[6.0] "Pretty enjoyable match. To be completely honest I don't know why it's rated so highly. I guess storyline could elevate it to some people. It has 3 great spots and it turns into a slapfest which to be fair I enjoyed but the rest of the match felt kind of empty. *** 1/2"
[7.0] "Mostly a very good match that showcases the abilities of both of these great wrestlers, and the match included a few great highlights, like that great suplex by Tam at the end, but I thought the slap exchange went too long and slowed down the momentum right at a crucial point at the end of the match."
[5.0] "Not the biggest fan of this match, which bums me out because I really wanted to like it. The start of the match is kind of slow, features some ok mat work as well. They move to the outside and start brawling which I think was really good and the table spot was great. The rest of the match is also ok.aside. I wasn't a fan of the whole slap sequence at first but I really did like each of their performances here and it really felt like they were trying to put one another down. The problem with the rest of the match to me is that it sort of ends kind of predictably, I would have liked a kickout from Giluila and then Tam pulling something out to put her down."
[7.0] "I share the sentiment of other commenters when they say, the match was good, the match tied everything together and made this better. As it stands now, I'm not the biggest fan of Giulia or Tam's wrestling, and I wasn't really a fan of the structure of this match, but the slap exchange, the glorious driver from Tam, and the violet Screwdriver into the final suplex are all memorable. I just can't say the match was bad, and the post-match was genuinely some of the finest story work in Joshi, ever. Overall, 3.75 Stars."
[10.0] "The match was already very good, the post match made it legendary! We might have expected a simple hair shave as we have seen many times, but the way of approaching it makes it truly unique! Everything you want to see in a wrestling match is there. Good entrances, good gear, great wrestlers, good fighting, good story, good interpretation. Everything is perfect !"
"[7.5 ] Giulia is a new age act yasukawa her whole white belt run was than trying to do make Giulia as badass as they can and with me they failed she has basic moves not she has one or two submission holds. but this whole match was taken from giulia vs hana kimura and given to tam all 3 matches was not super good tam had the better moves but the whole match was mix because at some point Giulia could have won but she push the referee to stop the 10 count for her to win. her ego got in the way she win hardcore showing she learn from all her past matches but underestimated tam this why she lose the match. tam was losing most of the match and coming back and getting knock back down this whole thing make tam look weak i think this match was to give fans what they wanted by knocking down Giulia and stop her push and seeing if she can come back from her hair being cut. this match is great for a fan of tam but not her best match because Giulia is not super good in the ring this whole storyline was taken from two past storylines tam is the best story teller and she could not help this whole thing show me this match should of been the other way around without the hair vs hair where Giulia taking the white belt from tam. Giulia was rush into the main event and most of her matches was boring and not fun to watch but tam was the only one who could bring you in to care about Giulia this gave everyoen want they wanted tam a white belt run and Giulia not being close to the main event"
[7.0] "This was good but I'm very confused by the relatively strong praise it received. I followed the storylines leading up to this and everything, so it wasn't like I was missing any major context, so I guess maybe some people were far more invested in the story and that's why they liked it more, since I didn't think the in-ring work itself was too exceptional. They did well to highlight their intense animosity towards each other with their character work throughout the match, making for a nice backdrop that heightened their harder-hitting exchanges and more explosive spots. Giulia's work targeting Tam's neck was really good, with her performing an impressive variety of pretty brutal-looking attacks to do so, and with Tam selling extremely sympathetically and bumping very energetically to compliment that work. Sadly, what is quite common in wrestling these days is for both the seller (Tam) and the targeter (Giulia) to both eventually drop that whole plot thread almost immediately after introducing it, since Tam basically never sold her neck at all once her comeback began, and Giulia likewise never bothered to target Tam's neck ever again either, despite how that would have been an effective and thus logical route to victory for her (and it would have made the match generally more compelling as well). Tam at least hit some great counters in her eventual comeback, even if Giulia looked quite obviously compliant in getting into position and waiting to receive those counters. They began having some nicely impactful trades back and forth, once again with strong real-time selling and compelling displays of hatred to go along with them. Their 50/50 strike trades felt quite awkward due to the silent crowd only being allowed to clap along, but the strikes themselves began more and more viciously stiff as they went on. Tam's Steiner Screwdriver was absolutely disgusting in the best way, and her match-winning Twilight Dream made for a really good finish. Definitely a good match by the end, but I can't go nearly as high as others have. ***1/4"
[6.0] "I honestly tried to love this match, despite my dislike to where Tam vs Giulia feud led to. Despite my utter dislike of Giulia's abilities (precisely lack of it) and her overpush, I enjoyed their 5Star GP and Yokohama Budokan matches. They seemed to learn the lessons of a weak first encounter, and even though I thought a Hair vs Hair stipulation would only hurt the presumable winner, I hoped they would show a great main event of Stardom's biggest show up to date. Sadly what I saw confirmed my suspicions 100%. It even went worse: this match was closer to first outstretched encounter, yet with 3 really good moments (and they are the only reason I'm putting this rating, otherwise it'd have been around 5): a piledriver on a table, slaps exchange, and Tam's debut of a new move following by her win. Post-match segment completely killed all excitement for Tam's win because the attention immediately diverted away from her. This was supposed to be her ultimate moment, a moment to shine. But I guess a new "golden girl" should get all attention. Good for Stardom, good for Bushiroad, but I don't buy it and won't buy it. *** and only because of some really great moments and Tam triumph."
