Stardom - Flashing Champions 2022 (5/28/2022)

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

The usual Future opener, with lots of action packed into a small time frame. Ruaka used her weight well and is growing step by step. Hanan has established her winning combos which allows for heightened tension when they are cut-off or countered. ***1/4

2. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka & Waka Tsukiyama vs. Suzu Suzuki, Akane Fujita & Mochi Natsumi

Kouzen made their entrance without dancing and were in battle-mode from the onset. Tsukiyama's burning fighting spirit when she fought Suzu was amazing. She was fighting for her life and even delivered an explosive headbutt. When I first saw Waka Tsukiyama, I had no idea that she would become such a soul-stirring wrestler. Suzu, who has become a different kind of monster since leaving Ice Ribbon, radiated an incredible aura and her reactions to Tsukiyama were perfect. I felt like I was watching a battle of geniuses. ****

3. High Speed Championship: AZM (c) vs. Thekla

AZM showed her versatility as a pro-wrestler, using kickboxing, suplexes and submission holds. Thekla is clearly a talented wrestler and usually has multiple highlights in her big matches, but she could be more assertive. She seems too passive and too easily defeated. It was a short match but had a good amount of varied action. ***1/2

4. SWA Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Fukigen Death

They worked at a high pace, packing strong content into a sub 5-minute match. Fukigen showed a more serious fight than usual, with a rolling German suplex and a shocking moonsault attempt. Mayu’s usual skill and technique were present. ***3/4

5. Tam Nakano & KAIRI vs. Utami Hayashishita & Miyu Amasaki

Tam and Kairi’s first tag match, but the match had many more themes than that. Not only was the action strong, but the storytelling was amazing. Utami’s handsomeness as the new leader of Queen’s Quest, willing to fight two-on-one and throw herself into the line of fire to protect her junior Amasaki. Amasaki, amid a brutal baptism, standing firmly in the end against KAIRI, who had a world-class sense of grandeur. Tam and Utami’s boiling feud led to high-impact exchanges throughout, and the fresh first time encounter between KAIRI and Utami was terrific. ****1/4

6. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Hazuki & Koguma (c) vs. Giulia & Mai Sakurai

Personally, this might be my favorite FWC defense so far. It was a stable and coherent match, with comradery and teamwork shown from both teams. The master and pupil combination of Giulia & Mai was enjoyable to watch. ***3/4

7. Artist of Stardom Championship: Natsupoi, Maika & Himeka (c) vs. Starlight Kid, Saki Kashima & Momo Watanabe

Fantastic end to the best Artist of Stardom reign. It was a frenetic action-packed back and forth with no downtime and plenty of exciting multi-person moves and sequences. Maika had some great power spots, and the emotional story of Kashima, who withstood intense fire and turned everything upside down with a single shot, was amazing. ****1/4

8. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani (c) vs. MIRAI

After an auspicious encounter at the first New Blood event, I thought these two had great potential as rivals. It was amazing to see two wrestlers with no more than three years of experience fighting at such a high level. Kamitani working on top was a fresh approach for her. The way she targeted the waist with heel drops, wonton kicks and finally a deep crab. MIRAI fighting underneath was an ideal choice given her sympathetic origin story and she showed lots of endurance and heart. We often see wrestlers refusing to fall down after being on the bad end of a strike exchange, but MIRAI’s selling was especially convincing during that spot. There were moments towards the end that were too ordinary for my liking, but it was a promising first match between these two. ****

9. World of Stardom Championship: Syuri (c) vs. Risa Sera

This felt like a showa-style heavyweight confrontation between group representatives. The duration was relatively short compared to most red belt defenses, but it was convincing because every significant blow was treated like it inflicted heavy damage. Despite her cute hair style, Syuri was frighteningly strong, and Sera's size and power suited the red belt. ****1/4