STARDOM 7/23/2023 5STAR Grand Prix 2023 - Tag 1: Opening Round
I never got done with last years GP, sadly. I'd love to do this years, but there's just so much stuff to cover these days and with the G-1 being at the same time, I don't know if I have it in me.
5Star Grand Prix 2023 Block A - Maika vs Hanan
Hanan hip throws her and running euros her. Shen then legdrops her head into the mat for 2. Maika spinning lariats her then michinoku drivers her for the win.
It was fast paced and a decent opener. Maika's spinning lariat was nice and I liked her backdrop combo.
5Star Grand Prix 2023 Block A - Mariah May vs AZM
They counter each other and May blows a kiss. May goes to leapfrog and is dropkicked in the air. AZM PK's her then May spinning backbreakers her. May hits machine gun chops in the corner and goes for a headstand headscissors in the corner but is blocked. AZM top rope double stomps her as she hangs.
AZM top rope double footstomps her for 2 then is caught on a hurricanrana and buckle bombed. May trips her on the apron then hits a wild sunset bomb on the floor. May slingblades her then release backdrops her.
May hits a top rope dropkick then AZM rolls her up for 2. They reverse each other on pin attempts then AZM buzzsaw kicks her. May catches her spinning headscissors with a tombstone and wins it.
May has a 10/10 look but is sloppy. I did like the spinning tombstone spot but someone could have died on that sunset bomb spot. The pace was super fast here.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block B - Natsuko Tora vs. Ami Sourei
They shoulder battle and Ami goes over the top. Ami is whipped into the seats. Tora misses a cannonball then takes machine gun chops. They trade forearms and Ami suplexes her. Ami lariats her then hits a stiffer one. Ami hits blue thunder for 2 then is pushed into the ref. Tora mists Ami and death valley drivers her for 2. Tora cradle shocks her then top rope swantons her for the win.
It was short and nothing was wrong with it. I do think the men doing ref bumps looks silly with the women though as they have no way of really hurting them by running into them.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block B - Natsupoi vs Starlight Kid
Kid dropkicks her on the ramp while she does her entrance then asai moonsaults her outside. Poi is rammed into a pole then germans Kid on the apron. The two trade forearms at a rapid pace and Kid jumping kicks her. Kid moonsaults her off the top and misses a frog splash. Poi sweeping kicks her on the mat then dropkicks her.
Kid pop-up forearms her and hits a great twisting suplex for 2. Kid moonsauls her off the top for 2 then Poi hits Madoka's old driver on her. Poi does a nasty release german on her neck then germans her again. Kid top rope spanish flies her then meteora's her in the back of the head.
They trade pinfall attempts and Poi rolls her up to win.
This was good up until the top rope spanish fly, which absolutely meant nothing here. The pace was so fast here with tons of highlights.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block A - Utami Hayashishita vs. Mina Shirakawa
Mina slides out after a basement dropkick then Utami slams her on the floor. Mina tornado ddt's her from the ramp. She hits basement dropkicks on the inside and reverse ddt's her. Utami samoan drops her then Mina forearms her in the back of the head. Mina uses the ropes to kick her then high kicks her.
Mina spinning forearms her then takes a schwein. They trade forearms and Mina hits an elbow flurry. She forearms her hard in the back of the head then is german suplexed for 2. Utami has her on her shoulders, spins and takes a ddt from it. Mina flying lariats her the bridging twisting neckbreakers her.
Utami 2nd rope dropkicks her for 2 then germans her. Mina hits spinning chops and lifts her for a ddt for 2. Mina lifts her for a sitout tombstone. Utami powerbombs her then Mina rolls her up for 2. Utami lariats her then hits a sitout torture rack bomb. Utami then deadlifts her into a gutwrench side sitout powerbomb for the win.
Mina tries but she's not really a top worker. A lot of her stuff didn't look that good here and Utami ragdolled her around some here. It just wasn't anything special.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block A - Momo Watanabe vs. MIRAI
Momo takes her down to start. She grabs her by the hair and pulls her down. Momo kicks her hard in the upper body and slams her. Momo hits kicks to the body then Mirai sliding flatliners her. Mirai backrolls her into a kimura then Momo hits a top rope uranage. Momo meteora's her for 2 then is kimura'd again.
Mirai hits a stiff lariat and a unique suplex. Mirai then wheelbarrows her into a half-nelson suplex. Mirai hits another stiff lariat. Mirai picks her up and gets knee pressed then Momo kicks her in the head from behind. Mirai hits another nasty lariat then Momo half-nelson suplexes her. Momo hits a stiff package tombstone then Mirai hits a hammerlock belly to belly suplex with a bridge.
Momo kicks her in the face then does a wrist-clutch, half-nelson suplex. Momo then wrist-clutch, half-nelson drivers her and wins it.
They did some great, stiff moves here and really beat the crap out of each other. Unfortunately, they didn't sell any of it and this was just terrible.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block B - Suzu Suzuki vs Syuri
Suzu drivers her off the handshake and hits a nice german for 2. Syuri's head is banged off the pole then Suzu puts her through it and facekicks her. Suzu gets her head banged off the apron then Syuri bridging ddt's her on the floor. Syuri kicks her then knees her in the corner. She hits a single underhook suplex for 2 and armbars her.
