Pantoja’s STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen Review 7.24.25

STARDOM Nighter in Korakuen

July 24^th, 2025 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 1,101

It’s the final STARDOM show before the 5STAR Grand Prix begins, so here’s to hoping I can get this and the G1 show on 7/25 done in a timely manner. This show is actually available for free on YouTube right now.

Aya Sakura vs. Kikyo Furusawa

This is technically the pre-show match. I liked that these two are kind of ideal opponents because Aya throws a lot of kicks while Kikyo likes to apply the ankle lock. That meant their most notable skills play off each other and they utilized that here to successful results. Aya was game to battle on the mat with Kikyo, leading to some very impressive submission sequences. They were countering each other a fair bit until Aya trapped Kikyo in a triangle choke of sorts to secure the win in 8:41. That was a good little singles match. Aya has improved immensely, while Kikyo did well out there. You can clearly see the potential of both. [***]

Akira Kurogane, Itsuki Aoki, Rina Yamashita and Suzu Suzuki vs. Ema Maishima, HANAKO, Rian and Waka Tsukiyama

Clearly, the concept for Mi Vida Loca is that they’re a group of badass women. I still don’t know much about Itsuki or Rina but I’m learning a bit here. For the most part, this was standard STARDOM multi-woman tag stuff but what made it work was Mi Vida Loda. They bring a wild energy to their matches and since they’re new, they feel like a group you kind of have to pay attention to. It’s chaotic and heelish but different from HATE, which is important. The babyfaces got some stuff in, fueled by Waka using her ass-based offense.

In the end, Rian got left alone with Itsuki, who beat her with a splash at the 12:59 mark. That went a bit longer than it needed to but I’m enjoying Mi Vida Loca so far, so there’s that. [**¾]

FWC vs. Lady C and Saki Kashima vs. Momo Kohgo and Yuria Hime

I will continue to mention how upset I am that they left Hazuki out of the Grand Prix. I also wish Saki Kashima was in it. She was a blast in previous years. Anyway, STARDOM likes to give us a goofy match on almost every card and that was this one. Lots of comedy from Koguma’s taunts to Saki helping FWC on offense even though her partner was on the victims to a submission move involving everyone that Saki seemed to act as the referee for. Koguma ultimately pinned Yuria for the win in 6:58. Like I said, it was goofy fun but I’ll take any chance to watch Hazuki wrestle. [**¼]

Azusa Inaba and Fukigen Death vs. Miyu Amasaki and Starlight Kid

HATE vs. Neo Genesis. I’ve said before that I’m not big on Fukigen Death’s gimmick but Azusa has been very impressive over the past year or so. It looks like STARDOM gave us two comedy matches on this card. Fukigen Death and Starlight Kid started showing off drinks they brought to the ring with them. I think it’s a drink that is sponsoring STARDOM. They didn’t do much in the way of action or offense (I respect my girl SLK getting a night off) before SLK won with a moonsault on Fukigen Death in 7:55. See, WWE isn’t the only company that does goofy matches to make some extra money. [**]

Ami Sohrei, Hina, Ranna Yagami and Tomoka Inaba vs. Natsupoi, Saori Anou, Sayaka Kurara and Yuna Mizumori

I like this. I feel like God’s Eye vs. Cosmic Angels isn’t something we see often, so it made for a nice change of pace. That meant some different interactions like Poi/Tomoka (which was really good) and Saori/Ami, which seemed to be the main focus here. Or, at least, the crowd treated it that way. Those two traded some big blows. I’ll say, I’ve been intrigued by Ami Sohrei since her comeback. She’s felt a bit more complete than when she left. I’m interested in her GP run. The finish was interesting as Ami had Saori up for her finisher, only for Saori to counter into a tight pinning combination for the win in 10:21. That was good and I’ve gotta keep my eye on Saori/Ami. [***¼]

