What is it?
The 5 Star Grand Prix is the most prestigious tournament in Stardom, serving as their equivalent to NJPW’s G1 Climax, and this year is the biggest tournament yet! Two blocks of thirteen wrestlers face off in a round robin series, pitting the best of the company against each other in a gruelling stretch of shows. Starting on July 30th, with a double header inside one of their favourite locations, Ota Ward Gymnaisum in Tokyo, the tournament will run through until the first day in October.

Competitors score two points for a win and one for a draw, with the wrestler who earns the most points in each block facing off in the final. The winner earns the right to call themselves a Grand Prix winner while wearing the crown and robe, but they’re also entitled to a title shot. Winning the tournament is just as big an honour as holding the World of Stardom Championship, being able to ride that momentum into a big title match is a nice bonus!

Who has won the tournament in the past?
Running since 2012, the best of the best have found themselves crowned the 5 Star Champion. Even if you’ve never seen Stardom before, you’ve probably heard of some of these names: Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo (aka Kairi Sane), Toni Storm, Hana Kimura, and Mayu Iwatani. Last year’s winner was Syuri, who had perhaps the single best tournament run ever en route to defeating Momo Watanabe in the final. Anyone worthy to wear the crown come October 1st will instantly be seen among the best in the company if they don’t already hold that honour.

How can I watch?
By far the easiest way to do so is to sign up to Stardom World, which costs 920 yen a month (that’s less than $7USD right now!). Shows are uploaded to the site in the days following a show, generally starting a day or two after the event (depending on where the event is held and if there are back to back shows or not). Promos are also subtitled in English, so don’t worry if you don’t speak Japanese! I know I don’t. And there’s a back catalogue from previous years to sink your teeth into if you’re hungry for more.

Several nights will also fall under the PPV distinction. These will be available to watch live through PIA for about 4400 yen (or approximately $33 USD). Because of PPV rights these shows take a bit longer to go up on the Stardom World Streaming service (about 4-5 days later). Expect the opening two nights as well as the final to fall under this category.

There is also a 30 minute weekly TV show in Japan called We Are Stardom, that is uploaded on the Stardom Youtube page. These shows will likely feature some of the biggest and best matches from the tournament and is free to watch. This is a good way to get your feet wet without diving right in, though there will be a couple of month delay between a match happening and its appearance on the TV show.

It is important to note that if you want to follow the tournament without spoilers, it is best to avoid the official Twitter pages, as results are posted as they happen.

Red Stars Block

Syuri

• Representing: God’s Eye
• Current World of Stardom Champion
• 3rd Appearance (2021 Winner). 2021 Record: 12 Points – Winner

Syuri is proof of what happens if you win this tournament. After successfully making it through the 2021 5 Star, she earned her shot at Utami Hayashishita, and walked away with the top prize in the company. A prize she’s been able to defend all the way through to this tournament.

Now the hunter has become the hunted. Anyone who gets the better of her during the block matches will have a case for a title challenge down the road. That’s easier said than done however. Syuri has proven nigh unbeatable since joining the company at the start of 2020. With championships in both kickboxing and MMA/Pancrase, Syuri has more than earned her reputation as Stardom’s top wrestler. But she’s attempting to be the first to not just win the tournament multiple times, but to do it back to back. No easy feat, even for someone like Syuri.

Match to watch: Vs AZM (July 30). There’s not many people who can say they have an even record with Syuri, but the teenager has managed a 2-2 split with the Red Belt Champion. Most notably, both of AZM’s wins have come in 5 Star block matches. With the added pressure of opening night, Syuri will have to be careful not to slip up a third time against Stardom’s quickest wrestler.

Tam Nakano

• Representing: Cosmic Angels
• 6th Appearance. 2021 Record: 10 Points

The years have been kind to Tam. When she first joined Stardom it was hard to imagine she’d turn into one of the strongest wrestlers in the company, yet now we sit on the cusp of her 6th appearance in the tournament and she has to be considered one of the favourites.

Tam is great at making you fight her kind of match: a slow, emotionally charged slugfest. When you fall into that game, Tam will outlast you even if it puffs up her pretty face. There are questions over just how much longer she’s going to wrestle for, but if the clock is ticking she’ll be looking for one big final run, and a 5 Star GP win is the perfect way to start that countdown.

