Syuri vs. Utami Hayashishita

[6.0] "While I don't think this was as good as their incredibly overrated title match from June, this was far more condensed and had strikes and big bombs from the beginning. The reoccurring problem with this pairing is that although most of the stuff they do is fundamentally well, neither ever build up to a crescendo. At a certain point it just starts feeling like Syuri and Utami are exchanging moves for the sake of it. While I can acknowledge the insane amount of cardio required to do so, it doesn't impress me all that much even none of the spots mean anything in the end. So yeah, just like their title match, there is alot of good stuff here. All they need is a good structure."

[7.0] "It felt pretty obvious that they'd go to a 20-minute time-limit draw here in order to play off the inconclusive finish to their famous (albeit highly, highly overrated) title match from earlier in the year. They started with some aggressive and intense strike trades, showing that neither had forgotten about their previous match. They then did a bit of a reset by engaging in some grappling exchanges -- the sort of thing you'd expect to see open a match. Both showed very good energy and technique in the process, with Syuri's various holds looking good and Utami selling very well, too. Both women hit some really good strikes and power moves, all while displaying good speed and impact. They also both got in some nice and occasionally creative split-second counters to ensure that the other would never be dominant for too long. Syuri's control work continued to feature lots of good strikes, submissions, and intensity, with Utami selling well and then hitting some nice attacks of her own attacks as she fought back. They had good chemistry as they then moved to trading strikes and power moves back and forth at a moderately quick pace. I still hate Syuri's awful screams she does when firing up, but apart from that both she and Utami showed good fire in the process. I still don't see either woman as having the level of impact and 'polish' to their big attacks that true top wrestling stars do, but they both still at least matched each other's level very well, and all their interactions were still pretty good at the absolute least. The final few minutes saw them both continue to trade strikes and power moves while showing a lot of intensity. Again, there was a still a bit of a lack of polish to their attacks that made it a bit difficult to take seriously the fans who claim these two are flat out some of the best wrestlers in the world, but their intensity covered for that and allowed the match to still be really fun, even as the inevitable finish of the draw finally came. I didn't even think this was actually that much weaker than their famous June match, yet this one still seems more reasonably rated here compared to that one. Really good match overall, but I still haven't seen anything truly great yet from these 2. ***1/2"

[9.0] "Splendid main event bout, the Utami/Syuri rivalry is turning into one of the best Stardom rivalries ever. I'ms ure that by the time it is all said and done, they will have their names etched into history for this particular feud with positive remarks. The match starts off fiery with both women starting where they eventually left off. The slap theatre commences with exchanges in a to-and-fro motion. The hard-hitting strikes from the lariats, kicks, power-bombs, fore-arms, elbows and palm-strikes show a burning desire to exercise superiority over the other. There is no personal hatred but a dislike thus resulting in brewing irritation and frustration as they have not been able to do so yet. The narrative of both competitors being equally matched was also promoted here with both doing a same move in stereo and falling down to the mat at the same time. In addition, the transitions and counters were sweet and pleasureful to watch. These include casa dora by Syuri outside the ring , the running knee launched from the apron and caught by Utami thrown mercilessly on the mat was also a great move. Other than that, the triangle choke blocked after Utami lifts her up for a power-bomb as well as a stiff kick attempt reversed into a lift powerbomb. The dead-lift German's were also wonderful showcasing the pure coarse strength of the red belt champ. There was a sense of urgency towards the end along with some good near-falls but to no avail for either woman. Regardless, it was still one hell of a match."

[10.0] "I dare say that I almost liked this more than the previous match they had. It was fought at a more high-speed pace and reminded me a lot of the Omega/Okada match in the G1 which I also preferred over the 60+ minute epics. This was everything I wanted out of these two competitors without the need to stall for as much time to hit the time limit. Syuri's 5Star GP run in 2021 is something to be remembered and cherished for all of time."