High Speed Championship Two Out of Three Falls Match: Mei Seira [c] vs. Honoka

Last time Mei defended this title in this kind of match, it only lasted a few minutes. Apparently, I learned today that these 2/3 Falls matches in the division have a 10 minute time limit. That’s interesting. It’s not a format I love but it helps the title stand out even more. I’m unfamiliar with Honoka coming into this. They wrestled right into the stipulation, going balls to the wall from the opening bell. They jockeyed for position on several pin battles before Mei sent her into the corner and rolled her up for the first fall at 1:28. The second fall was kind of more of the same and outside of a few pin attempts, I never bought Honoka as a threat. It wasn’t as competitive as you’d want. I did like when they slowed the pace a bit for a strike exchange since we don’t get that a ton in the division. Honoka hit a nice dive outside and a rana before AZM drilled her with a dropkick and retained with a powerbomb after 5:16. That was fun and the idea is different but the matches feel more rushed and disappointing rather than urgent. [***]

Post-match, it seemed that both Waka Tsukiyama and Yuna Mizumori issued challenges to Mei.

Chi Chi, Miku Kanae and Sareee vs. Konami, Momo Watanabe and Saya Kamitani

I was wondering why I didn’t know who Chi Chi or Kanae were and apparently, they’re young proteges of Sareee’s. HATE attacked Sareee before the bell, giving them the upper hand. They took the fight outside and threw the faces into the chairs, as we always get in their matches. Saya continues to absolutely nail her heel mannerisms. When the match got back to the ring, it picked up. I could watch Momo and Sareee lay kicks into each other all day. They were wailing on each other. You could see some promise from Chi Chi and Miku but they weren’t exactly going to get a ton of offense in on HATE. That meant Sareee had to carry them but she’s obviously up to the task. Still, she took a bit of a beating and it kind of made HATE look very good. Sareee was held back as Momo made Miku tap a vicious armbar at the 9:28 mark. Very good despite kind of being one-sided. At times, that was a war and I quite enjoyed it. [***½]

NJPW Strong Women’s Championship: AZM [c] vs. Bozilla

Although it’s not actually the main event, this is what I’m most looking forward to on the card. Bozilla ignored an opening handshake, showing there wouldn’t be any friendliness here. The idea here was simple and that’s a good thing. AZM’s shots barely hurt Bozilla, so she needed to use her speed. Bozilla caught her early though and just destroyed her. AZM bumped wildly on a shoulder block, setting the tone for how the rest of the match would be. Bozilla looking like an absolute beast and AZM showing a ton of resilience. Whenever AZM got some momentum, Bozilla could wallop her to cut it off. I thought AZM finally got a real opening when she hit a flying headscissors that sent Bozilla to the outside but Bozilla caught her next kick and powerbombed her on the apron. That’s how the match went. Bozilla powerbombed out of a triangle choke but they sold the battle so well as both struggled in that situation. The near falls down the stretch were believable on both sides. Bozilla hit a dope Bret’s Rope Fallaway Slam but missed a moonsault as the tide kept turning. The AZM Poison Rana and Bozilla powerbomb near fall were so well done. The Azumi Sushi near fall was even better and I loved that AZM showed desperation as she trapped Bozilla in an armbar that was turned into a pin for the win at 15:20. An outstanding match. One of my favorites this year as it tells the David vs. Goliath story that I love so much. What a match. [****½]

After the match, they both got time on the mic and shook hands, only for Bozilla to pick up AZM and hit an F5.

Goddesses of Stardom Championship: wing*gori [c] vs. Natsuko Tora and Ruaka

For the past year or two, wing*gori have arguably been the best tag team in all of wrestling. Natsuko Tora and Ruaka is a pairing that I understand but that I’ve never really gotten into. I just don’t think Ruaka is at the level of so many other girls in STARDOM. The teams went right at it from the opening bell, with the fight spilling outside because, HATE. Saya took more of a beating outside so she laid there hurting while Hanan played the face in peril. The HATE girls kept her isolated and really wore her down. Saya came in hot as one of the few people who can match her opponents for strength. The match had swings as wing*gori would get going and then HATE would turn the tide and hold serve for longer. Ruaka used her briefcase or whatever it is to get a near fall on Hanan before Hanan came close with a rollup counter. However, a handful of German Suplexes from Ruaka ended this, giving us new champions after 17:53. That was very good though I do think a lot of it was a wing*gori carry job. [***½]

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

The usual good show from STARDOM. The undercard is pretty skippable but the last few matches are worth checking out either because of the quality or because of the unique stipulation. That AZM/Bozilla match is must-see though.