Stardom - 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 (8/29/2021)

1. AZM vs. Hanan

This was a good, fast-paced opener, with the right amount of time and a real sense of struggle. Hanan worked the leg, finding unique ways to set up her submissions.

***1/2

4. Future of Stardom Championship: Unagi Sayaka (c) vs. Rina

A very good match. Major improvement over the previous title defense. Unagi has grown a lot as a performer, and so has Rina, who blends judo with traditional wrestling and heel work in a unique way. You won't see any other 14 year olds performing gory bombs.

***1/2

6. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Takumi Iroha vs. Maika

I think this match was a classic example of the winning wrestler doing little to put over their losing opponent. Maika wasn't able to show much. She was sucked into Iroha's pace and unilaterally dominated.

***

7. High Speed Championship: Natsupoi (c) vs. Starlight Kid

This was a perfect culmination of the budding chemistry Natsupoi and Starlight Kid had shown in their previous matches, with some great callbacks to those encounters. Kid has developed a real killer instinct since joining Oedo Tai and some of her offense was punishing. Outstanding underneath performance from Natsupoi, with her selling and facial expressions. They both have a variety of ways to end a match, which made the closing stretch feel especially dramatic. What a gift to have a title match of this quality in the middle of a tournament.

****1/4

Stardom - 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 (8/28/2021)

6. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Unagi Sayaka vs. Maika

Unagi's rapid-fire growth has been amazing. She does such a good job of building around her ever-expanding, flashy moveset. This was a fantastic time-out draw, brilliantly paced with a lot of depth and emotion and topnotch visuals. A definite improvement over their Cinderella outing. Hard to believe these two are only second-years.

****

7. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Mayu Iwatani vs. Himeka

A good match for Himeka's return. There was an awkward moment at about the beginning of the second half, but things improved from there and overall it was good. Himeka looked to be in good condition after her injury, as performed her usual power moves and took some big bumps. Mayu did a bullish workover on Himeka's healed mid-section and some cool kicks.

***1/2

Stardom - 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 (8/13/2021)

5. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Konami vs. Saya Kamitani

Kamitani's performance was really good, while Konami didn't do much of interest. It was a rather basic match that didn't have much of anything remarkable, but the wrestling was good.

***

6. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Tam Nakano vs. Maika

This is an interesting pairing and I didn't know what to expect; they worked really well together and had some nice exchanges. It was good for the time it went.

***1/2

7. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Mayu Iwatani vs. Natsupoi

A rematch 6 years in the making. This was an exciting high speed style match with speedy exchanges and flashy offense. Some of the counters here I thought were really well set up and executed, including the finishing sequence. It was nice to see the return of high speed Mayu.

***1/2

8. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Koguma vs. Giulia

Typical Dangerous G style match with rugged, hard-hitting offense, steep angle bumps and strong selling. Their interaction in the Goddess tag match at the Yokohama Budokan was promising, and that chemistry was on full display in this match. I was hooked from the start. The combo of Koguma's agile high flying and power moves using her weight is a novel one. And Giulia again does a great job of highlighting the strengths of her opponent without compromising herself. This was a lush 14 minutes.

****

Stardom - 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 (8/9/2021)

2. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Unagi Sayaka vs. Konami

Good match. I thought both of them put on lively performances and the action flowed really well.

***1/4

3. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: AZM vs. Maika

AZM has some experience in judo I think she was able to draw upon in some of the grapple exchanges with Maika here. This was a fun burst of action, with AZM using her speed and technique to swarm the larger powerhouse. Maika's comeback was a sudden but crushing, with a stiff lariat followed by a Michinoku Driver.

***1/2

Maki Itoh vs. Shoko Nakajima (Tokyo Joshi Pro, 8/15/2021)

 Tokyo Joshi Pro - 8th Tokyo Princess Cup (8/15/2021)

Maki Itoh vs. Shoko Nakajima

I was a little worried when I saw the match length, but these two carried out a performance that was engaging from start to finish. The consistent game plan from Itoh. Shoko showing why she's been entrusted with the role of reliable gatekeeper. A finishing stretch with a sense of drama and urgency and a satisfying result. This was a fantastic tournament final.

****1/4

Tokyo Joshi Pro - 8th Tokyo Princess Cup (8/14/2021)

6. Tokyo Princess Cup 2021 Semi Finals: Shoko Nakajima vs. Miu Watanabe

A great blend of power and speed. Shoko showed off her strong ground game as she worked over the neck. Miu's performance was fantastic and just watching her perform power moves was the highlight of the match. I wish the match had gotten as much time as the main event, because it felt like it ended just as it was getting really good. There's something special with this pairing and hopefully they meet in a big match setting again some day.

***3/4

7. Tokyo Princess Cup 20211 Semi Finals: Mizuki vs. Maki Itoh

Another match in this TPC that reminded me of the goodness of Mizuki. Stellar performance from her, with many cool roll-through transitions to set up offense. There's obviously a backstory between these two, and they've clashed several times before, so the storytelling was solid. The second half of the match wasn't as good as the first half. They went for a methodical finishing stretch, which I don't think landed strongly. A great match still.

***3/4

Stardom - 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 (8/8/2021)

5. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Saki Kashima vs. Mina Shirakawa

Good match and another good showing from Saki Kashima during this Osaka double-shot. Really enjoyed her work on top, especially the way she made strategic use of the ropes to inflict damage. Mina was quite good as well.

***1/4

6. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Natsupoi vs. Starlight Kid

Great work by these two. I loved their high speed match earlier in the year and their chemistry has improved a lot since then. I'm enjoying Starlight Kid's new edge and the brutal additions to her moveset. Natsupoi, fresh from injury, is in better shape than ever and continues to add to her arsenal.

***3/4

7. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani

Despite being almost half the length of their white belt match, it was just as engaging; a very fast-paced 13-minute match with plenty of depth.

****