wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM Gold Rush 2023 Review
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM Gold Rush
November 18th, 2023 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 1,033
With the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League in the rearview and Dream Queendom on the horizon, this should be a big time for the company. Unfortunately, they are dealing with some major injuries and are in a rut because of it. Let’s see if this show can turn things around.
Fukigen Death vs. Lady C vs. Maika vs. Megan Bayne vs. Mina Shirakawa vs. Miyu Amasaki vs. Yuna Mizumori
This was dubbed the “Irregular Battle Royal.” I like this goofy little pre-show matches but this one feels weird. Maika and Bayne just won the tag league and they’re doing this? It feels a bit off. On the wrestling side of things, there wasn’t much to write home about here. It was mostly just lighthearted spots like Divine Kingdom having fun interactions with Mina Shirakawa and everyone getting involved in a big submission spot. There was a standout moment (in a bad way) where Miyu and Lady C tried tandem offense and the timing was way off. We also got a case of Divine Kingdom going against each other which was fine though not something I need to see now. Maybe do that in 2024. Fukigen Death did her usual thing and found a way to win in 14:44. It was inoffensive but nothing more. [**¼]
Moneyball Competition First Round: Ami Sourei, HANAKO, and Konami vs. Hanan, Hazuki and Saya Iida
Hey, Konami’s here. I don’t see her often. Meanwhile, Hanan has grown on me and I love Hazuki. I’m digging the chemistry that has developed between Hanan and Iida as New Blood champs. Konami was kind of the star here though maybe it’s because she’s the one I see the least. She had some good back and forth interactions with Hazuki. The prolonged Iida/Ami exchange wasn’t really for me. I’m still hoping that Ami clicks for me at some point soon. I liked the double press slam spot by Ami and HANAKO, though I’d like to see HANAKO pull that off with Lady C given their size. In the end, it was Hanan who secured the win by rolling HANAKO into a pinning combination after 10:32. A pretty standard tag though I dig the boost of having Konami in there. We need her around more. [**¾]
Moneyball Competition First Round: Giulia, Mai Sakurai and Thekla vs. Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora and Ruaka
I forgot to mention but this is a small, four-team tournament tonight with the finals being some kind of gimmick match. Our Artist of Stardom Champions always look cool as hell. Mai Sakurai is one of my favorites to watch in STARDOM. The spot where she was just casually slapping Tora with money was great. For the most part though, this felt like a house show match where basically everyone conserves energy, especially given the fact that the winners move on to compete later and STARDOM is ravaged with injuries. Mai got the win with a crucifix in 9:28. It was a match that happened and was totally forgettable. [**½]
High Speed Championship: Mei Seira [c] vs. Momoka Hanazono
I haven’t seen much of Momoka before but Mei is exciting as champion since she feels like she can be the figurehead for the division going forward. This was kind of the stereotypical High Speed match as they worked at a quick pace, there was never a chance for a dull moment, and it was fun. It helps that Mei is early into her run so her signature quirks and unique spin on the formula is welcome. The flash pin near falls down the stretch were well executed but they lacked any real drama. At no point could I believe that Momoka was going to win though she looked good out there. I did like that she won with a pinning combination because it’s something I always dig about these matches. They can kind of end at any moment. Mei retained at the 7:18 mark, capping a very good match. [***½]
AZM vs. Starlight Kid vs. Suzu Suzuki
This match stood out to me on the card. While the company is indeed wrecked by injuries, they still have these three (though two of them have also missed time recently). It’s a look at the future as Starlight Kid is the oldest of the three at just 22 years of age. Suzu had a tall task of fitting into this fantastic rivalry and she was integrated seamlessly. She more than kept up with them and a lot of the spots they busted out were creative and unlike the expected triple threat tropes. I was way into the strike exchange between Suzu and AZM as it had a lot of fire and energy to it. All three women got to pick up key near falls and throw some vicious kicks down the stretch before AZM picked up the surprise win with Azumi Sushi on her old rival SLK in 10:15. Though it was a bit too chaotic at points, this was a really good match where everyone meshed well and it was full of action. The finish was cool too because it was likely that Suzu would win given her current push. [***¾]
UWF Rules: Scandinavian Hurricane vs. Syuri
Hurricane is also known as Aliss Ink. These rules aren’t my favorite though the matches I’ve seen that used it weren’t at all bad. This could only end via knockout, ref stoppage, submission or if a wrestler loses all of their points, which happens if they get knocked down or use a rope break. Both ladies used strikes and martial arts to their advantage. Hurricane got the early upper hand as Syuri lost two points and looked to be in danger. She lost another one for a rope break and was quickly in desperation mode. That set up a story that I really liked as Syuri had to fight from beneath and do everything she could to not give up another point, including finding ways to escape submissions and avoid falling down when hit hard. I do wish they pushed this to go a little longer though. Syuri won with a knockout kick in 10:14 but it felt like the story could’ve played out a bit longer with her chipping away at some points for Hurricane. It was still good though I think it needed 3-4 more minutes. [***¼]
Wonder of Stardom Championship: MIRAI [c] vs. Saori Anou
It’s not the main event but this is the biggest match on the card. Saori beat her in the Grand Prix (***¼) which set this up. Given MIRAI’s penchant for short, hard hitting affairs and Saori’s penchant for bringing intensity and throwing herself into everything, I was surprised at the subdued start here. It let me know they were going to go long. They threw in some submission work as MIRAI focused on Saori’s arm and Saori went after the leg. It was fine enough but not quite what I wanted from them. Like when they were going hard and MIRAI was laying the shots into Saori, the match was at its best and it hit a lull when we went back to limb damage. As this hit the 20 minute mark, they kicked things up a notch and you could sense how both were really going for the win. The intensity got upped and so did the drama. However, there was a problem with the selling as both seemed to ignore the previous arm/leg work. I understand that adrenaline can kick in or something like that but if you spent a good chunk of the match on the limb work and then forget about it, that makes that portion feel moot. The flash pin close calls were great late as was the spot where a MIRAI lariat saw Saori land on her head. Alas, it ended in a 30:00 time limit draw just after MIRAI delivered her finisher. That was very good though I think having to pad it out to 30 minutes hurt it somewhat. [***¾]
Moneyball Tournament Finals: Giulia, Mai Sakurai and Thekla vs. Hanan, Hazuki and Saya Iida
Double the Hazuki, Giulia, and Thekla in one show? I dig it. So this is a ladder match of sorts with a bag of money hanging over the ring. There were also boxes hanging with question marks on them that dropped things like more money or powder. It was clear that wasn’t going to be a serious pro wrestling match, so it certainly wasn’t for everyone. I, however, am someone who appreciates the goofy side of this dumb thing we all love called pro wrestling, so I was along for the ride. The ladies were having a good time and things like using a comically small ladder added to the fun of it all. In terms of actual action, the best parts were probably Thekla trading shots with Hazuki or Saya standing up to Giulia for some hard hitting stuff. Thekla pulled down the case for her team, winning this in 1027: Hard to really rate that but I had a good time so I’ll say 6/10. [***]
Post-match, Thekla issued a challenge to Mei Seira for the High Speed Title and I am so into that.
