4. Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Mina Shirakawa & Mariah May (c) vs. Natsupoi & Saori Anou
Often the Goddess matches can feel too packed with moves, but here they developed a good ebb and flow. The slowness and sense of focus in between the high-speed made things feel more significant. Mina Shirakawa has become so good at establishing structure and an axis to build around with her leg targeting that I can't help but feel she may have had an overarching influence in that regard. There was such a variety of brilliant suplexes in this match that it would be no exaggeration to call it suplex heaven. ***3/4
5. STRONG Women’s Championship: Giulia (c) vs. Yuu
The first of the event's two weight difference bouts. How Giulia would convincingly approach and defeat Yuu, who outweighs her by 40kg, was the question. Giulia's technique and suppleness + Yuu's power and meatiness formed the crux of the match. Giulia fought with some stubbornness but would smartly shift to submission or ground when Yuu would gain an edge in the stands. The theory of Strong Giulia emerged when she crushed the crusher Willow Nightingale, a big wrestler who has a reputation for causing injuries to opponents. I had no doubt that she could have such a compelling fight against Yuu. Great match. ****
6. IWGP Women's Championship: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Utami Hayashishita
A first-class matchup worthy of the IWGP. The calm development in the early stages, the balanced ebb and flow in the middle and the thrilling finale epitomized classical strong style. Utami Hayashishita maintained her usual strong and cool demeanor, while Mayu Iwatani brought the scenes to life through hyperactive selling and expressions. A seamless 21-minutes where both competitors elevated each other. Mayu's Dragon Ray made for perhaps one of the most aesthetically pleasing finishes of the year. ****1/4
7. World of Stardom Championship: Tam Nakano (c) vs. Megan Bayne
Reasserting the strength and supremacy of the red belt. Tam Nakano's tactical use of low kicks, precise high kicks, and submissions to offset the larger opponent (5'8") brought a kakutou wrestling vibe to the match, something like Kawada/Albright. Megasus not only boasts a solid foundation for power moves but dexterity as well. Tam took such harsh bumps in her pursuit to elevate the unknown foreigner, then won in dignified fashion with a bridging tiger suplex following a steep angle German. Generalship and bumping aesthetics are essential for a successful champion. It was a fantastic and necessary title defense. ****
