WORLD WONDER RING STARDOM
ALL STAR GRAND QUEENDOM
APRIL 27, 2025
YOKOHAMA ARENA

STARDOM returns to the most legendary venue in Joshi wrestling history for a landscape-changing show. After this one, either Saya Kamitani or Tam Nakano will be forced to retire, one of these two red-hot stars will be forced out of the company and create a gap atop the company for the other wrestlers to fill. Not only that but there are a number of major title matches like Maika vs Chihiro Hashimoto, Mayu Iwatani vs Syuri, and AZM vs Starlight Kid. This could be one of the best shows of the year so let’s not delay too much and get right into the action.

FUTURE OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
HINA (C) DEF. RANNA YAGAMI

Strong opener that had all the usual makings of a title match. Ranna came out with a mouthguard in and her hair done, ready to cause some damage. She was a lot more intense and focused with her strikes than usual and really put the fight to Hina, even kicking out of Hina’s Jackhammer finish. It took Hina’s newer finisher the Mud Splash to put Yagami away after an effort that made both women look good. ***1/4

IF THEKLA LOSES SHE JOINS COSMIC ANGELS, IF THEKLA WINS SHE FACES TARO OKADA
SAYAKA KURARA DEF. THEKLA

Decent enough heel vs babyface match. Designed mostly to get Kurara on the card and to give her a win. The stipulation was kind of interesting since Thekla’s whole thing is killing the idols and a loss would force her to join them. They basically undid the impact of this match right away because Thekla beat up Taro Okada anyway and got fired, which is likely the end of her run in STARDOM after putting over Maika in Las Vegas and Sayaka Kurara here. ***

YUMKO HOTTA DEF. RINA

Yumiko Hotta is the kind of wrestler who can and will eat you alive. She’s a former WWWA World Champion and a near 40 year veteran, it’s her right to not sell and beat up whoever she wants. The interest to me with Hotta is always how her opponent rises to meet that kind of monster, do they roll over and try their best or do they take the fight to a legendary figure like her? I was always confident that Rina would be the latter and she delivered. While she did lose in the end, she got to wrestle at Yokohama Arena with a former world champion from AJW, that alone will do her stock the world of good. ***

MEIKO SATOMURA, MIKA IWATA & YUNA DEF. COSMIC ANGELS (SAORI ANOU, NATSUPOI & AYA SAKURA)

Really good match with the closing stretch really taking it to the next level. Aya Sakura got to square up with THE Meiko Satomura and it was delightful, the strikes were well done and intense with the crowd vocally getting behind Sakura in one of the loudest chants of the night so far. The rest of the match was just as good with Anou getting her time against both Satomura and Iwata which is always a treat.

Since I may never get to do this again let me take some time to discuss Meiko Satomura. This match happened largely as part of her retirement road, she’s scheduled to retire just days after this show. As proven in this match she could easily continue wrestling and nobody would bat an eyelid. Satomura is timeless and has been one of the most consistently great wrestlers in the world since 1998. Her catalogue of classics spans multiple companies across every year of her career ad I’m so happy she got to compete at Yokohama Arena one last time. Using one of her last ever matches to get some much-deserved shine on young Aya Sakura is one of those moments that reminds us of how great she’s been for the scene ever since GAEA Japan closed.

Meiko Satomura, you are one of the best to ever do it. Wrestling will not be the same without you. ***1/2

NO DQ
SUZU SUZUKI DEF. MEI SEIRA

Despite the stipulation, this wasn’t a plunder match; they did some stuff with the chairs to start the match, but that was just a guise to let both women blade. After that, they basically just had a normal match and it was really good. Suzu Suzuki appears to have really found herself. She’s been having trouble adjusting recently and took to social media to reveal that medication she’s on has caused her to gain weight so she hasn’t always been able to wrestle the way she did when she first came to prominence at Ice Ribbon. I felt this match showed a great stylistic shift in her, she was still Suzu, still hitting a lot of her same offence, but there was a lot more aggression to it, even her strikes felt like they were landing heavier. Obviously it takes two to tango and Mei Seira was great here, but we all know that anyway so I’m choosing to focus on Suzuki really taking a strong step forward. This also just FELT like a big match because both women were throwing out their best shots to no effect, Suzuki ended up digging deep to hit a Skytwister Press for the win as her normal finishers weren’t enough to put away her opponent. The match was aided pretty heavily by the visual of the two exchanging strikes with crimson masks, its a sight you rarely get to see in STARDOM which makes it all the more impactful.

