SHOW REPORT: Stardom NIGHTER in KORAKUEN 2024 July 2. (Tuesday, 23rd July 2024)

July 23, 2024 Rob Goodwin News, Show Reports 0
Photo Courtesy: World Wonder Ring Stardom

Notes

  • Ami Sohrei will be absent from all cards as she begins the process of recovering from ACL and meniscus tears in her knee.
  • Suzu Suzuki and HANAKO return to action for the first time since the end of May and 4th July respectively.
  • 33rd Goddesses of Stardom Champions Syuri (2) and Konami (3) have been champions for 28 days, this will be their first title defence.
  • 2nd New Blood Tag Team Champions Wingorri (Hanan (1) and Saya Iida (1)) have been champions for 298 days, this will be their fifth title defence.

Quick Results

  • 6-Woman Tag Team Match: Starlight Kid, AZM & Suzu Suzuki def. EXV (Mina Shirakawa, Xena & HANAKO) w/ German Suplex (9:18)
  • 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars Play-In 1st Round Match: Miyu Amasaki def. Aya Sakura w/ Tensei (4:21)
  • 5Star Grand Prix Blue Stars Play-In 1st Round Match: Lady C def. Momo Kohgo w/ Reverse Oklahoma Stampede (6:54)
  • 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars Play-In 1st Round Match: Waka Tsukiyama def. Sayaka Kururua w/ Bridging Osui Suplex (4:00)
  • 5Star Grand Prix Red Stars Play-In 1st Round Match: Yuna Mizumori def. Ruaka via DQ (4:28)
  • 8-Woman Tag Team Match: God’s Eye (Saki Kashima, Tomoka Inaba & Ranna Yagami) & Hina def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki & Koguma) & Rian w/ Inaba Drop (8:47)
  • New Blood Tag Team Championships Match: Rina & Azusa Inaba def. Winggori (Hanan & Saya Iida) (c) w/ Pink Devil (14:30)
  • 8-Woman Tag Team Match: Natsuko Tora, Fukigen Death, Natsupoi & Mei Seira def. Maika, Saya Kamitani, Tam Nakano & Saori Anou w/ Death Valley Bomb (13:58)
  • Goddesses of Stardom Championships Match: Oedo Tai (Thekla & Momo Watanabe) def. God’s Eye (Konami & Syuri) (c) w/ Peach Sunrise (15:22)

Match #1 – Starlight Kid, AZM & Suzu Suzuki def. EXV (Mina Shirakawa, Xena & HANAKO) w/ German Suplex (9:18)

A great reaction to Suzu Suzuki’s return, her first match back since the end of May, and the smile on her face tells you all you need to know about how excited she is to be back. This is also the return of HANAKO, who has been out of action since the last Korakuen Nighter event on the 4th July, and is heading to America over the month of August for an excursion.

It’s these two that open proceedings, though a stalemate is quickly reached and the pair instead tag out to AZM and Mina respectively. A frantic fast-paced exchange follows, with Mina looking to target the High Speed Bomb Girl’s leg as much as possible, leading to a game of cat-and-mouse with AZM looking to stay one step ahead of The Venus.

Xena, who has been on something of a roll as of late, has an interesting stand-off with Starlight Kid, the latter of whom seems to want to do everything in her power to avoid the incredibly heavy-handed chops. This works for a time, though Kid then makes the unwise decision to throw a chop of her own, leading to Xena obliterating her with a single thunderous blow to the chest.

And we close as we started, with Suzu and HANAKO, with the latter showcasing her superior strength on more than one occasion. Suzuki always seemed in control though, and even after Mina and Xena had broken up a Tequila Shot, Suzu was still ultimately able to hit a German Suplex on The Wonder Tower for the win.

Post-match, it was teased that we would be getting the name of this brand new unit, but unfortunately we would have to wait, with Starlight Kid promising that the announcement – including new logo and music apparently – will be made in Sapporo at the weekend’s PPV events.

Match #2 – Miyu Amasaki def. Aya Sakura w/ Tensei (4:21)

The 5Star Grand Prix play-in tournament starts in earnest here, with Miyu Amasaki and Aya Sakura both vying to be a part of the Blue Stars B Block.

Despite the Supernova impressing massively over the past few weeks, it was Sakura who started the stronger, utilising her arsenal of kicks before locking a deep Triangle Choke. She continued this passionate offence even as Miyu began to get more of a foothold in the match, responding to Amasaki’s moves with more stinging kicks. A missed Diving Knee Strike proved Aya’s undoing, with Miyu able to roll underneath and connect with her Hammerlock DDT before finishing the match in decisive fashion with the Tensei, getting the three count and moving onto the final of the Blue Block bracket of the 5Star Grand Prix Play-in Tournament in Sapporo this weekend.

