wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s Stardom Dream Queendom 2022 Review
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...Stardom Dream Queendom
December 29th, 2022 | Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 3,869
I plan to be much more active in January after taking a vacation in December. This is a great start because I have been dying to see this and it’s now available on Stardom World. I plan on covering Stardom consistently in 2023.
It’s important to note that I only have a passing knowledge of Stardom. I’ve watched bits of it in the past but never a full show (outside of some 5Star Grand Prix events including from this year).
High Speed Championship: AZM [c] vs. Hkiari Shimizu
AZM is someone who has really impressed me when I watched her during the 5Star Grand Prix. This lived up to the name of the title, delivering a fast paced match with next to no slow down. AZM is only 20 but she is ridiculously good and has mastered her speed. You could tell that Shimizu had an issue or two keeping up even though her performance was strong here too. The only time the match slowed a bit was when Shimizu was in control and worked a submission but even that didn’t last too long. The pin counters and close calls down the stretch were spectacular and I legitimately believed any of them could end this even though coming into this, it felt like AZM wasn’t going to lose. Having AZM turn a pin into a sick looking submission to win at the 9:39 mark was great. This was a perfect choice for an opener as the pace was wild and it didn’t go too long. AZM feels like a star I need to watch a ton of in 2023. [****]
Hanan, Mayu Iwatani and Momo Khogo vs. Hazuki, Koguma and Saya Iida
I like a lot of the girls in here with Iwatani at the top. Everyone here is part of the Stars stable, so there was a friendly aspect to this one. As noted, I don’t know much about the ongoing storylines but I sensed something was up with Momo Khogo. Hazuki seemed to have a good time kicking her ass and it was the one part of the match that didn’t feel friendly. In fact, Khogo spent a lot of this match getting beaten up. Doing a bit of research, apparently some Stars members, including Iwatani, have been frustrated with Khogo’s losing ways. Interestingly, Khogo saved Iwatani when she was in trouble late. The reaction to Iida kicking out of a frog splash was great but then she fell to a dragon suplex by Iwatani in 12:04. A good tag match here. [***]
Mai Sakurai and Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa and Unagi Sayaka
I am pretty much in love with Mina Shirakawa. It’s her in-ring return after a jaw injury and she was not alone, bringing Xia Brookside and Mariah May with her. The focus of the match was Mina’s jaw as she hit it in the corner and it then got targeted throughout. Whether it was dropkicks or submissions, Mina’s jaw was at the center of everything and she had to sell the shit out of it, which was a bit overdone at points. Sayaka did her thing as well and the two worked really well together, while Sakurai and Thekla made for good aggressive opponents. Mina weathered the storm and won with a sitout Curtain Call of sorts in 10:13. I appreciated the story in here and Mina was on point. Post-match, Mina cut a promo and broke up her Pink Kabuki team with Sayaka before announcing her new mini-stable as Club Venus, which is a great name. [***¼]
#1 Contender’s Match: Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Himeka and Maika vs. Natsuko Tora and Ruaka
The winners here get a shot at the Goddesses of Stardom Titles. I’m unfamiliar with most of these girls other than who I’ve seen so far in the Grand Prix. They hooked me early with some good old fashioned HOSS FIGHTING. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I love that shit and we got some of it here. I don’t have much else to say about it honestly because while I was into the hard hitting stuff, I also didn’t really connect with any of it and it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The two who stood out to me where MIRAI and Maika as both impressed throughout. Maika and Himeka picked up the win after a solid 10:06. [***]
KAIRI vs. Utami Hayashishita
Back to people I’m more familiar with, especially KAIRI. She is the IWGP Women’s Champion by the way. Right off the bat I was into this because KAIRI offered a flower only for Hayashishita to knock it away in a show of defiance. That set the tone for something more aggressive than I was expecting. Hayashishita wasn’t going to be intimidated and KAIRI does surprisingly well in this kind of role for being a smaller woman who is so good at being a babyface. Hayashishita avoided the Insane Elbow and hit some big offense but her biggest moment might’ve been blocking the Sliding D with a boot. It wasn’t some fancy move but it looked BRUTAL. She got going late and put KAIRI in serious trouble with a Sleeper. My biggest problem with this match came with the finish. KAIRI was OUT in that move and reached the ropes but then just hit a jawbreaker and the Insane Elbow before time expired, giving us a draw at 15:00. The no sell ending was bad. I’d have had time expire while KAIRI was in the sleeper. You sell the rematch as Hayashishita having her number and though that means we don’t get to see the Insane Elbow, you can hype that in a rematch too. If KAIRI hits it, it could be over, kind of like Omega/Okada with the One Winged Angel. That finish soured me a bit but this was still great. [****]
