SHOW REPORT: Stardom in Toyama 2024 Oct (Monday, 14th October 2024)

Notes

• Ami Sohrei will be absent from all cards as she begins the process of recovering from ACL and meniscus tears in her knee.
• Kaori Yoneyama – more commonly known as Fukigen Death in Stardom – has also suffered an ACL tear and will be out of action for a year.
• Saki Kashima will be absent for the next set of Stardom shows as she begins the process of recovering from a ‘nagging’ injury, though she will still be present as a ringside second and at photo signings. There is currently no information regarding a return date.
• Xena and Hanan will both be missing the show on Monday 14th October in Toyama due to injuries sustained in Komatsu.
• Attendance Note: This is the 6th time Stardom have run the venue in their history, and the 2nd time this year. Average attendance at the venue is 362, with this show being up marginally from the last time they ran the venue (364 on June 9th 2024.) 371 also marks the 3rd highest attendance at Bolfert Toyama for Stardom.

Quick Results

• Singles Match: Syuri def. Rian w/ Suzaku (9:11)
• Tag Team Match: STARS (Koguma & Saya Iida) def. Crazy Star (Suzu Suzuki & Mei Seira) w/ Kuma Roll (10:33)
• Tag Team Match: Rice or Bread (HANAKO & Waka Tsukiyama) def. God’s Eye (Ranna Yagami & Lady C) w/ Small Package (10:46)
• Tag Team Match: EXV (Maika & Mina Shirakawa) def. Cosmic Angels (Aya Sakura & Yuna Mizumori) w/ Enka Otoshi (12:43)
• 6-Woman Tag Team Match: H.A.T.E (Momo Watanabe, Saya Kamitani & Konami) def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki & Momo Kohgo) w/ Buzzsaw Kick (11:15)
• 6-Woman Tag Team Match: NEO-GENESIS (Starlight Kid, AZM & Miyu Amasaki) def. Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Saori Anou & Sayaka Kurura) w/ Tensai (16:38)

The Undercard

I genuinely fear a little bit for Rian’s safety when seeing that she was going against Syuri in singles action. This fear wasn’t helped when the rookie attempted – quite well all things considered – to wrestle match the ground-based styles of someone with a frightening amount of shoot fighting and big match experience. Rian shows an admirable amount of heart, but you get the impression that the only reason this match goes as long as it does is because Syuri wants it to, and when she gets bored, she locks in the Suzaku for the victory. (***)

Despite the talent in this match, I think it’s fair to say that there is something hanging over this match. Physically I mean, as Saya launches her hoodie into the air only to get it stuck in the lighting rig! Once the humour of this has worn off however, the match feels like the Koguma show, and I mean that in the best possible way. She is currently toeing the line between comedy and great in-ring action perfectly, and it’s resulting in her being one of the most entertaining members of the roster. She even picks up the victory over Suzu with the Kuma Roll, which can certainly be considered a shock when you think Suzuki was challenging for the Red Belt not two weeks ago! Of course, for those wondering the fate of the hoodie, Taro Okada arrives with a very large pole and some very small ladders to assist with bringing it down. Thankfully, common sense prevails and it was not Mayu sent to the top of the stairs! (***1/2)

It’s challengers for the New Blood Tag Team Championships against possible future challengers in this next tag match. With New Blood 16 just a few days away way, it was never very likely that Rice or Bread were going to lose this match, but that doesn’t stop the opening exchanges between Ranna and HANAKO, as the former tries to cut her legs out from under her, and the closing stretch between Waka and Lady C aren’t very entertaining. It’s also clever from Waka, who has taken a Chokeslam and a Giant Swing by this point, as she repeatedly rolls up Lady C in an attempt to exhaust her. It works, and after a whole series of varied roll-up attempt, Waka is able to keep Lady C’s shoulders to the mat for the three count, giving Rice or Bread some momentum heading into their New Blood Tag Team Championships match on Saturday. (***1/4)

