Pantoja’s STARDOM Cinderella Tournament 2026 Night 3 Review

STARDOM Cinderella Tournament Night 3

March 8^th, 2026 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,097

We’ve got a solid crowd on hand as the tournament continues.

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Hanan vs. Ranna Yagami

Although both ladies are babyface, Ranna attacked with a dropkick before the bell. She knows she’s the underdog and was looking to get any advantage possible. Due to that, she was in control in the early stages and kept trying to lock in an armbar but Hanan constantly fought her off. That didn’t  stop Ranna from attacking the arm at every change she got, even if it was just with a swift kick. Hanan’s rally had a lot of fire, leading to a very good closing stretch with near falls on both sides. In the end, Hanan won with her bridging back suplex in 7:43. They packed a good chunk of action in there and had a compelling match. Hot start. [***¼]

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Natsupoi vs. Rian

We’ve got a legit main eventer in Natsupoi against a girl who typically just eats losses and is still learning. Right from the start, this felt like a different kind of match for Rian. She was bringing a lot to the table, picking up flash pin near falls, and she had the crowd feeling her. For the first time, it really felt like there was something there for Rian. She was laying in the forearms as best she could and not backing down from Poi. They also did a good job of teasing an over the top rope upset. It’s one of the coolest things that you can pull off in the Cinderella Tournament. Rian took to wearing down Natsupoi with a submission but the top star fought back to her feet.  Rian finally managed to dropkick Poi off the apron, scoring a huge upset win in 10:40. Poi does the veteran thing to lead Rian to her best outing. [***¼]

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Azusa Inaba vs. Hina

Azusa usually teams with Rina but is against Rina’s sister in this one. These are two young women with loads of talent and they showed that off here. They laid out a very solid story here with Azusa as the heel and Hina as the face. I really liked the little things, like when Azusa was losing a forearm exchange battle and just opted to poke Hina in the eyes instead. They used the over the top elimination tease well, which is a trend for the tournament this year. Azusa trapped the leg in a submission and though Hina escaped quickly, she kept the focus there and reapplied it. Down the stretch they began throwing suplexes, knees, and flash pins, building up some solid drama. A modified Jackhammer didn’t get it done for Hina but an awkward Frog Splash did in 12:51. I think the Jackhammer should’ve been the finish but this was pretty great otherwise. [***½]

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Sayaka Kurara vs. Tomoka Inaba

Another interesting match given how much both have improved over the past year or so. Tomoka went after the knee and ankle early and often. She kept trying to hook in the Ankle Lock but Sayaka was always doing her best to scramble away so no true grip could be applied. Sayaka fought from beneath and ended up working her own submissions into the mix, using a rear naked choke to wear down Tomoka. That made a lot of this match feel like a true struggle and that’s something I’ve always appreciated. That made it so when they started going in with more impactful offense, it felt more important. Sayaka was great at the panic and fight she showed when stuck in a kneebar. I need wrestlers to sell the match and end result meaning something to them. The Spear only got two for Sayaka but she won a counter exchange and hit a Falcon Arrow to advance in 12:44. That ruled. I really like the story they told, the selling from Sayaka, and the layout of the match. [***¾]

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Ami Sohrei vs. Rina

On paper, a classic battle of good vs. evil. Rina was the heel who brought chairs into play, while Ami was the babyface who fought through all those shenanigans. It was a simple story being told and it worked because of that. Everything they did here was quite good and technically sound, though there was something about it that just didn’t totally grab me. Ami’s power based offense has been an improvement, yet her big rallies and such don’t quite work for me. That said, I do enjoy Rina’s heat segments. The fact that she does well with that at her age is wild because so many veteran heels can’t get that right. Things picked up nicely in the closing stretch before Rina slipped out of Like Thunder and into a pinning combination to win in 13:10. Parts of that didn’t work but it was mostly good. [***]

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Miyu Amasaki vs. Saya Iida

Interesting choice for a main event since both guys are faces and neither is a top star. That said, they’re both always a sure bet to bring some energy, so there’s that. That’s just what they did too, going at a quick pace from the start. It was Saya’s power against Miyu’s speed. Miyu has also continued on her run of going for DDTs are almost every turn. It’s not my favorite style but it does help her stand out. Saya was sure to lay in her strikes. She’s one of the best strikers in the company and I think it’s an underrated part of her game. Saya got going late and this was really starting to get rocking when Miyu countered the Fisherman Buster into a DDT and used a rollup to advance after 9:52. A good match, though not a major main event. [***

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

That was a consistently strong show, though nothing is must see. Still, two matches over ***½ is better than expected from the Cinderella Tournament.