BITE-SIZE SHOW REPORT: Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2025 ~Finals~ (Saturday, 15th March 2025)

Pre-Show Notes

• 24th Wonder of Stardom Champion Starlight Kid has been champion for 76 days – in her first reign. This will be the second title defence of her reign.
• Both Starlight Kid and Konami have previously been in the same faction – Oedo Tai – in 2021 up until the latter’s hiatus in December at Dream Queendom 2021.
• This will be Konami’s first attempt at the Wonder of Stardom Championship since losing to MIRAI in September of 2023. Overall she has had three previous attempts at the belt, and has been unsuccessful each time.
• This will be the first singles match between the pair since the 2020 5Star Grand Prix. The pair have met twice in singles action prior to this, with Konami winning both times in less than 7 minutes.
• This is the 11th iteration of the Cinderella Tournament.
• Tournament Debutants: Tabata, Azusa Inaba, Yuria Hime, Aya Sakura, Akira Kurogane, Rian and Ranna Yagami.
• Hanan has the opportunity to become the third person to win back-to-back tournaments after Mayu Iwatani (2015 & 2016) and MIRAI (2022 & 2023).
• The reduced field of 16 is a return to a conventional single elimination tournament, and is the smallest field since the 2020 tournament.
• All first quarter-final matches will have a 15-minute time-limit, with victories occurring through all conventional methods and over the top rope.
• Double countouts or time-limit draws results in a double elimination.
• Ami Sohrei will be absent from all cards as she begins the process of recovering from ACL and meniscus tears in her knee. She will however join the Japanese commentary team.
• Xena has suffered a ligament injury in her knee, and will be out of action for an undisclosed period of time.
• Matoi Hamabe will be missing missing from upcoming shows due to injury; no timetable is currently available for Matoi’s return to the ring.
• After sustaining an ankle injury on the 2nd March in Chiba, Natsupoi will be off Stardom shows indefinitely. She will however join the Japanese commentary team.
• Despite an injury that kept her out of the Strong Style Pro-Wrestling Korakuen Hall show on March 13th, Starlight Kid will defend her Wonder of Stardom Championship against Konami.
• Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Momo Wantanabe left the AEW Revolution PPV on crutches, though this appears to have been a precaution as she is confirmed to be a part of an 8-woman tag team match against NEO-GENESIS.
• Attendance Note: The announced attendance inside Ota-Ward City Gymnasium was 1,378, making it the second-highest drawing tournament final behind the 2,017 drawn to the 2022 final. Not only is this a 38.6% increase on the last Cinderella Tournament final (994 at the Nagoya International Conference Hall) but it’s also a 69.5% increase on their last show in Ota-Ward City Gymnasium (814 for the opening of the 2023 Goddesses of Stardom Tag League). That being said, of the 9 prior times Stardom have run Ota-Ward, only 3 have drawn lower houses than this one.

Current Standings

Quick Results

• Singles Match: Fukigen Death def. Rian w/ Pinfall Reversal (4:38) (**1/2)
• 6-Woman Tag Team Match: EXV (Maika, HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama) def. Tabata, Akira Kurogane & Yuria Hime w/ Brainbuster (8:32) (**3/4)
• Cinderella Tournament 2025 Semi-Final Match: Sayaka Kurura def. Azusa Inaba w/ Tokimeki Falcon Arrow (13:13) (***1/2)
• Cinderella Tournament 2025 Semi-Final Match: Rina def. Hanan w/ Pink Devil (14:15) (***3/4)
• 8-Woman Tag Team Match: H.A.T.E (Saya Kamitani, Natsuko Tora, Momo Watanabe & Ruaka) def. NEO-GENESIS (AZM, Miyu Amasaki, Mei Seira & Suzu Suzuki) w/ Death Valley Bomb (9:47) (***1/4)
• 10-Woman Tag Team Match: God’s Eye (Syuri, Saki Kashima, Ranna Yahami, Lady C & Tomoka Inaba) def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Koguma, Hazuki, Saya Iida & Momo Kohgo) w/ Vermillion World (11:18) (***1/2)
• Tag Team Match: Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano & Saori Anou) def. Sakuradamon (Aya Sakura & Yuna Mizumori) w/ Twilight Dream (14:23) (***3/4)
• Singles Match: Thekla def. Mina Shirakawa w/ Toxic Spider Death Drop (16:00) (***)
• Cinderella Tournament 2025 Final Match: Sayaka Kurura def. Rina w/ Tokimeki Spear (15:08) (***1/2)
• Wonder of Stardom Championship Match: Starlight Kid (c) def. Konami w/ (16:53)

