Mayu Iwatani (STARS) & Saki Kashima (God’s Eye) vs AZM (Queen’s Quest) & Starlight Kid (Oedo Tai)
It’s the clash of two generations as we have the reuniting of Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima going against the dream team of AZM & Starlight Kid.
The team of Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima is an interesting one, the last time Mayu teamed with Saki Kashima was January 3, 2020, when Saki Kashima turned on Mayu to join Oedo Tai. Mayu and Kashima’s history is filled with resentment and hope. On one hand you had for lack of a better term Mayu’s padawan Momo Kohgo. Kohgo grew to like Saki Kashima during the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League in 2022, giving her gifts and such. Mayu not happy about this would always kick around Kohgo after their tag matches. After the 2022 Tag League, Mayu and Kohgo would be able to get along better and move on from their issues.
May 27, 2023, Saki Kashima won her first singles title in STARDOM in a triple threat match for the High Speed Title that ended AZM’s 458-day reign. Thanks to the STARDOM YouTube channel, there was some behind the scene’s footage of Mayu sitting out in the arena near the stage watching the match. After Kashima won, the camera cuts to a happy clapping Mayu while Kashima was in ring celebrating. You can tell that Mayu does still care for Saki Kashima to some degree. Mayu and Saki Kashima have to trust each other and go back to being MayuSaki of the old days, if they want to beat AZM & SLK.
The team other team in this match is AZM & Starlight Kid, the last time AZM & SLK teamed up was in the 2017 Goddesses of Stardom tag league on November 5 against Natsuko Tora & Shiki Shibusawa. The fans choosing AZM & SLK as the dream team is good, because AZM & SLK are two of the best high speed wrestlers in STARDOM. Starlight Kid and AZM have a storied history with each other, dating back to their first singles match in 2016. Both know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and with this they can be a formidable team to look out for.
This tag match between Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima vs AZM & Starlight Kid is going to be a great match. This is a can’t miss match, so don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.
Tam Nakano (COSMIC ANGELS) & Mina Shirakawa (Club Venus) vs Natsupoi & Saori Anou (COSMIC ANGELS)
It’s the clash of COSMIC ANGLES lore once again. With Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa going against Natsupoi and Saori Anou.
Mina Shirakawa’s original tag partner was going to be Saya Kamitani, but during the opening of the 5STAR, Saya Kamitani injured her elbow and was replaced with Tam Nakano. Tam & Mina used to tag with each other when Mina was in Cosmic Angels, Mina joined Cosmic Angels on November 14, 2020, in 2022 on December 29 Mina formed a subgroup faction in Cosmic Angels called Club Venus. On April 15, 2023, Mina left Cosmic Angels and took Club Venus with her to make its own faction. Tam did tell Mina if we beat the current tag champs, you can rejoin Cosmic Angels, then we can challenge for the Goddesses of Stardom tag titles together again.
Mina and Tam both might not even co-exist because of what has happened since Mina defected from Cosmic Angels. Mina was able to go and capture the Wonder of Stardom Championship from Saya Kamitani who as said previously was going to be her partner.
Mina would go on to only have a 34-day reign as champion as she wanted to prove herself to current World of Stardom Champion Tam Nakano. Mina laid out the challenge for a double belt match that saw her lose at Flashing Champions 2023 on May 27th, but the icing on the cake for Tam Nakano was beating Mina in front of Mina’s father, who was said to be in attendance. Mina now holds the record for shortest reign with the Wonder of Stardom Championship. Now Tam Nakano was both Wonder and World of Stardom Champion. After the match, Tam Nakano offered Mina a spot back in Cosmic Angeles, but she would be the fourth in the group and not number two like she was originally in the group.
Saori Anou & Natsupoi are the current Goddesses of Stardom tag champs, before becoming the tag champs Natsupoi & Saori Anou fought in an Indian Strap Match on July 2, 2023, because Natsupoi thought that Saori Anou came to STARDOM to overshadow her. After the match, Poi & Anou felt the bond they had together in the ring, on August 13, 2023, Natsupoi & Saori Anou fought Rose Gold for the Goddesses of Stardom Tag Championships, and won the tag titles. Saori Anou did propose many different tag team names to Natsupoi, Poi did not like them and told Anou that they were all lame, Poi asked Anou what was our old tag team name Anou said it was “Summer to Natsuri”, Poi did not like that either and said “That’s lame as fuck”, Poi & Anou have not decided yet on tag team name maybe at the Dream Tag Festival we will find out if they decided on one.
This is going to be an interesting tag match between Tam Nakano & Mina Shirakawa vs Natsupoi & Saori, Tam and Mina work together to win, we know Natsupoi & Saori Anou can work together. The last time Tam Nakano & Natsupoi were in the same ring fighting each other was on June 26, 2022, in a steel cage match. The Cosmic Galaxy will not be the same after this.