[7.0] "Pretty nice match that was very intense! Syuri and Utami Hayashishita simply beating the soul out of each other is fantastic and is something that every wrestling fan needs to watch, especially if you're trying to get into Joshi, like me. Not as good as their encounter earlier in June, but still a good match. ****"

[9.0] "Fantastic 20 minutes of wrestling as expected. It was once again a war, and they obviously need more than 20 minutes to have a clear winner, so the time limit draw was well done here. There was intensity, but not the same as the first encounter, and I think the venue didn't help either. Anyways, it was really great and a nice addition to their series. ****1/4"

[9.0] "A step belong their much acclaimed match from earlier this year, but this was 20 minutes of purely great wrestling, props to two very talented women, particularly Syuri. That powerbomb on the floor was nutty."

[6.0] "A better version of their World Title match, but 'big picture problems' that make this program pointless and boring are still the same: based on the booking of this match, it's now clear that Syuri is a kind of a video-game boss for Hayashishita - she's not out there to destroy Hayashishita and take her title, but to give her a difficult enough challenge to make it interesting enough before the inevitable. And that inevitable really should be Syuri winning the World Title, but STARDOM seemingly has other plans. You can see from time to time moments that will give you an idea why Hayashishita is pushed like she is, but again, Syuri adjusted her style and pace of this match, all for Hayashishita, and made sure that she won't outshine her which kind of made her look bad (again) if you watched her other matches in this tournament. They tried to have a match between two equals, but it was just a paint by numbers 20-minute draw. In post-match promo they talked about another match, and the fact that there was no winner just feels like an excuse to have another match. Syuri's worst and Utami's best match in this tournament up until this point. ***Œ"

[9.0] "It was another tough match between them. They again beat the outta each other. They're building Syuri as threat to Utami's red belt. I'm honestly loving it. Both failed to lay down each other. Great match. (****1/2)"

[8.0] "a really good match as expected, not at the level of there previous encounter, but given the 20 minute time limit it was always going to be tough to attain that level, having said that they gave it a good go and never held back, Utami powerbombing Syuri on the floor where I'm pretty sure she caught the back of her head on the edge of the ring looked nasty as anything, and they basically beat the hell out of each other for 20 minutes, that was the biggest problem with this match as soon as it was annouced that they were on the same side of the bracket, you knew it was going to a draw, and as good as this was i was never in any doubt it was going to a draw, a really good draw, but not a surprising one, hopefully when they get there next match we actually get a winner, good stuff though (****)"

[8.0] "As already mentioned here, the main problem of the match is that already before the start you understand that it's gonna be TLD. I mean, they could at least try to make a feeling that somebody is really close to win, but in fact you are just sitting and waiting while 20 mins are over. Of course, the wrestling part was on point. An yeah, I liked aftermatch promos."

[8.0] "I mean this was very much a one match show. I feel like it was done mostly on purpose, to highlight these two and they deserve it damn it. Their other confrontation was better but knowing they had less time, they spent less time chain wrestling and in the technical portion and move on to the meat of the match, the all out war these two so well deliver a lot quicker. It didn't have the epic proportions their red belt bout did, but it was still a damn good wrestling match and a great new chapter in their rivalry."

[8.0] "This was certainly my favourite match of the show, it wasn't as good as their previous match, but that's pretty hard to top, but I still had a great time watching this match. It went 20 minutes, but the time flew by like nothing. The start was great with a good slap exchange, the exchanges in general were pretty stiff, just like Syuri who had a another fantastic performance in this tournament. I had the impression that Syuri also dominated a lot and that Utami couldn't get a lot offense in, therefore she managed to safe her to the time limit. Said time limit was a little bit lazy as finish perhaps, but logical nonetheless. I'm certainly looking foward to their next encounter, which will be great for sure!"