Match to watch: Vs Utami Hayashishita (September 24). These two entered the tournament last year as the top two champions, and it was the final night loss to Tam last year that kept Utami from winning the block. A year on they come in without any belts, but expect it to just be as fierce. These two have amazing chemistry together, both when competing physically and mentally – expect the return of uTami Nakano to try and get in the head of the Cosmic Angels leader.

Utami Hayashishita

• Representing: Queen’s Quest
• 5th Appearance (2020 Winner). 2021 Record: 10 Points

Last year Utami fell tantalisingly close to making her third 5 Star GP Finals in four entries. Considering one year she had to bow out early due to injury, that should give you an idea of just how dominant the Red Queen is in this tournament. Utami’s been a bit quiet this year after a historic World of Stardom Championship reign, but it feels like she’s just biding her time before she reminds everyone why she’s already considered one of the best in the world at just 23 years of age.

Match to watch: Vs Syuri (July 31). Even people who don’t follow Stardom have probably heard of the epic war between these two that had the whole wrestling world talking. Syuri is the one wrestler Utami has yet to figure out, and that inability to do so cost her the World of Stardom Championship. Can she finally get that win over her fiercest rival?

AZM

• Representing: Queen’s Quest
• Current High Speed Champion
• 4^th Appearance. 2021 Record: 8 Points

When you’re midway through a grueling tournament and you’re feeling tired, the last thing you want to see is someone like AZM: a high speed maestro who will run you off the floor and keep you guessing with a mixture of dangerous submissions and flash pins. One of the most experienced wrestlers on the roster despite only being 19, this teenage veteran has been continually adding to her game and has never looked better. She’s knows the value of a strong performance in the tournament after her debut appearance lifted her stock significantly, so expect another standout performance.

Match to watch: Vs Utami Hayashishita (September 11) The members of Queen’s Quest seem to have an extra gear reserved for matches against their own kind. All that time training together means they know every move and every counter to those moves. AZM is yet to pick up a win against Utami but third time could be the charm.

Koguma

• Representing: STARS
• Current Goddess of Stardom Tag Team Champion (with Hazuki)
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 11 Points

Koguma might be busy as a tag team champion and jumping off of high places, but she proved herself more than capable in a tournament setting when she made the final of the Cinderella Tournament this year. She fell at the final hurdle to MIRAI, but she’s not one to be underestimated.

She possess two great attributes to winning in tournament settings: the ability to get in an opponent’s head and a dangerous flash pin. She’s guaranteed to ruin at least one person’s campaign and talented enough to be knocking on the door of the Final if she can piece it all together.

Match to watch: Vs Himeka (August 7). When Koguma and Himeka are in the ring together they both seem to turn it up an extra gear, be it in singles or multi-person tags. Expect nothing less this time around, be it an extra spicy lariat from Himeka or an extra convincing hypnotic bear dance from Koguma.

Maika

• Representing: Donna Del Mondo
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 9 Points

Maika is developing a bit of a reputation for falling short when it matters most. She’s gotten herself into some high profile matches, be it challenging for top titles or making the final of the Cinderella Tournament – yet time and time again she’s fallen short. Still, at just over three years in the business Maika has quickly proven herself to be a fast learner.

2022 has been a relatively quiet year for Maika. She enjoyed a strong reign as the Artists Champion as MaiHimePoi, but perhaps her most notable moment of the year was her slow descent into bear induced madness at the hands of Koguma. She would certainly like to overshadow that with a 5 Star tournament victory however.

Match to watch: Vs Himeka (October 1st). The MaiHime pairing have won both tag and trios gold together as a team, but they’ve never squared off against each other before. There has to be that curiosity between them over who is truly the strongest, especially as both have challenged for top titles but neither have translated that to singles success. The only way to settle is in the ring, and on the final night of action no less.

Himeka

• Representing: Donna Del Mondo
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 10 Points

Himeka might be one of the strongest 5 Star Tournament wrestlers who have yet to actually win it. In her first year (just months after arriving) she made the finals, only to fall to Utami Hayashishita. The next year she entered fresh off a back injury that had kept her out for months and came within striking distance of the finals.

Now she’s healthier and more experienced. She came up short in a Red Belt match against Syuri a couple of months ago, but few have dominated Syuri in the ring like the Jumbo Princess did. Her biggest weakness could be her undoing though. She seems rather susceptible to flash pins, and she’ll be facing a few particularly skilled opponents in this area. All it takes is a brief lapse in attention and she could find herself missing out on valuable points.

