Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2026 Night 1 Review

STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2026 Night One

July 18^th, 2026 | EBARA WAVE Arena in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 2,193

It’s early but I’ve already fallen a bit behind on these tournaments so I’ve got some work to do. I have two nights of the 5STAR Grand Prix and at least one G1 show to cover. This first night of the Grand Prix is a PPV and the non-tournament matches are kind of big, so I’ll be covering those as well.

AZM vs. Fuwa-chan

The first of two pre-show matches and this one features one of my favorite wrestlers in the world and someone who is quickly becoming must-see. We’ve got a new look for AZM and I like it. This might not mean anything in the standings but I still like to see two good wrestlers go at it. I wish Fuwa-chan was in the Grand Prix. She’d be a much better addition than a few wrestlers currently involved. Anyway, this was a fun way to start the show. They didn’t go out there to try and steal the show or blow anyone away because that’s not the point of a pre-show match. Just a good match where Fuwa-chan showed a ton of fire and AZM felt like a big star. AZM ultimately picked up the win with a pretty vicious looking armbar in 6:11. [***]

Ema Maishima, Matoi Hamabe, Rian and Waka Tsukiyama vs. Kiyoka Kotatsu, Maki Itoh, Starlight Kid and Utami Hayashishita

Pre-show bout #2. It’s wild that the first night of the GP doesn’t feature Starlight Kid, Utami, Suzu Suzuki, Hanan, Saori Anou, Saya Kamitani, or Maika in tournament action. There wasn’t much to say about this. It was a pretty lighthearted tag that saw Maki’s team engage in some fun antics that includes her in-ring shenanigans and some dancing/spinning during their entrance. Her team featuring her and two top women against a group of mostly jobbers meant there was no real drama here and that’s okay. Undercard tags tend to be that way.  Looking like a million bucks, Utami finished off Ema with a lariat in 7:28. Solid fun. [**½]

STARDOM must be confident in their roster to start their tournament without big singles matches for so many. There are also some great names not included this year at all, which makes things interesting, yet also concerning.

Hanan, Maika, Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki vs. Konami, Natsuko Tora, Rina and Saya Kamitani

Four HATE members against an interesting opposing team that includes the Wonder and World of Stardom Champions. Although it’s clear that these ladies were saving some energy for the tournament matches in the next few weeks, there was still fun to be had here. The Suzu/Saya exchanges were good, while I was really digging Rina/Hanan. That would be a Wonder of Stardom Title program I’m into, especially given their familial relationship. They were given a lot of time for their section. Things broke down late and pretty much everyone got a few bits to shine. The finish saw Hanan take diving double knees off the top from Rina, who then followed with the Gory Bomb to win at the 7:28 mark. Nothing special here, yet it did what it needed to, had some energy, and gave us an idea of what Hanan/Rina should look like. [**¾]

Red Stars A Block: Akira Kurogane [0] vs. Sayaka Kurara [0]

Akira has been on an impressive rookie run since the Tag League while Sayaka ended Saya Kamitani’s historic World of Stardom Title run, only to lose the belt in her second defense. Akira came out hot with a dropkick and took it to Sayaka quickly. Sayaka did her best to weather the storm but got grounded with a crossface. She reached the ropes to break it, only for Akira to continue to pounce on her with more offense. A springboard attack turned things around for Sayaka. Akira still never fully let go of control, yet Sayaka cut her down with a Spear to win in 6:00. A good sprint to start the tournament. Akira could be in for a breakout tournament. [***]

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

Last year’s tournament winner against the High Speed Champion. Yuna was more than up to the challenge, laying shots into Momo right from the start. Just a few minutes in and she was sitting on the mat and kicking Momo in the face. Knowing she’s the underdog, Yuna also made sure to utilize some flash pins and that quick offense that a High Speed Champion is known for. It worked to throw Momo off her game and give Yuna a legitimate chance. As this went on, she gained confidence and started hitting bigger moves like a variation of the Cradle Shock. HAIL SABIN! Momo withstood everything Yuna threw at her and managed to hit the Heartless Driver after 9:41. That’s my kind of tournament match. Hard hitting, saw both competitors clearly wanting to win, and didn’t go too long. Yuna could be this year’s 2024 Saya Iida, who had some great breakout performances. [***½]