Momo Kohgo (STARS) & Momo Watanabe (Oedo Tai) vs. Mariah May (Club Venus) & Hanan (STARS)
In this interesting match-up in an already interesting show, we have Momo Kohgo of Stars teaming up with Momo Watanabe of Oedo Tai facing off against the pair of Mariah May of Club Venus and Hanan of STARS.
This is a peculiar match to watch because while the pairs don’t necessarily have history with each other as teams other than Kohgo & Hanan being in the same faction of STARS, they have history going against each other. In tag team matches going against Momo Kohgo, Hanan has a record of 2 wins in two matches against her faction mate without defeat so far as she picked up wins while teaming with Koguma against Kohgo and Hazuki in Nagoya back on March 21, 2022, and while teaming with Saya Iida against Kohgo and Yuna Mizumori a year later on March 15, 2023.
Since entering STARDOM on January 3 of this year, 2023, Mariah May also has a winning record against Momo Kohgo in two person tag matches and multi-person tag matches as May has a 3-0 record against Kohgo in two person tag matches and an overall record of 4-1 in tag team matches with her only loss against Kohgo in a tag match was in a ten woman, five-a-side, tag team match between Club Venus versus STARS on June 3 of this year. While teaming with Mina Shirakawa in all three occasions, Mariah May’s wins against Momo Kohgo came at a three way against Koguma & Kohgo of Stars and Ruaka & Starlight Kid of Oedo Tai on the 23rd of February at Matsumoto in the Nagano Prefecture, a regular 2 v. 2 tag match against Kohgo & Saya Iida on the 20th of July at Hachinohe in the northern prefecture of Aomori, and against Hazuki & Kohgo ten days later on the 30th at Konosu in the Saitama Prefecture just north of Tokyo.
However, it might not be all doom and gloom for Momo Kohgo as her partner, Momo Watanabe has a winning record against Hanan in tag matches as she won nineteen tag matches of any kind and only losing four since 2018, not counting gauntlet matches. With her only loses to Hanan coming in multi-person tag matches, Momo Watanabe has won all six meetings against Hanan in two versus two tag team matches as both a member of Queen’s Quest and Oedo Tai. But against Mariah May, Momo Watanabe has an even record of two wins and two loses in multi-person tag team matches and this will be the first time the two will be facing off in a two on two tag team match.
A peculiar yet interesting match, it seems like history is against Momo Kohgo against Hanan & Mariah May. Kohgo does have a formidable partner in Momo Watanabe who has a winning history against Hanan, she has some unfamiliarity with Mariah May and Watanabe is part of Oedo Tai, a chief rival of STARS not to be trusted. It will take a lot for the two Momos to beat Hanan & May, but this will be a fun match nevertheless.
Natsuko Tora (Oedo Tai) & Hazuki (STARS) vs Nanae Takahashi & Ruaka (Oedo Tai)
This match has the potential to be one of the more explosive matches on the card for this show. Hazuki is teaming up with the leader of Oedo Tai, Natsuko Tora. Hazuki was previously a member of Oedo Tai, but she left the group when she retired from wrestling back in December 2019. The general idea that had been floating around in the Joshi scene was that Hazuki did not like working in Stardom and had her mind set to other things, and other goals to achieve. She would make a return to Stardom, however, in 2021. She did not rejoin Oedo Tai however, and Natsuko even said some aggressive things about Hazuki, questioning her decision-making in coming back to professional wrestling, after Hazuki said she was done with the sport.
Hazuki and Natsuko, who were once an important alliance within Oedo Tai, are facing Nanae Takahashi, a veteran in the world of Joshi puroresu, but also Ruaka, a current member of Oedo Tai, who is often a tag partner for Natsuko. Their loyalty and relationship is not in question, it’s bulletproof, not like that of Hazuki and Natsuko’s relationship. Nanae, in this run, has done tremendous in elevating younger wrestlers, and injecting PASSION! into them. For her to be in the ring with this talent, of this caliber, with this sort of family feud, it has the makings for an exhilarating contest.
MIRAI (God’s Eye) & Mai Sakurai (Donna del Mondo) vs. Hina (Queen’s Quest) & Rina (Oedo Tai)
This is one of the matches where there is more familiarity amongst tag partners, as MIRIA of God’s Eye will team up with her former faction partner Mai Sakurai from Donna del Mondo to go against the sister-sister duo of Hina from Queen’s Quest and Rina of Oedo Tai.
The story of MIRAI & Sakurai in DDM only lasted for two months in 2022 from February 12 to April 3 during Donna del Mondo’s run as STARDOM’s top faction. They were together from when Mai Sakurai defected to DDM from Cosmic Angels and ended when MIRAI went on to leave DDM to join Syuri’s God’s Eye, a decision that left Sakurai crying and effectively ended DDM’s run as top faction in STARDOM, but both always respected each other since MIRAI’s split.
