Technically 4 rematches (if you count the 3-way as 3) to determine 2nd place for each block, and then the quarter finals!
5STAR Grand Prix 2024 – Red Stars 2nd Place Determination: AZM vs. Tomoka Inaba vs. Mei Seira
This is a set of singles matches where in order to advance you need to win two matches in a row. It’s pretty much what you would expect and as a whole was quite fun. They draw sticks and it’s AZM and Mei to start, with Inaba facing the winer. AZM gets the rather quick pin on Mei in a short back and forth encounter. Inaba and Mei have a fun sprint with some nice execution by both and Inaba gets the win with the falcon arrow. AZM and Inaba start out brawling on the outside and they tease another double count out. They work well together and AZM gets the win. Back to AZM and Mei and with AZM getting the win and advancing . Nothing super noteworthy here, just some solid work overall and some fun callbacks though each match ended up being only a few minutes. **1/2
5STAR Grand Prix 2024 – Blue Stars 2nd Place Determination: Hanan vs. Suzu Suzuki
Almost like a continuation of their block stage match, they start out brawling outside the ring. Suzu controls and then Hanan attempts to transition and slips off the middle rope in a pretty bad spot. They recovered nicely but then when Hanan took control it didn’t make much sense. It felt like they weren’t quite clicking here and they did a couple forced elbow exchanges like they’ve just been in a war, when nothing at all had really happened in the match. The closing stretch picked up considerably and was probably the best work they’ve done together yet. The early over-selling made this less impactful for me though, and I probably would have enjoyed it more if the match was built a little differently. **1/4
5STAR Grand Prix 2024 – Red Stars Quarter Final: Mayu Iwatani vs. Natsupoi
Their three previous singles matches all opened up exactly the same so it was nice to see something different this time. The chemistry and execution here, especially early, were not on par with what they are capable of. Their 8/10/23 5STAR match is still their best match, although this one didn’t have any of the silly stuff that brought down their previous matches. Mayu was also predictably more urgent here as she lost the previous two times to Natsupoi, and spent less time walking around before pushing advantages. Poi did some quick work on Mayu’s arm which seemingly was going nowhere, but later on played a nice part in the match after she locked on a quick cross armbreaker and kicked away Mayu’s lariat attempt. There was nice action here and I thought Mayu’s transitions into control were good, where a lot of times Natsupoi just goes “k my turn now” and hits her spots. They tease the finish from their last two matches with Poi going for the La Magistral cradle / Fairy Magic, but Mayu reverses it this time for a near fall and then hits a nasty piledriver. Natsupoi is now dead but tries to counter the dragon suplex. Mayu overpowers her with a big wheelbarrow German into the dragon suplex for the win. Some nice callbacks and solid action worth checking out, but doesn’t have legs much longer than that. **3/4
5STAR Grand Prix 2024 – Blue Stars Quarter Final: Saya Kamitani vs. Starlight Kid
I was not a fan of their Wonder of Stardom match on 7/9/22 because of the match structure where Kid took out Saya’s leg and then Saya completely negating everything that happened in the first half of the match in the second half. This was good, though. Saya establishes herself as a heel for the first 5 minutes which shouldn’t really be notable but the crowd is still unsure whether to cheer or boo her but they get there and are behind Kid all the way. Kid targets the leg again and Kamitani doesn’t turn into Peter Griffin for 10 minutes like she did on 7/9/22 (if you’ve seen the match you get the reference).. I am not as big on the intricacies of selling these days when determining match quality, though great selling and horrific selling do still play a part, but Kamitani’s selling was done much better here and it made a Kuro Tora Leg Killing finish more believable too, since Kid also actually has won some matches with it (Anna Jay, Koguma, Xena). Saya’s offense was much more grounded and led to a more believable encounter especially in the closing stretch. Kid’s build to the babyface comeback was great and they masterfully worked the crowd with their transitions and exchanges as Kid’s comeback gets cut off multiple times and they do a little bomb trading and some really great false finishes. I thought the finish of the match was built up well with the Kamitani getting free from the Killing and they exchange hulk up moments which fit into the confines of this match for me. Kamitani gets the victory with the Star Crusher to move on. Easily their best singles match together and one of if not the best matches in the tournament. I thought everything they did here was done well and while Kamitani usually doesn’t push a match into good territory for me, her performance here was better because she didn’t have to be flashy to get heat and it made the match flow really well. Starlight Kid is up there with Saya Iida as tournament MVP – each with 3 “must watch” matches. ***1/2
5STAR Grand Prix 2024 – Blue Stars Quarter Final: Syuri vs. Hanan
Hanan has the charisma to be a top level performer. I just think she needs to become a better worker before she lays claim to that top level. It’s clear here that she is not on Syuri’s level, though not many are, and Syuri almost has to slow things down which is something that becomes clearly evident in a lot of Syuri matches when her opponent doesn’t match her talent level. The intensity was there but the match seemed to drag with a lot of Hanan laying around “selling”. Hanan goes over in an upset. **
5STAR Grand Prix 2024 – Red Stars Quarter Final: Maika vs. AZM
Maika is very polarizing to me. I enjoy her work a lot of the time but her bigger matches have been unimpressive for the most part. I did enjoy her red belt defense against Megan Bayne, and a good portion of the Momo match. She is pretty solid here and AZM’s quickness makes Maika have to be more urgent with less stalling and playing to the crowd. With that, this match didn’t really know what it was doing most of the time and largely felt like a collection of stuff rather than a cohesive match. They tried to do a heel/face dynamic but the crowd had no clue who to back and it made the transitions weird because AZM was on top doing the beatdown to allow a comeback stuff but was getting cheered so the comeback spots were unimpressive, and then it turned into a standard bombfest with no real direction and no real time to breathe. Fun, but I don’t know. **1/4
Final Thoughts: Overall a great show with a hot crowd worth checking out. Just about everything here was solid, worth watching and had what may be the best match of the tournament in Kamitani/SLK. I question how they will book the winner and the red belt going forward but hey, I’m not a wrestling booker so that’s not my problem, and I’ll be here watching regardless.
Check out my full 5STAR match rankings and updated block points and standings!
X: @ligersama
