STARDOM
STARDOM 5 STAR GRAND PRIX Final
September 25, 2021
Ota Ward General Gymnasium
Tokyo, JAPAN

Watch: PPV

Mai Sakurai vs. Waka Tsukiyama

The trial series of both Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama comes to an end here as they face off with each other. Both competitors have had to take the best of every competitor they’ve faced to help mold them into better overall performers. There’s still a lot of work needed until these two are even remotely considered up to the standards of Stardom talent, but a match against each other should help them both tremendously. With Sakurai already being a part of a faction, it only seems right that the newest Cosmic Angel takes the win. Prediction: Mai Sakurai

Momo Watanabe (12) vs. Hanan vs. Rina

All Momo Watanabe can do Saturday is wait. The removal of Giulia from the tournament left Watanabe without a match at the Final, resulting in her having this exhibition match while everyone else in the 5 STAR GP competes to keep their hopes alive. Watanabe got the free two points with Giulia pulling out of the match, leaving her at 12 for the tournament. She needs both Starlight Kid and Himeka to lose. If they do, she will be the winner of the A Block, locking in her spot for the finals. Both Hanan and Rina can do their best to mess with Watanabe’s night but this match is nothing more than an exhibition. Prediction: Momo Watanabe

5 STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars Block
Saki Kashima (4) vs. Fukigen Death (8)

The first of the tournament matches to look at for the Final day comes in an Oedo Tai versus Oedo Tai matchup. Saki Kashima got to play spoiler for Mayu Iwatani this past Monday, guaranteeing that she can’t make it to the finals. Otherwise, it hasn’t been the easiest of roads for the menace of Oedo Tai. On the other side is Fukigen Death, who has accumulated more points than anyone could have expected. Kashima will still finish in the bottom of the block but expect her to grab a win here. Prediction: Saki Kashima

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5 STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars Block
AZM (6) vs. Ruaka (0)

Can Ruaka get a win this year? After going 0-8 in her first tournament, her final shot at points will come against AZM. It is an interesting matchup seeing that many agree that AZM, for the majority of the tournament, was underperforming in her own right. Yet her wins in this tournament have come against Syuri, Takumi Iroha, and Konami. Impressive seeing that all three women have a legitimate chance to win the block, AZM’s win over all of them could be the deciding factor. The result between these two should not be a shocking one as AZM getting the win and acquiring her seventh and eighth point makes all the sense in the world. Prediction: AZM

5 STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars Block
Natsupoi (9) vs. Mina Shirakawa (4)

The story of this match is that Mina Shirakawa got off to a great start by starting 2-0 and has not won since her second match. She, however, has had one of the dark horse tournaments in terms of match quality, showing an overall improvement that not nearly enough people expected to see. Her consistency in match quality goes hand-in-hand with Natsupoi, who has been one of Stardom’s most consistent performers all year. If Natsupoi is able to get a point or two here in any form, she will be in the upper echelon of the entire tournament, no matter the block. A great spot for the former High Speed Champion. Despite Shirakawa having a tough time in her last six matches, she could steal this one from Natsupoi. That could help enter her into the high speed division if she wanted. Prediction: Mina Shirakawa

5 STAR GP: Red Stars Block
Koguma (9) vs. Himeka (10)

Koguma has a chance to play spoiler Saturday. For the second year in a row, Himeka has the potential to make it to the Finals of the 5 STAR. Last year, she lost to Utami Hayashishita in the Final after winning her block. There’s going to have to be some help this year for her to win, but first off — she needs the win. Koguma has been one of the best stories in all of Stardom this year, showing that even after multiple years off, she can still be one of the most consistent in the promotion. If Koguma were to win, she would have a stunning 11 points, more than anyone could have expected. Himeka is going to do everything in her power to win and if she does, she eliminates Momo Watanabe from the race. It will take a Starlight Kid loss to get her back into the Final. Prediction: Koguma

5 STAR GP: Blue Stars Block
Unagi Sayaka (7) vs. Saya Kamitani (11)

Saya Kamitani has an opportunity to join Toni Storm as the only other competitor to win both the Cinderella Tournament and 5 STAR GP in the same year. Kamitani has had one of the most unique tournaments ever, as she has won more with her highly effective Frankensteiner Pin rather than the Star Crusher or Phoenix Splash. It has gotten her to an amazing 11 points, leaving her tied with Syuri for the lead in the Blue Stars Block with 11 points. Kamitani’s chances of winning the block come down to two factors. The first is that she needs to defeat Unagi Sayaka which is followed by Syuri losing or going to a time limit draw against Takumi Iroha. Kamitani lost to Syuri earlier in the tournament, giving the SWA Champion an edge. Kamitani cannot not look past Sayaka.

