Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2025 Night 1 Review

STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix Night 1

Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,783

This is the wildest time of the year to cover wrestling because we have multiple round-robin tournaments going on. Even with the loss of Mayu, Tam, Maika, and Hazuki, this is still the one I’m looking forward to the most. For night one, we have a whopping 16 matches on tap. My main issue with that many matches is that many of them end up being rushed.

In fact, having so many participants is a problem. Before injuries took its toll in 2023, I thought the 5STAR Grand Prix was on pace to be the best tournament ever but last year, when they moved up to 28 participants, it was a step down. Now, we have 32 people. More people was bad for the G1 and it has been for this tournament too.

It’s interesting that there’s never been a two-time winner of this tournament and I doubt we get one this year. I’ve always liked the thing they do at the start where they introduce everyone individually on the stage.

Red Stars A Block: Lady C [0] vs. Saya Kamitani [0]

Our World Champion kicking off the show. Lady C came out of the blocks firing, knowing that she needs a big performance to topple the champ. Lady C threw some forearms that looked terrible. Like they clearly made no impact. Terrible gimmicked shots. Saya started to find herself in trouble so she threw the referee into Lady C to change the momentum and give herself the upper hand. Lady C fought hard but when she tried to Chokeslam Saya from the top, the champ countered into a rana for the win in 7:25. A good little opener to start the tournament. [***]

Blue Stars A Block: Ami Sohrei [0] vs. Aya Sakura [0]

Honestly, I could see Ami making the playoffs and even winning this thine. It’s not the most loaded field and she was pushed pretty hard before her injury. Ami seemed to be play something of a bully here, wailing on Aya and daring her to hit her back just as hard. It’s a different role for Ami, so I’m intrigued. Aya applied a triangle choke but Ami powered out, only to end up back in it. That led to an inside cradle near fall for Aya before Ami won with Like Thunder in 4:01. A ho-hum match. [**]

Blue Stars A Block: Miyu Amasaki [0] vs. Yuria Hime [0]

Yuria is still pretty new around here while Miyu has stepped up in the past year with Neo Genesis. Yuria dropkicked Miyu right at the opening bell and laid into her with shots. She worked a headscissors for a short while and hit a big boot but got caught with a snap DDT. Miyu won soon after with a double underhook X-Factor in 2:42. Okay, so this is basically the Cinderella Tournament where the matches are barely matches. It’s just rushed. [*]

Red Stars B Block: Rian [0] vs. Rina [0]

Winner gets to be the official use of these four letters together. This is the most exciting block by the way with Rina, Starlight Kid, Natsupoi, AZM, etc. These two had better back and forth than the previous two bouts. It was nothing special but it actually had some time to develop. A lot of Rian’s stuff was trying flash pins, though I don’t mind that because she’s low on the card and kind of needs to be desperate like that to get any points. Rina was rather impressive, winning with a Gory Bomb after 6:35. Decent stuff here. [**½]

Blue Stars B Block: Momo Kohgo [0] vs. Momo Watanabe [0]

Winner gets to be the official Momo. Kohgo came out firing but honestly was never a match for Watanabe. Kohgo is one of those people who, while fine on the undercard, is part of the reason this field is so bloated. She came close with a couple of flash pins but got choked out by Watanabe in 2:51. Okay. [*½]

Red Stars A Block: Mei Seira [0] vs. Waka Tsukiyama [0]

They came out working the high speed style only for Mei to win with a pinning combination in 0:28. Yeah, this is not good booking. I’m okay with these kinds of finishes in moderation but this is why you don’t do a 16 match card. [NR]

Blue Stars B Block: Hina [0] vs. Suzu Suzuki [0]

I figured this would get at least a bit of time since Suzu is a former winner and rising heel while Hina is the Future of Stardom Champion. Hina also has new gear and feels like she’s ready to take the next step. She did well here, going toe-to-toe with an extra vicious (lately) Suzu. She was down to trade forearms and got a pop when she slammed Suzu down by her hair. Suzu started to throw bigger offensive moves and Hina responded with some flash pins for good near falls. Eventually, Suzu hit Tequila Shot to secure the win in 6:14. The best match since the opener. [***]

