Review: Stardom 5★STAR Grand Prix 2017 – Day 9 (Finals) – 2017.09.18

Natsuko Tora, Starlight Kid & Ruaka vs. Mari Apache, AZM & Shiki Shibusawa
If you have seen any of the 5 Star GP openers featuring these six then you’ll know what to expect. A lot of the same spots though it was performed at a good pace and pretty much everything looked smooth. Mari Apache submitted Starlight Kid for the win. 2.25/5

Hiromi Mimura vs. Xia Brookside
Despite this not really featuring any high quality wrestling, it was an enjoyable match. Hiromi has been one of the highlights of the tournament for me as she has really found her role in the company and looks confident and comfortable in it. Xia obviously still has a long way to go in terms of her in-ring ability but there has been noticeable growth during this tournament and it is nice to see that she is comfortable in a more comedy-orientated match. The match itself started with some comedy poses and taunts before it largely became a battle of rolling up the opponent mixed in with a few strikes. Nothing spectacular but it was fine for what it was. Hiromi Mimura pinned Xia Brookside for the win. 2.75/5

Mandy Leon vs. Konami
This was a little slow and lacked some impact but was not bad. I think Mandy has had an okay tournament. Her biggest problem is her lack of speed, especially running between the ropes. Her technique is largely good although her botch against Toni Storm was one of the worst I have seen for a long time. I feel Konami had a slightly disappointing tournament, I had hoped this would be a good springboard for her but the booking of her losing every match before this one hasn’t helped, though she did have some good matches. Konami pinned Mandy Leon for the win. 2.75/5

Kris Wolf vs. Hana Kimura
Lots of comedy in this match as Hana repeatedly distracted Kris using meat. The actual wrestling part was good too with a huge superplex from the top rope & a beautiful missile dropkick. Oedo Tai have all had a pretty good tournament and I feel as though the stable as a whole has really grown over the last couple of months. Hana Kimura pinned Kris Wolf after a missile dropkick for the win. 3.25/5

Jungle Kyona vs. Tam Nakano
Tam Nakano has certainly been the surprise of the tournament. She came into the 5 Star GP having only had one match in Stardom and is now established as one of the brightest stars. She has also joined Oedo Tai which will be a huge boost for her storylines going forward. Jungle Kyona has also had a good tournament, her match quality has been very consistent and her passion never in doubt. This was a good, physical match. Some great clotheslines from Kyona and beautiful kicks from Tam. There was a great intensity to the match throughout. Jungle Kyona pinned Tam Nakano after a big splash from the top rope. 3.75/5

Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm 
Great match. Tons of incredible transitions and reversals. Toni Storm has had a mixed tournament but I when she is at the top of her game like this then she is a match for anyone. Kay Lee Ray has been consistently good throughout the 5 Star GP and I would say this was probably her best match. It was incredibly hard hitting and at times it looked very dangerous including when Kay Lee Ray jumped to the outside with a hard landing and a slightly scrappy looking piledriver from the middle rope by Toni Storm for the win. 4.25/5

Io Shirai vs. HZK
Incredible match. By far my favourite Io Shirai match of the tournament as she was close to full speed here as opposed to the 70-80% she seems to have been performing at as she comes back from injury. It was also HZK’s best match of the tournament and she worked incredibly well in both her move execution and the storytelling. The strikes were brutal and there were a lot of big moves, including HZK kicking out of an Io moonsault and the two huge running face washes you can see in the gif. It all led to a time limit draw that both costs Io the chance to go to the final and sets up future storylines. 4.5/5

Viper vs. Yoko Bito
Pretty short but high quality. Viper has had a very good tournament and delivered a huge cannonball off the apron early on (she seemed to catch Jungle Kyona in the face too). Yoko Bito is a contender for the best performer of the tournament and fought back using her impressive kicks. It all built to a big finish with Yoko Bito pinning Viper with an incredibly impressive B-Driver. Yoko Bito progresses to the final of the 5 Star GP. 3.5/5

Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu
I could watch these two wrestle each other every week. The match started with an insane spot as Oedo Tai dumped the steel entrance structure on top of Mayu. Once both were in the ring and the real wrestling started it was just some of the highest class, fastest paced, best sold wrestling you will see anywhere in the world this year. Both Mayu & Kagetsu have had an incredible tournament and both are genuine contenders for being named the best female wrestler in the world. It is such a shame that Mayu has suffered a serious injury since this match took place as this is probably my favourite rivalry in wrestling and has been building so nicely towards a huge match with a much longer time limit. Hopefully we can get it next year. This is one of the must-see matches of the tournament and of the year. Kagetsu pinned Mayu Iwatani after spitting blue mist in her face and delivering the Oedo Coaster. 4.5/5

Toni Storm vs. Yoko Bito
The final started frantically with an early suicide dive by Toni Storm followed by a B-Driver outside the ring by Bito. The match slowed down a bit as both went through some of their more standard moveset. Yoko Bito kicked out of a piledriver and then Toni Storm followed by kicking out of the B-Driver. Toni Storm then hit three big piledrivers in a row and pinned Yoko Bito for the win. This felt very anticlimactic for a final and there wasn’t really any in-ring storytelling. The match itself was fine but it didn’t really feel like a final. I realise both had already had had matches earlier in the show though. 3.25/5

Toni Storm Wins the 5 Star Grand Prix!