Match to watch: Vs Utami Hayashishita (July 30). The two haven’t fought one on one since the 2020 Final, and Himeka saw Utami turn that tournament victory into a 400 day reign with the World of Stardom Championship. Two of the physically strongest members on the roster on the first night of the tournament throwing bombs in an effort to start their campaign off the right way.

Thekla

• Representing: Donna Del Mondo
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

The Toxic Spider has quickly endeared herself to fans with her erratic style and undeniable charisma since joining the company at the start of the year, but her 5 Star preparation has been marred by an injury that kept her out of action for over a month in the leadup.

Hopefully she’s been using that time off to study up on her opponents. She’s tasted singles success with a SWA Title run earlier in the year, and even if the Final is just a step too far for her right now, a win against one of the two champions in her block would set her up nicely for the second half of the year.

Match to watch: Vs AZM (August 13). It was at the hands of AZM and one of her particularly nasty submission moves that took Thekla out of action during their match for the High Speed Championship. A chance for revenge has to be on the Toxic Spider’s mind, that is if she can keep up with the champ.

Unagi Sayaka

• Representing: Cosmic Angels
• 2^nd Appearance. 2021 Record: 9 Points

Last year was a big year of growth for Stardom’s most eccentric member. Unagi Sayaka started off being humiliated in a seven match series and grew into someone strong enough to challenge for the White Belt. Still, she feels somewhat overmatched against the block’s heavy hitters, and she has a penchant for getting herself in trouble with her big mouth and aggravating antics. If Unagi can win the mental war she’ll pick up her fair share of wins, but she could also find herself regretting her life choices.

Match to watch: Vs Risa Sera (September 11) One of Unagi Sayaka’s favourite past times is calling out newcomers to Stardom and demanding to assess them, no matter how experienced they truly are. Well Risa’s new enough to bring out the worst in the Eel, and if there’s anyone you don’t want to piss off, it’s a deathmatch specialist. There could be some tenderised eel on the menu after this one.

Saki Kashima

• Representing: Oedo Tai
• Current Artist of Stardom Champion (with Starlight Kid and Momo Watanabe)
• 5^th Appearance. 2021 Record: 4 Points

If you’re only going to win a couple of matches in the tournament, make them count. Saki might have only scored four points last year, but those wins came at the hands of Mayu Iwatani and Giulia, two of the biggest names in Stardom. She also holds the record for the fastest win in the tournament’s history, beating 2019 tournament winner Hana Kimura in just eight seconds!

Saki might not be all too happy with the block she was placed in, but she has the experience and the guile to do some damage. Fear the Revival flash pin, perhaps the most dangerous move in all of Stardom!

Match to watch: Vs Koguma (August 6). Expect a chaotic affair between two wrestlers who aren’t afraid of a little gamesmanship and can end a match in an instant. Blink and you might very well miss the finish, but the antics between bell to bell will be more than worth it to boot.

Mai Sakurai

• Representing: Donna Del Mondo
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

What a difference a change of scenery can make! Mai Sakurai’s growth since defecting to Donna Del Mondo has been massive, turning her from much maligned undercarder to someone who’s held her own in high profile matches. The 5 Star will prove to be her biggest test yet. 12 matches against the best of the best. One of three to qualify as part of a mini tournament in June, that should provide her with some valuable experience. Now she needs to take everything she’s learned and see just how far she’s come along.

Match to watch: Vs Tam Nakano (August 28) Mai Sakurai made the call to leave Cosmic Angels and join up with Donna Del Mondo, leaving Tam and the rest of her group in tears. The move has been key to Mai’s development in 2022, but now she has to face the consequences of her actions. Tam won’t have forgotten that Mai abandoned her, and is going to demand everything Mai can give in penance.

Risa Sera

• Representing: Prominence
• Debut Appearance 2021 Record: N/A

Risa Sera made her grand return to Stardom this year looking to make a statement. Her and the Prominence Deathmatch troupe have kept everyone on their toes, but don’t let her penchant for violence distract from the fact that Sera is an incredibly accomplished wrestler. She doesn’t need the weapons, something Syuri pointed out to her in the aftermath of their fantastic Flashing Champions title match.

A rematch is something both parties want, and the best way for Sera to get back into the Red Belt hunt is through this tournament. And as one of two Prominence representatives and their leader, she’ll also be looking to fly that flag proudly and show just what they’re made of.