Blue Stars B Block: Kikyo Furusawa [0] vs. Koguma [0]

Koguma is always a solid undercard hand, while Kikyo has something going for her thanks to the partnership with Maki Itoh. The winner here would tie Momo Watanabe atop their block. The opening bit of this was pretty chill as they had fun with their gimmicks and the trademark Koguma taunt. Is there a name for it? Kikyo had a plan and went after the leg while attempting several ankle locks. Koguma sold it relatively well and it slowed her down on a climb to the top, allowing Kikyo to avoid her splash. Just as this was getting going, Koguma nailed a German Suplex to take the win in 7:34. That was going along nicely and while I’m all for shorter matches, this one felt like it another two minutes away from its peak. Still, solid stuff. [**½]

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

This is the block I’m worried about in this tournament. There a lot of unproven wrestlers here and the World of Stardom Champion. Julia Hart is also there, replacing the injured Bea Priestley. Here, we have two tag girls who haven’t really stood out in singles competition. Ruaka, as the HATE member with the least in-ring cred, attacked before the bell to get the cheap upper hand. That set up a simple tale of her in control and bullying the underdog, Miyu. It’s the best roles for them and they played it well enough, it just never got all that interesting. It didn’t get too much time before Ruaka won with a German Suplex in 4:06. Inoffensive, though not a promising start for this block. [**]

Red Stars B Block: Azusa Inaba [0] vs. Saya Iida [0]

Saya is a dark horse to make the playoffs out of her block, while Azusa is still trying to find her place. She clearly has potential. Saya started hot only for Rina to trip her up from ringside, giving her partner the edge. She was never able to hold it for too long as Saya was too explosive. She’d trade shots with her or bust out a big move to stall Azusa’s momentum. The strike exchanges were very good because of Azusa’s speed and Saya’s viciousness. Saya’s offense works so well to showcase her power/agility combo. Azusa fired up with a German Suplex for two but eventually ran into a Saya lariat that ended this in 7:56. A very good sprint here. Tons of action and a strong first showing for Azusa, while Saya continues to impress. [***¼]

Red Stars B Block: Mei Seira [0] vs. Rina Yamashita [0]

Yamashita has been really good lately, especially in harder hitting matches. Mei is someone I want to see get a huge push. She’s incredible and has moved past the High Speed division. I’d love to see her get a World of Stardom Title shot, especially since her last match with Suzu rocked. They played right into the size situation as Mei couldn’t whip Rina to the ropes without first wearing her down. I love stuff like that. They kept at the concept of Yamashita being an aggressor with Mei using her quickness to combat that. I loved the spot where, while trading strikes, Yamashita did a Matrix like lean back to stay on her feet, followed by Mei doing a kip up to get back into the fight, followed by Yamashita trying and failing the kip up. Small, yet entertaining stuff. Mei ended up using a fantastic pinning combination to score something of an upset in 8:41. That was very good and the match of the night to this point. [***¾]

Red Stars A Block: Itsuki Aoki [0] vs. Tomoka Inaba [0]

I still don’t know too much about Itsuki as I mostly see her in Mi Vida Loca tags. Tomoka is one of my favorite young stars on the roster and I think she’s on the cusp of a breakout. She feels like a future High Speed Champion. Tomoka declined a handshake, so Itsuki got one from the referee instead. The match that we got here was kind of just there. Nothing they did was bad, yet it never really grabbed me either. However, there were a couple of standout moments, like a particularly hard forearm exchange. Tomoka hit her array of kicks, yet Itsuki just hit harder at points. Yamashita put her down with an Air Raid Crash in 9:52. A solid match, just missing something to get it to the next level. [**¾]

