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Pantoja’s Stardom Triangle Derby I In Osaka Review 1.14.23

January 19, 2023 | Posted by Kevin Pantoja
Stardom Triangle Derby I In Osaka Image Credit: Stardom
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Pantoja’s Stardom Triangle Derby I In Osaka Review 1.14.23  

Stardom Triangle Derby I in Osaka

January 14th, 2023 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 406

This looks like a notable show on paper with six Triangle Derby matches on tap and it’s all happening in a venue that has hosted big shows for other companies. They ran another in this arena the following night so hopefully I can bang out this review asap.

I also have to add, rest in peace Jay Briscoe. He was part of some of my greatest wrestling memories at live ROH shows and this is tragic. 38 is way too young.

Mayu Iwatani and Momo Kohgo vs. Miyu Amasaki and Waka Tsukiyama

Our only non-Triangle Derby match of the evening. I’m liking this Kohgo and Iwatani pairing, especially if Kohgo is trying to really prove herself to her stablemate. The match itself was relatively straightforward and I enjoyed the Tsukiyama exchanges were solid. The thing holding this back was that Amasaki had several awkward moments. I’m not sure how long she’s been wrestling but most of what I’ve seen from her has felt kind of green. Kohgo brought a lot of fire and hit some aerial offense that stood out here. The finish saw her hit Tsukiyama with a sweet fisherman suplex in 8:51. This was fine enough for an opener. [**¼]

Haruka Umesaki, Ruaku and Starlight Kid [0] vs. Himeka, Lady C and Maika [2]

Himeka and Ruaka started this but the first move to stand out for me was Lady C finding a unique way to set up a big swing. The real highlight though came from watching Maika against Starlight Kid. Both have come across as stars when I see them but against each other was great. The chemistry between Kid and Umesaki was also evident and I’d liked to watch them a bit more as a tag team on their own. Ruaka bested Lady C with a falling splash from the top that didn’t look all that great. The match went 9:12 and was a lot of fun though I really wasn’t feeling that finishing spot. Still, that was enjoyable. [***¼]

Hazuki, Koguma and Saya Iida [2] vs. Mariah May, Mina Shirakawa and Xia Brookside [2]

A lot has already been said about Club Venus. They have their issues but I’ve mostly enjoyed them. I liked that opposing teams have already caught onto some of their antics. The triple dropkick they’ve been doing was avoided and the STARS trio responded with dropkicks of their own. That swung the momentum and Xia got worked over until Mina came in and did her thing. May and Xia did a nice tandem slingshot suplex at one point but then May found herself in trouble as the STARS ladies hit a barrage of moves on her. Club Venus weathered that storm and Mariah secured another win with her Tombstone, which actually looks quite good, in 10:03. Another match in this tournament that is very entertaining though not something I’d label as great. [***¼]

Hiragi Kurumi, Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki [4] vs. Nanae Takahashi, Yuna Mizumori and Yuu [2]

We got some pre-match promos from both teams about the tournament. Of note, Takahashi and Yuu are the tag champs. What we got here was probably the hardest hitting match of the tournament. The Prominence girls were more than happy to lay the shots into the champs despite being at a size disadvantage. It didn’t come off well here but I really like Yuu’s spot where she is rolled under the bottom rope and onto people outside. It’s fun. Speed came into play as Prominence was able to turn the tide. I liked that neither team really held serve for too long, giving this more of a level-playing field feel. That’s important on shows with a lot of tag matches so you avoid too much tag formula. 7UPP won with an assisted Alabama Slam followed by a Takahashi frog splash in 13:21. A stiff battle here. [***½]

AZM, Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita [1] vs. Natsuko Tora, Momo Watanabe and Saki Kashima [2]

Though I’ve mentioned that Kamitani hasn’t blown me away yet, the team of her, Hayashishita, and AZM feels like an All-Star squad. Again, I’m new to Stardom so I don’t know for sure but this felt like a case where there was a lot of history between these teams. Watanabe and Kamitani were just trading shots right from the start like they hated each other. It ended badly for Kamitani who got isolated for a while. She finally broke free with a dropkick and tagged in Hayashishita who swung the momentum with high impact offense. AZM joined the fray and remains a blast to watch. I liked that even though she got triple teamed at times, she fought back on her own without much assistance. The closing stretch here was fantastic and featured quick action and plenty of close calls. A Queen’s Quest trios move attempt saw Hayashishita and Kamitani pulled outside, leaving AZM alone to miss a dropkick and get pulled into a pinning combination by Kashima at the 11:06. Kashima beat Syuri in the Grand Prix in similar fashion, so that’s cool. This was a really good match that had me hooked and ended with a bang. [***¾]

Ami Sourei, MIRAI and Syuri [3] vs. Giulia, Mai Sakurai and Thekla [2]

Oh, baby. Giulia and Syuri share the ring for the first time since their all-timer at Dream Queendom. The early stuff in this match was good but I was just waiting for more from Giulia and Syuri. Our first look at it was actually just a tease and things were quickly cut off by a tag to MIRAI. When we actually got it, the exchange was still pretty damn good but obviously not a mark on the big title match. MIRAI had a great run down the stretch The numbers game got to her for a bit as her DDM opponents started kicking her ass while her partners were down. When they returned to the fray, we got a cool trio of submissions from them and that set the stage for our finish, which saw MIRAI make Sakurai tap out to a hold that wrenched back on both the arm and neck. This went 13:47 and was yet another strong match. [***½]

Maika Ozaki, Maya Yukihi and Ram Kaichow [2] vs. Natsupoi, SAKI and Tam Nakano [2]

COSMIC ANGELS BABY! I feel like Natsupoi is becoming my favorite Stardom wrestler. A lot of the matches on this show started slowly but this one was pretty quick from the opening bell. Natsupoi was all over the place and Yukihi was kicking ass left and right. After her performance in her first Triangle Derby match, I knew she was someone to watch for. Natsupoi handled a lot of the action early on before Tam entered and did her thing for a bit. Alas, the size and strength of her opponents proved to be too much at times. Things broke down late and I was surprised to see Nakano pick up the win with an impressive Tiger Suplex after 11:55. A fun main event. [***½]

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
Stardom just keeps churning out fun shows. I haven’t given anything ****+ yet in 2023 but everything is enjoyable and the shows are easy watches.
legend

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STARDOM, Kevin Pantoja