[10.0] "I simply love this match and everything leading into it. One of the most compelling stories being told in the squared circle, and walking hands with that, we have an exceptional non-stop in-ring action that can give you a heart attack. This can't get boring and tiresome even if you rewatch it a thousand times in a row. Simply one of the best joshi matches you can ever watch, and the very best Hair vs Hair match. ****1/2"
[10.0] "I love this match. I love the story, the importance, and the history of the whole thing. What I especially love is The Dangerous Queen on commentary. The slaps were vicious, the pile driver through the table was beautiful, and Giulia's cockiness being her downfall is good storytelling. *****"
[9.0] "Wieder was für die Geschichte ein Hair vs Hair Joshi Match habe ich bei Stardom noch nicht gesehen (****). Wurde von den Fans zum Stardom Match 2021 gewählt."
[10.0] "This match was also the reason I wanted to see the show, it's praised everywhere and deserves every kind word. It's one of the best matches of the year. Of course, it helps to know the story of the two and how the HAIR vs. HAIR match between two women came about. It was flawless. Tam Nakano has only four years of experience in the ring, but executes the moves flawlessly. The Steiner Screwdriver looked badass as fuck. But above all the moves, their variation and other elements that belong to the technical side of a wrestling match, was the storytelling"
[9.0] "Even if I'm not used yet to STARDOM's history, I learned what the storyline was about and even if I don't know all, the bout's itself showed all the passion and the story told by both women, Nakano HAD to beat Giulia. The champ did anything dirty to her opponent in order to win, fans were crazy for it. Emotion, storytelling, intensity and crazy bumps taken, that rocked a lot. Giulia is fucking badass."
[10.0] "Top 15 MOTY. Culmination of an incredible story and feud with Tam finally winning the belt. Perfect heel vs perfect babyface. Just incredible stuff all around. ****1/2 borderline ****3/4"
[10.0] "I loved this so much. The story and their feud is perfect and this match was leveled by the story. Giulia and Tam have a great chem and showed it. Some spots looked really nasty. I need to give. It feels right(**** 3/4)"
[10.0] "Before Utami vs Syuri happened, I had this as the best match in Stardom history. There had been matches with slightly better in-ring work, but there had been none with better striking, and perhaps only a couple matching it in emotion. Tam and Giulia topped their previous encounters in the most important main event in the history of the promotion. Also, the Steiner Screwdriver by Tam was insane. ****3/4"
[10.0] "The amount of AJW classic call backs and the heat heading in made this match great. Possibly the best joshi match combined with the highest platform plus stakes since the pre-97 glory days. No doubt a classic match."
[7.0] "A good match but I'm not feeling extreme hype behind it. I'm sure some loved the very long slap battle but I wasn't feeling it. Just didn't feel that invested despite the major stipulation. Dodgy headbutt spot in the middle too, not so big into that. Still good, of course."
