By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
Stardom “5 Star Grand Prix”
Streamed on Stardom-world.com
August 20, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan at Korakuen Hall
They are running a tournament, and this show features four quarterfinal matches and four semifinal matches. Korakuen Hall appears packed for this show. Notable that there were no guardrails at ringside.
1. Bozilla vs.Suzu Suzuki in a quarterfinal tournament match. Bozilla is set to appear at Forbidden Door; she is listed at 5’11” and 205 pounds. I’ve seen Suzu before, and she’s a bit thicker around the middle. They shook hands, but Bozilla attacked her from behind, and she splashed Suzu in a corner, then hit a release suplex and a massive senton for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. They brawled into the crowd, and Suzu whipped Bozilla into rows of chairs at 3:30. They got back in the ring and traded forearm strikes. Bozilla hit a Samoan Drop.
Suzu hit a Frankensteiner at 6:00, then a superkick. Bozilla dropped her with a clothesline, then she hit a German Suplex and a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall at 7:30. She hit a standing powerbomb, but Suzu rolled through and got a nearfall. Bozilla hit a jumping piledriver for a nearfall at 9:30, and she was shocked she didn’t win there. She missed a Vader Bomb. Suzu hit a swinging slam for a nearfall and some buzzsaw kicks and got a nearfall, then a German Suplex. She avoided a clothesline, hit another German Suplex with a high bridge, and scored the pin! Good opener.
Suzu Suzuki defeated Bozilla at 11:35 to advance.
2. AZM vs. Hanan in a quarterfinal tournament match. Hanan has blonde hair and wore yellow. AZM wore her New Japan Strong title belt. They charged at each other at the bell and avoided each other’s key moves early on. AZM immediately went for a cross-armbreaker, then a dropkick into the corner for a nearfall at 1:30 and a doublestomp on the stomach. Hanan tossed her over the top rope to the floor, then a splash to the floor on AZM and maybe 3-4 other women. Hanan hit a hanging DDT off the apron to the thin mat on the floor at 3:30. They got back into the ring and traded forearm strikes.
Hanan hit a leaping leg lariat, then an axe kick to the back of the head for a nearfall at 5:30. Hanan hit a Suplex with a high bridge for a nearfall, then a diving back elbow to the base of the spine. AZM hit a doublestomp to the chest, and they were both down at 7:00. She snapped Hanan’s elbow and hit a spin kick to the head for a nearfall, then a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall. Hanan hit a back suplex. AZM went back to a cross-armbreaker and got a rollup for a nearfall. Hanan got a rollup for a believable nearfall. AZM hit a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall and went back to a cross-armbreaker. AZM hooked both arms behind Hanan’s back, and she submitted.
AZM defeated Hanan at 10:18 to advance.
3. Momo Watanabe vs. Ami Sourei in a quarterfinal tournament match. Momo wore all black; I don’t follow Stardom closely but she’s like the female version of NJPW’s EVIL. Ami wore shiny white and teal; she has a splash of red in her black hair. Sourei immediately hit a series of chops. Momo targeted the left leg and kept Ami grounded. They got up and traded chops. Momo hit some spin kicks to the thighs at 3:00. Ami put her in a Lex Luger-style Torture Rack, then dumped her onto the turnbuckles. She hit a sliding clothesline for a nearfall. Momo hit some rolling snap suplexes.
Ami hit a second-rope superplex and a clothesline in the corner at 5:30. She hit another clothesline for a nearfall. Momo applied a unique Figure Four-style leg lock on the mat, but Ami reached the ropes at 8:00. Some of Momo’s faction partners tripped Ami in the corner, and it allowed Momo to hit a piledriver move along her back on the ring apron! She pulled Ami into the ring and hit another one for a believable nearfall at 9:30. Ami hit a powerbomb. Momo hit a punt kick to the head for a nearfall. Ami hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall and she was fired up. Momo hit a Dragon Suplex with a high Bridge for a nearfall, then a pumphandle back suplex for the pin. Nice closing sequence.
Momo Watanabe defeated Ami Sourei at 11:40 to advance.