Match to watch: Vs Maika (July 30). They’ve squared off in tag matches during the Donna Del Mondo vs Prominence battles, but this is a fairly clean slate. What’s exciting here is that these are two tremendously talented wrestlers who will both be looking to go hard on that opening night, and whose styles should mesh really well. There will be some bruised bodies at the end of this.

SAKI

• Representing: Colors/ Cosmic Angels
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

When Prominence first appeared in Stardom, they ended up in a massive brawl backstage with Donna Del Mondo. The Colors debut, by comparison, was a much more lighthearted affair. They’ve been integrated into the Cosmic Angels crew, and adding someone like SAKI has lifted the Angels’ strength substantially.

Her self description of ‘Kawild’, a mix of cute and wild, is a very apt description for SAKI, who has proven herself a more than capable wrestlers over her near decade inside the ring. She leans towards the fun but can easily turn it up when the situation calls for it. And this tournament definitely calls for it.

Match to watch: Vs Tam Nakano (October 1) When Colors was absorbed into Cosmic Angels at Korakuen Hall, it was all fun and smiles. However SAKI will be looking to prove that even though she’s serving under Tam that she’s still the strongest wrestler in the supergroup. With the pressure of the final night looming over their shoulders, there could be some serious heartbreak if a spot in the final slips through one’s fingers at the hands of a stablemate.

Blue Stars Block

Mayu Iwatani

• Representing: STARS
• Current SWA World Champion
• 9^th Appearance (2018 Winner). 2021 Record: 11 Points

When you think of Stardom, you think of Mayu Iwatani. Making her debut on the first show in Stardom history, Mayu has been the one face that’s always been there. As the only one in her block to have won the tournament before, she knows what it takes to go all the way.

One thing to note, Mayu Iwatani is a notoriously horrid starter in this tournament. Outside of her first tournament in 2014, she’s never won her opening round matchup. In such a stacked block starting strong will be a key to success, so that’s a statistic she’ll be looking to rectify.

Match to watch: Vs Momo Watanabe (September 24). Whenever these two face off it tends to steal the show, and has done for years. However this will be the first time Mayu has gone one on one with the corrupted version of Momo wearing the Oedo Tai purple, bringing with it a new dynamic and for the Icon: a new set of dangers.

Giulia

• Representing: Donna Del Mondo
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 6 Points

A neck injury brought an early end to her 5 Star campaign last year, but it hasn’t deterred people from prematurely crowning her the winner of the 2022 tournament. Once again she’s a heavy favourite to win it all, but to do so she’ll have to go through a murderers row of opponents, many of who have a problem with the Donna Del Mondo leader.

However that might only fuel her. Giulia is at her best when matches get down and dirty, and she has proven herself to be one of the toughest opponents in Stardom time and time again. Third time might just be the charm.

Match to watch: Vs Suzu Suzuki (October 1) This will be the most heated match of the tournament. Suzu has been targeting Giulia since her Prominence troupe made their presence known in Stardom, and now she finally gets her hands on her one on one. Years of history bubbling to the surface – this is going to get violent.

Saya Kamitani

• Representing: Queen’s Quest
• Current Wonder of Stardom Champion
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 11 Points

As the top champion in the Blue Block, Saya Kamitani will be wrestling with a target on her back for the whole tournament. Even if you can’t win the whole thing, getting a victory against a champion is a great consolation prize.

That will be easier said than done however. Throughout 2022 Kamitani has been making her case for wrestler of the year thanks to an array of incredible White Belt defences. If Saya can keep that momentum going through the tournament she might become just the third person to win both the Cinderella Tournament and 5 Star GP (after Mayu Iwatani and Toni Storm).

Match to watch: Vs Hazuki (August 28). In terms of logical future White Belt challengers, Hazuki is a name that should spring up straight away. She’s never managed to win a top singles title in Stardom but that feels like it could change at any moment. Kamitani hasn’t had too many hard hitting bruisers cross her path, and Hazuki’s always looking to imprint the sole of her foot onto her opponent’s face.

Starlight Kid

• Representing: Oedo Tai
• Current Artist of Stardom Champion (With Momo Watanabe and Saki Kashima)
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 11 Points.

For much of her 5 Star campaign last year Starlight Kid was at the forefront of the block, falling agonisingly close after she was bested by her old mentor Mayu Iwatani. It was a stellar performance that ensured everyone knew that Starlight Kid was no longer just a bit player in Stardom, but one of the main attractions.