[9.0] "Fantastic match here, they really brought a level of intensity befitting the stipulation and they had a great back and forth each taking the violence to the next level until Tam hit the Steiner screwdriver and then the twilight dream. 4. 75 stars"
[10.0] "The match of the night and definitely a match of the year contender . This had everything you could ask for . the only flaw was that both did not play to the fundamental point of the stipulation . I would have liked a sense of urgency during the end and added suspense with them putting in extra effort as a loss would not only mean losing the title but also losing the hair . The match started off with good basic grappling which then picked up its pace immediately after and turned into a intense match with Giulia catching Tam on the apron to deliver a deadly neck breaker , in addition to wrenching at it using the steel railings and then a awesome looking pile driver on the table . This match was also very hard hitting with a back and forth exchange of heavy strikes . The emotion in this match and the intensity of the rivalry was able to push this match to new heights especially Tam who was resilient giving it her all than she usually does due to the magnitude of this rivalry that allowed Tam to channelize the best version of herself to conclude this well built rivalry . This match was so very well sequenced and moved with a very fine pace and flow. This match did not require any flashy fast paced moves , it was more dependent on story telling and psychology which both did a great job at implementing in their match . It was a emotional roller coaster ride showing how Tam had evolved from what she used to be to what she has become now . A champion. The slap fest was brutal , I can not even begin to imagine how much their faces must have been hurting . That was a very intense moment and very emotional too . tam connecting with the Steiner screwdriver was fantastic. Then , a wonderful bridging German suplex to pin Giulia despite taking the offense , she was able to survive due to her fighting spirit and brave heart demeanor . A few kick pouts during the match on the glorious driver to add a element of drama , I would have preferred more focus on it to make it a 5 star classic. Anyhow , it was still such a well executed match up that even I had tears in my eyes seeing tam win the white belt in the main event at Budokan. This is a Stardom classic nonetheless . Amazing content . What a way to close the show and conclude this amazing rivalry . ****3/4"
[8.0] "Really solid match. The table spot was perfectly executed, although I felt Giulia got in too much offence to take the loss. High expectations for her in the future considering her age."
[10.0] "This main event delivered big time and it's been crazy to see how far Giulia has come in terms of her in-ring work, and obviously Tam is a known great and finally getting what she deserves. Loved it."
[8.0] "This was relatively tame for a hair vs hair match and was kind of lacking in drama until the slap exchange segment. I still thought it was pretty good but can't put it up there as something great. A low '8' for me."
[10.0] "It was a match totally worth main eventing PPV show. Both girls did great. Piledriver through the table was my favourite. Also, I loved that face slapping exchange. Tam earned this victory. Cool enclosure of Giulia's title reign."
[7.0] "Very good bout. While I'm not familiar with either performer, they made it pretty obvious who to root and cheer for from the outset with their body language. From there, the action never lets up as these two beat the hell out of each other; from the early grappling, to the big spots, to the ludicrous slap exchanges towards the finishing stretch, everything's done with a lot of intensity, as is to be expected given the stip, and is paced really well too since the match never drags. However, there are a few things that prevent me from putting it into the 2021 MOTYC list. Firstly, not knowing the history b/w these two, I couldn't enjoy it as much as other people did, and the other reason is the crowd. Of course I don't want the fans to just start cheering/booing at the top of their lungs but the Japanese crowd's clapping thing just doesn't work for me unless I'm fully invested in the story or the performers, and - as I've made clear - in this case, I just wasn't."
[5.0] "Wasn't into this at all. Wondering what happened here because there were spots where this seemed completely off and the layout of the match was plodding."
[9.0] "Just edges out the semi main for my match of the night and was a great feel good way to end the show. The piledriver through the table and the Steiner screwdriver were both incredible spots and this was the best of their matches together by some margin. The post match segment was also great with the audience and myself feeling just about every emotion you can from a wrestling promo."
[9.0] "Fucking great, my first time seeing Nakano and it won't be the last. Can't wait to see where they go with Giulia now who looks great with short hair"
[9.0] "This was an excellent match with a great storytelling. Giulia played the heel role to perfection, she is very convincing. Tam shined with her fighting spirit. The piledriver on the table was brutal, and Tam performed a sick looking Steiner Screwdriver. It was also hard hitting, the slap exchange would be the perfect example. The post match was just as great, with Tam getting emotional and not willing to shave Giulia's hair. ****1/4"
[10.0] "The piledriver through the table, Tam dropping Guilia on her head, and the slap exchange resulting in Tam's face swelling up were the highlights of the in ring action in this heated blowout. However it was the strong emotion and months of buildup that culminating in the post match segment that carried this to the next level. Both women come out of this match looking awesome and I'm looking forward to what they will do next."
[8.0] "Amazing match from start to finish. This was probably the best woman's match of the year so far, they both tried very hard and the result was awesome. 8/10 breads"
[10.0] "Gotta give it a 9 as a match, but the post-match hair-cutting segment brought this over the top to a 10. SO DAMN GOOD. (Edit: So I decided to rewatch the match, and my God did it hit different this time. It's a 10 across the board. Amazing stuff)"
[10.0] "Absolutely amazing match with even better storytelling between two incredible wrestlers/actresses. The Steiner Screwdriver was monstrous from Tam; time for her to reign supreme!"
