WORLD WONDER RING STARDOM
ALL STAR DREAM CINDERELLA
MARCH 3, 2021
NIPPON BUDOKAN
TOKYO, JAPAN

Watch: Stardom-World or PIA

Preview: VoicesofWrestling.com

For the first time ever Stardom runs a show in the historic Nippon Budokan.  This is the first Joshi show at the venue in 24 years.  Stardom also becomes just the second Joshi company to run the venue as all 10 previous Joshi events at the venue were run by All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling.  Stardom has put together a card worthy of the occasion as Yoshiko and Nanae Takahashi will wrestle in a Stardom ring for the first time in six years, we also have a hair vs hair match, a world title match, and a Rumble match filled with some of the biggest names in Joshi history.  Can this show live up to the legacy of Nippon Budokan?

HIGH SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP
NATSUPOI DEF. AZM (C)

This was a fantastic opener that represented everything the High Speed Championship is about.  These two have worked together quite a bit in the lead-up to this show and it paid off as they presented some of the most fluid, well-paced wrestling of the entire show.  Natsupoi got the win after throwing everything she had at AZM and being pushed to busting out a new move to get the win.  AZM can move on to the next level now while Poi seems set to hold things down in the High Speed division for the near future. ***1/2

GODDESS OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
DONNA DEL MONDO (MAIKA & HIMEKA) (c) DEF. OEDO TAI (NATSUKO TORA & SAKI KASHIMA)

This was a fun tag match that was weighed down by the predictability.  This was the first defense of the titles from the Donna Del Mondo duo and it was unlikely they would drop them to Tora and Kashima.  Maika and Himeka both came away from this looking good which was likely the end goal as they both had new gear to match their titles.  Maika got the win with her brand new Michinoku Driver which was taught to her by her trainer TAKA.  Donna Del Mondo goes 2 for 2 so far. ***

UNAGI SAYAKA WINS ALL STAR RUMBLE

This match was pretty much all over the place.  One person’s entrance was barely over before the count down for the next entrant began.  The focus of the match was more on the entrances of each performer than the actual wrestling for the majority of the 35 minute run time.  When things did settle down we had Kikutaro do some “comedy” where he was made to look like a sexual predator and grabbed Chigusa Nagayo’s breasts.  I’m sure all the women attending their first-ever Stardom show absolutely loved that portion of the match…

Once Kikuaro was mercifully eliminated the spotlight shifted to Yuzuki Aikawa, Unagi Sayaka, and Mina Shirakawa.  Aikawa rolled back the years with her kicks before Sayaka eliminated her to get the win.  That final portion of the match was the best as Aikawa got to mix it up with Stardom’s resident idols and show them just how tough women like them can be, Sayaka then eliminating her to get the win was a nice moment for her after she went 0-7 in her trial series. Outside of that stretch, this was a mess although it was fun to see people like Emi Sakura, Chigusa Nagayo, Yoko Bito, and Hiromi Mimura in a Stardom ring. **

NANAE TAKAHASHI DEF. MOMO WATANABE

This was an absolute sprint as it only went 10 minutes.  In that time we got a lot of stiff wrestling, as one would expect with Nanae.  Takahashi won fairly easily which hurts Watanabe who has had a string of major losses.  If this one had more time to build things up Watanabe could have got herself over in defeat, instead, this was an easy with for Takahashi that was fun, but frustrating. ***1/2

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SWA UNDISPUTED WORLD WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
SYURI (C) DEF. KONAMI

The build to this match demanded a technical, methodical contest between these two.  We got that, but it was condensed to 8 minutes.  The grappling and striking they did do was excellent and engaging, something most matches in this style fail at.  The short time really limited how good this could be as it ended just as it seemed to be getting good, hopefully, we get an even better rematch down the line.  Donna Del Mondo is 3 for 3. ***

MAYU IWATANI DEF. YOSHIKO

In a surprising result, Mayu Iwatani defeated the SEAdLINNNG champion Yoshiko in this contest between two Stardom OGs.  This was fantastic from start to finish and really had a big fight feel.   Seeing Yoshiko in a Stardom ring was a spectacle in itself but the match itself surpassed all expectations as both women were on top form.  Iwatani getting the win for Stardom in the Nippon Budokan is a nice moment for the “icon of Stardom”, getting to do so against a woman she clearly loves and respects was just the cherry on top. ****1/2

WORLD OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
UTAMI HAYASHISHITA (C) DEF. SAYA KAMITANI

This was really the Saya Kamitani show.  The super rookie who debuted at the tail end of 2019 has had a meteoric rise in Stardom and thanks to her incredible athleticism is on the cusp of being one of the companies biggest stars.  Her tag team partner Utami Hayashishita did everything she could in this match to let Kamitani shine as she held things together allowing for Kamitani to flourish with her big moves.  The near falls down the stretch were incredible as Hayashishita kicked out at 2.9999 at least twice during the finishing stretch.  Kamitani never got to hit the Phoenix Splash which is still being kept as her ace in the hole, her failure to hit that move cost her the win this time but she comes away from this match, and feud, a much bigger star than she went in.  A great match, with a great story, and great booking, they both proved that they deserved this spot in the World Championship match at the Nippon Budokan. ****

WONDER OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP HAIR VS HAIR
TAM NAKANO DEF. GIULIA

The defining rivalry of Stardom in the Bushiroad era has been the war between Tam Nakano and Giulia.  After months of fighting the two put it all on the line here with their hair on the line, as well as the coveted Wonder Of Stardom title. While this wasn’t match of the night or anywhere close it was a heated match where both women left it all in the ring, it was the fitting climax to such a grudge feud as both women laid into one another with some vicious slaps that left Nakano noticeably swollen in the face.

Nakano winning her first singles championship after years of chasing was the feel-good moment this show needed to close it out.  Tam Nakano is someone that Bushiroad has clearly been high on with how prevalent she is in their media push and now her in-ring push is equal to that, hopefully, she continues to improve and has a good reign as champion as she is one of the best in Stardom when to comes to making matches and feuds feel hot.  Her faction also went 2 for 2 tonight signifying they will be important going forward

Giulia losing her hair was the right move as it was about time for her to suffer a setback after her dominance in 2020, now she is free of the white belt and can chase the World of Stardom Championship which Stardom will likely put on her before the end of the year.  Giulia’s character could also go in some interesting directions as she was the only DDM member to lose on this show and is now the only member without a title.  While this was by no means the original plan for this event Giulia and Tam did the best job they could to make this feud matter, and they were rewarded with the main event spot. ***3/4

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was one of the best Stardom shows I’ve ever seen.  All of the top matches delivered in some way and some new top stars were made, talents like Tam Nakano and Saya Kamitani solidified their spots as major players in the company.  It was a big night for both the Cosmic Angels and Donna Del Mondo as both had a number of major wins, the two factions have firmly established themselves among the top tier of Stardom factions.  This show felt major league not just in the presentation but with the effort the performers put in, from having professional new gear made to wrestling the match of their lives.  Stardom is coming away from All Star Dream Cinderella with a lot of buzz and optimism about the future, lets hope they can keep it going as they head into the upcoming run of major shows including 2 Yokohama Budokan shows, and one Ota Ward event in the coming months