Notes
- Ami Sohrei will be absent from all cards as she begins the process of recovering from ACL and meniscus tears in her knee.
- Kaori Yoneyama – more commonly known as Fukigen Death in Stardom – has also suffered an ACL tear and will be out of action for a year.
- Saki Kashima will be absent for the next set of Stardom shows as she begins the process of recovering from a ‘nagging’ injury, though she will still be present as a ringside second and at photo signings.
- 10th Future of Stardom Champion Rina has champion for for 506 days – in their first reign. This will be the twelfth title defence of her reign, a record-setting reign in terms of both length and defences.
- This is Aya Sakura’s first challenge for a singles championship since her debut in Stardom in 2023.
Quick Results
- Singles Match: Tomoka Inaba def. Rian w/ Crossface (9:04)
- Singles Match: Sayaka Kurura def. Soy w/ Tokimeki Cutter (7:26)
- Tag Team Match: God’s Eye (Lady C & Ranna Yagami) def. H.A.T.E (Azusa Inaba & Ruaka) w/ Reverse Oklahoma Stampede (10:09)
- Singles Match: HANAKO def. Echika Miyabi w/ Shirasagi (8:33)
- Singles Match: Miyu Amasaki def. Hina w/ Tensai (10:25)
- Future of Stardom Championship Match: Rina (c) def. Aya Sakura w/ Hydrangea (14:37)
The Undercard
Still desperately searching for that first singles win in Stardom, it doesn’t get any easier for Rian as she faces off with former-Queen of JTO Champion Tomoka Inaba. As is perhaps expected Inaba dominates huge portions of this match, though Rian is almost able to capitalise on pockets of offence her and there, especially with quick roll-ups. It’s her improved determination and resiliency that is so good to see here, even if it’s not quite enough to keep her from tapping out to an Inaba Crossface. The wait continues… (**1/2)
Coming off the back of unquestionably her biggest win ever, pinning Saya Kamitani yesterday in Korakuen Hall, Sayaka Kurura faces off with Evolution’s Soy in singles action here. Maybe it’s being imbued with this confidence that allows Kurura to withstand a barrage of power moves from an impressive Soy. She manages to drag herself arduously to the bottom rope after being locked in a Boston Crab and is able to kick out of both a Spear and STO. The longer the match goes on, the more Kurura comes into it, and she is able to secure the victory with a Tokimeki Cutter to secure only her second career singles win. (**3/4)
What is dangerously close to becoming an interesting exchange between Azusa Inaba and Ranna Yagami is almost immediately ruined when Ruaka gets involved and trips the Beat Striker, leading to a period of sustained offence from the H.A.T.E team. It’s a particularly pleasing display for Lady C however who, despite not opening the match, is certainly the focal point alongside Azusa Inaba. The closing stretch that sees them kicking each other hard in the face is great, with Lady C getting an important pinfall win with the Reverse Oklahoma Stampede over one half of the New Blood Tag Team Champions; have we just seen the new #1 contenders crowned? (**3/4)
It’s another Stardom debut here, this time in the form of P.P.P Tokyo’s Echika Miyabi, who may be one of the only people in recent memory that HANAKO hasn’t dwarfed in height recently! The pair smash into each other with Shoulder Tackles after HANAKO refuses the pre-match handshake, and the match almost entirely plays out as a game of oneupmanship as the pair battle to see who is the most powerful. It leads to impressive feats to strength, not least HANAKO powering Miyabi up into a Vertical Suplex. In spite of this, it does look like Miyabi might be on course of the victory until she misses with a wild Lariat and gets caught in the Shirasagi, submitting shortly after. A really good showing from Miyabi, made even more impressive by the fact that this is only her second match back after missing 9 months of action to undergo gender reaffirming surgery. (***)
Main Event Matches
Miyu Amasaki def. Hina – As it transpires, this match acts as an impromptu number one contendership match for the Future of Stardom Championship. Hina immediately takes to attacking Miyu’s back, weakening it ahead attempting the Modified Jackhammer and the Gedo Clutch.