Match #3 – Lady C def. Momo Kohgo w/ Reverse Oklahoma Stampede (6:54)

With the winner of this match going on to face Miyu, both Lady C and Momo came out of traps firing on all cylinders. Kohgo, the only member of this side of the bracket to have competed in the 5Star Grand Prix previously back in 2022, was the stronger during the opening blows of the contest, immediately targeting Lady C’s arm, but it wasn’t long before Lady C’s strength came to the fore; catching a Tiger Feint Kick and launching Momo into the Giant Swing before levelling her with a booming forearm.

Not seeming to be phased by this, Momo continued to work the arm of Lady C, with this seeming to pay dividends when The Human Tower finally hit the Giant Chokeslam but couldn’t make the cover due to the pain in her arm. Unfortunately for Kohgo, the big blows delivered by Lady C – including several thumping Big Boots – proved too much the Nectar Peach with Lady C busting out a brand new Reverse Oklahoma Stampede finish to drive out any remaining resilience in Kohgo, gaining the win and setting a date with her former-Queen’s Quest partner Miyu Amasaki in Sapporo.

Unfortunately, in spite of wearing the blue gear as a testament to the Blue Stars block, Momo Kohgo will have to wait another year to reach her second 5Star Grand Prix tournament.

Match #4 – Waka Tsukiyama def. Sayaka Kururua w/ Bridging Osui Suplex (4:00)

We moved onto the Red Stars side of the bracket from there. With Waka Tsukiyama and Sayaka Kurura vying to reach the final in Sapporo.

Kurura started really strongly, exploding into life from the very opening bell, hoping to blitz Tsukiyama and take her off her game. This was going well for Kurura, but when Waka was able to cut off a Spear with a well-placed Jumping Hip Attack, the end seemed nigh for the spirited Kurura.

As the rookie charged towards the corner, Waka was able to avoid it and roll her up with an Osui Suplex Hold for the victory, making her the first person through to the Red Stars Block Qualifying final!

Match #5 – Yuna Mizumori def. Ruaka via DQ (4:28)

To the surprise of absolutely no-one inside Korakuen Hall, Ruaka – the only person on the Red Stars side of the bracket to have participated in a 5Star Grand Prix before – jumped the bell and attacked Mizumori, flinging her into the front row of chairs before bouncing her off the ring post.

Ruaka continued the attack for a vast swathe of the rest of this match – only stopping when Mizumori fired up and levelled her with a Lariat. Unfortunately, we will never know how this would play out, as when Yuna came off the ropes, she was tripped by Natsuko Tora at ringside. This was the opening Ruaka needed to grab the dreaded Oedo Tai crate and, after a brief struggle and the referee demanding the box be thrown out, she snapped and smashed it over Mizumori’s head, losing the match by disqualification.

Even though Ruaka sat atop Mizumori – who was bleeding from the mouth at this point due to bad cut to the inside of her lip – soaking in the boos from the crowd, perhaps feeling like the winner, it’s worth noting that this is where Ruaka’s 5Star journey ends this year. For Yuna however, she moves to a date with Waka Tsukiyama in Sapporo to see who will take that last spot in Red Stars Block A.

Match #6 – God’s Eye (Saki Kashima, Tomoka Inaba & Ranna Yagami) & Hina def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki & Koguma) & Rian w/ Inaba Drop (8:47)

Poor Ranna Yagami. Politely refusing to be made into a bear by Koguma in the opening throws of this match, Saki Kashima – her own teammate no less – came in and forced her to do it. If a facial expression could speak a thousand words, I imagine ‘bear’ still wouldn’t be one of them!

Aside from some brutish strikes from Ranna Yagami, who seems to be doing her best to channel more and more Syuri into her arsenal, the highlight was another confrontation between Mayu and Tomoka Inaba, both having the opportunity to kick each other with as much venom as they could muster. Between this and their previous encounter last week, it’s more than enough to whet the appetite for their upcoming 5Star Grand Prix match.

Something that was very wholesome however was the way the STARS team rallied around Rian, not only during the opening poses but also during the match where Hazuki and Mayu could be seen at multiple points giving her the thumbs up and other shows of support; especially nice considering Hazuki’s comments following her and Rian’s singles match last week.