Sayaka kicked off her tournament with an upset win over Wonder of Stardom Champion, Tam Nakano. She followed that up by beating AZM, Ruaka, and going to a draw with Maika. While it leaves her at seven points and incapable of winning the block, she has shown that she is no easy win for anybody. Kamitani and Sayaka wrestled one another at Yokohama Dream Cinderella in Spring earlier this year. That match saw Kamitani pick up the win. If Kamitani is able to continue her luck and beat Sayaka, that would eliminate Konami, Utami Hayashishita, and Takumi Iroha from contention of winning the block. Plenty hangs in the balance here. Prediction: Unagi Sayaka

5 STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars Block
Maika (7) vs. Konami (10)

Konami has to be the surprise of the Blue Stars Block as she heads into the final day with a real chance of winning this. Konami’s wins over Syuri, Takumi Iroha, and Utami Hayashishita were all a major surprise seeing that those three would be considered as the heavy favorites for the block. Such massive wins make it feel as though this may be the year of Konami, furthering the possibility that she beats Maika here and moves onto the finals. Syuri and Saya Kamitani are the only roadblocks outside of grabbing a win.

That win isn’t something easily done because Maika has had an MVP-like performance in this year’s tournament. Everything she has displayed only furthers the idea that she is a future World or Wonder of Stardom Champion. She defeated Hayashishita on day one of the tournament and while the remainder of the tournament has soured a bit for her, she is the perfect wrestler to play spoiler for the final day. Sorry, Konami. Prediction: Maika

5 STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars Block
Mayu Iwatani (9) vs. Starlight Kid (11)

Starlight Kid has the chance to shock the world. If she wins, she has the Red Stars Block. It’s hers. Of course, the first singles match with Mayu Iwatani since leaving STARS will only add to this one even more. Everything about it makes the match one of the most intense bouts in all of Stardom this year. When Kid chose Oedo Tai over Iwatani, she made it clear that her goal was to get to the level of “The Icon.” The way to accomplish that is by defeating her and moving to the Finals of the 5 STAR GP. Kid’s transformation from underdog babyface to confident heel has been one of the best you will ever see in wrestling. The scary part? She’s still evolving. Kid has everything to lose in this match, making it the biggest match of her career.

There is no one in the world of professional wrestling that shows up on the major stage more consistently than Iwatani. She was destroyed inside when she lost Kid and did everything in her power to get her back. After accomplishing such goals, Kid still blocked her out. That tells you everything you need to know when it comes to the attitude of Iwatani in this one. “The Icon” of Stardom is going to do everything in her power to stunt the rise of Kid. All we can expect from her is to have one of the best performances of the year from anyone in Stardom in what is a massive encounter on Saturday night. Prediction: Mayu Iwatani

5 STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars Block
Utami Hayashishita (10) vs. Tam Nakano (8)

World of Stardom Champion versus Wonder of Stardom Champion. It’s rare such a match happens, it’s even rarer that it happens on the final day of the biggest tournament in a promotion. Utami Hayashishita and Tam Nakano have only ever faced each other in singles action one time. The time came in the 2018 5 STAR GP, where Hayashishita defeated Nakano in the opening match. To see how far they have gone since that match is something to behold. But the question is simple: Who can prove to be the best champion of Stardom? Hayashishita has the opportunity to secure the Blue Stars Block with some help if she manages to throw off Nakano. Konami needs to lose or draw. Syuri needs to lose. Saya Kamitani needs to lose or draw.

Tam Nakano sits at .500 for the tournament and it feels unlikely she goes 4-5 as the reigning champion. Her aspirations of defeating Hayashishita could give her the unique chance to challenge for the World of Stardom Championship down the line, but a draw seems that much more likely than anything else. Expect these two title fighters to treat this like a title fight. They are going to give it their all and could surprise a ton of people with how great of a match they have. Prediction: Draw

5 STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars Block
Syuri (11) vs. Takumi Iroha (10)

This is the one. There is no match that has more anticipation than the bout between Syuri and Takumi Iroha. Both women are artistically gifted in the world of combat, mixing in bone-crunching kicks with a different aspect to their game that offsets them. Syuri more so favors the MMA shoot style, giving her the ability to seemingly defeat everyone with every submission she has. Iroha, on the other hand, brings along a power game that benefits her striking came incredibly. Both overall bodies of work are similar but different in a way that should make both women create magic against each other. Enough about the match but now looking at the stakes at hand for both women.

Syuri’s destiny is to win the World of Stardom Championship. There’s no guarantee she gets another shot at Hayashishita and the title unless she wins here. If Syuri wins her match against Iroha, she secures the Blue Stars Block. She has to worry about no outside factors. It’s simple. Win and you’re in. Iroha has an interesting path to winning the block. Beating Syuri is a must, then it comes down to needing losses from Hayashishita, Kamitani, and Konami. The match gets interesting if Hayashishita were to win seeing that they had a draw and would have the same exact record also. No matter how great the Marvelous “Ace” has been, it’s time for Syuri to rise to the Final. Prediction: Syuri

5 STAR Grand Prix: Final

The Final has no definitive look as of this writing. The favorite option and most likely of any mixture is Momo Watanabe versus Syuri. Watanabe is in wait-and-see mode, making it the only hesitation at hand in terms of figuring out if she gets there or not. If she were to walk into the Final with a far less grueling bout on the night compared to Syuri, it feels this could be her year. Syuri, of course, has all the momentum behind her to carry her to the win and the much-needed rematch between her and Hayashishita for the gold.

There are so many factors at play and it should make for a special night as another woman etches their name in history as the next 5 STAR winner.