August 19th, 2018
Blue Stars Block: Natsu Sumire vs. Nicole Savoy
On the first night, both of these ladies suffered a loss, so a win here will get them back on track. Things started off slow, with Nicole Savoy working the leg of Natsu, which played well into the finish. As for the match, there wasn’t much to it, and it took too long to get things moving. There was a really close call at the end, where Natsu barely got her shoulder up, but it didn’t matter because Nicole locked in a figure four to pick up the victory.
Winner: Nicole Savoy
Match Rating: **1/4
Match Length: 8:56
Blue Stars Block: Jamie Hayter vs. Momo Watanabe
If you read my review of the first night, I wasn’t a fan of the Jamie Hayter. Thankfully she got to work with Momo here, and it turned into a very good match, and a much better showing for Jamie. There was some good back and forth action, before Momo picked up the win, as expected. Much better than the first match, even if there weren’t many near falls. Momo picks up yet another win, and continues to roll in the tournament.
Winner: Momo Watanabe
Match Rating: ***
Match Length: 7:07
Red Stars Block: Jungle Kyona vs. Kimber Lee
This was a really good match, easily the best thing on the show so far, and it could stay as match of the night. Kimber Lee came out with a ton of fire, as the opening few minutes were full of strikes and hard hitting action. The fast pace slowed down after awhile, but the closing stretch was very well done, as Kimber Lee wouldn’t stay down. Jungle hit a huge powerslam off the top rope, sliding clothesline, and then finally a sit out powerbomb to pick up the win. Kimber Lee was made for Stardom, and I hope she continues to kill it in this tournament.
Winner: Jungle Kyona
Match Rating: ***1/4
Match Length: 7:40
Red Stars Block: Natsuko Tora vs. Utami Hayashishita
Utami has impressed me every time she steps into a Stardom ring, and this was no exception. Natsuko was looking for a win so she wouldn’t go 0-2, but Utami put a stop to that and continues to impress big time. Utami is now 2-0, but still has a lot of opponents left before she can get too comfortable. This was a good back and forth match, that featured Utami throwing Natsuko around with Judo Throws, and finally finishing it with a rear naked choke. Not as good as the last match, but this continues the streak of good showings for Utami, who sits 2-0-1 in her young Stardom career.
Winner: Utami Hayashishita
Match Rating: ***
Match Length: 7:33
Red Stars Block: Konami vs. Tam Nakano
This was a really fun match, with Tam picking up a great win out of nowhere. These are two women I’m really high on, and hope kill it in this tournament, and just in general moving forward. Konami picked up a mega win over Kagetsu on the first night, but she took Tam lightly, and it costed her. Tam moves to 1-1, and looked great here. Lots of good back and forth action, along with the surprising victory from Tam. Good stuff, even if it was kept pretty short.
Winner: Tam Nakano
Match Rating: ***
Match Length: 6:30
Blue Stars Block: Hazuki vs. Kelly Klein
While this one started off rough, they played the size dynamic well, and worked a very good match. The finish was very similar to the match we just had, which took away from it a little, but otherwise this was on par for match of the night. Kelly Klein worked Hazuki down for awhile, but it transpired into some good back and forth action, as they had the crowd invested as well. Hazuki picked up the surprise win to move to 2-0, while Kelly Klein is still sitting good at 1-1. Let’s see how long Hazuki will remain undefeated.
Winner: Hazuki
Match Rating: ***1/4
Match Length: 9:39
Blue Stars Block: Mayu Iwatani vs. Saki Kashima
Together, Mayu and Saki are the Goddesses of Stardom Champions, but it’s the 5* Grand Prix, so it’s every woman for themselves. As expected, this was a killer match. They know each other so well, and they played off of that very well. Mayu seemed one step ahead the entire time, hitting lots of kicks, germans, a frog splash, but none of it could put Saki away. Whlie I expected Mayu to pick up the win here, Saki got a huge singles win, and continues to look good in singles competition. I’m not a fan of three roll up finishes all in a row, but it is what it is. Great stuff here, and I would do anything for these two to main event Korakuen Hall show against each other.
Winner: Saki Kashima
Match Rating: ***3/4
Match Length: 9:55
Red Stars Block: Kagetsu vs. Rachel Ellering
This was one of the best Rachel Ellering matches I’ve seen in awhile, but the overbooked ending added absolutely nothing to the match. There was no need to knock the ref down and spit water in the face of Ellering, but typical Oedo Tai tactics had to take over. As expected, Kagetsu got her rebound win after losing to Konami on the first night. If Rachel Ellering keeps putting in performances like this, her stock should definitely rise. We’ll see if she can keep it up. I would’ve preferred the previous match to main event, but this was solid.
Winner: Kagetsu
Match Rating: ***1/4
Match Length: 13:58
Final Thoughts:
This show was way more consistent than Night One, which is always good. The opener was only okay, but once we got past that there wasn’t a single match under ***. The match of the night was easily Mayu/Saki, and everything else was easy to sit through. We got past all of the gajin upsets from night one, and now the standings get more interesting. Utami is the only one left undefeated in the Red Star block, while Natsuko is the only one winless in that block. As for the Blue Star block, both Momo and Hazuki are undefeated, and when they meet again, that should be amazing. Otherwise, the only thing you need to check out is Mayu/Saki, but the show was easy to sit through, and very consistent. Much better than 5*’s in the past where every match felt rushed.
Final Rating: 7.0/10
Red Star Standings:
1st: Utami Hayashishita [2-0] (4 Points)
T-2nd: Rachel Ellering [1-1] (2 Points)
T-2nd: Konami [1-1] (2 Points)
T-2nd: Kimber Lee [1-1] (2 Points)
T-2nd: Jungle Kyona [1-1] (2 Points)
T-2nd: Tam Nakano [1-1] (2 Points)
T-2nd: Kagetsu [1-1] (2 Points)
8th: Natsuko Tora [0-2] (0 Points)
Blue Star Standings:
T-1st: Momo Watanabe [2-0] (4 Points)
T-1st: Hazuki [2-0] (4 Points)
T-3rd: Jamie Hayter [1-1] (2 Points)
T-3rd: Nicole Savoy [1-1] (2 Points)
T-3rd: Kelly Klein [1-1] (2 Points)
T-3rd: Saki Kashima [1-1] (2 Points)
T-7th: Mayu Iwatani [0-2] (0 Points)
T-7th: Natsu Sumire [0-2] (0 Points)