Stardom Review And Analysis: January 19 in Shinkiba

Kagetsu & Jamie Hayter vs Hazuki & Natsu Sumire

Surprisingly, Kagetsu and Hazuki started things off to offer a taste of what’s to come in their January 27 World of Stardom Title Match in Osaka. Not much of note happened in the opening moments of the contest as the champion and her eventual challenger found themselves on relatively even ground. Hazuki sent Kagetsu to the arena floor and teased a suicide dive before both tagged their partners into the match.

Hayter was able to control Natsu until things fell apart with all four Oedo Tai members busting into – and then out of – the ring. On the arena floor, Kagetsu held nothing back as she hurled Hazuki into the crowd before choking her with a chair.

Kagetsu and Hayter worked Natsu over together until manager Nao attempted to get involved with some in-ring interference. She held Natsu for a coming Kagetsu kick, but Natsu side-stepped leading to Nao almost being wiped out. Kagetsu was able to stop herself before pushing Nao to the side and, in a funny moment, Natsu used the autobiography of Stardom owner Rossy Ogawa as a weapon to catch a breather.

Hazuki went full-on beast mode fighting off both Hayter and Kagetsu while standing strong against some vicious forearm strikes and a number of insane kicks to the chest from Kagetsu. Hazuki nearly got the victory with a top-rope seated splash on Kagetsu but Hayter would break things up with another well-timed, and vicious, kick to the sternum.

Kagetsu looked primed to put her self-imposed challenger away after a Death Valley Driver in the corner. The champion propelled herself from the top rope with the Oedo Coaster 450 splash but Hazuki was able to roll out of the way before wrapping Kagetsu up with the Hazukistral Cradle for the flash three count!

After the match, Kagetsu claimed that she lost the match on purpose… before Hazuki called her out on using the same excuse when she was pinned by Jungle Kyona in a tag team match. Hazuki reminded her that Kagetsu had explained to her backstage that she used the excuse as a way to deflect against the loss with the champion aghast that Hazuki would throw the truth in her face like that.

Kagetsu would go on to compliment Hazuki on growing as a fighter before compelling the crowd on January 27 to refrain from taking photos during their match. She and Hazuki agreed that the crowd should watch the match with their eyes and not through a camera lens. Kagetsu implored the crowd the crowd, “Please concentrate and watch the match. Enjoy professional wrestling.”

Thoughts: Unsurprisingly, this was a fantastic main event. Kagetsu and Hazuki got into it more than I would have expected which just makes me wonder even more what they’ll have in store for their World of Stardom Title match in Osaka. Hazuki is absolutely on the rise and if her moment to stand atop Stardom doesn’t come this month, I wouldn’t be surprised if she claims the red belt sometime before 2019 is over.

Up Next

On January 27, as I’ve noted already, Hazuki will challenge Kagetsu for the World of Stardom Title in the main event. For the Goddesses of Stardom Titles, Utami Hayashishita and Momo Watanabe will defend against Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora.

Also on the card, Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler face Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano in what would have been an Artist of Stardom Title match. Arisa Hoshiki and Starlight Kid team to face Konami and AZM, Natsu Sumire and Jamie Hayter battle Saki Kashima and Alex Gracia, and the Judo Sisters (Hanan, Rina, and Hina) come together once more to lock it up with Kaori Yoneyama, Ruaka, and Saya Iida.