out there and guaranteeing you one hell of a great match. [***¾]

Red Stars A Block: Natsupoi [2] vs. Ruaka [1]

Ruaka ran over Poi to start and guess what followed? If you guessed that they took things outside and Poi got thrown into a bunch of chairs, you’d be right. It’s almost like every HATE match follows the same formula. Those damn New Japan influences. Anyway, that set the tone for this match which was Ruaka doing Ruaka things and Natsupoi having to fight from beneath. While Ruaka isn’t going to wow anyone with her heat segments, this was helped by Natsupoi being such a good babyface and the Korakuen crowd being way into this. Natsupoi fought through it all and won with an armbar in 8:58. Maybe I’m just a Natsupoi mark but I liked that more than I expected. I also dig the use of the armbar more often from her these days. [***]

Blue Stars B Block: Hanan [3] vs. Saki Kashima [0]

Hanan offered a handshake and tried to steal this with a pin. Saki countered with her own for two and then immediately rolled her into another pinning combination to win in 0:20. Hey, that’ll do on a 14 match card. [NR]

Red Stars A Block: Manami [3] vs. Yuna Mizumori [0]

Both girls are kind of on the sillier side when it comes to their matches so this was fun even if it wasn’t anything great. The crowd ate it up, which boosted this. There wasn’t much else to say here to be honest. Just two enjoyable workers having a fun enough little match. Manami won with a splash off the top to move up in the standings with an impressive number for this point, winning in 5:06. I can’t ask for much more from these two. [**½]

Blue Stars A Block: Anna Jay [2] vs. Syuri [2]

Man, Anna Jay really matched up with the three best wrestlers in her block right off the bat. She looked good against Saori and better against SLK, while Syuri is one of the best in the world so I came in intrigued. Unfortunately, I think this was the wrestler who Anna clicked with the least. This wasn’t bad but it didn’t have any moments that stood out to me like the first two Anna matches. Syuri worked the arm and Anna responded by going for her choke a few times. Syuri was too good, managing to escape and go back to the arm submission with an added headscissors choke, winning in 5:35. Solid enough but ultimately disappointing. It’ll be interesting to see if Anna has surprise chemistry with the rest of her block. [**½]

Red Stars A Block: Konami [4] vs. Maika [4]

This would’ve sounded awesome in the pre-HATE days. Konami needs to turn things around before she becomes the next SHO or Ren Narita. Thankfully, they didn’t overdo the shenanigans here but Konami resorting to some underhanded tactics makes sense. Maika isn’t some lower card scrub. She’s been pretty dominant in 2024 and I believe only has two pinfall losses (Tora for the title and Xena in a tag). Konami took things outside and choked her with her belt before, you guessed it, throwing her into chairs. Can we please get a bit more creative here? It’s like when Gedo used to have a guardrail spot in like every G1 match and Csonka called it the Gedo Special. They fought back to the ring and kept up the level of intensity. Maika withstood it all, avoided some spray paint shenanigans, and turned a submission attempt to in a pin to win it in 7:38. That was good stuff. [***¼]

Blue Stars B Block: Risa Sera [0] vs. Suzu Suzuki [3]

From what I’ve heard, Risa Sera might be banged up which explains a lot of her work in the tournament. It hasn’t been bad but it feels a step slow and I totally understand why. Risa threw Suzu into the chairs outside and I was like, “HEY THAT IS RESERVED FOR THE HATE STABLE.” Suzu returned the favor before they hit the ring again and that’s where we got some of the typical back and forth you get in a tournament like this but it was rather slow and plodding. Again, I can’t be too hard on Risa given the fact that she was apparently in the hospital just days ago. Things picked up late and Risa hit an Air Raid Crash from out of nowhere to win at the 13:49 mark. Given Risa’s health, I’d have given this 7 minutes and the previous match closer to 14. Still, it was good enough. [**¾]

Blue Stars A Block: Saori Anou [2] vs. Starlight Kid [2]

These two met for the white belt earlier this year (***½), which marked the start of Starlight Kid’s turnaround from a lackluster 2023. The start here was a bit slow paced which made me feel like this was going to tease the time limit though it is also a staple of Saori bouts. The first half or so of this was centered around Saori wearing down Starlight Kid’s leg, looking to take away her speed and aerial offense. It makes sense though leg matches aren’t always the most interesting. SLK did a good job of selling the work until it was time for her to make her second half rally. She started busting out high flying offense and using her quickness as if nothing was done to the leg. I’m okay with that kind of thing in spurts given adrenaline can play a part but it was almost completely ignored here, which took away from what could’ve been a truly great match. In the end, they went to a 15:00 draw. It ultimately was a very good match but the slower start and lack of selling late held it back from being as good as it should’ve been. [***½]

Red Stars B Block: Mayu Iwatani [4] vs. Momo Watanabe [0]

I’ve heard very god things about this pairing. It helps that Mayu is on a tear right now and Momo also has an interesting story going with her being a HATE member who isn’t doing a bunch of cheating and it has her at 0-3. Apparently she knew it too because she jumped Mayu during her entrance, they brawled outside, and yes, Momo threw her into a bunch of chairs. Mayu brought the fight, whipping Momo into the chairs herself with some force. Mayu is the kind of babyface who can make HATE stuff work because she brings so much fire, always gets the crowd behind her, and is willing to hit back as hard as she gets hit. That made it so when the members of HATE got involved, it worked for the story and didn’t feel like the drag it can often be. The first half was good here but it was the second half where things really got going. The air Mayu got on her frog splash was impressive and Momo’s work on the leg was actually interesting, Unlike SLK in the previous match, couldn’t connect on some of her high flying stuff because of the damage done. Momo looked on the verge of winning when Mayu whacked her with her own bat, then found the strength to deliver her Prettiest Poison Rana Ever for the victory after 12:55. Outstanding pro wrestling with some great drama, lots of action, and a tremendous finish. [****¼]

BLUE STARS A	POINTS	BLUE STARS B	POINTS	RED STARS A	POINTS	RED STARS B	POINTS
Syuri	4 (2-1)	Saya Kamitani	4 (2-0)	Maika	6 (3-0)	Mayu Iwatani	6 (3-0)
Starlight Kid	3 (1-1-1)	Suzu Suzuki	3 (1-1-1)	Manami	5 (2-1-1)	AZM	6 (2-0-2)
Saori Anou	3 (1-1-1)	Hanan	3 (1-1-1)	Hazuki	4 (2-1)	Tomoka Inaba	6 (2-0-2)
Xena	2 (1-1)	Thekla	2 (1-1)	Natsupoi	4 (2-1)	Mei Seira	4 (1-0-2)
Anna Jay	2 (1-2)	Ranna Yagami	2 (1-1)	Konami	4 (2-1)	Saya Iida	2 (1-2)
Koguma	2 (1-1)	Risa Sera	2 (1-1)	Ruaka	1 (0-3-1)	Tam Nakano	0 (0-3)
Miyu Amasaki	2 (1-1)	Saki Kashima	2 (1-1)	Yuna Mizumori	0 (0-3)	Momo Watanabe	0 (0-4)

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

That’s more I like it. There are still too many matches as some bits of it didn’t quite work but it’s a great show overall with a handful of killer matches, bookended by the best bouts.