wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2026 Night 13 Review
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2026 Night Thirteen
August 15th, 2026 | KBS Hall in Kyoto, Japan | Attendance: 741
I accidentally listed my previous review as night 13 but this is actually night 13 and that was night 12.
With the G1 done, I can breathe a little easier on reviews. I have this show, the one from 8/16, and the Tuesday playoff show before the finals on 8/23, which I don’t think I’ll be able to order live, unfortunately.
Red Stars A Block: Aya Sakura [4] vs. Rian [0]
These two brought a ton of energy to things. Just two wrestlers fighting hard for pride, since neither had a shot to make the playoffs. I really like how Rian has made the foot stomp gimmick into a thing. It’s a fun little tidbit that allows her to stand out from the pack. Rian was down to trade strikes and kicks with Aya, who was laying them in. I was actually invested in the late drama despite the low stakes of the contest. That’s impressive work by these two. Rian reeled off some suplexes before hitting a pair of Stunners, including a diving one. She then set up a twisty pin that they kind of flubbed, yet it got the job done in 12:55. Way better than expected and probably the best Rian match I’ve seen. This got a lot of time and they made it work. [***¼]
Blue Stars B Block: Kikyo Furusawa [0] vs. Starlight Kid [7]
It’s Kikyo’s final match, while Starlight Kid is looking to stay hot and make the playoffs. Both women tend to target the leg, which was the case here. It made for an interesting battle as Kikyo kept going for the ankle lock (which again, I think she needs to try something new if she’s winless with that strategy) and Starlight Kid looked to set up the Black Tiger Leg Killer. That said, there were some inconsistencies with the selling and there wasn’t much in the way of drama. Still, it was highly enjoyable and Starlight Kid won with the Black Tiger Leg Killer in 7:53. [***]
Blue Stars B Block: Hanan [7] vs. Yuna Mizumori [4]
It’s Yuna’s last match. She can try to spoil Hanan’s run and maybe earn herself a Wonder of Stardom Title shot in the future. You could tell from the opening bell that they were going to pack a lot into a short time. The pace was wild even for a High Speed Champion. They did a fantastic job of keeping that pace. The flash pin sequence down the stretch was excellent and the crowd bit on so many near falls. Then, from out of nowhere, Yuna leapt onto Hanan and got her trapped in a pin to score the upset three count after 5:55. Super fun sprint with an unexpected result. I dug it. [***¼]
Blue Stars A Block: Ruaka [6] vs. Suzu Suzuki [10]
Both ladies have one more match after this. Ruaka jumped Suzu as she was posing on the top rope during her entrance. As expected, that led to HATE tropes like brawling around the ring and throwing Suzu into chairs. That was the tone of the entire match, as they kind of just wailed on each other. However, it wasn’t done in a way that was overly interesting and kind of felt mindless at points. They teased a double countout but both women made it back to the ring. Alas, they ended up outside against where they fought to the back. They made it to ringside just as the count reached 20, giving us a double countout in 8:05. That wasn’t for me and the need to continue giving Ruaka shine is so odd to me. [**]
Red Stars B Block: Mei Seira [5] vs. Saya Iida [9]
This has potential to be one of the best matches of the entire tournament. It’s Saya’s final match and a win would go a long way as it would basically clinch a playoff spot. Without it, the door is open for Mei, Maki Itoh, and Konami to get in over here I believe. This was a classic case of power against speed. Even when they had a few moments of lightheartedness, Saya would whip out a chop that brutalized Mei. It took everything from a springboard dropkick to running around the ring for Mei to cut off her momentum. Mei escaped the Muscle Buster and survived several big lariats before securing a win with her spinning crucifix driver in 10:27. Hell yeah. That was just a great match filled with action that played to their strengths. [****]
