wrestling / TV Reports
Pantoja’s STARDOM in Osaka Review 6.25.25
Image Credit: STARDOM
Loading...STARDOM in Osaka
June 25th, 2025 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 503
I want to review STARDOM’s The Conversion event, but I didn’t pay for the PPV, so now I have to wait for it to hit the streaming service. In the meantime, this show seems to have a few notable things on it, so I’m giving it a shot.
AZM, Mei Seira, and Starlight Kid vs. Natsupoi, Saori Anou, and Sayaka Kurara
What an opener. Some of my favorites in STARDOM in one match. Just seeing Poi, SLK, AZM, and Saori share the ring is wild, but then add in the impressive Sayaka and the fantastic Mei, and I’m all in. Having this start with Poi vs. AZM? Inject it into my veins. Their exchange was a blast, as was every exchange in this match. Just tons of fast-paced action and way above the standard Japan tag opener. Natsupoi and Starlight Kid reignited their rivalry from the tail end of last year and continued to do great work together. I liked Sayaka against Mei and would really dig that as a High Speed Title match at some point soon. She even picked up a few near falls on Mei before losing to a dropkick sandwich from AZM and SLK, followed by a Mei pinning combination after 9:04. A super fun opener. That was a really good way to get back into the swing of things with STARDOM. [***½]
Post-match, there was an interesting interaction between Starlight Kid and Saori Anou. I’m thinking that might be next for the Wonder of Stardom Title. Momo Watanabe, Fukigen Death, and Rina showed up after and seemed to issue an Artist of Stardom Title challenge.
Ema Maishima, Kiyoko Furusawa, and Yuria Hime vs. HANAKO, Rian, and Waka Tsukiyama
I will admit up front that I don’t know much about Ema or Kiyoko. I don’t know a lot about Yuria either, but I’ve seen her a handful of times. There wasn’t much to write home about with this one. It was a pretty run-of-the-mill multi-woman tag on the undercard. The kind of thing that typically opens a show. I was impressed by HANAKO, who has gotten better at using her size to her advantage. I think teaming with Maika for a while helped her develop well. She felt like the standout here. Kiyoko chopped her down to size by going after the leg, but HANAKO still put her down with what looked like a basic suplex in 8:58. I don’t know if it was meant to be a Brainbuster or what, but it didn’t exactly come off well. [**]
Aya Sakura vs. Fukigen Death vs. Miyu Amasaki
This is the (almost) obligatory Fukigen Death three or four-way on an undercard. I’ve said it before, but her act just doesn’t work for me. The crowd is always into it, though, which is what really matters. Okay, I did like that she was just sitting in the crowd reading the newspaper when this was about to start. Anyway, once this started, it was kept relatively short and built around Fukigen Death’s gimmick. She did a bunch of her comedy spots, and we never really got to see Miyu and Aya do much. That’s a shame because I like bot, and they’ve come far in the past year or so. Miyu rolled up Fukigen Death to win at the 5:05 mark. We move on. [*½]
Akira Kurogane and Bozilla vs. Ami Sourei and Ranna Yagami vs. Konami and Rina
Ah, Ami Sourei. That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while, as she’s recently returned from injury. I remember thinking she was fine, but never quite impressed me enough to justify her push or stand out in this incredibly talented roster. It’ll be interesting to see how things shake up this time around. Also of note, Bozilla joined STARDOM at The Conversion, and I liked her run in Marigold. Ami has a different look. Anyway, onto the match itself, which was solid. Bozilla was a focal point, showcasing her power. It’s something she uses very well. Ami was given time to get back into the swing of things as well. I was surprised at how hard Ranna and Akira went after each other. They were throwing hard forearms. I loved that Bozilla ran everyone over, as even the HATE heels stood no chance. The spot where Ranna stepped up to her, only to realize that it was a mistake, was pretty entertaining. In the end, Ami defeated Akira with a Blue Thunder Bomb in 11:56. A step back up in quality. Good multi-woman tag here. [***]
Azusa Inaba, Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora, Ruaka & Saya Kamitani vs. Kiyoka Kotatsu, Lady C, Saki Kashima, Syuri & Tomoka Inaba
God’s Eye against HATE. This was standard HATE fare. It began with some basic action before the heels ran around ringside and pulled the faces to the ground, sparking a brawl around the arena. That lasted for a bit, including the trademark throwing of faces into a bunch of chairs. I see that hasn’t changed while I was missing the shows. Kotatsu was the face in peril for a while until Syuri got the tag and turned the tide. Syuri and Momo were throwing some vicious kicks against each other. I’ve always liked their chemistry. Otherwise, there wasn’t a lot to discuss here as, again, it was in line with most HATE tags we’ve seen over the past year or so. It was Saya, our World Champion, who got the win by hitting Tomoka with the Star Crusher in 14:13. Again, solid stuff. [**¾]
Goddesses of Stardom Championship: wing*gori [c] vs. SAKI and Yuna Mizumori
To those who have been watching STARDOM, it’s clear that wing*gori has been one of the best tag teams on the planet. Their opponents here are interesting because while Yuna has been a solid undercard hand for a while, SAKI hasn’t been around much. They came out dancing and having a good time, so I was expecting a lighthearted title defense. I was wrong. This was pretty intense and has some brutal-sounding chops and lariats. These four were going at it like they had some longstanding rivalry. The chemistry between Hanan and Saya is fantastic. Their tandem offense is pretty seamless at this point. Hanan against SAKI was good, but the show stealer was Saya against Yuna. In fact, Saya is kind of consistently a show stealer on STARDOM cards. Saya and Yuna were absolutely wailing on each other. Some of the close calls late were pulled off well, but it was hard to buy into near falls because a title change didn’t seem possible. By the time Saya hit her modified Muscle Buster to retain in 17:23, it felt inevitable. A very good main event and title defense, even if it lacked some drama. [***½]
