STARDOM
STARDOM SUNSHINE 2023
JUNE 25, 2023
YOYOGI GENERAL GYMNASIUM #2
TOKYO, JAPAN

STARDOM returns to Yoyogi for a present bought on the enchantment of cage matches. Each few months STARDOM will run a present that’s based mostly round stipulation matches, up to now they’ve used ladder matches to advertise a PPV in Osaka, now they bring about again cage matches for Tokyo. QQ vs Oedo Tai will little doubt be a newsworthy match with somebody being kicked out of their faction so all eyes are on that one.

PASSION INJECTION
NANAE TAKAHASHI DEF. HANAKO

Who knew that Nanae Takahashi would breathe new life into her singles profession with the Ardour Injection collection? The turnaround I’ve seen from Takahashi has been astounding, to say the least, she went from accidents inflicting her to be fairly poor by the point her run in SEAdLINNNG got here to an finish to being an pleasant a part of STARDOM reveals. As she tends to do, Takahashi examined HANAKO right here and put a beating on her, HANAKO obtained to indicate lots of resolve within the face of such a problem and had a very good exhibiting. HANAKO earned the respect of Takahashi as she continues to get these minor victories and large spots with the corporate clearly excessive on her, I’m intrigued to see after they pull the set off on her as she looks like a lock to take the Way forward for Stardom title from Rina. ***1/2

SYURI DEF. XENA

Syuri and Xena went all out for Xena’s send-off. I’ve felt sort of unhealthy for Xena throughout this tour as a result of she’s been barely overshadowed by Mina Shirakawa and Mariah Might since Membership Venus’ formation. To her credit score, Xena has had some of the seamless transitions to Japanese wrestling I’ve ever seen from a ladies’s wrestler; she fairly shortly acclimated to the hard-hitting nature and the elevated tempo. This match was an ideal exhibiting on her half and actually proved that she must be a much bigger identify within the ladies’s wrestling sphere. I don’t know a lot about Australian wrestling, admittedly, however her barely that includes in that scene signifies most promotions there don’t know what they’re doing.

I hope Xena can come again to STARDOM sooner moderately than later or not less than will get to make a reputation for herself on the impartial scene as a result of her expertise within the ring shouldn’t go to waste. ***1/2

KAIRI, TAM NAKANO & NATSUPOI DEF. MAIKA, MEI SEIRA & SUZU SUZUKI

A extremely pleasant tag match that cycled by means of some singles interactions earlier than giving us team-based craziness. I cherished every part involving KAIRI/Suzu, and the Maika/Tam pairing. This wouldn’t have been misplaced as an Artist of Stardom title match, that’s how intense and well-paced this was!

Past being a robust match this didn’t have something in the way in which of stakes which didn’t harm it as a lot as I anticipated. Each teams are simply sort of ready for one thing to occur, KAIRI is clearly going to problem Tam Nakano quickly however hasn’t outlined her intent but, and who even is aware of what Maika is doing anymore since she’s recommitted to DDM however doesn’t group with them on the PPVs. ***1/2

GODDESS OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
ROSE GOLD (MARIAH MAY & MINA SHIRAKAWA) DEF. NEW ERAS (MIRAI & AMI SOREI) (c)

Fortunately my least favourite group in STARDOM are not champions. The tag division went from being a serious spotlight of the corporate beneath 7Upp to an afterthought within the arms of Ami and MIRAI, however their reign was mercifully quick.

I’m glad to see Mina, and Mariah get the belts as a substitute, not simply because I don’t just like the New Eras, however as a result of Mina has been doing nice work all yr and deserves one thing to do. Might has additionally been ready to get one thing to seize onto and work with all yr, she’s a very good promo, good at pushing tales on social media, and a very good wrestler, all of that deserves greater than being in multi-tag limbo and spending months constructing to a Mayu match that NJPW is seemingly allergic to reserving.

This strong match centered so much on Ami vs Mina down the stretch with Mina unloading on Sorei with a bunch of head drops, which is all the time appreciated. ***1/4

ARTIST OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP CAGE MATCH
BARI BARI BOMBERS (GIULIA, THEKLA & MAI SAKURAI) DEF. STARS (MAYU IWATANI, HAZUKI & KOGUMA)

This was nice! They blended the usual excessive spots of a cage with some actually good wrestling and group stuff. The ultimate two members of the match have been Giulia and Iwatani, so we have been handled to a miniature match between them. I’m often fairly numb to cage matches since there’s solely so many occasions you possibly can see dives and nonetheless care all that a lot however they did an ideal job constructing as much as the excessive spots on this one.

