SHOW REPORT: Stardom in Hamamatsu 2024 Aug. (Sunday, 4th August 2024)

August 4, 2024 Rob Goodwin News, Show Reports, Stardom 0
Photo Courtesy: World Wonder Ring Stardom

Notes

  • Ami Sohrei will be absent from all cards as she begins the process of recovering from ACL and meniscus tears in her knee.
  • 32nd Artist of Stardom Champions Empress Nexus Venus (Mina Shirakawa, Maika & Xena) have been champions for 127 days – the 13th longest in history. This will be their third title defence.
  • If Tam Nakano is successful, she will become only the fifth person to hold the belts four or more times. The others are Kairi Hojo, Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima, all who have held the Artist of Stardom Championships five times.

Quick Results

  • Six-Woman Tag Team Match: H.A.T.E (Natsuko Tora, Saya Kamitani & Ruaka) def. Neo-Genesis (Starlight Kid, AZM & Miyu Amasaki) w/ Star Crusher (14:13)
  • Three-Way Match: Waka Tsukiyama def. Rian & Momo Kohgo w/ Sideways Shrimp Hold (4:04)
  • Six-Woman Tag Team Match: STARS (Hazuki, Hanan & Saya Iida) def. Cosmic Angels (Yuna Mizumori, Aya Sakura & Sayaka Kurura) w/ Diving Senton (11:59)
  • Tag Team Match: Crazy Star (Suzu Suzuki & Mei Seira) def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Koguma) w/ Shooting Star (10:57)
  • Ten-Woman Tag Team Match: God’s Eye (Syuri, Saki Kashima, Hina, Lady C & Ranna Yagami) def. H.A.T.E (Momo Watanabe, Konami, Thekla, Rina & Fukigen Death) w/ Kishikaisei (13:27)
  • Artist of Stardom Championship Match: Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Natsupoi & Saori Anou) def. EXV (Maika, Mina Shirakawa & Xena) (c) w/ Violet Screwdriver (19:08)

Match #1 – H.A.T.E (Natsuko Tora, Saya Kamitani & Ruaka) def. NEO-GENESIS (Starlight Kid, AZM & Miyu Amasaki) w/ Star Crusher (14:13)

After debuting a somewhat new look at the 5Star Grand Prix press conference yesterday, Saya Kamitani enters the arena clad all in black. Though not official gear, which I imagine we are saving for the start of the 5Star, it’s a stark contrast to the bright red and green we have been used to. It’s also the first outing of the newly-rebranded H.A.T.E, replete with new logo and music. Say what you want about the heel turn last week and the reasons behind it, but the former-Oedo Tai certainly feel considerably more dangerous already than they ever did before.

Kamitani briefly comes face-to-face with AZM, but then saunters away to tag in Ruaka, robbing us of the Queen’s Quest exchange we are all waiting for. We do get that exchange later on, with Kamitani baiting AZM into a handshake before kicking her hard in the side of the head and stomping on her relentlessly. Another thing that is immediately noticeable is the lack of open cheating from H.A.T.E; no launching of their opponents into the front row of chairs that seems to have started every Oedo Tai match of the last 12 months, no crate, no chairs, just a trip behind the referee’s back, and Tora spitting water into the face of Amasaki.

Though certainly not transitioning seemelessly into a heel role, Kamitani does a good job and is clearly invested in making herself as detestable as possible, though her moveset does continue to lend itself to a babyface wrestler. She does pin Miyu Amasaki with the Star Crusher though, and the way she delivers it has a lot more anger behind it. Couple with this a nose-to-nose with AZM to close the match before she condescendingly bows and mockingly performs her signature pointing taunt to the audience as she leaves, and I’d argue that the first outing for the Phoenix Queen is a success. We also have a little post-match tease of Ruaka potentially challenging Starlight Kid for her Spark Joshi World Championship, with progress on that certainly one to keep an eye on!

Match #2 – Waka Tsukiyama def. Rian & Momo Kohgo w/ Sideways Shrimp Hold (4:04)

After the debuting of a newly-turned Saya Kamitani, and a far angrier Oedo Tai to boot, we need a little bit of comic relief, which is what this match does nicely.

The betrayal on Momo’s face when she thinks that her and Rian are working together, only for the rookie to begin working with Waka is hilariously heart-breaking, and Rian actually bounces well off of Tsukiyama, who it has to be said is the highlight of this match.

After teaching Rian the subtle art of Hip Attacks, Tsukiyama then turns her attention to getting the victory for herself, and she does just that in short order but vaulting over Kohgo’s hunched over body and hitting Rian with a Springboard Flatliner and covering her for the victory.

She does half-heartedly attempt to reconcile with the rookie, but Rian is rightly furious and rebuffs her.

