wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s Stardom Award in Takadanobaba Review 1.21.23
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...Stardom Award in Takadanobaba
January 21st, 2023 | Belle Salle Takadanobaba in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 710
So this was a show where some of the company’s major awards were handed out. I wasn’t sure if I’d cover this show but the gauntlet main event sounds interested, we have a title match, and there are more Triangle Derby bouts.
Future of Stardom Championship: Ami Sourei [c] vs. Mai Sakurai
This match is intriguing because Sourei hasn’t totally impressed me so far but this is a chance to see her entering a singles match as champion. The two traded blows early before Sakurai took things to the mat and slowed the pace. A lot of her mat work was technically sound and well done. Sourei came back with her own submission attempts, including what I’d call an interesting looking Boston Crab. I think the issue with this match was that the strike exchanges didn’t quite hit the way they should. Some looked weak and awkward and that held this back from being better than it should’ve been. Sakurai missed a somersault and ate a lariat but found a way to relatively stay in control. Sourei won soon after though, hitting a Rikishi Driver style move in 10:38. A good match that had some issues keeping it from being better. [***]
MIRAI, Syuri and Tomoka Inaba vs. Rina, Ruaka and Starlight Kid
Hey, I saw Inaba on the New Blood show, so that’s cool. This is the match on the card that doesn’t really mean anything. We got a quick start here and they mostly kept up a solid pace. I felt like Inaba was better on the New Blood show and there wasn’t a lot of MIRAI on offense here. That meant Inaba spent a lot of this match as the isolated target of a Oedo Tai trio that worked so well as a unit. Syuri got a late run that saw her pick up some near falls and have good exchanges with everyone and I liked the back and forth with Starlight Kid. She used an armbar variation to secure the victory after 9:10. Two for two in good matches. [***]
AZM, Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita [3] vs. Himeka, Lady C and Maika [4]
In terms of match quality, these have been two of more impressive trios in the tournament. Right off the bat, I could tell I was going to like this. Lady C is someone who brings a lot of fire to every match and she was on her game here against everyone. AZM has quickly become someone I must watch every second of. She’s so good. The smoothness that the Queen’s Quest ladies worked with was fantastic as they were in and out and doing tandem offense in impressive fashion. Lady C found herself in trouble for a way but made the tag and got help. I would like to see Lady C incorporated better into tandem offense. Maika and Himeka obviously had some stuff together but they’d do it and then Lady C just hit something of her own that didn’t really go well with it. Things broke down late and Lady C battled with Hayashishita, who launched her with a German suplex. She survived one but fell to an elevated on in 12:10. That was a big step up in quality and possibly my favorite match of the tournament so far. [***¾]
Maika Ozaki, Maya Yukihi and Ram Kaichow [2] vs. Mariah May, Mina Shirakawa and Xia Brookside [4]
The ladies shook hands at the bell only for the Rebel x Enemy trio to attack and gain the upper hand. Even so, this quickly became a traditional tag rather than a brawl, with May colliding with Kaichow. Club Venus turned the tide thanks to some trios offense and I’m happy to see them bust that out, ironing out some early kinks they had. Ultimately, this started slow but picked up as it went on and peaked when Mina got to go up against Maya. They had a really good exchange as Mina was not afraid to trade strikes with her. Maya got left alone with Xia for a while and really taught the kid a lesson, kicking her ass. Maya stretched the shit out of Xia to win via submission in 13:39. A really enjoyable match here. [***¼]
Hanan, Mayu Iwatani and Momo Khogo [0] vs. Hiragi Kurumi, Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki [6]
Kind of wild to see an Iwatani team sitting at 0 points. It almost didn’t matter who was legal in this match because every interaction was entertaining. Hanan’s barrage of hip tosses when she got tagged was fun, especially when she struggled with Kurumi. She fared better than Kohgo, who continues to be the team member to take the beatings. The numbers game still got to Hanan though and she got squashed by a triple team move. When Mayu got the tag, things got kicked up a notch and her exchange with Suzuki was the highlight of the match. Kohgo went at it late with Kurumi and gave it her all but got crushed by a top rope splash, eating the pin in 12:24. A really good match boosted by some standout back and forth from nearly everyone. [***½]
Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora and Saki Kashima [6] vs. Nanae Takahashi, Yuna Mizumori and Yuu [4]
I fully expected this to be hard hitting, especially with the Goddesses of Stardom Champions in there. Oedo Tai all posing together as Mizumori got worked over was pretty entertaining. I live for that kind of goofy shit in wrestling. Takahashi continues to look like a total beast but it’s Yuu who really impresses me. The way she blends powerhouse offense with more flashy moves makes for a really good time. Down the stretch, they kept going with the stiff shots and this nearly ended when Kashima was hit with the triple Alabama Slam spot only for the pin to be broken up. Kashima kept going toe to toe with Takahashi even though he was outmatched and she only lost because of a rollup. That went 12:10 and continued this trend of quality matches. [***¼]
Gauntlet Match: Giulia vs. Hazuki, Hina, Koguma, Natsupoi, SAKI, Saya Iida, Super Strong Stardom Machine, Tam Nakano, Thekla & Waka Tsukiyama
So, this is an interesting concept. The World of Stardom Champion competes against 10 opponents, with each person getting a 3 minute time limit. I’m assuming if anyone can beat her, they’d be in line for a title shot and this works as a preview for many future Giulia matches. First up was the Super Strong Stardom Machine, who ran over Giulia a few times.
The champ quickly weathered the storm and regained her footing. As Machine hooked Giulia for an underhooked suplex, time expired but she still did the move anyway. That was rude. Next in was Koguma. I liked that Giulia played this smart, taking a powder despite this just being the second match. It’s not the most exciting concept but it’s logical. Then, Koguma goaded her by teasing a walkout. They brawled as time expired and then Giulia planted her with a scoop Brainbuster. Her stablemate Thekla was next and that was a solid exchange of two people who know each other well. Interestingly, Thekla had her trapped in an armbar as time expired. Hina joined next and Giulia was looking to be in a bit of trouble given what the last competitors put her through. Hina started hot but Giulia caught her in a pinning combination to beat her about two minutes in. Now, we got Hazuki. Again, this was a stalemate, with Hazuki hitting a suplex at the buzzer. Tam Nakano arrived next and I was hooked for this. She gave Giulia time to catch her breath which was surprising. They quickly turned it on and were laying into each other by the time the three minutes were up. An exhausted Giulia was on the mat by the time SAKI hit the ring and she took advantage. She immediately went on the offensive. She used a Sharpshooter to wear Giulia down and came close with a powerbomb but no cigar as time expired. A battered Giulia faced Natsupoi next, which I was locked in on. As she worked over the champ, you started to believe someone might steal a pin. Natsupoi kept the pressure on, at one point just slapping Giulia over and over. Giulia got a second (or fifth) wind and fought back but again, time expired. Saya Iida came in next and she nearly had this won but ran out of time as she pinned Giulia. Tsukiyama ran down and came off the top in hopes of taking advantage of a downed champion. However, she allowed Giulia to get up to hit a missile dropkick and likely missed her chance to win. Time ran out for her as well despite a spirited effort and Giulia almost bested her at the 28:57 mark. That was indeed interesting and most of the interactions were entertaining. The ongoing thread of Giulia fighting through fatigue was great. [***¼]
Post-match, Giulia put over Tsukiyama as being someone on the rise. She then had a face off with her upcoming challenger, Suzu Suzuki.