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

Surprisingly, this is our night 1 Grand Prix main event as the last two matches are for titles. Aya has been very good as part of Sakurara but her partner won the World Title. That leaves her behind in terms of a breakout, so she’s one to watch in this tournament. HANAKO has improved rapidly and now works like a good big. They played into those roles here, giving us a classic David vs. Goliath matchup and anyone who knows my reviews knows that’s one of my favorite match types. HANAKO knew how to deliver her offense so it looked fierce and Aya sold it all well. She’s such a good underdog babyface and it showed here. You believed in all the peril she was in and also believed in her comebacks. Aya went after the leg and used various kneebars to ground her larger opponent. The intensity picked up late until Aya won with a straightjacket German Suplex in 13:36. Way better than I was expecting. [***¾]

Artist of Stardom Championship: Ami Sohrei, Hina and Lady C [c] vs. Triangle of Madness

Thekla continues her crusade against STARDOM by bringing her new stable to try and win titles she has held in the past. A win would also give Julia Hart a title entering the tournament. The challengers attacked before the bell and we got some brawling around the arena for a bit. Hina played the face in peril for a while before making the tag to Lady C, who came in like a big powerhouse of sorts. Ami and Thekla seemed to get the main focus, which made sense since they’re basically the captains of their squads. Most of this match was a brawl and it never quite got beyond being good. Triangle of Madness got going late and after a trio of finishers capped by Thekla’s Curb Stomp, we got new champions at the 13:55 mark. A solid tag and nothing more. It advanced the Thekla story and hopefully some reps in STARDOM will help Skye and Julia. [**¾]

IWGP Women’s Championship: Syuri [c] vs. Natsupoi

Insane to not feature these two in your top tournament. I’m not mad about this as a main event, though. They haven’t met one-on-one since the 2023 Grand Prix, where they went to a draw in a great match (****½). Though they shook hands, Poi snapped off a German suplex as soon as Syuri turned around, setting the tone for a match with a ton of action. An apron German later and Poi was off to a hot start, though Syuri was able to get through it. Interestingly, both hit big offense early and then moved into a more submission based match. Each woman had armbar variations to lock in and I live for that kind of shit. As usual, Poi was throwing herself into every bump and taking every kick with full force, which works especially well against someone like Syuri. They found intriguing ways to keep incorporating big spots, like Syuri getting her knees up on Natsupoi’s twisting splash, around their submission battles. Syuri had the upper hand in strikes but Natsupoi never backed down and tried to give as good as she received. I came into this fully expecting Syuri to win but I bit on several close calls by Natsupoi, including one where Syuri barely got a shoulder up at all. They built up the drama so well. Syuri rallied and retained after delivering Syuri World in 20:52. One of the best matches of the year and maybe STARDOM’s top of 2026 so far. Two stellar wrestlers putting on a show in a great main event. [****½]

Red Stars A	Points	Red Stars B	Points	Blue Stars A	Points	Blue Stars B	Points
Itsuki Aoki	2 (1-0)	Mei Seira	2 (1-0)	Aya Sakura	2 (1-0)	Koguma	2 (1-0)
Sayaka Kurara	2 (1-0)	Saya Iida	2 (1-0)	Ruaka	2 (1-0)	Momo Watanabe	2 (1-0)
AZM	0 (0-0)	Konami	0 (0-0)	Hina	0 (0-0)	Ami Sohrei	0 (0-0)
Maika	0 (0-0)	Lady C	0 (0-0)	Julia Hart	0 (0-0)	Hanan	0 (0-0)
Natsuko Tora	0 (0-0)	Maki Itoh	0 (0-0)	Rian	0 (0-0)	Saya Kamitani	0 (0-0)
Rina	0 (0-0)	Utami Hayashishita	0 (0-0)	Suzu Suzuki	0 (0-0)	Starlight Kid	0 (0-0)
Tomoka Inaba	0 (0-1)	Azusa Inaba	0 (0-1)	HANAKO	0 (0-1)	Kikyo Furusawa	0 (0-1)
Akira Kurogane	0 (0-1)	Rina Yamashita	0 (0-1)	Miyu Amasaki	0 (0-1)	Yuna Mizumori	0 (0-1)

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Not everything about this show worked as some Grand Prix matches kind of lacked. However, there’s a notable title change, several very good tournament matches and a fantastic main event. Very strong way to start things.