1. Cinderella Tournament - Semi-Finals: Maika vs. Unagi Sayaka
Even though Maika had wrapped up legs, her base seemed as strong as always. Unagi, who is rather unathletic, has a certain charm that reminds me of Kairi Sane, who was similarly weak but showed a lot of personality and fighting spirit. This match felt like it ended just as the action was starting to escalate.
***1/4
2. Cinderella Tournament - Semi-Finals: Himeka vs. Saya Kamitani
This was just as good as their match from the league tournament last year. Their styles mesh really well. Kamitani showed great vigor and urgency and a high level of execution. Himeka, who was returning from injury, hardly showed any rust and hit some hard hitting power moves. Both geniuses at facial expressions too.
***3/4
3. 3Way Shuffle Tag Match: Natsupoi & AZM vs. Tam Nakano & Giulia vs. Mina Shirakawa & Momo Watanabe
This was a really fun, fast-paced match with great action and comedy. Momo doing a gravure pose was interesting, and I liked the synchronized sequences between the mixed-up teams.
***1/2
4. Elimination - Loser Must Join Rival Unit: Oedo Tai (Natsuko Tora, Konami, Fukigen DEATH, Ruaka & Saki Kashima) vs. STARS (Koguma, Hanan, Starlight Kid, Mayu Iwatani & Rin Kadokura)
This was another epic chapter of the Oedo Tai vs. STARS feud. Multi-man tag action worked at a blistering pace. Surprising falls and dramatic momentum shifts. Koguma's movement is still good despite her weight gain and she is a natural in the ring.
****
5. Cinderella Tournament - Finals: Maika vs. Saya Kamitani
Kamitani and Maika are in their first and second year respectively and yet have so much depth as performers. I can't think of another organization where you can see wrestlers of such youth and relative inexperience wrestling at a level like this, with a major prize at stake. Kamitani showed her killer instinct by targeting the injured leg of Maika, while Maika showed a lot of spirit and mental strength fighting through the pain.
****
6. World of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Syuri
This was an epic main event clash. A dense 40+ minutes of incredible wrestling, stamina and endurance. Syuri seemed to have a thousand holds at her disposal, not to mention many different ways to kick her opponent, keeping the action fresh throughout. They traded hard-hitting strikes and massive bumps. Some of the bumps were something out of NOAH during its heyday. This was another great defense for Utami, who has had an amazing title run so far.
****3/4