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

Like Hina, HANAKO is someone who has new gear and has improved over the past year. Ranna is one of the more intriguing newer ladies on the roster. Her style filled with kicking is actually pretty great. Unfortunately, I don’t think these two clicked as opponents. Even the obvious spots like HANAKO powering out of a submission lacked something and felt lesser compared to when it was done earlier in the show. Ranna survived a Brainbuster and applied an arm submission before HANAKO won with the JP Coaster in 6:55. Inoffensive but like the rest of this show, nothing to write home about. [**]

Red Stars A Block: Bea Priestley [0] vs. Yuna Mizumori [0]

It’s the return of former World of Stardom Champion Bea Priestley after she was let go by WWE. She was playing up the role of the arrogant foreigner, which sounds good against Yuna’s plucky attitude. They played into this and those aspects worked, like Bea talking trash and getting heat. The problem in this match lied in the execution as many exchanges were clunky and came off awkwardly. Also, this went 7:17, the second longest match of the night so far and it wasn’t one that should’ve. Bea hit a running knee in the corner and won with Plain Bea. [*¾]

Red Stars A Block: Azusa Inaba [0] vs. Hanan [0]

Hanan had a spectacular run through the tournament last year and has been one of STARDOM’s most consistent wrestlers since that time. Meanwhile, Azusa is another promising teen on the roster. Some good back and forth here, as these two were off to a good start and looking like one of the better bouts on the card (not that the bar is high). Some of the moves they pulled out were pretty creative too. The finish made sense too as Azusa got help from a HATE buddy at ringside, who tripped up Hanan and allowed her to steal this with a unique rollup in 5:37. A good sprint. [***]

Blue Stars A Block: Bozilla [0] vs. Ruaka [0]

As one of the hot new things in STARDOM, Bozilla has been booked like a monster and that was the case here too. She ran through Ruaka in the early stages and while Ruaka isn’t exactly small, she really stood no chance. It seems like she realized that because, after a few minutes of getting beaten on, she took the fight outside and attempted to win via countout several times. That included her tying Bozilla up to the guardrail but the powerhouse broke free. It all led to a double countout in 8:42. A creative match with some fun bits but not much else. [**¼]

Blue Stars A Block: Saori Anou [0] vs. Saya Iida [0]

Okay, now is where the show should theoretically pick up. Saori is usually a safe bet for a good match and Saya had a hell of a tournament last year. These two were laying the shots into each other, just like I’d want from them. Saori hits hard but Saya locked her in the corner and just reeled off a series of chops that sounded vicious. Saori responded with some really good submissions that Saya sold like she was on the verge of death. When Saya got free and pulled out a spinning DDT, you knew we had reached a new level of match quality tonight. I fully believed Saya won with a big lariat late but Saori kicked out and then won with a Zack Sabre Jr. like submission where Saya was all twisted up in weird ways. This went 10:50 and was easily the best thing on the show so far. Just do an 8-match show with a bunch of bouts like this and you’d have a hell of a day one. [***¾]

Red Stars B Block: AZM [0] vs. Natsuko Tora [0]

Tora is my big question mark in this block. She’ll have a lot of David vs. Goliath matches, which I like, but she’s been moving slower and slower this year. AZM barely had an entrance, hitting the ring with an immediate attack on Natsuko, turning the tables on HATE. I liked that, especially when she threw Natsuko into the chairs in the crowd, which is a staple of the faction. She got too cocky back inside and missed Natsuko undoing the turnbuckle, which AZM crashed into. Natsuko started throwing her body at AZM but when AZM rallied and tried Azumi Sushi, Natsuko rolled through to win in 4:18. Well that was disappointing. [**]

Red Stars B Block: Starlight Kid [0] vs. Tomoka Inaba [0]

