Review: Stardom – 2018.02.18

Ruaka, Hanan & Shiki Shibusawa vs. Konami & Kaori Yoneyama
Another fairly standard opener. The pace was good but there was little to separate it from the dozens of other similar openers. Konami pinned Hanan for the win. 2/5 

Xia Brookside & Starlight Kid vs. Team Jungle (Jungle Kyona & Natsuko Tora) vs. Miranda & Nicole Savoy vs. Queen’s Quest (AZM & HZK)
A fun, fast-paced elimination tag match. AZM & Starlight Kid once again showed how good they are facing each other in the ring with a great exchange. Natsuko Tora showed great strength and sold very well throughout and is fast becoming one of the highlights of the mid-card. Everyone else managed to at least show a  glimpse of what they are capable of. AZM pinned Starlight Kid. Natsuko Tora pinned AZM. Nicole Savoy pinned Natsuko Tora for the win. 3.5/5

Sumire Natsu vs. Hiromi Mimura
There was lots of comedy in this match that made it fun to watch even if the wrestling itself was a little clumsy in places. Sumire finally got her comeuppance as Hiromi spat water in her face. Sumire eventually brought her whip into the ring and as the referee tried to intervene she hit and incapacitated him. She then assaulted Hiromi with it until the referee eventually got back to his feet. As the referee again tried to intervene he was hit again and stopped the match. Hiromi Mimura beat Sumire Natsu via DQ. 2.75/5

Stardom Army (Tam Nakano & Mayu Iwatani) vs. Oedo Tai (Kagetsu & Hana Kimura) (Goddesses of Stardom Titles)
A really good match that continues to build the feud between these two groups nicely. Tam gave an awful lot of effort in this match and really is starting to look like she could belong towards the top of the card. Kagetsu and Mayu performed well but neither really went beyond the level you would expect. Hana probably did the least out of everyone, but her intense, almost psychopathic attitude towards Tam has really added a lot to this storyline. Oedo Tai won and retained the championship after Kagetsu hit Tam Nakano with the Oedo Coaster and got the pin. 4/5

Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm
Despite this match being slightly hurt by the fact that the result was so obvious it was still very compelling and high quality throughout. For most of the first 10 minutes the match was primarily fought on the mat. Each took turns with the initiative as they smoothly transitioned in and out of holds. Toni managed to hold her own against one of the best in the world. The second half of the match was far more fast-paced and stiff. Both women hit signature offence such as Toni’s suicide dive and Meiko’s overhead kick. Eventually both traded their biggest moves with Toni hitting several piledrivers and Meiko hitting several Death Valley Drivers, the last of which Toni rolled out of the ring before Meiko had a chance to pin her and the bell rang to signal a time-limit draw. A great, but predictable match. 4.25/5

After the match Meiko complimented Toni and said that she wants a rematch in the future. Mayu Iwatani then entered the ring and challenged Toni to a World of Stardom Title Match on April 1st in Nagoya.

Momo Watanabe vs. Io Shirai (Wonder of Stardom Title)
This was Momo’s best match of her career so far. The match was booked perfectly as Io worked incredibly stiff throughout and you really got the feeling Io was testing to see how far Momo was willing to go. The answer was that Momo is willing and able to work such a style and really took Io to the limit. Throughout the match there were some frighteningly stiff forearms from Io to the face of Momo, but she kept getting back up and delivering some great strikes of her own. Io may have dominated a lot of the match but Momo had plenty of time to shine as she almost got the pin multiple times and hit two cradle back to belly piledrivers, including one on the apron. Io showed a lot of her signature offence but she really worked hard to put Momo over and the stiffness was a big part of that. Io Shirai eventually got the pin after a moonsault which seemed to catch Momo on the nose and cause her to bleed quite heavily after the match. 4.5/5