Fresh off the formation of her own faction, this was a strong win for Suzuki over her former stablemate. That was the correct decision in my eyes as a reinvograted Suzuki has a much higher chance to break into the main event picture than Mei Seira and could even be a viable Wonder of Stardom champion now that she’s defected from SLK’s faction. ***3/4

SENDAI GIRLS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
CHIHIRO HASHIMOTO (C) DEF. MAIKA

This was basically worked to their spot on the card, which I appreciate. They didn’t go all out to give us the bells and whistles you’d expect from these two, instead delivering a slowly built clash between two horses that are capable technicians. There was some interesting limb work attempted as Maika tried to take away one of Hashimoto’s many weapons but she inevitably fell to the same powerbomb that recently defeated Satomura. My problem with star ratings really pops up here because I can’t realistically give this a super high rating, but I thought it was perfect for a palette cleanser in the middle of a loaded card. ***1/2

GODDESS OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP
WING*GORI (HANAN & SAYA IIDA) DEF. FWC (HAZUKI & KOGUMA)

This was as physical and gruelling as the build demanded. The build to this match at times felt like two parties unloading dirty laundry for the world to see and every interaction between Hazuki and Hanan sold that. The finishing stretch was pretty ridiculous with back-to-back shoot headbutts before Hanan dragged the limp body of Hazuki back up for a sick back drop driver. Strong win for WING*GORI and Hanan that likely sets them up as the main unit of STARS (or whatever resembles STARS when all is settled) the aftermath felt like a send-off of sorts for FWC so I wonder if they’ll be phased out or go part-time to focus on indie dates. ***3/4

IWGP WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
SYURI DEF. MAYU IWATANI (c) – NEW CHAMPION

What an incredible match. Two of the best in the entire world squared off once again for the IWGP Women’s Championship and they delivered an instant classic. Right from the start the striking was stiff, the submissions were being wrenched in, and both women were giving it their all. The closing stretch had a very believable escalation that kept me on the edge of my seat as neither Iwatani or Syuri could win with even the most protected finishers. Even Mayu’s two-step Dragon Suplex wasn’t enough to get the job done, and it eventually took not one, but two big hits for Syuri to keep Iwatani down for the count.

If you’re looking for big bombs, drama, stiff strikes, and some nasty bumps, Syuri and Iwatani delivered a classic that perfectly rubber stamped Mayu’s run as IWGP champion which has spanned 2 years and matches with everyone from Mercedes Mone to Sareee to Tsukasa Fujimoto, and even Stephanie Vaquer. The likely never to be beaten run was an addition to Mayu’s already legendary legacy and ends with another legendary match. ****3/4

WONDER OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP & NEO GENESIS LEADERSHIP
STARLIGHT KID (C) DEF. AZM

For the first time since Kid left Oedo Tai and AZM left QQ these two old rivals went head to head in AZM’s first ever challenge for either the Wonder or World titles. They had the added caveat of the leadership of Neo Genesis being on the line to add some more stakes between them. The match itself was pretty good, they occasionally flashed some of their old High Speed prowess but mostly kept on track for a big-time white belt match. I didn’t love what we got and I do suspect AZM had trouble scaling up to the occasion after a career of wrestling sprint-style but Kid’s arm clearly hurting didnt’t help them much either.