For the first part of the match, Hina is almost complete control, with Miyu having to survive the match on the scraps. Eventually though, she works her way into the match and begins her own focused attack on Hina’s neck with her vast arsenal of DDTs. It’s during this focussed attack that you realise just how much progress Miyu has made, and why so many people are highlighting her as the person to usurp Rina should Aya not do it in the main event.
The pair trade rapid fire nearfalls with the Amanohashidate and the Gedo Clutch, with Miyu’s resilience having to come to the fore as she kicks out of the Pop-up Judo Throw, the Pumphandle Urunage and her Modified Cutter. She runs out of steam though, and Miyu is able to capitalise with the Tensai for the victory. It might only be a ten minute match, but both women look really good here and maximise the time they’re given, showcasing just how much they’ve both improved in a short space of time! (***1/2)
Future of Stardom Championship Match: Rina (c) def. Aya Sakura – This is defence number 12 in Rina’s incredible 500 days plus Future of Stardom Championship run. In her way is an Aya Sakura in brand new gear, and someone who has beaten her cleanly on two separate occasions – yet is still a massive underdog heading into this encounter.
That being said, it is not long as all before Rina begins to slowly tighten her grip around the match, being able to cut Aya off at will and showcasing a higher in-ring IQ on a number of occasions. In fact, it becomes dangerously close to one-way traffic, with Aya only able to lock in a fleeting early Triangle Choke before Rina gets a foot on the ropes and begins her own assault on Sakura’s arm. However, with this dominance comes complacency, and that’s what we get with the Champion, who pays the price for toying with her food when she eats a Roundhouse Kick to the head, something you could see she was actively trying to keep out of range of having seen first hand the damage they can cause.
Unfortunately for the challenger, such is the damage that Rina has inflicted on her arm, she is unable to capitalise on this opening save for two quick roll-up attempts. As the time-limit inches closer, it becomes evident that Sakura is trying to last the full fifteen minutes rather than eat the loss, and her resilience in the wake of being locked in the Hydrangea and the onslaught to her arm should be commended. However, whether it be through naivety, or indeed exhaustion, Aya aims a really ill-advised forearm at the champion, and this is all the opportunity she needs. Rina snaps up the arm and locks in the Hydrangea in the centre of the ring, with Aya having no option but to tap out with nowhere to go, and not strength in her arm to mount any sort of substantial comeback.
Following a dominant and unprecedented twelfth successful title defence as the Future of Stardom Champion, Rina stood in the middle of the ring awaiting her next challenger. That challenger would be Miyu Amasaki, who would emerge to challenge Rina for the second time of this titanic reign, having lost to Rina back in February of 2024. (***1/2)
You can check out the Stardom roster win/loss records for 2024 right here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/103h_Y27csTgcS-CcBwswaj-D7hVazTC_Wn0SPn0BZBM/edit
You can check out a comprehensive run down of the Stardom Championship Histories here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Dk6T0ukSXm6R8eOTQU96i4rsfoy34wnz0-rKP5mwmQ/edit
Upcoming Shows
- Wednesday 2nd October – Stardom Nighter in Korakuen Oct, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
- Saturday 5th October – Nagoya Golden Fight 2024, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Aichi (PPV)
- Friday 11th October – Stardom in Osaka 2024 Oct, EDION Arena Osaka #2, Osaka (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
- Saturday 12th October – Stardom in Komatsu, Ishikawa Suehiro Gymnasium, Komatsu City (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
- Monday 14th October – Stardom in Toyama 2024 Oct, Bolfert Toyama, Toyama (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
- Saturday 19th October – New Blood 16, BelleSalle Shinjuku Grand, Tokyo (LIVE)
- Sunday 20th October – Stardom in Fuji 2024 Oct, Fujisan Messe, Shizuoka (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
- Saturday 27th October – Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2024 ~Opening Round~ in Shinjuku, Shinjuku Sumitomo Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
- Sunday 28th October – Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2024 in Korakuen, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
- Thursday 31st October – Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2024 in Takamatsu, Takamatsu Symbol Tower, Kagawa (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
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