[9.0] "When Akira Hokuto herself is calling you "Dangerous Queen! ", you're doing something right. Wild main event that capped off a great rivalry, and even longer 3 year journey for Tam. Perfect way to close the biggest show in Stardom's history. ****1/2"
[10.0] "I have no words to describe this masterpiece, storytelling, action, time, spots, the match had everything, the redemption of Tam Nakano and the beginning of renewed Giulia's road to glory and conquest of the World Of Stardom Championship. 100% recommended."
[10.0] "Since watching Stardom, this is the first match that I have to give 5 stars for, I literally cannot criticise this match in any way, this was storytelling perfection. Giulia and Tam produced a storytelling masterclass, they put every ounce of effort into this match, the psychology at times was perfection and they went to absolute war. Giulia produced a brilliant heel performance, Tam produced a brilliant underdog performance, the storytelling, the exchanges, the psychology, the reversals, were all on point. Excellent match - *****"
[9.0] "A fantastic main event, the best match on the show, two girls who you truly believe want to destroy each other, and the stip made it even better, Tam finally gets her big win, and the Tam era can begin, would of given this match a 10 but for a couple of things, Giulia piledriving Tam through a table on the floor, how is that not a DQ, it looked awesome so I'll give them that and it was a personal feud, but still, surely thats breaking the rules, also I felt the finish should of been Tam hitting Giulia with a fucking Steiner Screwdriver of all things was epic, but of course Giulia kicks out only to be pinned seconds later with a bridging suplex, there was nothing wrong with the suplex, but if you're going to be pinned in 10 seconds time anyway why not make the most devastating move in the match the finish, not hating on it at all, was a phenomenal main event, just a couple of things that I didn't like that would of gotten a 10 if they changed, still great match ****1/2"
[10.0] "What a f*cking match. Finally Tam Nakano's time is here. It was long overdue, and what a way to do it in this stage, with a great rival and with an apuestas match. The in-ring work was very good, some cool spots like the piledriver in the table. But what was really captivating here was the story and the intensity they both brought. Absolutly amazing and emotional. This is a main event. ****3/4"
[6.0] "Hair Vs Hair matches are historically significant in Joshi history - Chigusa Nagayo/Dump Matsumoto and Manami Toyota/Toshiyo Yamada come to mind - so it's natural that this main evented the Nippon Budokan over some of the other matches on the show. However this really failed to captivate me to that degree. The work itself was decent and fluid, but they didn't really capture the weight of the stipulation in the way that I would've liked. This perhaps would've worked better as a standard main event, with the near falls, but they didn't take that extra step up to make it a classic encounter similar to the aforementioned hair v Hair matches. Unfortunately it's up there with the Nanae Takahashi v Arisa Nakajima Hair v Hair match by being thoroughly disappointing emotionally despite the solid wrestling. My rating? Tough. This is probably where star ratings can be stupid because this wasn't a great match due to the reasons I've stated, but it's not terrible either. A Gentleman's three? ***"
[7.0] "Tam Nakano's finest hour and greatest moment. Arisa Hoshiki was nowhere to be seen, her appearance would make this moment even more memorable. Good, but not great match."
[9.0] "4. 5 Stars - This match came in with high stakes and importance with it being the first budokan main event for stardom. They built this tory up really well with Guilia being a fantastic heel and has come so far in just a year to being one of my fav women's wrestlers. Tam Nakano does have a little of idol joshi that not massively into but she was a great babyface. This match got violent even with outside brawling and the strike off when guilia just goes off was crazy good. really appreciated match not being overly lonbg and table spot was done so well. NEVER did I expect to see Nakano pull off a Steiner screwdriver. Great main event to great show"
[8.0] "A lot of stakes in this main event, making it really import ant from the start. Violence really escalated, with a good battle outside of the ring and a cool table sport. The Screwdriver to end the match looks so painful."
[10.0] "Stunning match. Story beautifully told by Tam and Giulia, and two of the best at getting an emotional investment. This caps their long time feud in a perfect way, and the aftermath was powerful. Both deserve huge credit for their efforts, and making this match and show very memorable. A match and moment that is sure to live in the memory for a long time. Tam Nakano finally winning the white belt was a feel good moment, but contrasted masterfully with the bittersweet feeling of having her rival's head shaved. A special match to conclude a special event."
