wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2026 Night 8 Review
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2026 Night Eight
August 2nd, 2026 | Light Cube Utsunomiya in Utsunomiya, Tochigi | Attendance: 766
Still trying to catch up! I have two STARDOM shows and one from the G1, so hopefully I can get them done before the G1 returns on Thursday. It’s all B Block today outside of the main event.
Blue Stars B Block: Kikyo Furusawa [0] vs. Saya Kamitani [3]
In one of my recent G1 reviews, I said that I appreciated how Boltin Oleg squashed SANADA. I kind of needed that energy here. While I understand that a rookie like Kikyo can learn a lot from wrestling Saya, it’s a bit odd that this dominant top star didn’t handle her easily. Anyway, it was a simple match otherwise with Kikyo going for her ankle lock at every turn and Saya giving her a lot of offense. Kikyo got in a couple of flash pin near falls before Saya pulled a Yota Tsuji and beat her with a Boston Crab in 7:15. Solid enough for an opener. [**½]
Blue Stars A Block: Rian [0] vs. Suzu Suzuki [6]
Suzu Suzuki might be the World Champion but she worked this similar to Saya. She gave Rian a ton, allowing her to showcase fire, get some close calls on flash pins, and do her foot stomping gimmick. That said, Rian clearly just didn’t have enough to get the job done. Suzu weathered her storm without much worry and won with the Tequila Shot in 4:21. That was quite a fun sprint. [**¾]
Blue Stars A Block: Aya Sakura [4] vs. Miyu Amasaki [2]
These are two women in a similar spot. Both are the less notable members of their respective tag teams. Miyu is still proving herself while AZM is established and Aya is also still proving herself while her partner was the World Champion. As for the match itself, there’s not a ton to say. It was just some good back and forth action between two rising talents. Both brought the energy and both felt like they had a realistic chance at winning throughout. I do think both are best at showing babyface fire, so they weren’t in their wheelhouse against each other. The counter stretch late was good, including Miyu’s array of DDTs, before she hit Tensei to win in 8:58. Good stuff and Miyu moves up to 4 points. [***]
Blue Stars A Block: Julia Hart [4] vs. Ruaka [4]
This one had me worried from the start. Julia hasn’t had a strong start to the tournament and Ruaka isn’t exactly the person to get her to that point. However, I will say that a few things here were a pleasant surprise. The crowd actually was into this and Julia seems to be pretty over. I also liked that Julia got to show personality here. They were doing underhanded things to each other and I laughed at Julia shouting for help while trapped in a submission. If the technical side of the match isn’t gonna be good, at least have some fun and that’s what this was. Ruaka won with her Bret’s Rope splash in 7:35. I had mild fun so I’m okay with this. [**]
Blue Stars B Block: Koguma [4] vs. Yuna Mizumori [2]
Two of the promotion’s more fun and lighthearted wrestlers. They’re just here to have a good time. They gave us exactly what you’d expect from these two. A bit of the wacky Koguma antics mixed with Yuna’s high speed style. The end result was a quality pro wrestling match. I thought their exchange to rollups down the stretch was pretty good and they found ways to make it different from other matches with similar spots. Yuna used her signature leaping pin to take this one in 7:50. Like I said, this was enjoyable and one of those classic 6/10 bouts. [***]
Blue Stars B Block: Momo Watanabe [6] vs. Starlight Kid [1]
The first four matches were solid enough but now it’s time to get into the big stars. We’ve got the former Wonder of Stardom Champion against last year’s Grand Prix winner. They were also stablemates in the past. Right from the start, you could tell that this was a step up in quality. They were trading stuff and going at it in a battle that felt like two great wrestlers doing their thing. Starlight Kid was in control until a well-timed distraction by Ruaka swung the momentum and allowed Momo to hit SLK with a bat. That set up Starlight Kid to take a beating and make a comeback, while throwing in some attempts at the Black Tiger Leg Killer.