On paper, having EXV’s ‘A-Team’ against Aya Sakura and Yuna Mizumori seems like something of a mismatch. After a really entertaining opening between Yuna and Mina sees Aya get tagged in, it starts to feel that way too, as first Mina and then Maika obliterate Aya’s leg. Don’t get me wrong, Aya can throw kicks with the best of them, but the sound of Mina’s strikes as she literally kicks Sakura’s legs out from under her is simply brutal. Rather than buckle however, Aya stands tall and impressively attempts to go toe-to-toe with EXV. Though it elicits the loudest response of the night so far from the Bolfert crowd – aside from the rescuing of Saya’s hoodie of course – it’s all for nought, with Maika planting the rookie with an Enka Otoshi to cap off a very entertaining match! (***1/2)

Main Event Matches

6-Woman Tag Team Match: H.A.T.E (Momo Watanabe, Saya Kamitani & Konami) def. STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki & Momo Kohgo) – We inevitably start the match on the outside, it is a H.A.T.E multi-woman after all, with Momo leading the charge the moment Mayu turns her back. After our usual round of chair bowling, H.A.T.E manage to completely isolate Momo Kohgo in the ring. After a protracted beatdown, Hazuki and Mayu finally get into the ring to make the save, shifting the momentum in STARS’ favour, and allowing an exchange between Saya and Hazuki reminiscent of their outstanding Wonder of Stardom Championship match from back in 2023. On the back of that, we also revisit Mayu and Momo, with the latter unloading her usual volley of thunderous kicks before they exchange suplexes and Mayu wipes Watanabe out with a Superkick. Momo Kohgo tags in order to relieve Mayu, but it’s Iwatani that then has to break up a Triangle Lancer with a booming Running Shining Black. Unfortunately, even though STARS briefly rally through a Hazuki Suicide Dive, it’s H.A.T.E that once again isolate Momo, with Saya having taken Hazuki and Mayu out with a Springboard Crossbody. Stereo Missile Dropkicks, a PK and a Buzzsaw Kick all prove too much for Komomo, with Konami picking up the decisive pinfall. (***1/2)

6-Woman Tag Team Match: NEO-GENESIS (Starlight Kid, AZM & Miyu Amasaki) def. Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Saori Anou & Sayaka Kurura) – Sayaka Kurura has made no secret of gunning for the Future of Stardom Championship, and she starts out against champion Miyu Amasaki here. Of course, it’s not long before she’s overpowered by Starlight Kid and then AZM despite a hot start, though this does give way to a fantastic stretch between SLK and Saori Anou. We already know how good they can be together from their White Belt match in February and their block match in this year’s 5Star Grand Prix, but it never ceases to amaze me the chemistry that they have. We even get a double team face-off between and Tam and Saori, and Kid and AZM – culminating in some excellent double team work from both pairs – before Sayaka and Miyu re-enter the fray to career wildly through the closing stretch. I’ve waxed lyrical over the last couple of shows about just how well Aya Sakura has progressed, and how her fighting spirit spot against Maika was the loudest crowd reaction of the night, but I think Kurura might take the crown tonight. Not only is this closing stretch great, but the nearfall following a thunderous Spear is greeted with huge applause from the crowd. Unfortunately for Kurura, she loses momentum when she can’t hit the Tokimeki Cutter, and Miyu Amasaki is able to put a definitive end to the match with the Tensai for the victory. (****)

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 19th October – New Blood 16, BelleSalle Shinjuku Grand, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 20th October – Stardom in Fuji 2024 Oct, Fujisan Messe, Shizuoka (VIDEO ON DEMAND)
• Saturday 26th October – Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2024 ~Opening Round~ in Shinjuku, Shinjuku Sumitomo Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Sunday 27th October – Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2024 in Korakuen, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo (LIVE)
• Thursday 31st October – Goddesses of Stardom Tag League 2024 in Takamatsu, Takamatsu Symbol Tower, Kagawa (VIDEO ON DEMAND)