I additionally admire the efficiency of Iwatani, who needed to be carried to the ring as a result of she didn’t need to wrestle within the cage. It was humorous seeing her slowly come alive as she realized the cage provided her new methods to harm individuals.

Giulia was the one to get the win for her group when she choked out Iwtaani and let her fall from the highest of the cage, this served the aim of giving her the highlight earlier than she challenged Willow Nightingale for the NJPW STRONG Girls’s Championship. It’s going to be very enjoyable when STARDOM has each NJPW ladies’s titles in a stranglehold. ****

LOSER MUST LEAVE THEIR UNIT CAGE MATCH
QUEEN’S QUEST (UTAMI HAYASHISHITA, AZM, MIYU AMASAKI, HINA & SAYA KAMITANI) DEF. OEDO TAI (NATSUKO TORA, SAKI KASHIMA, RINA, STARLIGHT KID, RUAKA & MOMO WATANABE) – SAKI KASHIMA MUST LEAVE OEDO TAI

As of proper now, that is the most effective match I’ve seen in 2023. There was a mixture of drama, emotion, and motion that few matches can come near matching. It’s been a very long time since a match had me breathless and on the sting of my seat the way in which this did.

I’ll begin by praising the wrestlers concerned, having 12 our bodies in a cage may have prompted chaos. Regardless of that, everybody obtained their moments to shine, and the match was accomplished at a legit blink-and-you-miss-it tempo with new individuals coming in and combating each few seconds. Because the numbers dwindled, the motion saved up the tempo with there just about all the time being one thing taking place. The inclusion of the weapons within the cage helped this stand out from earlier cage matches I’ve seen as the 2 teams have been ready to make use of the cage and the weapons to place collectively some nice spots.

The sheer DRAMA of this match was sufficient to maintain me glued to my seat. Watching the match unfold dwell was a rollercoaster of feelings. Watching one-by-one because the “decrease” members of every faction escaped prompted some heart-sinking moments like when AphroditE have been left within the cage, spiking my coronary heart charge as I totally anticipated one of many two to depart QQ. Even the match got here down to simply Utami, Natsuko and Saki I wasn’t certain the place issues have been going as one thing at the back of my thoughts was frightened that Hayashishita can be ousted from her group in the primary occasion.

The motion and drama got here to a tremendous conclusion as a bloodied, weary Utami desperately tried to pull herself up the cage along with her stablemates cheering her on. For the previous few months a rift has grown in QQ, they’ve all acknowledged it. It doesn’t matter what they tried to do, nothing was working for the group and all of it fell on the shoulders of their chief Hayashishita who at one level appeared prepared to separate from long-time teammate Saya Kamitani. All of that got here to a head right here as she climbed the cage with the total help of her group.

Oedo Tai being Oedo Tai, they couldn’t let this be easy, when Watanabe handed Kamitani the bat on the high of the cage time stood nonetheless. It’s important to perceive, STARDOM has develop into accustomed to doing swerve heel turns up to now. It could have been utterly of their playbook for Kamitani to hit Hayashishita and value her the match.

What adopted was a second of catharsis as Kamitani hit Watanabe with the bat earlier than throwing it away and providing her tag companion her hand in solidarity. After years of seeing Oedo Tai poison good individuals and being let down by swerve turns, it was a joyous second seeing AphroditE embrace atop the cage figuring out that they had bested Oedo Tai and glued no matter pressure existed between the duo.

I see the time period CINEMA thrown round so much on Twitter, often with reference to The Usos pulling humorous faces whereas Roman Reigns monologues like a Shakespeare villain. QQ vs. Oedo Tai wasn’t cinema, it was skilled goddamn wrestling, and it was completely wonderful. The second of a bloodied Hayashishita scaling the cage as the gang chanted her identify was particular, the end with Kamitani keeping off the villains was particular, and this match was particular.

I totally perceive that somebody watching this spoiled and even watching it with none actual attachment to both faction could not get pleasure from this to the extent I and different STARDOM followers did, however for these of us who’ve been topic to Oedo Tais stealing our favourites for years now, this was the cathartic defeat of evil that we’ve been ready for. *****

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s all the time the reveals that you just least count on to be nice that knock your socks off. STARDOM Sunshine 2023 was an ideal present with two very completely different cage matches capping it off with greatness. The principle occasion shall be remembered as probably the greatest matches STARDOM has ever accomplished and may very well be a launching level for Hayashishita’s return to the world title scene making it important viewing for anybody.

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