4. Rina vs. Bea Priestley (f/k/a Blair Davenport) in a quarterfinal tournament match. My first time seeing Bea since her WWE release; her hair is all now jet black. She smiled and waved at the crowd; I’ve seen her as a heel a lot more than as a babyface, so this felt weird to me. Rina also wore black and had a cat o’ nine tails whip. Bea got a backslide for a nearfall in the first minute; she’s taller and took control. She hit a kick to the spine at 1:30. Rina hit a shotgun dropkick for a nearfall. Bea hit a delayed vertical suplex, then a running knee to the head in the ropes for a nearfall at 4:00. Rina tied her in an Octopus Stretch; they fell to the mat with Rina still having Bea tied in a pretzel. Bea got a foot on the ropes to break it.
Rina hit a second-rope flying double kneedrop to the chest, but she missed a top-rope doublestomp. Bea hit a second-rope doublestomp across the back for a nearfall at 6:00, and she tied Rina in a sleeper on the mat. Bea hit a superkick to the jaw; Rina hit a Mafia Kick. Bea hit a German Suplex and they were both down. They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. Rina hit a Crucifix Driver for a nearfall at 8:30. Rina hit a top-rope double knee drop for a nearfall. Bea hit a DDT for a nearfall, then a German Suplex. Rina nailed a Gory Bomb for a nearfall at 10:00. Bea hit a uranage for a believable nearfall. They traded rollups. Rina got a rollup and flipped over for a jackknife cover and the pin! That was really good!
Rina defeated Bea Priestley at 11:25 to advance.
5. Ema Maishima and Yuria Hime vs. Akira Kurogane and Kikyo Furosawa. Kikyo is tall and wore red. Akira has blonde hair and wore white. Ema has dark hair and wore white-and-blue. Hime wore metallic purple and has almost reddish hair. I really am not sure if I’ve seen any of these four before. Kikyo and Ema opened. Ema whipped Akira across the ring. Akira hit a dropkick at 1:30. Akira and Hime traded forearm strikes. Akira went for a cover but didn’t realize that Kikyo had made a blind tag to enter. Kikyo tied Hime in an ankle lock. Hime and Ema hit stereo dropkicks on Kikyo. Hime hit some Vaquer-style headplants into the mat, and she applied a leg lock around the neck, and Kikyo tapped out. They clearly knew they had a short window, and they packed it with action.
Ema Maishima and Yuria Hime defeated Akira Kurogane and Kikyo Furosawa at 5:19.
6. Saori Anou vs. Suzu Suzuki in a semifinal tournament match. Suzuk was still in her red gear; Anou wore blue and has a short haircut similar to WWE’s Asuka. Anou immediately hit some top-rope missile dropkicks and was in charge early on. Suzu hit some running knees. They traded forearm strikes on the ring apron at 2:30, and Suzu hit a powerbomb on the apron! They fought on the floor, with Suzu whipping Saori into rows of chairs. (Worth pointing out that Suzu was smaller than her first opponent, but she’s bigger than Anou.) Suzu hit a suplex on the thin mat on the floor, and they were both down at 4:30.
They got back into the ring, and they traded forearm strikes. Anou hit an enzuigiri and a suplex. She hit a Frankensteiner, and she tied Suzu in a leg lock on the mat at 7:30, and she tried to apply a cross-armbreaker. Suzu hit a German Suplex; Anou hit one. Suzu hit another one at 9:30; Anou hit another one, and they were both down. Suzu hit a release German Suplex and her spinning slam for a nearfall. Anou got a backslide and flipped over for added pressure and got the pin!
Saori Anou defeated Suzu Suzuki at 11:11.
7. AZM vs. Saya Kamitani in a semifinal tournament match. Again, Saya is also a lot like EVIL and the House of Torture; she’s tall and slender and wore all black. Saya charged at AZM, and they immediately fought to the floor. Saya whipped AZM into rows of chairs. Saya hit a springboard crossbody block to the floor onto AZM and some others at ringside at 1:30. In the ring, Saya hit a second-rope missile dropkick, and she choked AZM in the ropes. She tied AZM in a leg lock on the mat. They got up, and Saya unloaded some forearm strikes. AZM hit a running Penalty Kick on the ring apron at 5:00.
In the ring, Saya hit a dropkick at 6:30, and they were both down. AZM went to an armbar and applied a Purrazzo-style Venus de Milo lock. She hit a top-rope doublestomp to the stomach for a nearfall at 8:30. Saya hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. She hit a spinning kick to the head and got a believable nearfall. Saya went for another fisherman’s suplex, but AZM hit a Canadian Destroyer and got a nearfall at 10:00. Saya hit another spin kick to the head. AZM hit a spin kick to the head. Saya hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 11:30, then a powerbomb for a nearfall. AZM hooked an arm, got a rollup, and scored the pin. That was fantastic.
