Stardom Sapporo World Rendezvous 2025
Watch this and AZM vs Bo at Korakuen, so I reviewed a few matches.
Saori Anou vs Starlight Kid for the Wonder of Stardom Title
A gay cat and a violent girltwink viciously destroy each others knees in an attempt to determine what is gayer -- a single white rose, or the sluttiest cravat?
I love the these two. I love their fucky brand of violence. I love it not because it's hot, but because there is so much emotional subtext to the things they do to each other. Saori, as always, almost gets Fight Drunk, just lost in the pleasure of struggle. Kid is a theater kid to the core, and I love her mix of high flying and submission-limb work. She strives constantly to be well rounded, even when he extreme strengths don't require it.
I remember these two having a match awhile ago that was much drier and kinda disappointing (good, just... good). THIS was more what I hoped for.
Natsupoi vs Saya Kamitani for the World of Stardom Title
This would be the best match on most shows. No criticism, no nothing, both performed great. Natsupoi is one of the most consistent and talented wrestlers in stardom. Ultimately it suffers from what most Natsupoi matches do.
... You just can't believe she has a real chance to win. An eventual Poi win over Saya doesn't seem impossible, but for this show, at this time, it felt like the usual. Natsupoi as a stepping stone in and a great match in someone else's title reign.
Natsupoi deserves the world, but the way she's used makes it hard to get invested sometimes.
Bozilla vs AZM for the NJPW STRONG Women's Title
Incredibly fun. Truly a 'younger sibling vs older sibling' match... even though... AZM is older than Bo...
Bo has great energy and speed. She's god some potential Lady Vader energy going on sometimes. Instead of playing into the plodding giant, she tried to match AZMs speed and energy and it unsurprisingly just made for a better match.