Pantoja’s STARDOM Triangle Derby I In Maebashi Review 1.29.23

STARDOM Triangle Derby I in Maebashi

January 29^th, 2023 | Yamada Green Dome Maebashi in Maebashi, Gunma | Attendance: 370

A small crowd for this show which comes just ahead of a pretty big one for Stardom. I’m pressed for time so I’m only covering the tournament matches.

Hazuki, Koguma and Saya Iida [2] vs. Natsupoi, SAKI and Tam Nakano [4]

We got a respectful handshake to kick things off between Tam and Saya. Their opening exchange was strong before things got pretty fun with some Koguma antics as she worked over Tam. Tam took a beating until she finally made the tag to SAKI. That gave way to the back-and-forth forth of the match as she battled Hazuki and submissions turned into strikes and kicks. I always pop when I get to see meltear do tandem offense like their stereo superkicks to Iida. The closing stretch mostly focused on Iida vs. Natsupoi which was again, very good. Natsupoi survived a diving shoulder block and won with a flurry of a release German suplex, superkick, and a sick finisher that I think is called Backlash. It’s like a flipping powerbomb of sorts. The match went 11:53 and I really liked almost all of that. [***½]

Ami Sourei, MIRAI and Syuri [7] vs. Hanan, Mayu Iwatani and Momo Kohgo [0]

It’s still wild to me that Iwatani is on a team with 0 points. They can play spoiler here though as the God’s Eye team could move into first place with a win. I openly admit to not knowing a ton about Stardom but it really seems like Kohgo can take a beating. Syuri seemed to take joy in beating her ass in the first third or so of this match. Iwatani came in and did much better but it does feel like their matches have Kohgo as the focal point which just isn’t as interesting. I liked the spot where Syuri held Iwatani outside so she couldn’t save her partner. It’s a simple but effective spot. Kohgo did her best but fell to a Sourei Blue Thunder Bomb in 11:17. I felt like this was fine and nothing more. [**¾]

Maika Ozaki, Maya Yukihi and Ram Kaichow [4] vs. Nanae Takahashi, Yuna Mizumori and Yuu [8]

Ram and Takahashi got this off to a pretty fun start and I thought it was going to set the tone for this being lighthearted. Instead, it was a good case of something starting on that note and then progressing into something more intense. There was still fun to be had with Ram trying to overcome the size of Yuu and failing. Yukihi was certainly the standout for her team again and wasn’t at all overmatched against her larger opponents. I also liked Yuu against Ozaki and I will always pop for Yuu seton splashes. As soon as Yukihi got left alone with Mizumori, I felt the finish was coming. Instead, everyone else came back in and Yuu hit all three members of the opposition with a corner cannonball senton. Once that stretch was over, then we got Yukihi beating Mizumori with a unique pinning combination at the 13:11 mark. A really fun match here. [***¼]

Himeka, Lady C and Maika [4] vs. Mariah May, Mina Shirakawa and Xia Brookside [6]

Interested in a main event spot for Club Venus, who can move into a key spot on the standings with a win here. Lady C opened against Mina and they had some good action centered around Lady C’s knee being targeted, which Club Venus continued to focus on. Lady C fought back and ran through Brookside with a shoulder block before tagging in Maika. Interestingly they would be the only two to work for their team as Himeka was oddly never legally tagged in. She did some tandem offense with Maika ahead of their Goddess of Stardom Title shot but that’s it. The next section saw Maika get isolated a bit as Club Venus continues to try new things offensively. Lady C got in one more pretty hot tag but the leg work paid off as she submitted to a Figure Four by Shirakawa in 12:33. A good main event but it never sniffed greatness. [***]

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

At only four matches, this is easy to recommend because it’s short but it also felt like a lesser night of tournament action. Still, nothing has been bad as these six-woman tags are a breeze.