[10.0] "Each Giulia vs. Tam match is an improvement on the last while still standing well on its own and this was no exception. They upped the ante once more with even bigger spots and a dramatic stipulation attached. The storytelling was comprehensive and emotional. A storied rivalry, Nippon Budokan, Akira Hokuto on commentary, with scalps and a championship up for grabs. This had all the makings of a historic encounter. ****1/2"
[8.0] "Ein gutes bis sehr gutes Match vom Storytelling Standpunkt und auch intensiv geführt wie man es aus den anderen Matches der beiden kennt. Die Stipulation war auch interessant gewählt und einer Geschichte dahinter. Ich fand allerdings das Giulia vs. Tam Nakano Match aus dem letzten Jahr in Yokohama etwas besser als dieses."
[9.0] "This match is just fantastic. Tam and Giulia gave everything in the main event of Stardom's biggest show of the year. This was emotionally fantastic. Giulia's heelwork was insane as always, she underestimated Tam and she was overconfident, she was awesome in her role. The exchange of slaps between these two made an incredible noise in all the Budokan. The spot of the Piledriver through a table outside of the ring was fantastic too, and when Tam was counted out and Giulia was in the ring, Giulia was touching her hair with absolute pure arrogance. That's little things like that who makes me really into matches. That's little things like this, that Giulia does, that make me so invested in her. She is absolutely incredible. Tam's babyface work too was incredible. I just loved it, Tam doing Giulia's Glorious Driver was an awesome spot. This is by far the best Giulia/Tam match in their series even if I really liked the others. Tam has finally her big moment, she deserves it, she is fantastic and I'm really happy for her. I have to talk about the post match too. Giulia is a true badass. She is fantastic. She admit the defeat and she wants to be hairshaved, Tam does nothing so Giulia demand to an official to do it. It's heartbreaking but it's incredibly badass, a true respect to Giulia to give us one of the best moments of the history of the joshi. Giulia is my favorite wrestler in the world since I began watching Stardom. She made me smile when I couldn't smile even watching wrestling, wrestling is the love of my life, Giulia is a big part of it. The scene on Twitter where the official finish to hairshave Giulia is incredibly badass. Giulia is just furious against herself, she doesn't care about her hair, she admit that she lost and she wanted to respect the stipulation. Heartbreaking. With hair or not, I don't care, she stills Giulia, and I will always love, love, love Giulia. Fantastic match. Arrivederci. Matana. ****1/2"
[9.0] "This. This is was what I have been waiting for, for about 6-7 months. A truly GREAT Tam/Giulia match. Giulia looked a bit loose in the ring but she didn't flub anything and Tam had one of her best performances since her match with Arisa, and I'm so happy she's the White Belt Champion. It feels like forever since I've seen Tam go as tight and throw those kicks as hard as she could and that steiner screwdriver she did to Giulia was nuts. The aftermatch was a bit weird, I don't get why Tam was crying she's only hated Giulia, They've never ever been pally pally with each other and Giulia was honestly taking this alot better than Tam. I just thought that bit was unintentionally funny, the match is really good."
[9.0] "The main event. The Giulia show. Fantastic storytelling all throughout the match, and then, even when time came for the shaved head. Tam finally gets her moment while Giulia becomes a bonafide star."
[8.0] "I'm a big Giulia fan and love that this match is getting so much love, but I don't think I can give it above an 8. For a match that was supposed to be so heated, the first 60% had next to no heat to it at all, aside for the table spot. The match really picked up in the final seven minutes though, with Tam's Destino attempt (I think that's what it was, ) and then the final minutes were really good. The slapfight got intense and Giulia kicking out of the Steiner Screwdriver was a phenomenal moment. In the end, despite a mostly tepid first half, this turned out to be a really good, borderline great match. I thought the aftermath was better than the match, worthy of a 9 in my book. Match included, I'll give the whole thing an 8 Again though, it feels good to see a Giulia match get this much love, especially considering how polarizing she is."
[10.0] "What an incredibly amazing match. The final chapter of their rivalry with Tam finally after almost 4 years, getting her moment at the main event of the biggest Stardom show ever. It was really emotional with a lot of great stuff like the piledriver on the table (it was a nice touch that Giulia did it when Hokuto was on commentary). Also you can see many references to their previous match. Phenomenal match."
[9.0] "Fabulous match, definitely the MOTN, both women did a great job and made it feel like there was more than a championship at stake, each pushed their rival to the limit and delivered something very good and Giulia is clearly one of the best in the world today for today. AWESOME MATCH"
[8.0] "Good match! Not the best one in their series, but the most memorable and the one people will look at more favorably because of Tam Nakano FINALLY winning the Wonder of Stardom Championship and it being a "Hair vs. Hair" match and whatnot. Anyway: Good match, great way to end the feud of those two (at least for now! ) and thei biggest show to date! High quality match that fullfilled it's purpose => 8 points!"