AZM defeated Saya Kamitani at 12:27 to advance.
8. Momo Watanabe (w/HATE) vs. Sareee in a semifinal tournament match. Momo came out first; she charged and attacked Saree on the floor by the entrance; I started my stopwatch at first contact. They brawled in the bleachers. They went back to the floor, where Momo again whipped her into chairs. They got into the ring for the first time at 3:00, with Momo stomping on her and keeping Sareee grounded. Sareee got up and stomped on Momo’s back. They got up, and Saree unloaded some hard forearm strikes, and she hit a basement dropkick to the face as Momo was in the ropes at 6:00. She hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall.
Sareee hit an enzuigiri, then a second-rope superplex at 7:30 and a second-rope doublestomp to the chest, then a German Suplex. Momo hit her Tombstone Piledriver for a nearfall. Sareee hit a series of headbutts. One of Momo’s HATE faction partners tripped Sareee. Sareee applied a Fujiwara Armbar, but Momo got a foot on the ropes at 10:00. Sareee switched to an Octopus Stretch. Several women jumped into the right and fought, and they all got out just as quickly as they arrived. Sareee hit a running basement dropkick, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for a nearfall at 11:30.
Momo hit a spin kick to the head, then a roundhouse kick to the chest. Sareee hit a back suplex for a nearfall at 13:30, but the ref was pulled to the floor. A heel jumped in the ring and hit a German Suplex. Saree avoided being hit by Momo swinging a bat. A HATE member accidentally struck Momo with a chairshot, then she distracted the ref. Momo cracked a chair over Sareee’s head and hit a half-nelson suplex for a believable nearfall at 15:30. She hit a pumphandle back suplex and got the tainted pin. A good brawl with all the heel interference you’d expect here.
Momo Watanabe defeated Sareee at 15:43 (official time of 15:13) to advance.
9. Rina vs. Natsupoi in a semifinal tournament match. Natsupoi has long blonde ahir and she wore white with yellow trim. She hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall. Rina slammed Natsupoi back-first on the apron, then she leapt off the apron and hit a knee drop on Natsupoi’s chest as she was lying on the thin mat on the floor. Rina whipped her into the ring post at 3:00. She struck Natsupoi’s left elbow with a chairshot! On the ring apron, Natsupoi hit a superkick but she sold the pain in her elbow. Natsupoi hit a top-rope flying crossbody block onto Rina on the floor at 4:30.
Back in the ring, Natsupoi missed a top-rope splash, and she crashed to the mat. Rina hit a reverse suplex, dropping her stomach-first to the mat. They got to their knees and traded slaps to the face and chops. Rina hit a running pump kick for a nearfall. Natsupoi hit a German Suplex at 7:00 and was fired up. They traded more forearm strikes. Rina hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall. She hit a second-rope knee drop to the ribs, then a top-rope knee drop for a nearfall at 8:30. Rina applied a leg lock around the neck. They traded some rollups.
They got to their feet, and Natsupoi hit a superkick and a suplex, then a spin kick to the head for a nearfall at 10:30. She hit a top-rope Twisted Bliss frogsplash for a nearfall. Rina got a jackknife cover for a believable nearfall, then a Gory Bomb, and she was fired up. She hooked an arm, flipped Natsupoi over, and got a nearfall. She kept an arm tied up while applying a leg lock around Natsupoi’s head. Rina pulled back one arm and one leg behind the back, and Natsupoi eventually submitted. Really good action.
Rina defeated Natsupoi at 13:23 to advance.
Final Thoughts: A really strong show before a hot, packed crowd. I’ve noted before… while I avoid using star ratings, I choose my words carefully to describe a match. I rarely write a match was “fantastic.” That’s a top-tier match… and Saya vs. AZM was a top-tier match and the best of this show. Rina-Natsupoi takes second. Even with all the HATE interference, Momo vs. Sareee takes third. Again, I admittedly don’t watch a lot of Stardom, but one of the reasons I tuned in here was because I’ve seen almost every woman in the lineup before. Only the four in that tag match were newer.
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