HANAKO vs. Starlight Kid

[8.0] "Got me very surprised with how good the ring quality here was. Look, HANAKO is a average/below quality single wrestler and a decent tag wrestler that clearly shouldn't be into this point in the tournament while joshi wrestlers like Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita didn't even qualified for that point. Still, I feel really happy with the result of the match, really great dynamic, HANAKO sold her leg pretty well and the entire offensive plan SLK manage to apply at her looked pretty nice. I like what that match end up being."

"Starlight Kid and HANAKO tuvieron una gran quimica ambas, el dinamismo entre high flyer y la powerhouse es una combinación que hace disfrutable el combate, Kid trabajando durante el match la pierna de HANAKO le da paso a que haya tenido una victoria creíble solida"

[6.0] "***3/4 good match--good, entertaining, and well-rounded. There was great chemistry; Hanako and Starlight Kid kept things straightforward, with Hanako using her size and strength to punish SLK, while SLK utilized her agility and speed to attack and damage her opponent's leg, ultimately forcing a submission. The match featured strong sequences and intensity, with effective limbwork by SLK on Hanako's leg and interesting selling from Hanako. It maintained a steady pace, delivering a virtually complete match in under 15 minutes--classic wrestling blended with modern moves and pacing--serving as a modern-day David vs. Goliath story within the Joshi scene. Perhaps the time constraints and a sense of rushing held it back slightly, but the finish was strong: Starlight Kid landed a Moonsault onto the injured leg and transitioned into a Stretch Muffler, eventually modifying the hold to trap the head and force Hanako to submit."

[8.0] "what a great start an huge David vs Goliath! Starlight, wisely, attack to the beginning the leg of the bigger opponent and this is the key to the victory"

[9.0] "La différence de taille entre starlight kid et Hanako est impressionnante on à le sentiment que Hanako est géante est starlight kid minuscule. Chaque assaut qu'Hanako met nous renvoie un une signification comme quoi starlight kid se fait atomiser, la violence est inouïe. Par contre sa stratégie (à starlight kid) sur la jambe pour amener sa soumission l'ai tout au temps."

[8.0] "I really enjoyed this one. HANAKO isn't someone whose singles work has really stood out in this GP, though her work with SLK is always incredible. SLK did a great job of making HANAKO look like a monster, taking some insane bumps and selling each move like she'd just been hit by a truck. HANAKO did a great job of selling the leg as well, something that I wasn't expecting given that it wasn't a big focal point of the match. This was the perfect opener, and it helped the crowd get heavily invested in the rest of the card. ****"

[8.0] "Very reminiscent of their White belt match last year, Starlight Kid once again excels at making HANAKO looks like a monster. HANAKO's progress in confidence is nice to see, great selling too."

[6.0] "This was fun , They play off the power and size difference very well and SLK puts in an amazing shift."

[10.0] "i thought this match was absolutely fantastic. the limb work and selling of the leg by hanako was just perfect and slk wasn't holding back at all. just a great showing of women's wrestling all around."

[8.0] "Such a good opener for this show 5STAR GP 2026 for Stardom here at Korakuen Hall. One of the best singles match of Hanako i've ever seen, the chemistry with Starlight Kid was so good, because they have such a different wrestling style, and a different style. Some crazy kickouts, Hanako was so close, and this kind of match is perfect to make the crowd very hot, for a show as important as this one."

[8.0] "HANAKO attacking Kitto during her entrance was really good idea as it was fast, unexpected and set the tone for the rest of the match which was absolutely fantastic. HANAKO obviously dominated first minutes and her offense got really good, she improved so much compering her even to last years 5STAR. SLK won but looking how they structured this match it wasn't so obvious to be honest, HANAKO had a few moments that you could have legitimately believed she's walking out with the W. ****"

[8.0] "Awesome match that builds on the last few SLK has had, another one where against a bigger opponent, she is focusing the leg and knee both to cut them down to size, and to help her stretch muffler as a win condition. Hanako here was *awesome*, she just felt massive, and her moves felt so impactful, but the differences between her and Ami - from SLKs last match - were plain as day, with Hanako's size perhaps being too much as she doesn't have the same mobility to slip out of the stretch muffler or avoid some of the damage to the leg as easily, and is more impacted by the damage done on it. I like how SLK felt dominant despite eating some really big moves, because Hanako sold the leg very well. The hot start was nice to this, too, immediately putting Kitto on the back foot and letting the match and the show start off with some energy. There were a couple of minor things with this match that didn't quite go right, there was a point in the stretch muffler where it looked like SLK was having to tell Hanako to reposition her arm, and Hanako's powerbomb - as awesome as the impact was - did require SLK to basically set herself up for it for no reason, but the pace and intensity of the match was good enough to cover for it very easily. A really good match and very enjoyable performance from both women, and I'm glad SLK won, while Hanako got to go out in strong fashion."

[9.0] "Very good big vs small match. Possibly Hanako's best performance. SLK's ability to take punishment and keep going was impressive."

[9.0] "Crazy hot start, HANAKO trying to take out SLK on her birthday! This was everything I would ever want in a David vs. Goliath match, HANAKO threw SLK everywhere not just on suplexes but breaking out of submissions too. The size and power disparity was apparent in everything they did, this was HANAKO's best match of her career with an opponent that let her lean into every literal and figurative strength she has as a wrestler to make this as good as it could be."

[7.0] "Playoff action begins with Hanako getting the jump on SLK. I like when Hanako actually wrestles like a giant. SLK and her have good chemistry for that reason, it's a perfect mismatch of sizes. SLK uses her speed and limb working abilities to manage that size difference."

[8.0] "Top match to launch this day between Starlight Kid and HANAKO, expected result but it was still very very good"