Match #3 – STARS (Hazuki, Hanan & Saya Iida) def. Cosmic Angels (Yuna Mizumori, Aya Sakura & Sayaka Kurura) w/ Diving Senton (11:59)

Though initially this match seemed to be a prelude to Hazuki and Yuna Mizumori’s battle in the 5Star Grand Prix, it’s actually Aya Sakura who comes away from this match with heightened stock.

Her exchanges with Hazuki, going strike for strike with The Wildheart and locking in a Triangle Choke that gets her within a fingertip of victory, make for an incredibly compelling closing stretch. It’s without doubt the best performance from The New Karate Girl and it’s a shame seeing her eat the pinfall when it’s all said and done.

The brief Yuna Mizumori and Hazuki exchanges we do get are hard-hitting and do a great job setting a table for that upcoming second-ever singles match between the two (Hazuki winning their only other encounter in June of last year). Elsewhere, Kurura puts in another gutsy performance in the face of being on the receiving end of back-to-back offence from Hanan, Hazuki and then some typically brutish chops from Saya Iida.

This STARS trio of Classmates however are such a delight to watch, with a seamless chemistry and a seeming telepathic understanding of where the others are going to be at any one time. It’s unsurprising therefore that they do pick up the win, Hazuki pinning Sakura after a Diving Senton. A face-to-face between her and Yuna threatens to get violent after the bell, but cooler heads prevail and the pair walk away from each other without coming to blows.

Match #4 – Crazy Star (Suzu Suzuki & Mei Seira) def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani & Koguma) w/ Shooting Star (10:57)

Suzu Suzuki might now be a part of the fresh, neon and happy-go-lucky stable of NEO-GENESIS, but that doesn’t mean that the Crazy Girl has any patience for Koguma’s bear shenanigans.

It’s a good match, with Mayu and Mei Seira squaring off in preparation for their Red Stars B Block match at the end of August. Suzu seems more intent on wiping the ‘Kuma’ out of Koguma, and at one point is holding her in a Camel Clutch whilst Mei Seira repeatedly runs the ropes before simply stopping and slapping her, collapsing from exhaustion on the apron to the great amusement of Miyu Amasaki at ringside. The isolation of Koguma continues, as the Crazy Star team hold her in the corner and Mei hits her with a huge volley of Dropkicks, and the former-Goddess of Stardom Champions are even able to outsmart Koguma when she attempts to run away from them around the arena.

Once Mayu tags in, that’s when the pace picks up, and they are able to regain a foothold in the match with some impressive double team manoeuvres; even more impressive when you consider we don’t see these two team together as much as we used to.

Mei fails with the Checkmate, and almost gets caught with the Kuma Roll, only for Suzu to save her at the last possible second. Koguma can’t believe it, and is therefore left open to the Shooting Star. She manages to roll through the first one, but Mei rolls through again and is able to keep Koguma’s shoulders to the mat for the three count.

Match #5 – God’s Eye (Syuri, Saki Kashima, Hina, Lady C & Ranna Yagami) def. H.A.T.E (Momo Watanabe, Konami, Thekla, Rina & Fukigen Death) w/ Kishikaisei (13:27)

There is something incredibly refreshing about seeing the ordinarily cowardly Saki Kashima squaring up to the imperious H.A.T.E collective alongside Syuri. Far away from looking for any avenue of escape, she led the charge at World Rendezvous last week, and has a stoic look on her face as she stares them out before God’s Eye charge in.

H.A.T.E quickly overpower God’s Eye though, with Yagami taking the brunt of the offence, whilst the other members of God’s Eye are beaten up on the outside. Momo Watanabe and Saya Kamitani make a beeline for former-Queen’s Quest member Lady C, with the latter taking significant pleasure in driving a boot into her face. Though the introduction of a terrifyingly-furious Syuri somewhat stems the flow briefly, she can’t fight off the entirety of the enemy alone and though she is able to land some devastating kicks to the chest of Watanabe, it’s not long before H.A.T.E are back in control.

It’s when Kashima legally enters the fray that things seem to sway in God’s Eye’s favour, though she receives several belt shots in the head from Thekla for her trouble. Seemingly buoyed by the usually-terrified Kashima’s determination, the rest of God’s Eye finally manage to to get a foothold in the match with Saki able to negotiate Konami into the Kishikaisei for the victory

A lot happens post-match once the furious members of H.A.T.E are finally herded from the ring, with Saki Kashima first promising to fight at Syuri’s side before taking to the microphone in order to chew out a retreating Konami. Hina then takes it up and calls out her sister Rina, with the pair setting the date for their upcoming Future of Stardom Championship match for the 31st August at the 5Star finals, making it the first match confirmed for that card.

