Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Stardom - Nagoya Supreme Fight (1/29/2022)

1. Future of Stardom Championship: Hanan (c) vs. Lady C

Nice opening match, with both wrestlers working fast paced and showing high energy. All of their best moves were used and there were some nice counters; a solid amount of drama for a match of this length. ***1/4

2. Queen's Quest (AZM & Utami Hayashishita) vs. Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe & Starlight Kid)

Fun fast paced match with some heated exchanges and cool counters. Unlike with House of Torture, the interference here was smoothly integrated into the action and never felt too overwhelming. ***1/2

3. SWA World Championship (decision): Mina Shirakawa vs. Thekla

A solid match with nothing too complicated, just a good back and forth. The character work was fun and there were some nice strikes. ***1/4

4. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: STARS (Hazuki & Koguma) (c) vs. Donna del Mondo (Himeka & Maika)

This was just non-stop action, with great teamwork on display from both teams. FWC, oversized and overpowered, used their speed and technique effectively. I really liked Hazuki's performance in this match, she was flying around the ring booting faces in. ***3/4

5. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani (c) vs. Unagi Sayaka

A great first defense for Kamitani, who showed that she could lead a championship match. They mostly stuck to what they know and there wasn't much in the way of innovation or cleverness. Still, they both performed well and showed emotion, and there were timely counters and near-falls. ****

6. World of Stardom Championship: - #1 Contendership: Mayu Iwatani vs. Giulia

Despite the sudden match change up, Mayu and Giulia more than made the most of the occasion. This was a championship caliber death battle, superhuman stamina and an acceleration of high-impact offense. Both took their opponent's best moves head on and neither gave the other an inch. The Keiji Mutoh-esque tension-building " pause" before the final moonsault at the end was topnotch. ****1/2

7. World of Stardom Championship: Syuri (c) vs. MIRAI

Syuri properly fulfilled her role as the top champion by bringing out the best in an unknown newcomer and convincing the audience in her first defense. MIRAI, without a proven track record, was put in a position of high pressure, and I think she gave a great performance. MIRAI's simple and practical wrestling has the same sense of purity that the young lions of New Japan have. She showed lots of emotion and zeal as she tried to overwhelm the champion, who managed to turn things around in one shot. ****1/4

SAKI & Hikari Shimizu vs. Nagisa Nozaki & Takumi Iroha (WAVE, 1/16/2022)

WAVE (1/16/2022)

WAVE Tag Team Championship: SAKI & Hikari Shimizu (c) vs. Nagisa Nozaki & Takumi Iroha

Iroha was easily the star of this match, by leaps and bounds - to no surprise. Her timing and offense were amazing. The well-timed momentum shifts and near-falls at the end produced some great drama. ***3/4