Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe

[7.0] "Kinda disappointed with this one. Being the main event for the Anniversary show with these two names in it and after the great little encounters they had in the multi-tag matches in the shows before this one I was hoping to see a really epic match, but they preferred having just a well worked match with no over the top sequences and keep it more "realistic" and sober. It still was a really good match, but not only it's the fact that this wasn't the all out type of match they could give, it's also the fact that there was barely anything to invest in aside from just watching two good wrestlers having a competitive match. That drama component that makes the difference, that wasn't here anywhere, maybe just a bit in the final moments where Momo was constantly trying to win via Dragon Suplexes variations without succeeding, and yes, it had numerous nearfalls that made the outcome feel more open, but not enough to make you believe that Momo could actually beat the Ace. Nice limbwork from Momo to Mayu's arm during most of the match, trying to milk out any situation and any opportunity she had of hurting it, and the same can be said from Mayu towards Momo with the constant back punishment. I didn't feel this was one hell of a match, but it was highly competitive and more than solid. Now, that Sareee challenge, God, now I'm hyped for that one. I hope they actually go batshit crazy with that one (*** 3/4)"

[9.0] "The way Momo works the arm here, and the way Mayu sells it, is wonderful. Everything they do has a purpose and leads to the climax of the match. Little slow at times and didn't reach the peak it needed to be truly great, but still very good nonetheless."

[8.0] "Good bout. Ngl i was expecting a little more from those two (i expected their chemistry to be more dynamic) but still they put on really enjoyable match. ***, 75"

[9.0] "Just a remarkable match. They have some great matches. Maybe not the greatest of all time but that doesn't matter. The material is great, and some of the spots from Mayu are absurd. ****1/4"

[9.0] "There are a few small botches in the match, but overall it's certainly good as these two just can't be bad. I liked the storytelling at the end. Momo delivered five or six big moves in a row but still couldn't pin Iwatani. She faced the same situation against Io Shirai two years ago, and just like then, she decided to finish the match from the second rope. But then Mayu reverses and leaves no chance, like Io. The match is something between 8 and 9 for me, but I will give 9 for the emotions and strong words of the wrestlers afterwards."

[8.0] "This was the fifth singles match between these two. Like the last four, it was great, but not quite at the blow-away level that some people hoped for. It was honestly kind of strange to see Mayu and Momo, who were two of the four best workers in the company at this point, consistently have a not-quite awesome match against each other, then have terrific bouts against other opponents. Anyway, with the exception of a couple slip-ups, the work was crisp and exciting, and would be the second defense of Mayu's incredible title reign. ****"

[7.0] "A strong performance from both wrestlers. There was a really good opening period with both women showing a lot of passion as they traded periods of beating the other down with painful submissions and very stiff strikes. Mayu was picture perfect with everything she did, whether she was hitting a roundhouse kick or diving off the ropes. Her selling and bumping was also fantastic. Momo's facial expressions did a great job communicating her great scrappy attitude, as it was very clear that she was trying extremely hard to do as much damage as she could whenever she gained control. Momo's control periods were really good, especially when she was quickly wearing Mayu down with signature moves one after the other. Mayu's passionate displays were wonderful as she did her best to survive Momo's onslaught and fight back. Both wrestlers did a great job pacing the match, dedicating just enough time to selling, big moves, and near falls, keeping the match interesting and varied enough at all times without ever feeling overwhelming. It was great seeing how exhausted yet still desperate both women were in the final 10 minutes, adding to the idea that this was a truly hard-fought battle. It became a bit too spotfesty and near-fall-heavy in the final few minutes, but I still really enjoyed the final product. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Like others have said, this was a flat out great wrestling match by two of the best in the business today. Not a classic but still a great title match."

[7.0] "Very good match, though I can? t help but feel like I was missing some sort of context here. Started off just kinda alright, some good and interesting spots here and there, but for the first ten or so minutes it was mostly the slow, plodding technically solid but ultimately meaningful action we? ve come to expect from puroresu main events. The shame of it is there was some interesting limb work in the opening stretch, but it never amounted to anything or paid off in any meaningful way, so it was ultimately futile. It did pick up in the back half though to a pretty great closing few minutes, with some really great back and forth sequences and quality near-falls. If they would? ve given us a 15-minute match of just stuff like this, it could? ve been something great, but as it stands it was just a good match held back by the tropes of puroresu main events without any real weight put behind the first half or two-thirds of this match. ***1/2+"

[9.0] "Just a great straightforward match, Momo continues to grow from great to greater and Mayu has solidified herself as the new ace of Stardom."

[8.0] "Solid match, nothing particularly eventful just great wrestling and good storytelling. Classic Mayu babyface match."

[10.0] "A phenomenal match featuring my two favorite members of the Stardom roster. A strong contender for my favorite match of 2020!"

[8.0] "Mayu Iwatani (c) -vs- Momo Watanabe - (World of Stardom Title) [*** 3/4] Classic Korakuen-style main event Epic battle between two of the best Stardom has at the moment. With the hold and tactics they used, you could sense they put a lot of effort going into this one. It felt special too."

[10.0] "This match felt like a return to form for Mayu from an individual performance standpoint. Her movements were smooth and she was deploying some unique and flashy offense. The reverse frankensteiner from the turnbuckle looked as amazing as it did when she used it against Io some years ago. Momo's performance was on par with the best of her White Belt era. The dull sounds from her kicks were as vicious as ever. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Great match between two of the greatest wrestlers Stardom has to offer these days. I really, really wanted Momo to finally win the Red Belt, but it's okay she didn't. She had a great showing and considering the aftermath and her young age she will one day get that belt. For now she just added something to it in being a great challenger."

[8.0] "This was a pretty good main event. Maybe it was the weakest match between the two though. It seemed too one sided for the short closing stretch. Momo's work on the arm and just in general was great. She used many creative ways to inflict pain and work towards her finisher but Mayu's comebacks didn't really hold much weight. They didn't feel earned in the way they were built. Mayu just went on offence and that was that. Her selling of the arm wasn't much to write home about either - it was neither good nor bad, just a non factor. Like I said, Momo was a boss on top and gave another impressive showing in the main event spot."

[9.0] "On par with their performance during the 5STAR GP, even though the match was completely different. They had a 10 minutes sprint during the 5STAR and had a match with a much slower pace during this one. Momo started with a good work on top at the beginning of the match. Mayu had her little comeback and then they traded blow for blow, big move for big move and that was great. Mayu was way smoother than she was during her last two red belt match, no mistake here. I loved the poison ran spot even though it was not as hard or as clean as the one against Io in 2015. I expected a bit more from this match but this was still great. (****1/4)"