After this, Hina and Lady C make a plea for Syuri to accept them into God’s Eye officially, even though they had already pledged their allegiance to her after Konami’s betrayal in Korakuen Hall. It’s Saki however who accepts them initially, explaining that she is happy to have Hina, and that Lady C can join only if she carries the bags.

Match #6 – Artist of Stardom Championship Match: Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Natsupoi & Saori Anou) def. EXV (Maika, Mina Shirakawa & Xena) (c) w/ Violet Screwdriver (19:08)

Though certainly not as exuberant as their initial dance, it’s heart-warming to see Cosmic Angels dancing as a collective, with Saori Anou actually joining in. Tam has the opportunity to become a four-time Artist of Stardom champion with a victory here, with only Mayu, Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo and Saki Kashima reaching that milestone before.

Tam and Mina open things up for us, but not until after a beautiful shot of the pair being the last from their respective teams to leave the title ceremony. The history between the pair is long and riddled with emotion and, though they don’t necessarily show that in the opening exchanges, when they reconvene later in the match it’s like someone has ramped both up to 11 and then ripped the control off. They fly at each other with barely-concealed rage, and since there are few on the Stardom who convey emotion the way Mina and Tam do, it’s an excellent exchange.

Maika and Natsupoi meet on the opening night of 5Star action in a first time ever singles match, and the brief sequences we get here illustrates why so many people are so excited for it. The way Natsupoi sells aggressive hard-hitting offence is always outstanding, but she is underrated striker in her own right, and she and Maika trade hefty blows before Xena and Saori Anou take to the stage.

Another pairing that we will see in a first time ever singles match during this year’s 5Star Grand Prix, these two are the highlight of an excellent match with Xena in particular rapidly becoming one of my favourites to watch. Whether it is ripping through somebody’s chest with her destructive chops, or her deceptive agility and strength, she is by far the most improved on this stacked Stardom roster, and when you place her aside a partner such as Saori Anou, she comes out looking even better.

It is Xena who eats the pinfall however, though it does take Tam hitting a Tiger Suplex and a Violet Screwdriver to finally put down The Touch of Thunder definitively. It ends EXV’s reign at 127 days with 2 successful title defences, with this marking Natsupoi’s 3rd and Saori’s 2nd reigns with the belts.

A whole lot may have happened during the post-match of the previous match, but that’s nothing compared to the car crash at the end of the show. A clearly distraught Mina Shirakawa has the microphone, and tells the crowd that she is going to America for a while to spread the word of EXV, finally giving us the confirmation we need as to why she isn’t in this year’s 5Star Grand Prix field. As Cosmic Angels celebrate their victory, the entirety of H.A.T.E storm the ring and attack the new champions. Having taken out both Natsupoi and Saori Anou, Tora snatches up a chair and wraps it around Tam’s leg – the same one she legitimately injured in a Red Belt match with Tora back in October – smashing it with her steel pipe. Not content, she enlists the help of Saya Kamitani in holding Nakano and begins cutting great hunks of her hair off as she mocks Tam for her idol appearance. H.A.T.E stand tall to finish the show, with Tora promising that Tam is next on their list, and Thekla promising that a war is coming to Stardom – also informing us that H.A.T.E stands for HARRASS, ABUSE, TERRORIZE, ERADICATE. Tam screams at them as they leave that she will fight until the end for Stardom.

You can check out the Stardom roster win/loss records for 2024 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

  • Saturday 10th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Opening Round, Yokohama Budokan, Kanagawa (PPV)
  • Sunday 11th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 2, Shibuya Sports Center, Tokyo (LIVE)
  • Monday 12th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 3 (Afternoon Show), Tochigi Light Cube, Utsonomiya (LIVE)
  • Monday 12th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 3 (Evening Show), Tochigi Light Cube, Utsonomiya (LIVE)
  • Thursday 15th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 4, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
  • Saturday 17th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 5, KBS Hall, Kyoto (LIVE)
  • Sunday 18th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 6, Kobe Arts Center, Hyogo (LIVE)
  • Tuesday 20th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 7, EDION Arena Osaka #2, Osaka (LIVE)
  • Friday 23rd August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 8, Sendai PIT, Miyagi (LIVE)
  • Saturday 24th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 9, Fukushima Parse Izaka, Fukushima (LIVE)
  • Sunday 25th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 10, Yamagata Big Wing, Yamagata (LIVE)
  • Wednesday 28th August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Night 11, Shinjuku, Tokyo (LIVE)
  • Saturday 31st August – 5Star Grand Prix 2024 – Championship Match, Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, Tokyo (PPV)
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About Rob Goodwin 394 Articles
Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent, Rob fell back in love with the Wrestling Business in 2016 after a decade-long break. Rob is the host of the PodMania Wrestling Podcast, the StardomCast and reviews retro PPVs - with an odd fascination with 1995 WWF/WCW!
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