wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix Night 3 Review 7.30.23
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM 5Star Grand Prix 2023 Night 3 Review
Saitama Konosu Gymnasium in Konosu, Japan | Attendance: 412
Props to STARDOM World for getting these shows up within two days rather than their usual three days to three weeks timeframe. We’ve got two matches on tap tonight as Saya Kamitani’s injury means her match against Natsuko Tora won’t happen. Tora now officially leads her block with 4 points though Natsupoi can tie her.
Blue Stars: Hanan [0] vs. MIRAI [0]
Hanan’s 0-2 start is expected given that she’s only 18 but MIRAI starting 0-2 is a surprise since she won the Cinderella Tournament and is the Wonder of Stardom Champion. These two started by busting out some judo throws and flips which was a nice change of pace from the typical opening sequences a lot of matches have. I appreciated that there was a sense of desperation from Hanan and while MIRAI could’ve also had the same reaction to her poor showing so far, she was more poised and confident as a top champion. Hanan got in some fiery hope spots as this went on, including some flash pins, but you knew it was time for MIRAI to get on the board. Indeed, MIRAI won after two lariats though I would’ve ended things following the first because she ROCKED Hanan with that one. This went 9:04 and was a very good match. [***¼]
Red Stars: Natsupoi [2] vs. Suzu Suzuki [0]
Easily one of my most anticipated matches of the entire tournament. The early goings here saw them go through a grappling exchange and try to one up each other until things spilled outside. That’s where it picked up with a Boston Crab by Suzu and a stiff dropkick from Natsupoi before we got a battle of strikes. I chuckled at Suzu doing a Matrix dodge of a Natsupoi cross body because she was so close that she didn’t need to do it to avoid the move. It irks me that the Tequila Shot isn’t Suzu’s finisher. It looks cool as hell and would work so much better as a match ender. The two began throwing suplexes and no selling them under FIGHTING SPIRIT logic. Just when it was really starting to pick up, Natsupoi won with the Fairy Strain cross-arm German suplex at the 9:06 mark. This was a case where a longer match would’ve worked better. They were just hitting their stride and with another 2-3 minutes, they would’ve likely crossed four star territory. As is, we still got one hell of a fight between two of the best. [***¾]