Blue Stars B Block: Koguma [4] vs. Momo Watanabe [8]
This marks the end for both women. It started as a typical Koguma contest with some fun taunts and antics. However, I was impressed by where it eventually went. They started going hard and throwing some bombs at each other. It ended up feeling like a bigger match than you’d think. There were some impressive suplexes busted out and when Momo used the bat as a weapon, it looked especially vicious. It can look goofy a lot of the time but Koguma got leveled. I loved the spot where Koguma caught her into a spinning rear naked choke. Again, it just looked really good. In the end, Koguma scored a solid upset with a German Suplex after 12:51. Kind of a banger. Now Momo’s spot in the playoffs are in doubt. [***½]
Blue Stars A Block: HANAKO [6] vs. Julia Hart [8]
Both ladies still have a match left on the next show but a win for either goes a long way towards a playoff spot. I think this is how Julia should’ve been working the entire tournament. As the heel, it’s understandable that she’s in control often and kind of leading the match but that’s not her strong suit. Here, HANAKO got to show that she can lead a solid match and Julia had to react to her. HANAKO tossed her around and she had to find ways around it, like applying the old Tajiri Tarantula (or least a variation of it). The action itself peaked at just being good and HANAKO picked up the win with the JP Coaster in 8:30. Solid match. [***]
Blue Stars A Block: Hina [6] vs. Miyu Amasaki [4]
The last match for each woman. Alas, both are eliminated because even if Hina won here, the best she could do is tie Julia and HANAKO, who both beat her. Maybe they should’ve put this match on earlier on the card. Swap it with Koguma/Momo. Although the low stakes hurt, this was still a quality wrestling match. Like her sisters, Hina can flat out go, while Miyu continues to show flashes with her unique offense. You could tell it was a fight for pride given the trading of strikes, though that did feel out of place given their styles. I also didn’t really like how they telegraphed some of the late kickout spots. Miyu eventually hit her sitout Pedigree for the win in 12:23. [***]
Blue Stars B Block: Ami Sohrei [6] vs. Saya Kamitani [8]
Huge implications here as both women have a match remaining after this and a win for Ami would put her in a tie with Saya and Momo behind Starlight Kid. A win for Saya puts her in sole possession of first place. Saya was in control, using her agility and her experience to just keep Ami at bay. Whenever Ami got something going, it was that power game she’s developed and some pretty stiff strikes. That was the crux here as Ami had to rally and do everything in her power to overcome the promotion’s top star. Saya made a mistake getting into a forearm exchange with Ami, who just wailed on her with them and had the advantage there. That gave Ami the confidence to get on a roll. She began ducking kicks and finding counters to Saya’s offense. In fact, that led to the finish as Ami rolled through a rana and scored a surprise three count in 14:02. A very good main event with a great finish that sets up a fun final night of block play. [***½]
| Red Stars A | Points | Red Stars B | Points | Blue Stars A | Points | Blue Stars B | Points |
| AZM | 9 (4-1-1) | Saya Iida | 9 (4-2-1) | Suzu Suzuki | 11 (5-0-1) | Starlight Kid | 9 (4-1-1) |
| Maika | 9 (4-1-1) | Rina Yamashita | 9 (3-1-3) | Julia Hart | 8 (4-2) | Ami Sohrei | 8 (4-2) |
| Natsuko Tora | 8 (3-2-2) | Maki Itoh | 8 (3-1-2) | HANAKO | 8 (4-2) | Saya Kamitani | 8 (3-1-2) |
| Itsuki Aoki | 8 (4-3) | Konami | 8 (4-2) | Ruaka | 7 (3-2-1) | Momo Watanabe | 8 (3-2-2) |
| Rina | 7 (3-2-1) | Mei Seira | 7 (3-2-1) | Hina | 6 (3-4) | Hanan | 7 (3-2-1) |
| Tomoka Inaba | 6 (3-4) | Utami Hayashishita | 5 (2-3-1) | Miyu Amasaki | 6 (3-4) | Koguma | 6 (3-4) |
| Sayaka Kurara | 4 (2-5) | Azusa Inaba | 4 (1-4-2) | Aya Sakura | 4 (2-5) | Yuna Mizumori | 6 (3-4) |
| Akira Kurogane | 1 (0-5-1) | Lady C | 2 (1-6) | Rian | 2 (1-6) | Kikyo Furusawa | 0 (0-7) |