Show Notes

• Following the opening match, President Taro Okada introduced rookie Anne Kanaya who will be making her in-ring debut on Thursday 20th March as a part of the Okinawa PPV – her hometown. Her opponent will be Cosmic Angels’s Yuna Mizumori.
• During the H.A.T.E and NEO-GENESIS multi-woman tag team match, there was continued miscommunication between Mei Seira and Suzu Suzuki that started at the very beginning of the match when Suzu accidentally took out Mei. At the end of the match, Mei accidentially took out Suzu with a top rope Codebreaker when Natsuko Tora moved out of the way, allowing her to hit the Death Valley Bomb. Mei tried to make the save but only succeeded in hitting Suzu in the face, with Tora covering Suzuki for the win. Post-match, Suzu was furious and shoved Mei out of the way before storming off without the rest of NEO-GENESIS.
• After Syuri pinned Mayu Iwatani during the God’s Eye vs. STARS 10-woman tag team match, Syuri officially challenged Mayu once more for the IWGP Women’s Championship at All-Star Grand Queendom 2025. This will be the first time Syuri has fought for the belt since the 4th January 2024, while it will also be Mayu’s 10th defence of the belt.
• Unagi Sayaka made her first return to a Stardom ring since First Dream 2025 to offer Saori the chance to compete at her produce show in Ryogoku Kokugikan, with the offer being in the form of a Cinderella slipper. Saori seemed to accept the invitation by putting on the slipper.
• Saori Anou then challenged Tam Nakano to a singles match on her ‘retirement road’ ahead of her huge title match against Saya Kamitani at Yokohama Area on the 27th April. Nakano accepted, with the match being made official for Stardom’s 2nd April Korakuen Hall show.
• Mina Shirakawa told Thekla to send the other members of H.A.T.E to the back, and she would send the other members of EXV. Initially Thekla agreed, though H.A.T.E would ultimately make a return to help distract the referee so Momo Watanabe could hit Mina in the back with a baseball bat to help Thekla get the victory.
• Following her victory, Thekla chose President Taro Okada for a singles match, which Okada denied outright. Thekla seemed convinced that she would be able to make this match happen, irrelevant of Okada’s objections.
• In reaching the final, Rina becomes the third youngest finalist in Cinderella history at 18 years, 2 months and 15 days with only Momo Watanabe (18 years, 1 month and 8 days) and Koguma (17 years 3 months and 3 days) being younger.
• Upon winning the Cinderella Tournament, Sayaka Kurura opted to keep her wish private until the correct moment. However, with Starlight Kid’s match with Saya Kamitani thrown into doubt due to the former’s injuries, Kurura will now face Kamitani in a non-title match on the Thursday Okinawa PPV show.

You can check out the Stardom roster win/loss records for 2025 right here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/103h_Y27csTgcS-CcBwswaj-D7hVazTC_Wn0SPn0BZBM/edit

You can check out a comprehensive run down of the Stardom Championship Histories here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Dk6T0ukSXm6R8eOTQU96i4rsfoy34wnz0-rKP5mwmQ/edit

Upcoming Shows

• Thursday 20th March – Stardom Spring Vacation ~Hisai! Okinawa~ Night 1, Okinawa Convention Center, Okinawa (PPV)
• Saturday 22nd March – Stardom Spring Vacation ~Hisai! Okinawa~ Night 2, Okinawa Convention Center, Okinawa (PPV)
• Thursday 27th March – New Blood 20, Shinagawa Intercity Hall, Tokyo (LIVE/YouTube)
• Saturday 29th March – Stardom in Tokorozawa 2025 Mar., Japan Pavilion Hall A, Tokorozawa Sakurai Town, Saitama (LIVE)
• Sunday 30th March – Stardom in Hachioji 2025 Mar., Tokyo TamaFuture Messe, Hachioji City (LIVE)
• Wednesday 2nd April – Stardom Nighter 2025 in Korakuen Hall Apr., Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 6th April – Stardom Dream in Anjo ~Tam Nakano Triumphant Return~, Aichi Tosho Arena, Anjo (TBC)
• Thursday 10th April – Stardom in Osaka 2025 Apr., EDION Arena Osaka #2, Osaka (TBC)
• Friday 11th April – Stardom in Sakae 2025 Apr. – Night 1, Chunichi Hall, Aichi (TBC)
• Saturday 12th April – Stardom in Sakae 2025 Apr. – Night 2, Chunichi Hall, Aichi (TBC)
• Sunday 13th April – Stardom in Hamamatsu 2025, Act City Hamamatsu, Shizuoka (TBC)
• Thursday 17th April – American Dream 2025 in Sin City, Silverton Casino Lodge, Las Vegas, USA (PPV)
• Friday 18th April – American Dream 2025 in Neon City, Meet Las Vegas, Las Vegas, USA (PPV)
• Thursday 24th April – Stardom Nighter 2025 in Korakuen Hall Apr 2., Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 27th April – Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom 2025, Yokohama Arena, Kanagawa (PPV)