A strong reign with the High Speed Championship (which she won in the middle of the tournament) only served to solidify her ability in a one on one match, and she’ll be looking to turn that extra year of experience into one more win and propel herself into the Finals.

Match to watch: Vs Mayu Iwatani (October 1st). Starlight Kid’s star has risen exponentially since joining Oedo Tai, but she will never be satisfied until she can do one thing: Defeat the Icon of Stardom and her mentor Mayu Iwatani. She came close on the last night of the 2021 5 Star, but her failure there also cost her a spot in the final. Now she has a chance to rectify that and finally…finally best her mentor.

Momo Watanabe

• Representing: Oedo Tai
• Current Artist of Stardom Champion (with Saki Kashima and Starlight Kid)
• 6^th Appearance. 2021 Record: 12 Points – Finalist

Last year everything seemed to line up in Momo Watanabe‘s favour. She was placed in arguably the weaker of the two blocks, and then got a victory via forfeit on the final day as one of the favourites Giulia had to bow out due to injury. It set her up in the Final against a tired Syuri who had just gone to a 20 minute draw with Takumi Iroha. It wasn’t to be however.

Now Momo returns with a new attitude and is more fearsome than ever. An experienced veteran of the tournament, the only question now is if Watanabe can put it all together again in order to give her a second chance at winning it all.

Match to watch: Vs Giulia (September 23). Somehow since Giulia’s debut in Stardom these two have never fought one on one before. Well providing injury doesn’t take it away again these two will square off during the last week of competition. Two hard hitters with a point to prove in a match that will likely have huge implications to the final standings.

Hazuki

• Representing: STARS
• Current Goddess of Stardom Tag Champion (with Koguma)
• 4^th Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

There was a time when the thought of Hazuki back in a Stardom ring seemed like an impossibility. Yet it was during last year’s tournament that Hazuki made her way out to the ring and announced her intention to get back into the thick of it. A year on and it’s like she never left, carving out a strong position in the tag division alongside her FWC partner Koguma.

Don’t let her more relaxed persona fool you though, she’s still a killer at heart and that hunger to prove herself should rise to the top. She was knocking on the door of the main event scene around the time she left in 2019 and now the roster is more stacked than ever.

Match to watch: Vs Giulia (July 30) Hazuki was Giulia’s first opponent in Stardom – one departing as another just arrived, and tensions between the two have been building since their Goddess of Stardom Title match a couple of months ago. It was set to be a violent fight regardless, but to open their 5 Star campaigns? Both will be looking to make a statement at the other’s expense.

Saya Iida

• Representing: STARS
• 2^nd Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

Injury denied Saya Iida a spot in last year’s tournament, but that ACL injury seems to be a distant memory for the Little Giant. Her sole appearance in 2020 only netted her one win (by DQ) but it was a learning experience that led to her winning the Future of Stardom Championship not too long after.

Now she finds herself with another tough assignment in a block filled with strong competitors. But Saya’s not one to back down from a challenge. She already fought to be here, qualifying through the mini-tournament for one of three spots. Now she just has to keep fighting.

Match to watch: Vs Saya Kamitani (September 4). Three years ago these two fought in the Rookie of Stardom Final. That is the only time they have squared off one on one. The two Sayas used to be quite close, but when presented with the chance Kamitani took the path of the Queens, breaking the team up in the process. The taller Saya has certainly risen to higher heights, but there’s always time for Iida to chop her down to her level.

Natsupoi

• Representing: Cosmic Angels
• 3^rd Appearance. 2021 Record: 9 Points

When forming a list of Stardom MVPs for 2022, one name you shouldn’t leave off your list is Natsupoi. She might not have singles gold to her name this year, but Poi has been putting together a stellar resume every time her name is called, including a war inside Stardom’s first ever cage match.

Off the back of some career best form, she’ll need to show that resilience and lightning speed to keep ahead of the pack. She’ll have a speed advantage in virtually every match, but has such an arduous year started to slow her down when she needs that speed most?

Match to watch: Vs Giulia (August 28). At the Midsummer Champions show on July 9th Natsupoi made the decision to betray Giulia and join the faction led by her most hated rival: Tam Nakano. No good deed goes unpunished, and a pissed off Giulia is a recipe for a particularly brutal match. I hope Natsupoi made the right decision.

Mina Shirakawa

• Representing: Cosmic Angels
• 2^nd Appearance. 2021 Record: 6 Points.