Syuri meteora's her through the ropes and Suzu high kicks her as she's up top. Suzu germans her off the apron to the floor in a nasty spot. Suzu boom knees her and they trade forearms. Syuri drops her with kicks and then is rolled up. Suzu superkicks her then takes a high german that she no sells. Suzu hits kicks to the head as she's on her knees then Syuri high kicks her. They then high kick each other at the same time and go down.
Suzu half-nelson slams her then Syuri fireman's gut busters her for 2. Suzu rolls her up and hits another driver for 2. Suzu germans her and is rolled up then Syuri running knees her but is rolled up. Syuri lawn darts her in the buckle then buzzsaw kicks her. Syuri hits an electric chair side driver and wins it.
It was awful with nobody selling anything and doing as many big moves as they could before moving over to the next big move.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block B - Mayu Iwatani vs. Hazuki
Haz tries some pin attempts to start then Mayu dropkicks her. Mayu double stomps her and hits a hard chop in the corner. Mayu slams her then Haz codebreakers her. Haz sliding knees her then facewashes her against the ropes. Haz bridging ddt's her on the floor then gets her tope'd interrupted.
Mayu slingshot swinging dropkicks her. Haz crossfaces her then facekicks her through the ropes. Haz brainbusters her then dropkicks her from the buckles for 2. They trade forearms and Mayu slams her head off the mat. Mayu dropkicks her against the bottom rope then frogsplashes her for 2. Mayu misses a top rope moonsault. Haz ducks mAyu's tope and Mayu topes the girls outside, then Haz overshoots on a tope on her.
Haz topes her again then ddt's her over the middle rope. Haz top rope sentons her for 2 then Mayu tombstones her. Mayu flying dropkicks her in the corner then 2nd rope shotgun dropkicks her. Haz makes her headflip with a ddt then Mayu buzzsaw kicks her. Mayu top rope moonsaults her then superkicks her. Mayu dragon suplexes her for 1 then does a clutch dragon suplex for the win.
This had no real chance after the last few matches where every move in the book was done. This was real fast paced and it didn't really stand out with everything else that we have seen so far.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block B - Saori Anou vs. Giulia
G = Giulia (her name is too hard to spell out all match)
Anou cartwheels out of a wristlock and they grab each other by the hair. Anou release germans her. They fight on the ramp and G is suplexed onto chairs. G has her head banged off chairs then the apron. G is irish whipped into chairs then Anou goes into the chairs. Anou is suplexed on the floor and is bleeding from the head. G then piledrivers her through a table.
They trade forearms and Running forearms her. G ddt's her then shotgun dropkicks her. G hammerlock clutch belly to belly suplexes her then top rope dropkicks her. Anou step up enzugiri's her then fisherman suplexes her. G high release german suplexes her then takes a hard wheelbarrow suplex back. Anou slaps her a bunch of times then G straight punches her.
G rolls her for a pin and is reversed then G pop-up powerbombs her. Anou top rope hurricanrana's her then does a single leg dropkick for 2. G top rope butterfly suplexes her and holds on for a falcon arrow. G pumping knees her for 2 then takes a step up enzugiri. Anou hits a great german for 2 then is backdropped. G then hits her hammerlock driver as the time expires.
It was a bad match. I don't know if I ever saw a match start off with a move off the ramp/stage, but that happened here. It was fast paced, but nobody sold anything and it meant nothing.
They grab each other by the hair after and butt heads.
5STAR Grand Prix 2023 Block B - Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani
Tam had a real nice entrance outfit on that made her look like a space angel.
They trade some holds and Tam takes a backslide. Saya goes for a lariat and Tam limbos out. Tam spin kicks her in the gut then is dropkicked. Saya shotgun dropkicks her then her springboard is caught with a cutter. Tam pumping knees her then bridging spinning neckbreakers her on the ramp. They trade forearms on the stage then Saya forearm flurries her. Tam double knees her up there. Tam climbs up on the stage and plancha's her. Tam then runs at her and takes a M. Bison stomp.
Saya climbs up a pole and plancha's Tam but gets hurt during it as her arm lands wrong. The ref comes out and one of the wrestlers calls for the match to stop.
Well, they don't call them high risk moves for nothing. One of the big problems with doing wild matches on day one of a tournament is that if someone gets hurt, they are going to miss most of the tournament. In Saya's defense, the way she got injured was pretty rare. What we got of this was a spot fest with apron, stage and moves off the pole within the first 10 minutes.
Mayu then comes out and talks with Utami then Tam talks more to end the show, which is weird since she just got laid out.
Overall thoughts: Every match was fast paced and stiff. I liked that. But the matches were all really bad and nearly identical. No one sold anything and they even turned moves off the ramp into opening match moves. These girls were trying to kill each other and essentially did as Saya ended up injuried, on day one of a 10+ day tournament. I'm sure Meltzer will love this one, but it was low IQ wrestling.
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