There’s potential here if given time. Tomoka is promising and Starlight Kid has been one of the best in the world since early 2024. This followed the trend of a lot of recent Starlight Kid matches in that she put a focus on the leg. However, Tomoka also did the same thing and in that way, it felt similar to SLK’s recent title defense against Saori Anou. Tomoka was not afraid to trade strikes with Starlight Kid, giving as much as she got. Starlight Kid going after the leg made sense since Tomoka has a handful of strong kicks in her arsenal. Tomoka kicked out of whatever Starlight Kid threw at her, frustrating the Wonder of Stardom Champion. When Starlight Kid avoided a kick and turned it into the Black Tiger Leg Killer, I thought it was over, especially when she really locked it in after Tomoka first survived it. But Tomoka kept coming back and made it to the ropes. SLK missed a moonsault, Tomoka kicked her in the chest, hit a Michinoku Driver for two, and won with a tight kneebar in 14:13. I enjoyed the shit out of that. A smartly worked match with great drama, a huge upset, and now it sets up a likely rematch in a huge opportunity for Tomoka. [***¾]

Blue Stars B Block: Konami [0] vs. Sareee [0]

The other day, I called Sareee’s team the “babyfaces” but she’s actually been a heel in STARDOM. She criticized the company out loud and it has made her someone the fans want to boo. It’s a thing to the point where Konami, a HATE member, was getting cheered here. Sareee looked to be out there to just kick ass, while Konami’s strategy involved attacking the arm and delivering as many stiff kicks as possible. She kept trapping Sareee in various armbars and the IWGP Champion was in serious trouble. Sareee leveled Konami with a series of headbutts to a chorus of boos. Yeah, the energy was different for this one. Once Konami started playing to the crowd, this ended up being awesome. The closing stretch here was great, with a red hot audience, and when Konami choked out Sareee to win in 13:24, the fans ate it up. That’s what I’ve been dying to see from Konami. It was a big deal when she returned but her run has been pretty lackluster, especially that awful feud with Syuri. This ruled. [****¼]

Red Stars B Block: Natsupoi [0] vs. Sayaka Kurara [0]

Natsupoi, my love, getting a main event is great but given how the crowd responded to the previous match, that should’ve headlined. Anyway, big spot for Sayaka as these Cosmic Angels clash. It’s like a battle of who loves Tam Nakano the most. This was a good main event but it never sniffed being great and I think the reason why is their styles. Sayaka was at her best early in 2025 as an underdog babyface but that’s not a role that works against a likeable face like Poi. Instead, this was just a typical back and forth match that felt more like an exhibition than anything more. That’s fine in the middle of a show like this but as a main event it left something to be desired. I liked the idea of Poi trying to bring out a tougher fight from the youngster. Sayaka fought hard but never truly threatened and Poi beat her with Fairy Blink in 11:56. Like I said, this was good but it was out of place in this slot on the card. [***¼]

Red Stars A Block	Points	Red Stars B Block	Points	Blue Stars A Block	Points	Blue Stars B Block	Points
Azusa Inaba	2 (1-0)	Natsupoi	2 (1-0)	Saori Anou	2 (1-0)	Konami	2 (1-0)
Bea Priestley	2 (1-0)	Tomoka Inaba	2 (1-0)	Miyu Amasaki	2 (1-0)	HANAKO	2 (1-0)
Mei Seira	2 (1-0)	Natsuko Tora	2 (1-0)	Ami Sohrei	2 (1-0)	Suzu Suzuki	2 (1-0)
Saya Kamitani	2 (1-0)	Rina	2 (1-0)	Bozilla	1 (0-0-1)	Momo Watanabe	2 (1-0)
Hanan	0 (0-1)	Sayaka Kurara	0 (0-1)	Ruaka	1 (0-0-1)	Sareee	0 (0-1)
Yuna Mizumori	0 (0-1)	Starlight Kid	0 (0-1)	Saya Iida	0 (0-1)	Ranna Yagami	0 (0-1)
Waka Tsukiyama	0 (0-1)	AZM	0 (0-1)	Aya Sakura	0 (0-1)	Hina	0 (0-1)
Lady C	0 (0-1)	Rian	0 (0-1)	Yuria Hime	0 (0-1)	Momo Kohgo	0 (0-1)

5.5

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

This format must go. I’m glad later shows don’t seem to have 16 match cards because this was ridiculous. There was no flow, things were rushed, and only a handful of matches felt like they were fitting of this tournament. SLK/Tomoka, Saori/Saya, and especially Konami/Sareee are worth seeking out though.