Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2025 Night 9 Review

STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix Night 9

August 10^th, 2025 | Okayama Convention Center in Okayama, Japan | Attendance: 618

Mostly Red Stars action tonight and they’ve been the better side of things so far.

Red Stars B Block: AZM [7] vs. Rian [0]

Outside of wasting AZM/Poi as a 2 minute match, the booking of AZM has been a highlight of this tournament. Rian did well to keep pace with AZM in the early stages here, which is no easy task. AZM still ended up holding serve and you could see her leading this as the veteran (which is wild given that she’s only 22). After trading strikes in the middle of the ring, Rian got some momentum going for a bit. AZM weathered the storm but Rian got two big near falls when countering a suplex into an inside cradle and rolling through the Azumi Sushi. Alas, AZM hit a diving double stomp to win in 10:14. That got more time than I expected and ended up being Rian’s best singles performance I can think of. Love that AZM is now on top of her block for the moment. [***]

Red Stars A Block: Waka Tsukiyama [0] vs. Yuna Mizumori [2]

Really just pride on the line here since they’re at the bottom of their block. That did allow this to be lighthearted. Waka is good for that kind of match actually. There was some goofiness with their personalities and spots like Waka hopping on Yuna’s back while they were out of the ring. They had some back and forth action inside, complete with each woman picking up near falls on pin attempts. Yuna hit a modified DVD to win in 8:51. Ho-hum, let’s move on. [**]

Red Stars A Block: Azusa Inaba [4] vs. Mei Seira [7]

Now we’re talking. A win for Azusa puts her in contention for that other playoff spot in her block (Saya Kamitani locked up a spot already). As has been the case for every Mei Seira tournament match, this was worked at a wild pace. I’d really like to see Azusa in that division actually. There were some truly great exchanges here done at such a wild pace. Azusa did a great job of incorporating the heel aspects needed, especially in terms of being aggressive and taking the fight outside. The final few minutes here were really good, with ankle locks, German suplexes, and sitout powerbombs. The finish saw Azusa block Mei’s finisher, trip her up, and roll her into a strange pinning combination in 9:38. That was really fun. Great sprint and I’m hoping we get a rematch for the title down the line. [***½]

Blue Stars A Block: Aya Sakura [4] vs. Ruaka [3]

Our lone Blue Stars match tonight. A pretty basic bout here all things told. Ruaka was the heel bully and Aya was the plucky babyface. Simple stuff. Of course, both women at a point in their careers where they need a veteran to lead the way, so this had several clunky moment. Aya took things to the mat to wear down her larger opponent though not much else of note went down here. Aya kicked out of the chokeslam bomb but a German suplex kept her down at the 6:21 mark. Pretty basic stuff here. [**¼]

Red Stars A Block: Hanan [5] vs. Lady C [4]

This has major implications in the tight race for the last playoff spot in the Red Stars A Block. A Lady C win ties her with Azusa and Bea at 6, while a Hanan win ties her with Mei for that spot at 7. They wrestled like two women dying for a win. They were throwing forearms, brawling to the mat, and keeping up an impressive intensity level. From Hanan’s Indian Death Lock to something as simple as a Lady C big boot, there was a lot of energy in everything done here. Lady C nearly won it when she leaned down on a pin battle but Hanan got her shoulder up, only for them to trade a back suplex and big boot. Hanan then hit her bridging back suplex to win in 8:35. Quite good here as they had a better back and forth battle than I was expecting. [***]

Red Stars B Block: Sayaka Kurara [2] vs. Tomoka Inaba [2]

Another clash of two women at the bottom of the standings, so it’s just pride on the line in this one. This opened with some mat wrestling as the two were feeling each other out. That was kind of the trend for the entire match, with these two having solid exchanges as they figured the other one out. They’d trade mat work, strikes, or whatever, coming across like equals. Tomoka worked a kneebar that Sayaka had to get to the ropes to survive. Sayaka then applied a rear naked choke and Tomoka had to get to the ropes herself. In the end, it was that kneebar that was enough as Sayaka tapped out in 11:30. Another good match here. [***]

Red Stars B Block: Natsupoi [4] vs. Rina [8]

Okay, now we have a chance at something great. There are also stakes here as Rina is trying to take first place from AZM while Natsupoi is looking to remain alive in this tight block. This was hot out of the gates and within a couple of minutes, Poi had hit a cross body off the top to the outside. The fight outside was pretty intense before they began trading stuff inside. Rina had a German suplex and a crucifix bomb of sorts but neither could keep Natsupoi down. Poi had the Gory Bomb well scouted, countering out of it a few times. The final few minutes here were great, with each woman coming close to winning and the drama ramped up. After her twisting splash off the top wasn’t enough, Natsupoi went with Fairing Ring to win in 12:02. A great match that delivered what I wanted. Rina feels ready to be a big star. [****]

Red Stars B Block: Natsuko Tora [8] vs. Starlight Kid [5]

Another match with major implications on the standings. Plus, Starlight Kid is a former Oedo Tai member, giving these two history. As if Natsuko isn’t imposing enough on her own, she had help from HATE girls at ringside, who jumped Starlight Kid and helped her gain the upper hand. She beat SLK both in and out of the ring, clearly setting us up for a David vs. Goliath story. SLK wasn’t your typical David though. She went after the leg and when she had Natsuko grounded, her confidence was clear. She wasn’t some overmatched opponent. She’s a top star. Of course, Natsuko could still cut her off with a powerslam or something like that. Starlight Kid continued to go after the leg and utilize her submission while surviving what Natsuko threw at her. The powerbomb near fall was good and then SLK went right into the Black Tiger Leg Killer. She surprised by hitting a suplex on Natsuko and a moonsault but it still wasn’t enough. Finally, she turned a rollup into the Black Tiger Leg Killer for a submission victory after 13:48. A very good main event that delivered the story it needed to. Big win for Starlight Kid. [***¾]

 

Red Stars A Block	Points	Red Stars B Block	Points	Blue Stars A Block	Points	Blue Stars B Block	Points
Saya Kamitani	10 (5-0)	AZM	9 (4-1-1)	Bozilla	8 (3-0-2)	Momo Watanabe	8 (4-1)
Mei Seira	7 (3-2-1)	Rina	8 (4-2)	Ami Sohrei	8 (4-1)	HANAKO	7 (3-0-1)
Hanan	7 (3-2-1)	Natsuko Tora	8 (4-2)	Saori Anou	7 (3-1-1)	Suzu Suzuki	6 (2-0-2)
Bea Priestley	6 (3-2)	Starlight Kid	7 (3-1-1)	Ruaka	5 (2-3-1)	Saree	5 (2-1-1)
Azusa Inaba	6 (3-3)	Natsupoi	6 (3-2)	Saya Iida	4 (2-2)	Ranna Yagami	4 (2-3)
Lady C	4 (2-3)	Tomoka Inaba	4 (2-3)	Aya Sakura	4 (2-3)	Konami	4 (2-3)
Yuna Mizumori	4 (2-4)	Sayaka Kurara	2 (1-5)	Miyu Amasaki	2 (1-3)	Hina	2 (1-3)
Waka Tsukiyama	0 (0-5)	Rian	0 (0-5)	Yuria Hime	0 (0-4)	Momo Kohgo	0 (0-4)

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

A very strong show from STARDOM. Several matches I’d recommend and nothing I’d consider bad.