[7.0] "In the match, I absolutely hated the feeling you get when you watch it. You know it's going to be a draw. Rossi Ogawa didn't dare to come up with anything interesting, so this fight makes the joshis look like shackled victims. Let me explain: I mean, in this fight more than in any other fight, you can see that the girls are dragging their feet to get a draw, and it looks depressing. I'll point out Shuri, her work always looks good. I don't like that Utami still doesn't feel like a legitimate champion. You know, she's not an ace, she's just a champion and maybe in the context of this story that's wrong. Shuri looks like an Ace, she's very strong, agile, and SMART. But overall the bout is without surprises, absolutely. The ending in general turned into some kind of mockery, because the wrestlers were exchanging hold after hold like in a spotfest, and why didn't you do it right away, I'd like to ask them? Didn't you realize right away that the one who was smarter would win? I really didn't like the feeling, and maybe other people felt it too, because the match doesn't have a single top score. ***1/2"

[7.0] "I did not think this was anywhere close to their World of Stardom title match in June, and that is perfectly OK given this had a shorter time limit and was not a title match. It did a great job of setting up the next match between the two (this time with no time limit) but in itself was good but not great."

[9.0] "An abridged and more intimate version of the deadly battle in Ota Ward. Syuri was overwhelming both offensively and defensively, keeping Utami constantly working. They build upon their previous encounters with some amazing sequences. The action was almost constant for 20 minutes, but the dynamism and diversity kept it interesting. ****1/4"

[8.0] "Clearly the best match of the show and one of the bests matches since the beginning of the tournament. Syuri and Utami Hayashishita have just an insane chemistry here and if obviously it wasn't as good as their MOTYC from june, this stills excellent. You can feel in the action that Syuri and Utami have a big story between each other, and that they want to beat the hell out of each other. The first exchange of slaps directly put me in the match, and the action was always fluide. We also had some good counters here, like Utami's Powerbomb outside of the ring to counter a kick from Syuri from the apron, that she arrived to do in june, but not here. The time limit draw was logical. ****1/4"

[9.0] "Pretty much echoing what everyone is saying. Not on the level of their title match but still an excellent addition to what is turning into a brilliant rivalry. The time limit forced them to explode right out of the gates. Never a dull moment throughout the entire match."

[8.0] "It's always a treat to see Utamai and Syuri in the same ring. They bring an intensity that is not often match by others workers in any others promotions, making it in my opinion one of the best feud of this year. That apron powerbomb didn't looked good at all, thanksfully Syuri looked somehow fine and got back up really quick."

[8.0] "This was well done, but 20 minutes is not enough time for the pace they went. To be fair, that is part of the story, as their all but certain future rematch will be without time limit. This featured really solid technical work and great brawling by both Utami and Syuri, along with a crazy (and probably too dangerous) power bomb onto the edge of the apron. ****"

[9.0] "This match was not the all-time classic that their first encounter was, nor was it meant to be. That said, it was still a great match with tons of power moves, big spots, back and forth momentum shifts, etc. It also had the big match feel to it, even though the venue was significantly smaller than the PPV venue where they had their famed first match a few months back. The whole point of this match was to be a callback to that match with some new things, while adding fodder for their feud which will be culminated soon on a pay per view. This match did have a great slap battle, spots like Utami countering a diving Syuri with a power bomb outside the ring, an avalanche leg drop, etc. It was tense with a unique aura. The end result will not satisfy everyone and was fairly obvious, but the aftermath set up for a conclusion that will likely be satisfactory. This match served its purpose and delivered pretty much what it promised. ****1/4"

[9.0] "Obviously it wasn't as good as their Red Belt match, but it just couldn't have been. They were limited in time and couldn't go all out as they both wrestle a few days after it (Syuri wrestled on Wrestle Grand Slam the next day), but still managed to make the most out of what they had and give us an insane match. They did a few callbacks to their previous match, they felt pretty organic and I liked them. Utami's powerbomb to the outside, with Syuri snapping her neck against the apron, made me very concerned but Syuri seems to be one of these wrestlers whose necks are made of rubber. They obviously drew after the 20 minutes passed, it was the good choice imo and they'll wrestle again in the future. The 20 minutes flew by. This is the second best match of the 5-STAR imo, at least as of now. ****3/4"

[9.0] "Not on their Red Belt Level but I liked it a lot. It was easily one of the best matches of the Tournament yet. Syuri kinda has an Ishii run in this 5STAR with Banger after Banger (**** 1/4)"