Stardom Review And Analysis: January 6 in Osaka

Viper & AZM vs Jungle Kyona & Ruaka

In the pre-match promo, Jungle Kyona mentioned that JAN (Jungle Assault Nation) have yet to win a match in 2019. She will look to get the win over Viper which would give her a lot of momentum leading into her January 14 World of Stardom Title match against Kagetsu in Korakuen Hall.

On the other side of the fence, Viper kept it short and sweet promising that Kyona and Ruaka would, like everybody else before them, bow down to the Queens.

In perhaps the greatest style of entrance in all of wrestling, the Queen’s Quest duo made their way to the ring with AZM sitting on Viper’s shoulders. Viper, known to NXT/WWE fans as Piper Niven, looks to be on her way to WWE after being offered contracts both there and with AEW which will mean the end of her run in Stardom.

Viper and Kyona started things off with a bit of a stalemate as the two defacto heads of their team until Viper floored Kyona with a running shoulder block. Kyona fought back and attempted to slam her larger opponent but couldn’t get her off of her feet. Using her quickness, Kyona was able to avoid contact in a flurry of offense from Viper before both wrestlers tagged in their partners.

Turning the tables, Ruaka used her size advantage to gain control over AZM before JAN broke out some brief double-team action. Back as the legal member of the team, Kyona punished the back of AZM with submissions and strikes. With a quick tag, Ruaka went for the cover and a mis-timed senton backsplash from Viper saw Ruaka roll out of the way in time for AZM to be crushed by her own partner.

After a quick recovery boost, AZM made the tag to a fresh Viper who hammered Ruaka until Queen’s Quest ended things with a sick tandem finisher – AZM stood on the shoulders of Viper before leaping down onto Ruaka with a double stomp with Viper following up with a senton backsplash to send things home.

Thoughts: AZM and Viper worked incredibly well here together and looked like a natural team. It will be sad to see Viper part ways with Stardom as she brings something completely different to the promotion, but hopefully, she can do the same in WWE/NXT. AZM, a five-year veteran at age 16, has to be destined for big things in 2019. Perhaps a shot at the Future of Stardom Title or High Speed Title?

Although she didn’t take the fall, it was a disappointing loss for Jungle Kyona as she heads into a big match with Kagetsu at Korakuen Hall. JAN always seem to be just outside of the bubble in regards to being taken seriously as top-tier competitors. It’s a shame because Jungle Kyona is an easy pick when it comes to the best Stardom has to offer and she deserves her time at the top of the food chain.