Both MIRAI & Mai Sakurai went on and became successful in their own right as Mai Sakurai won the Artists of STARDOM Championships with the BariBari Bombers with Thekla & Giulia as MIRAI became a two-time Cinderella Tournament winner in 2022 and 2023 where she beat Sakurai in this year’s final and eventually dethroned Tam Nakano for the Wonder of STARDOM in MidSummer Champions on July 2nd at Yokohama Budokan. MIRAI & Sakurai will meet as a team for the second time, the first time since March 11, 2022, where they only got a draw against Lady C and Saya Kamitani in a DDM-QQ affair.
Queen’s Quest is represented in this match, however instead of a towering duo of Lady C & Saya Kamitani, it’ll be a joint effort consisting Hina and Rina from long time rivals Oedo Tai. Whereas MIRAI & Sakurai’s relationship only lasted for nearly two months, their counterparts of Hina & Rina have been in the same ring for six years in any shape and form. Whether it’s a singles match, a multi-person match, a tag match, or a steel cage elimination match, Hina & Rina have been through it all as sisters. As a tag team, however, Hina & Rina have not won a match as a pair as the two have a record of eleven loses and four time limit draws.
Hina has yet to pick up a win against Mai Sakurai in a tag match of any sorts and the last time they meet in a two versus two tag team match was back in the 20th of January of this year when Mai Sakurai & Chanyota beat Hina & Lady C in the first round of the New Blood Tag Team Title Tournament. Rina is 1-1 against Mai Sakurai in 2 v. 2 tag team matches as she won a Goddess Tag League match with her sister Hanan against Mai Sakurai & Unagi Sayaka back on November 14, 2021, in Korakuen Hall, but lost on the 20th of March 2022 against Mai Sakurai & Thekla while paired with Saki Kashima.
Against MIRAI, Hina has only gone against the current owner of the white belt back on August 7, 2022, in a losing effort while teaming with Miyu Amisaki against MIRAI & Syuri, who was the owner of the World of STARDOM champion while Rina has been defeated by MIRAI in a gauntlet match two weeks later on the 21st of August as the team of Ami Sourei & MIRAI beat the DDM team of Mai Sakurai & Giulia and the Oedo Tai team of Rina & Ruaka in the Nagoya MidSummer Encounter.
While there is more history with the participants of this match, MIRAI & Mai Sakurai are still expected to win this encounter and even though Hina & Rina have been through thick and thin, they struggle to win as a pair and without the aid of their older sister Hanan. This match will still be entertaining however since Hina & Rina will put up a good fight as they are two young and solid wrestlers and who knows, maybe after the match Mai Sakurai might be eyeing MIRAI’s white belt and ask for an opportunity. Even though the two have a tremendous amount of respect for one another, Mai Sakurai would love to have a win back against MIRAI after falling just short in the Cinderella Tournament final back in April.
Giulia (Donna del Mondo) & Suzu Suzuki vs Utami Hayashishita (Queen’s Quest) & Maika (Donna del Mondo)
The leader of Donna del Mondo, Giulia, teams up with the young Suzu Suzuki, who has built a reputation of being one of the brightest up and comers in Stardom, if not the brightest. They team up to take on Utami Hayashishita, leader of Queen’s Quest, and Maika, a member of Donna del Mondo. The animosity is glaringly obvious. Giulia and Maika being on opposing teams, are forced to fight one another, when usually they are on the same page.
Giulia and Suzuki’s relationship is not as close as Maika and Giulia, however. During Stardom 5STAR Special in Hiroshima, Giulia faced Risa Sera (the leader of Prominence) which happens to be a group that Suzu Suzuki was once part of. During that match, Suzu & Maika both held the ropes for Giulia for her to step in the ring, which could be seen as common practice, but just with the names that were involved in this, it makes it feel like more than a formality.
There is a sense of tension and unease, naturally, to see a learner, side against or help an opposer to whoever their first mentor was. To see Suzu Suzuki have any sort of respect for Giulia, someone who she directly stood against years ago, when PROMINENCE challenged DDM, it is interesting. Suzu may feel like she found a new mentor in Giulia, she may have felt a level of respect growing for Giulia, and with her reputation as being someone that has been to the mountaintop of Stardom, unlike Risa, she would make a wise mentor for Suzu.
This is not the first time Utami and Maika will be teaming together, as we saw this duo put together due to an emergency where most STARDOM talent fell ill back in January of this year. The team of Utami and Maika went up against another dream team of sorts of Mayu Iwatani and Syuri. It was a hard hitting match that saw some issues between Utami and Maika, but in the end the match went a full 30-minute draw.
More recently, between Maika and Utami, after having a one on one singles match during the 5STAR Grand Prix, that was a tremendous bout, that saw the two have a slow burn match that quickly heated up and became intense in the closing stretch. After the match had finished, both Utami and Maika had a show of respect, exchanging alcohol with each other and drinking together in ring, even after having such a gritty fight, they’re aware of the fact that in the following week, they would have to team up. They have to be on the same page.
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