The 2021 tournament might not have netted Mina a lot of points, but what it did do was put together a career best string of matches and prove to the world just how good she can be inside the ring. Now the question is how much difference does a year make? 6 points was a decent showing for her debut performance, but it’s a far cry from the top of the block, and wins won’t be easy to come by this year either. Last year proved she can hang with the best, this year she needs to prove she can beat them.

Match to watch: Vs Momo Watanabe (July 31). One of Mina’s standout matches in last year’s tournament was against Momo Watanabe, and that is likely to be the case this year as well. Momo is great at getting the best out of an opponent, and her new attitude should bring out a fresh dynamic in the matchup.

Hanan

• Representing: STARS
• Current Future of Stardom Champion
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

Hanan is currently in the middle of a record breaking Future of Stardom Championship reign, but now she’s stepping up into the major leagues. This will be her biggest test to date, and serve to test just how good she’s become. There are a few potential wins on the board for her but the real test won’t be in the final results but the quality of her matches. There’s a bright future ahead for the high schooler, and this could be another big step forward in realising that.

Match to watch: Vs Saya Iida (September 25). The connection these two share is undeniable. When Iida was out with injury Hanan would often reference her teammate while in the ring. Now Wing-Gori can be together again, but for one night they can stand on opposite sides of the ring and see which partner is truly stronger. Well, best might be the better choice of words, there’s no doubting Iida has more strength.

MIRAI

• Representing: God’s Eye
• 2022 Cinderella Tournament Winner
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

Winning the Cinderella Tournament and the 5 Star Grand Prix in the same year has been done precisely once before: Toni Storm in 2017. MIRAI has the chance to double that list if she can continue her fantastic debut year with the company.

She’s proven she can hang in the main event scene but the question will be can MIRAI keep her fearsome hard hitting pace up over the course of a grueling two month tournament? It’ll be hard for her to even get off to a fast start, having to deal with Mayu Iwatani and Giulia on back to back nights to open her campaign. If she’s not careful she could find herself starting 0-2, and spend the rest of the tournament playing catch up. Still, her early success in the company shows she’ll be a danger to everyone.

Match to watch: Vs Mayu Iwatani (July 30). Getting a victory over the Icon of Stardom is worth its weight in gold, and there’s no better time to get that honour than on the first night of the 5 Star GP. MIRAI has the speed to keep up with Iwatani and the strength to keep her on the back foot. This is one of those ‘never knew I wanted it until it was happening’ matches that could easily steal the show on opening night.

Ami Sohrei

• Representing: God’s Eye
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

Sohrei is still new enough in Stardom to feel like something of an unknown commodity, debuting just a few months ago in the Cinderella Tournament. She’s already proven herself though, earning her entry during the mini-qualifier with a dominant performance. Of course, that tournament only earned her a ticket to this one, and wins won’t be quite so easy to attain this time.

She’ll have a power advantage over most of the block, and it’ll be important for her to use that to her advantage because she’s also the most inexperienced. There’ll be some tough learning lessons for Sohrei ahead, but it’ll only shape her into an even more dangerous competitor.

Match to watch: Vs MIRAI (August 27). God’s Eye is the smallest faction in Stardom, and with Syuri the clear number one Ami could at least make a claim for being second in command if she could defeat MIRAI one on one. You never want to be seen as the weak link in a faction. Plus there’s always a bit of extra intrigue when facing someone you train with – Ami and MIRAI will know each other’s tricks better than anyone.

Suzu Suzuki

• Representing: Prominence
• Debut Appearance. 2021 Record: N/A

When the entrants for the tournament were first announced, one name stood out among all others: Suzu Suzuki. The 19 year old prodigy who alongside Risa Sera has formed the joshi deathmatch promotion Prominence in 2022. Although she’s making her name in a more brutal niche of wrestling, she went into deathmatch after winning Ice Ribbon’s top title and has spent much of this year seeking out challenges and oppourtunities to prove why her name carried such excitement upon its announcement in the 5 Star.

Now a bevvy of dream matches await her in the Blue Stars Block, including a war against the person that first brought her to Stardom: Giulia. She comes into the tournament with momentum after winning the Catch the Wave tournament earlier in the month. If you aren’t familiar with Suzu yet, you will be by the time this tournament ends.

Match to watch: Vs Starlight Kid (July 30). This is a battle between the future of Joshi. Two incredibly talented young wrestlers who are set to dominate the scene in the years to come. The best way to prove yourself the one with a brighter future of course is to prove yourself stronger when given the chance to wrestle.