Almost each application made me think it could end the match, which shows how she has established that hold. Late, they were countering each other’s biggest shots and then from out of nowhere, SLK bridged a rana to score the win in 10:11. One of the best bouts of the tournament so far. [****]
Blue Stars B Block: Ami Sohrei [2] vs. Hanan [6]
Taking a beating in wrestling is an art form and not many do it better than Hanan. She bumps and sells with the best of them, while using it to fuel her eventual comebacks. That was the case here as Ami Sohrei beat her from pillar to post. It was another nice showcase of the power game that Ami has developed since returning. She was able to throw Hanan around and lay in some stiff strikes. Hanan made her rally, leading to some good stuff down the stretch, including a great Like Thunder counter. Ami hit it soon after though, taking the win at the 11:16 mark. Another high quality match here with both ladies playing to their strengths. [***½]
Blue Stars A Block: HANAKO [2] vs. Hina [2]
They met in the tournament last year (**½) but their Future of Stardom Title match in September was a big step up (***½). I said that the Blue Stars A Block is a lot of wrestlers who are looking to impress and take that next step. These two went out there and attempted that here. I really liked the way they structured this, telling a classic big vs. little story. HANAKO has learned how to work like a big, which made all the difference here. I loved how Hina had to play the underdog but stepped up to trade strikes with HANAKO. The Three Amigos spot was great and the fact that Hina was still able to hit a Jackhammer on a woman of her size was super impressive. They built to some stellar drama late with close calls that didn’t rely on finisher kick outs. HANAKO pulled out the win with the JP Coaster after 14:08. No idea where that came from but it was excellent. Hina and HANAKO had the breakout match I was hoping for from this block. HANAKO continues to improve while Hina, like Rina and Hana, is the real deal. [****¼]
Red Stars A Block: Itsuki Aoki [8] vs. Rina [2]
Speaking of Rina, we move over to the A Block for our main event. I believe Tochigi is the hometown of Hanan, Rina, and Hina, so it makes sense that they were the final three matches. Rina is traditionally a heel but the crowd loved her here and they played into that. Itsuki continued to play the role of the bully, which allowed Rina to be the sympathetic choice. I liked how instead of generic babyface fire, she kind of just got pissed about being bullied and started going hard after Itsuki. That made for the rest of the match being pretty hard hitting. Ultimately, Rina sent the fans home happy by ending Itsuki’s 4-0 start by countering a pinning combination into of her own after 14:36. A very strong main event. [***½]
| Red Stars A | Points | Red Stars B | Points | Blue Stars A | Points | Blue Stars B | Points |
| Itsuki Aoki | 8 (4-1) | Konami | 6 (3-0) | Suzu Suzuki | 8 (4-0) | Hanan | 6 (3-1) |
| Maika | 6 (3-1) | Saya Iida | 6 (3-1) | Ruaka | 6 (3-1) | Momo Watanabe | 6 (3-1) |
| AZM | 4 (2-1) | Rina Yamashita | 6 (2-1-2) | Julia Hart | 4 (2-1) | Saya Kamitani | 5 (2-0-1) |
| Rina | 4 (2-2) | Maki Itoh | 5 (2-1-1) | Aya Sakura | 4 (2-2) | Ami Sohrei | 4 (2-2) |
| Natsuko Tora | 4 (2-2) | Utami Hayashishita | 3 (1-2-1) | HANAKO | 4 (2-2) | Yuna Mizumori | 4 (2-2) |
| Tomoka Inaba | 4 (2-3) | Azusa Inaba | 3 (1-2-1) | Miyu Amasaki | 4 (2-3) | Koguma i | 4 (2-3) |
| Sayaka Kurara | 4 (2-4) | Mei Seira | 3 (1-2-1) | Hina | 2 (1-3) | Starlight Kid | 3 (1-1-1) |
| Akira Kurogane | 0 (0-3) | Lady C | 0 (0-4) | Rian | 0 (0-3) | Kikyo Furusawa | 0 (0-5) |