Kid winning was probably the right call even if she’s banged up. She’s clearly the one that the bookers see a higher ceiling on, considering one of the first things they did after getting the book last year was to make her a babyface again. AZM can wait for her big win if that’s a story they choose to go with, but even if not it’s best to have Kid ahead of her in this rivalry. ***3/4

WORLD OF STARDOM CHAMPIONSHIP – CAREER VS CAREER
SAYA KAMITANI (C) DEF. TAM NAKANO

After this match, Saya Kamitani feels like the most important person in wrestling. Her entrance alone was astounding, she felt like a huge star, but then she went into the ring and retired one of the most popular women’s wrestlers in all of Japan. This story and feud has elevated Kamitani to a game-changing star and now she gets to hold onto the world title as the woman who retired THE Tam Nakano. Kamitani is the kind of star you can build a successful company around and this match will no doubt have long term story ramifications as someone will eventually get over by being the one to dethrone the Dark Phenex.

The match itself was great, I still believe that the Korakuen Loser Leaves Stardom match was their absolute peak as a pairing but they got close to that excellence here. There was no reinventing of the wheel, if you’ve seen their previous matches and enjoyed them, you’ll enjoy this too. They took some stupid bumps, they hit each other so hard that I’m not sure I could survive even a single strike from either one, and they kicked out of big moves at 1 because of emotions! It’s what works for them, and it worked here. ****1/2

The result does mean that Tam Nakano retires. The recent growth of STARDOM has come in large part due to her popularity. She has been the top babyface or close to it ever since 2021 at the latest with three of STARDOM’s biggest shows ever having her in the top spot. This recent feud with Kamitani especially has proven what she can do after they pulled a record STARDOM number at Sumo Hall, a complete sellout at Korakuen, and now this 7,500-attendance show (the most-attended in company history). Nakano will be remembered as one of the most important Joshi stars of the decade, one of the women at the helm of this revival of the scene.

More than anything, Nakano is what makes pro wrestling interesting and without her and Giulia, the current landscape is lacking in those egomaniacs who make damn sure the world revolves around them. It’s them who go the extra distance to make people pay attention, it’s them who earnestly pitch ideas like losing every match for a month before triumphing to win a world title anyway, it’s Tam who took a bump on a car just to build a story with Saya. They’re the kind of people who understand that wrestling is far more than just what happens inside the ring, and it’s them who make this shit special. Tam Nakano has angered me, she’s frustrated me, she’s made me sit on the edge of my seat, but she’s made me believe in Tam, and I think I’ll miss the rollercoaster.

The final visual of this show was the perfect sendoff for the Cosmic Angels leader. Walking shoulder to shoulder with her greatest creation, feathers falling from the sky, Nakano takes one last look around at the fans, and as she points to something off screen, the lights and screen fade to black signalling that her career is over. It’s dramatic, you might think it’s silly, it was theatrical, but it was pro wrestling to its core.

FINAL THOUGHTS

STARDOM’s trip to Yokohama Arena delivered one of the most memorable joshi shows in a long time. Not only did Thekla get fired but we saw the last ever Mayu Iwatani match in a STARDOM ring and the end of Tam Nakano’s career. It’s not every day that two of the most important wrestlers in a company have their final match, and it’s even rarer that both matches are as good as what we got here. Beyond that, this show felt like STARDOM announcing its arrival as a major league professional wrestling company. The production was absolutely fantastic from start to finish, the entrances and video screen looked great, the camera quality was strong, even the commentary was good! With 7500 people in the building, STARDOM announced that it is a promotion to take seriously in the world of Japanese wrestling.  Instead of patting themselves on the back I also really liked that the bookers kept things looking forward, on the same show that Mayu and Tam finished up (and Maika is taking a large chunk of the year off with injury according to Hassy), HANAKO and Sayaka Kurara became challengers for the top two titles, Rina got to wrestle an icon of the scene, Aya Sakura got the rub from THE Meiko Satomura, Hanan got a major win over Hazuki, and Starlight Kid beat her career-long rival. We may not be able to Believe in Tam anymore, but this company has an exciting young core to believe in, with a red-hot Saya Kamitani at the helm. Get excited, because this might just be a beginning instead of an end.