Stardom - 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 (8/1/2021)

 1. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: AZM vs. Unagi Sayaka

Good, fast paced opening match. AZM was sharp and technical, while Unagi picked her spots and chained together crushing offense.

***1/2

2. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Saki Kashima vs. Starlight Kid

An 8 minute match that was paced and built tremendously. The double 619 and standing moonsault counters from Kashima were so well-timed and unexpected. Tense finishing stretch that led to a brutal finish.

***3/4

3. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Red Stars: Momo Watanabe vs. Natsupoi

A great battle of power and speed, with Natsupoi targetting the injured, taped back to take away Momo's power and inflict lingering damage. The Tanahashi-esque moonsault to the back into a submission by Natsupoi was sweet. Natsupoi's shock response to getting the fall conveyed the story of her performance well.

***1/2

4. 5STAR Grand Prix 2021 Blue Stars: Konami vs. Tam Nakano

There was some good grappling and striking here. Nakano's striking in particular has improved and has a good sense of weight to it. Konami has neat and detailed little moves. I think she needs a "nage-waza" finisher to feel like a proper threat, as submissions sometimes can be harder to buy into. Nakano's use of insect-like movements to escape Konami's crossface chicken wing was amazing.

***3/4

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

A rematch of their phenomenal Budokan Hall title match. Although this match lacked the ingredients to reach that level, it was still a very good match between two of the promotion's youngest and most exciting stars. Hot back and forth with some great cut-offs and big moves.

****

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

NEVER Openweight-style dick measuring contest with both wrestlers showing stubbornness and incredible tenacity as they went blitzkrieg on one another. Ground fighting, struggling over vertical suplexes and clobbering each other with headbutts during a double knuckle lock, they never stopped going at it. The finish was overkill from Syuri with a brutal punt kick followed by an Emerald Flowsion that dropped Maika like a lawn dart into the canvas.

****1/2

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

 A vast improvement over their GP match last year. They've grown more comfortable working together and this felt like the first time they produced a match that blended the best of their styles into a cohesive whole. Giulia deliberately worked the neck and displayed dominance on the ground, while Mayu relied on her zombie-like durability and kicking power.

****1/4