July 16th, 2018
This was the second show featuring RISE talent taking on Stardom. Since I only review the Korakuen Hall shows, this will be the only Tag that I review. Coming up is the 5* Grand Prix, which I will be reviewing each night of.
Ruaka vs. Leo Onozaki
This one was really short, and your typical Stardom opener. No one expects these two to go out there and put on the match of the night, instead the matches are here to give the rookies experience in-front of a bigger audience. Ruaka is the better of the two in this one, and I’m glad she picked up the win. While she botched a Yakuza kick down the stretch, most of the work here was fine, and not as bad as some other openers have been in the past. Leo still needs quite a bit of work, but that does come with time. Totally skippable opener, but you couldn’t expect much.
Winner: Ruaka
Match Rating: *3/4
Match Length: 4:33
ShiKid (Shiki Shibusawa and Starlight Kid) vs. Hanan and Stephanie Vaque vs. Queen’s Quest (Konami and AZM)
This three way tag was a complete mess. Queen’s Quest mostly sat the match out, and down the stretch it was all ShiKid vs. Hanan. It felt like a complete waste of Konami and AZM, as they just forced them onto the card. ShiKid were the main spotlight here, and Shiki was alright… Still nothing special. Stephanie Vaque didn’t do much either, as Hanan was in the ring most of the match. Most of the pin breakups were botched and barely connected. Like I said, this was a mess, and I expected Queen’s Quest to win, but they were literally never involved. At the end of the day, it was a good win for ShiKid on a bigger stage.
Winners: ShiKid
Match Rating: **1/4
Match Length: 5:47
Artists of Stardom Championship: J.A.N. (Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama and Natsuko Tora) (c) vs. Kylie Rae, Britt Baker, and Dust
This was a solid trios match, nothing exceeded expectations, but it was good while it lastest. Kylie, Britt, and Dust were the thrown together RISE team to challenge for the titles. They mostly got on the same page, but just weren’t on the level of the champions. Poor Kylie got injured, and now she won’t be able to compete on the rest of the tour. Overall though, Natsuko was in the ring quite a bit, and slowly she’s getting there. Jungle is charasmatic, solid in the ring, and has everything it takes to be a big star in years to come. Kaori is kind of just there, and really isn’t anything special. The match was good, and most of the work was clean, unlike the first two matches. There weren’t any good near falls to make you believe RISE would win, but no one expected it anyways.
Winners: J.A.N.
Match Rating: **3/4
Match Length: 10:47
After the match, ShiKid comes out to the ring and wants to challenge for the Artists of Stardom Championships. July 16th was the One Year Anniversary of ShiKid, and J.A.N. accept. Who will ShiKid’s partner be?
SWA Championship: Viper (c) vs. Tam Nakano
These two faced each other exactly one year ago, and now Tam was looking for redemption, and tried to win the SWA Championship in the process. Without a doubt, the SWA Championship is the least prestigious Championship in Stardom, and it literally means nothing. Viper retained, which is completely acceptable as she just got back in Japan. This was a really solid match, with a great story. Tam was the much smaller woman, and she had to beat down Viper, to the point where she almost got the win, but just couldn’t put Viper away. Viper would come back and finish the job, but the two shook hands after the match. Good stuff here, as yet another Champion retains (that should be a trend through the whole night, with only one more title match left).
Winner: Viper
Match Rating: ***1/4
Match Length: 8:39
El Hijo del Dr. Wagner, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire vs. Rey Wagner, Mayu Iwatani, and Saki Kashima
This was a fun Trios match, but ended up being a little disappointing. Instead of going all out, it was more of a house show style, with everyone playing the hits just to interact with the crowd. I expected Rey Wagner to win, but it’s just so weird seeing male wrestlers compete in a Stardom ring. The match wasn’t bad, but it never really picked up or had a great closing stretch to make me love it. Bringing in the Wagner family was a nice move, one that only works once and awhile, so I hope this doesn’t become a tradition.
Winners: Rey Wagner, Mayu Iwatani, and Saki Kashima
Match Rating: ***1/4
Match Length: 18:45
Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe (c) vs. Hazuki
This was a really solid match, with Hazuki looking good, and Momo shining even more as champion. There was a really great story coming into this match, as these two used to be in Queen’s Quest together, but Hazuki got drafted to Oedo Tai, and ever since has been asking Momo for a title shot. The match finally happened here, and it didn’t disappoint. While not on the level of the Momo/Io matches, this was a really good back and forth match, even with he Oedo Tai tactics. The ref bump was totally unnecessary, but it didn’t take anything away from the match, so I can’t be too harsh on it. Hazuki will be a big part of Oedo Tai moving forward, while Momo has all of the potential to be Stardom’s next ace. Great way to close the show, as we can move on from this rivalry.
Winner: Momo Watanabe
Match Rating: ***3/4
Match Length: 15:16
Momo get a microphone after the match, and says she finally defeated Hazuki. After another title defense, Momo wants to defend the White Belt next month as well. Utami Hayashishita passed her Pro Test recently, and she will be debuting next month. Utami gets in the ring, introduces herself, and says she will be Stardom’s #1 power fighter. Jungle Kyona then gets in the ring and claims she’s Stardom’s #1 power fighter, and challenges Utami for her debut match!
Final Thoughts:
As expected, none of the titles changed hands at this show. The undercard wasn’t terrible, but this isn’t one of those stacked Korakuen shows where all of the matches have some meaning behind them. The show picked up after Tam/Viper, and the final three matches are all distinctly different, which is great to see. Tam keeps growing, and this 5* should be her chance to grow even more. Viper continues to role, and it’s great to see her back in a Stardom ring. The dream mixed six person tag was really fun, while not the best match you’ll ever see, it’s definitely worth checking out. Then we had a great main event, there was an awesome story coming in, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Not the best Korakuen, but the last three matches made the show worth it.
Final Rating: 5.7/10