Stardom is at it again with a monumental PPV event happening on Saturday, May 28 entitled Stardom Flashing Champions 2022. In a rarity for Stardom, every active championship in the company will be defended on a single show, meaning seven titles will be up for grabs inside Ota Ward Gymnasiums, one of the most beloved venues in Joshi wrestling history. Beyond just housing title matches, Stardom Flashing Champions will also house KAIRI’s first match since STARDOM World Climax, as she teams up with Tam Nakano for the first time ever. It’s safe to say Saturday’s event is stacked, so let’s get right into the card!
Stardom Flashing Champions 2022 Full Card
Stardom's next big show is May 28 at Ota Ward Gym! It's Stardom Flashing Champions, with all the titles on the line, and the return of KAIRI! pic.twitter.com/ItkbI9foHP
— We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) May 14, 2022
- Lottery Draft Trios Match: Ami Sourei, Lady C, Hina, Saya Iida, Momo Kohgo, and Rina
- Future of STARDOM Championship Match: Hanan (c) vs. Ruaka
- Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka and Waka Tsukiyama vs Suzu Suzuki, Akane Fujita and Mochi Natsumi (Prominence)
- High-Speed Championship Match: AZM (c) vs. Thekla
- SWA Championship Match: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs Fukigen DEATH
- White Knights (Tam Nakano and KAIRI) vs. Utami Hayashishita and Miyu Amasaki
- Goddesses of STARDOM Championship Match: FWC (Koguma and Hazuki) (c) vs. Giulia and Mai Sakurai
- Artist of STARDOM Championship Match: Maika, Himeka, and Natsupoi (c) vs. Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Momo Watanabe
- Wonder of STARDOM Championship Match: Saya Kamitani (c) vs. MIRAI
- KO/Submission Only Match for The World of STARDOM Championship: Syuri (c) vs. Risa Sera
First-Time Challengers for Both the High-Speed & SWA Championship
To kick off our preview, let’s talk about the two main “gimmick” championships that Stardom has to offer. Firstly, AZM will defend her High-Speed Championship against former SWA Champion and Donna Del Mondo’s Toxic Spider, Thekla. For the first time since Natsupoi in 2020, Stardom has a new competitor capable of mixing things up in the High-Speed Divison signed to the company, with recent reigns with the belt relying heavily on outsiders and repeat challengers to fill in the holes of the micro-division. Despite being nearly six months into her run with the company, Thekla is still a brand new threat for wrestlers like AZM, who have yet to face off with The Spider until very recently in tag-team competition. While AZM is known as the Ace of the High-Speed Divison, it could be Thekla who disrupts AZM’s momentum and reclaims gold just a month after losing the SWA Belt to Mayu Iwatani.
Speaking of Mayu and the SWA Belt, her first title defense is also set to take place at Stardom Flashing Champions 2022. Now, despite copious amounts of speculation regarding what foreign competitor will step up to the challenge of battling Mayu for the International-driven title, it was one Fukigen DEATH to throw her hat in the ring first, saying that she is, in fact, an alien, and eligible to fight Mayu for the SWA belt. Shockingly enough, this plea worked, meaning Mayu will face the clown inside Ota Ward. While Mayu currently has a winning record of 4-3 against the Many Faces of Yoneyama, you never truly know what will happen when Fukigen DEATH is involved.
The White Knights’ Plan to Make Miyu Amasaki a Better Wrestler
Stepping away from title matches for a moment, a late yet massive addition to the Flashing Champions card is the union of Tam Nakano & KAIRI facing off with Utami Hayashishita & Miyu Amasaki of Queen’s Quest. After crushing Tam’s throat in her first match back, The two decided to team up to create the White Knights in recognition of their mutual admiration for the White Belt. KAIRI plans to take Miyu Amasaki back to the Nanaeism days of STARDOM and hurt the rookie for her own good, as she believes Amasaki’s training up to this point has been too soft. With Tam’s history of frequently passing out from sheer exhaustion during her trainee days, Tam will likely hold a similar murderous intent entering this match. Can Utami protect Miyu from her impending doom, or will Miyu be shown what KAIRI believes is the true essence of Joshi wrestling in Ota Ward?
DDM’s Championship Dynasty in Jeopardy?
In a lesser-discussed topic heading into Stardom Flashing Champions 2022, it seems as if the event could spell the end to Donna Del Mondo’s Championship streak that they’ve held for over two years now. Since February 2020, just weeks after DDM’s arrival, the group has not been without a champion among its ranks. However, with the departures of Syuri and MIRAI, as well as their struggles with winning singles gold in recent times, it has fallen on the shoulders of MaiHimePoi to consistently retain their Artists of Stardom Championship to keep the dynasty alive. With the trio currently sitting at seven successful defenses, they have been carrying this weight quite well, but they now must face the strongest team Oedo Tai currently has to offer. Seeing as the duo of Mai Sakurai & Giulia have an incredibly unfavorable matchup against FWC for the Goddesses Championship one match prior, the team of Momo Watanabe, Starlight Kid & Saki Kashima could be the ones to finally mark the end of an era for Stardom’s former juggernaut.
A Soul Too Strong for the Golden Pheonix
In the semi-main event of the evening, MIRAI will use her Cinderella Tournament Wish to meet Saya Kamitani for the Wonder of Stardom Championship in what may be the biggest toss-up of the night. Kamitan’s run as champion has been nothing short of exhilarating and has seemingly revitalized the White Belt and brought it back to its glory days. With matchups full of heart and soul, Saya has elevated herself from Utami’s talented tag team partner to the most powerful member of the Golden Generation. Alternatively, this marks MIRAI’s second major championship match in six months, and a win here could give her the chance to get the same elevation Saya Kamitani has experienced this year. While they have no past matches to pull from, it is important to mention that MIRAI’s only loss since her battle against Syuri came at the hands of Utami Hayashishita, the woman whom Saya Kamitani vanquished just 24 hours beforehand. Could that matchup aid in getting Saya the win, or will the power of MIRAI’s soul be too much for the reigning champ to handle?
A Prominent Red Belt Challenger Approaches
In the main event of Stardom Flashing Champions 2022, Syuri will defend her Red Belt against an old foe of hers in Risa Sera of Prominence. The last time these two met in singles action it took place in a No Ropes Lumberjack Match, but this time around, the two will battle in a knockout/submission-only match that will have no count-outs and no time limit. Despite the bout not being a Hardcore Match like she had asked for, this ruleset could help Risa Sera in a roundabout way seeing as crowd brawling (a tactic she is quite fond of) will be completely allowed. However, the ruleset could also help Syuri gain victory, as her past in kickboxing and MMA gives her a distinct advantage when it comes to ending the match via knockout and/or submission.
Looking past the stipulation, Syuri and Risa Sera have proven to have good chemistry in the ring, with the aforementioned Lumberjack Match making many fans truly happy with pro wrestling. Risa Sera also won that match, making their all-time singles record 1-1. Prominence’s invasion may prove successful if Sera walks out the World Champion, but it feels infinitely more likely that Syuri succeeds in winning the rubber match and proves once and for all that the house always wins.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. If you want to see more from Stardom, you can check out their subscription service Stardom World for all your wonderous Joshi needs.
