Giulia & Utami Hayashishita vs. Momo Watanabe & Syuri

[8.0] "This is the type of match that would be much worse if it ended in a draw. But the result was absolutely correct. The match went exactly as expected. Momo looked like the weakest in terms of kayfabe. Giulia and Utami looked stronger individually, but since they are both champions, they acted quite selfishly towards each other. At the same time, Syuri and Momo did not have any pretensions towards each other, they worked as a team and even hugged at the end. So I'm delighted that Stardom didn't bother to pin Giulia here."

[6.0] "A good match and a fine preview for the upcoming Red Belt and White Belt matches. There wasn't much story, since the match started with some generic and pointless grappling exchanges before the pace picked up as both teams began going 50/50 with their control, which lasted right up until the finish. I was honestly pretty certain that the match was heading towards a 30-minute draw, given Stardom's soft spot for doing so many draws, so I was pretty surprised when Syuri pulled out the win. The various run-on 4-woman exchanges and spots were all good but never anything special. There was good technique and impact from all 4, and their pace and explosiveness became better the longer the match went on, but it often just felt like they were trading moves and tagging out just for the sake of it, without any real commitment to a story or some psychology. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I didn't occasionally half zone out due to assuming they were going for a draw, but I still don't think they did anything too creative (and who could blame them, considering they all had big title matches in 4 days' time). ***1/4"

[8.0] "For some reason this match was promoted as 'Incredible Battle', in reality it was just a good Main Event. Syuri looked better than both top champions who kept talking about Tokyo Sports award. Fucking geeks. Syuri never looked back after that World of STARDOM title match against Mayu Iwatani, SWA Title became very valuable simply because Syuri holds it. First 10 minutes were just fine, then things kept getting better. ***Ÿ"

[8.0] "What a prelude battle! Great dynamic with the unusual teams and the story actually made sense because Syuri and Momo worked better together and won. Giulia and Syuri stole the match and gave us an amazing last five minutes that had great intensity and now I'm invested in their upcoming match. I wanted more Utami/Momo interactions but that's okay. Great match. ***3/4"

[9.0] "Best 2 vs 2 tag team match of Stardom this year. It was great from start to finish. The very idea of combining these two build-ups, leading to such a strange composition of tags, looks quite interesting, and the implementation turned out to be the most worthy of all possible. Hayashishita, who repeatedly attacks Giulia during the match, but at the same time "with benefit" for the match itself, is gold. The shoot-fight between Giulia and Syuri is worthy of the highest praise. Momo was very good and I haven't seen her so motivated and relevant in a long time. I like that these feuds are different, I like their contrast and even the segment after the match, when Syuri defeated Giulia, was very pleasant with its play on the characters. Hayashishita with Watanabe and their principled, long-running feud on one side, and such an easy, but no less intense story of Giulia and Syuri on the other. Hell, at least that's why you can love Stardom (****1/2)."

[8.0] "Second best match of the night. Cool concept with QQ x DDM mixed tag team. Utami and Giulia didn't work with each other at all and that caused them to lose this match. Momo and Syuri did great job as a team and I'm glad they won. This match really heated up the tension between Giulia-Syuri and Momo-Utami. I recommend watching this one."

[8.0] "That match was truly great and it was an excellent prelude to Osaka Dream Cinderella on december 20. Syuri and Giulia were awesome, their exchanges were brutal and they were by far the 2 MVP's of that match even if Giulia's selling was a little bit inconsistent, but not too much. Utami seems like confident unlike this past months so I'm happy for her and her work with Giulia was very well played. And I obviously can't forget Momo who did an awesome match too even if her kicks were impactless beside Syuri's ones. ***3/4"