This support bled into the finish as well, as it would be Koguma helping the fallen Rian from the ring. Isolated from her STARS teammates, Rian found herself on the receiving end of the Inaba Drop – Inaba’s variation of the Michinoku Driver – for the three count. Interestingly, as Inaba rolled from the ring, she was greeted by Mayu, who very pointedly made the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ gestures towards her; what exactly this pertains to is both intriguing and unclear however.

Match #7 – New Blood Tag Team Championship Match: Rina & Azusa Inaba def. Winggori (Hanan & Saya Iida) (c) w/ Pink Devil (14:30)

I’m pretty sure that if you look up the phrase ‘aura’ in the dictionary, right next to a picture of Saori Anou might be a picture of Azusa Inaba in this entrance gear; it’s an incredibly striking look for the JTO youngster.

This was Winggori’s fifth defence of the New Blood Tag Team Championships since taking them from the Bloody Fate team of Starlight Kid and KARMA nearly 300 days ago, so it’s unsurprising that their seamless chemistry came to the fore early on. Saya and Hanan worked hard to isolate Inaba early on, with Azusa only able to get in a few cautious kicks away before Hanan assertsed dominance with a Muta Lock, and Iida with a ferocious chop in the corner. However, a quick combo of strikes later, and Inaba was finally able to get the distance in order to tag in Rina who set about shifting momentum in the challenger’s favour, locking Saya in an Abdominal Stretch whilst also snatching Hanan into a Reverse Side Headlock. In fact, it was only Saya flattening her with a Lariat moments later that broke up Rina’s little run of offence, but this fight back was quickly quashed when Inaba kicked at Iida’s back as she comes off the ropes.

What followed when Inaba was eventually tagged back into the match was perhaps the meatiest exchange of strikes I’ve seen this year, with Inaba matching every one of Iida’s blistering chops with thunderous kicks to the chest; the impact and sound of both women’s strikes reverberates audibly around Korakuen Hall with the crowd desperate for more. Once the pair had given absolutely everything to the set of bombastic strikes, Hanan and Rina were tagged in and tore at each other with a barely-concealed fury. Sisters they might be, but with Rina vowing to eclipse Hanan’s title defence record with the Future of Stardom Championship in Sapporo against Ranna Yagami, and to take the New Blood Tag Titles here, you could understand the disrespect. The match accelerated at great pace, stuttering only slightly when an Iida Avalanche Powerslam didn’t go according to plan and saw both her and Rina bounce off and get caught in the ropes. Credit to them however, there didn’t seem to be any injuries, and the match carried on as though nothing had happened, Hanan charging in to try and keep Rina down with a Fame-Asser.

Rina was able to survive however, fighting through an Iida Lariat and the Hanan Special before locking in the Hydrangea. Hanan barely fought out of it before a miscommunication between the champions led to Saya being hit with an Assisted Pink Devil, effectively taking her out of the match. Hanan fought valiantly, kicking out of a Double Team Hydrangea pinning attempt, a Diving Double Knees and even garnering a near-fall of her own when she reversed a Pink Devil attempt into a Seventeen. However, she couldn’t withstand the punishment forever, and when Rina finally managed to negotiate her older sister into the Pink Devil, she was able to keep her down for the three count. Rina and Azusa Inaba dethrone Winggori to become the third New Blood Tag Team Champions, ending the champion’s reign at 298 days and four successful title defences.

Match #8 – Natsuko Tora, Fukigen Death, Natsupoi & Mei Seira def. Maika, Saya Kamitani, Tam Nakano & Saori Anou w/ Death Valley Bomb (13:58)

An interesting yet chaotic preview tag for the upcoming title defences during the double shot at Sapporo, with a healthy dose of Fukigen Death added into the mix for good measure.

Natsupoi and Saori Anou opened up proceedings, but in a similar way to their face-off in Maibara, neither seemed to want to make the first move, and instead tagged out to their respective partners after 30 seconds of cagey circling. Mei and Saya continued where they had left on previous encounters, haring round the ring at a incredible rate of knots. Mei was that fired up she even got into the spirit of teamwork, throwing Saya into the corner before then launching Natsupoi and Fukigen Death at her. The book stopped with Tora however, who flat out refused to used in this way and threw Mei instead before the leader of Oedo Tai subsequently splashed both her and Saya in the corner. It’s not the only time Mei would embrace the camaraderie, going so far as to use the Oedo Tai crate to gingerly hit Saya on the back at one point during the match. Saya recovered well from this blitz though, even managing the briefest of ‘cute-offs’ with Tam Nakano.