Artist of Stardom Championship Hardcore Match: Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima & Starlight Kid [c] vs. Hiragi Kurumi, Risa Sera & Suzu Suzuki
Ooh, a hardcore match? I love a good bit of plunder. And plunder is just what I got as these teams brawled from the opening bell and used some of the most absurd weapons you could imagine including the memorable bicycle spot, which even saw Starlight Kid making the ding noise while doing it. Although I got those fun aspects, the wrestling in this match was also strong, with the Starlight Kid/Suzuki exchanges really standing out. I am sad that the camera missed a pretty big spot involving a ton of chairs though. That would’ve been cool to see. The challengers turned the tide with a Fire Thunder Driver from the top through a table and rode that wave of momentum to the gold. Suzuki hit a sweet rolling German Suplex to end this in 15:54. A hell of a fun match that gave me something no other match on this card has. I love variation. [***¾]
Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Natsupoi and Tam Nakano [c] vs. Nanae Takahashi and Yuu
Like Shirakawa, I adore Natsupoi and Tam Nakano, especially after seeing them with Taichi at the X-Over show. The challengers are known as 7UPP and the champions, part of Cosmic Angels, are meltear. I loved the story told here as the champs were just overwhelmed and outmatched from the start. The powerhouse challengers attacked early and often and just brutalized their smaller opponents. Natsupoi took a beating and tagged to Nakano, who didn’t back down. She traded blows with Takahashi including a series of slaps that should’ve floored her. I thought it was cool to have Natsupoi get caught on a dive only for Nakano to dive after her and knock Yuu down. It was a smart spot though I wish they had Nakano hit hers quicker so Yuu didn’t have to stand there with Natsupoi and wait. Everything between Natsupoi and Yuu was masterful from the crushing shots by Yuu to Natsupoi countering the powerbomb a bunch to the desperate near falls by the champ. The big Last Ride style powerbomb finally kept Natsupoi down after 15:57. Just a brilliantly crafted match that told a simple yet effective and engaging story. I haven’t seen them much but meltear is already among my favorite duos and both teams played their roles perfectly. I’d love a rematch where meltear has to figure out something to combat their size disadvantage. My favorite tag match this year besides FTR/Briscoes, FTR/Aussie Open, and Acclaimed/SIOG. [****½]
Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani [c] vs. Haruka Umesaki
Something about this felt lesser to what came before it. Maybe it was that the crowd didn’t seem too invested but it just lacked something. It didn’t help that the opening exchanges were pretty rough and it took quite a while for these two to gel. Though I wasn’t into that, I will say that this picked up later, especially after the 10 minute mark. That really hammered home that had this been a 10-12 minute match rather than one that went 16:33, it likely would’ve worked better. Kamitani’s rolling fisherman’s suplex is a fantastic spot especially since I love that move in general. Alas, there was still something missing here as even when Umesaki kicked out of big offense, the crowd didn’t react the way you’d want. Kamitani survived kind of won with a rana from out of nowhere, which felt like an odd finish. This ultimately got good but never sniffed great. [***¼]
World of Stardom Championship: Syuri [c] vs. Giulia
The big one. Giulia looked like a star in every Grand Prix match I saw her have and Syuri is the top champion. I did some research and apparently, Giulia recruited Syuri to Donna Del Mondo but Syuri has surpassed her, winning the Grand Prix first and then the World of Stardom Title before Giulia ever could. Syuri also left DDM to form her own faction, giving this match a ton of backstory outside of the title. Even if you knew none of that, it was evident at the start that these two knew each other well. Their exchanges were crisp and they knew what was coming. Giulia went right after Syuri, holding nothing back as she challenged the top dog and Syuri proceeded to kick her ass at points like a dominant champion does. Giulia busted out a T-Bone on the apron early on and then topped it with one off the ramp onto a bunch of empty chairs. Like, that’s wild to do in the opening 10 or so minutes. Syuri responded with a piledriver through a table as you got the sense that both women had an attitude of “if you’re gonna beat me, you’re gonna have to kill me.” Neither could gain a sustained advantage as the other would pull out something big to stop their momentum and turn the tide again. They also both did a tremendous job of showing their fatigue as they felt like two women who were in a war. The physical exhaustion was clear down the stretch as we got some great counters and close calls. Syuri survived some of the sickest looking offensive moves while Giulia got up from everything the champion threw at her. Giulia finally dropped Syuri on her head with the Glorious Northern Lights Bomb to win the title at the 29:51 mark. An absolute epic that was everything I could want in a big title match to culminate a long story. This won’t be on my year-end list because the list is done by the time I watched this but it would’ve topped it. Legitimately perfect. [*****]