When Natsupoi and Anou reconvened in the centre of the ring later in the match, there was no such pause, and instead the two went at it with a little-seen ferocity, both women holding nothing back, hitting each other that hard that not only did the noise echo around Korakuen, but some of Natsupoi’s extensions came flying out as a result of some of the impact.

The closing stretch was all about the Red Belt picture though, with Tora and Maika throwing themselves at each other, the champion impressing hugely by hitting her patented Superplex, keeping control and hoisting Tora into three more consecutive Suplexes. Unfortunately for the champion though, she was on the receiving end of a volley of moves from the challenger team, culminating with Tora hoisting her into the Death Valley Bomb for the pinfall victory; a key victory as we head into Sapporo this weekend. In fact, Tora saw it as that key that during her post-match words, she flat-out refused another preliminary match on the Saturday ahead of the title match on Sunday, declaring in no uncertain terms that she would be leaving Sapporo as champion.

Match #9 – Goddesses of Stardom Championships Match: Oedo Tai (Thekla & Momo Watanabe) def. God’s Eye (Konami & Syuri) (c) w/ Peach Sunrise (15:22)

As with Ruaka earlier in the night, Thekla and Momo Watanabe attacked before the bell, and then spent the entirety of the next 5 minutes completely dominant over the champions. Even Syuri, a badass with a wealth of MMA experience, found it difficult to come to terms with the wave after wave of Oedo Tai pressure, and it was only when a dangerously over-confident Thekla made the unwise choice to spit in her face, that the terrifying Syuri we all know exists came to the fore.

Konami for her part, having been baited for near enough a month by Oedo Tai, was understandably fired up and on more than one occasion had to come to Syuri’s aid. The numbers game however was a huge advantage in the Oedo Tai camp, with Ruaka, Tora and Rina at ringside able to trip, distract or just downright attack in order to ensure Thekla and Momo regained a footing in the match before too long. After a fracas in the centre of the ring however, Oedo Tai’s use of the crate seemed to come back to bite them, with Konami seizing control of it ready to hit Momo Watanabe over the head with it. However Syuri, who was strewn at Watanabe’s feet, seemed to talk sense into her again, and Konami dispensed with the weapon. One thing God’s Eye could cling to, was the fact that any seeming tension between the pair had evaporated, with the kinship apparently stronger than ever…

…the unthinkable then happened. After embracing Syuri in the middle of the ring, Konami slipped around the back of her and threw her across the ring with a German Suplex, shocking the Korakuen crowd into near-silence before a torrent of boos followed. Syuri clearly didn’t quite understand the severity of the situation, as even after kicking out of the Hidenotashi Driver, she was still reaching for Konami on the apron. Konami merely laughed and kicked out at her, with Momo Watanabe eventually hitting the Peach Sunrise for the victory. God’s Eye had lost the titles, becoming the shortest reigning champions in history, but Syuri had potentially lost so much more.

Post-match, the beatdown continued, with Konami breaking a chair of Syuri’s head in an eerily similar way to how she turned on Jungle Kyona back in 2020 when she originally joined Oedo Tai. As though this wasn’t enough, she then spray painted Syuri’s face to add insult to injury. Eventually, she took to the microphone to explain her actions, proclaiming that her heart never really left Oedo Tai and that she had left the ‘comedy group’ that God’s Eye had become, adding that if Syuri had something to say about it then maybe they should have a singles match in Sapporo!

She finished by saying that she was looking forward to bringing more gold to Oedo Tai which, considering the Goddesses of Stardom, New Blood, Future of Stardom and potentially the World of Stardom Championship if Tora is able to dethrone Maika on Sunday, is a terrifyingly real concept!

Following the shocking end to the show, and their support of a fallen Syuri after the attack, both Lady C and Hina officially joined the ranks of God’s Eye and vowed to reek revenge on Oedo Tai.

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

  • Saturday 27th July – Stardom Sapporo Wonder Rendezvous, Hokkaido Chateau Kingdom, Sapporo (PPV)
  • Sunday 28th July – Stardom Sapporo World Rendezvous, Hokkaido Chateau Kingdom, Sapporo (PPV)
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About Rob Goodwin 258 Articles
Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent, Rob fell back in love with the Wrestling Business in 2016 after a decade-long break. Rob is the host of the PodMania Wrestling Podcast, the StardomCast and reviews retro PPVs - with an odd fascination with 1995 WWF/WCW!
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