The Five Star Radar is the Five Star Network’s weekly series highlighting the best matches from all of pro wrestling throughout the week. This week’s edition takes a look at STARDOM, AEW, DDT, DRAGONGATE, and AJPW!
Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yuji Hino — DDT (1/29/23)
Chops, chops, and many more chops. If you looked away and came back, somehow the chests of Higuchi and Hino were bloodier and more roast beef-like than they were before. To think that two men could go through what they did in this match and come out of the other side as if it was just a normal pro wrestling match is crazy. DDT does a lot of things that keep it different from the rest of the wrestling landscape but their main event scene is as good as anyone’s right now. The shock of Yuji Hino becoming KO-D Openweight Champion still stands with many to this day but no one will complain if this match is only a sign of things to come. A fantastic conclusion to Higuchi’s awesome reign atop DDT.
In perhaps the most surprising result of the week, we saw a powerful and beloved champion take a shocking fall, getting literally chopped down by the only type of guy that it would have felt right by: A big-ass tough guy. A natural followup to their last match two months prior, they purposely beat themselves in the same way, going for well over 200 chops between each other, likely long past the point of losing feeling in their chests before they built to a crescendo which saw Hino hit a devastating Powerbomb to take DDT’s top title. This match had heavy hitting, aggression, and pure heart and emphasized all of those things in a great main event match well worth watching for any kind of fan who loves those aspects of wrestling. Sad to see Higuchi lose the title but Hino can be and has been a great champion in his own right for a company, and if there are more matches like this ahead then I think we’ll all be happy. — Dylan Fox (@Viva_Zero)
Darby Allin vs. Samoa Joe — AEW (2/1/23)
All hail the “King of Television.” Samoa Joe is not only that dude but he’s one bad, bad dude. In a change-up from their previous two matches, Joe wasn’t playing around this time. He systematically destroyed Darby Allin, a man who not only embodied what a fighting champion is but may have very well paved his name at the top of the greatest TNT Champions ever.
The conclusion to arguably the best trilogy in AEW history.
Last year, the TNT Championship was at its lowest in its short history, being passed between Sammy Guevara and Scorpio Sky and then carried onto an underwhelming Wardlow title reign. Fast forward to this month, the title has been effectively rejuvenated off of the back of the incredible “King of Television” gimmick of Samoa Joe and Darby Allin, given the reign he never had in front of a live audience, being a pillar of match consistency for the company. This trilogy will go down with Kenny Omega vs. PAC and Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta as one of the best in AEW.
As you would expect, the blowoff No Holds Barred match between the two was incredibly violent. Darby wore a thumbtack hoodie with him to the ring, which was used to hurt Joe early on before the wily veteran turned the weapon back on him later. An intense spot in the stairs, gnarly chair shots, and Allin’s trademark potentially career-shortening bumps made this a violent watch. Allin exposed the wood underneath the ring with an aim to increase the damage of his Coffin Drop, but this ultimately backfired on him, and after a Muscle Buster on the exposed wooden boards, Joe was proclaimed the “King of Television” once again. These kinds of matches between a super competitive midcard are exactly what the TNT Title was for when it was established and a return to that form in the first month of the year is very pleasing to see. With Wardlow’s return after the match (who will surely be looking to get revenge on Joe), and many competitors, including Powerhouse Hobbs, Swerve Strickland, and Ricky Starks, waiting in the wings, the future of the TNT Championship looks incredibly bright once again. — Amy (@amyhay____)
YAMATO & Naruki Doi vs. Dragon Kid & Dragon Dia — DRAGONGATE (2/3/23)
The brilliance of DRAGONGATE can be showcased in many different ways but none better than tag team and trios wrestling — which is only on full display right now. The Rey de Parejas kicked off Friday with Korakuen Hall rocking for all of DRAGONGATE as the cheering made this show all the better. So what was the perfect addition to the recipe to make this tournament kick off with a bang? YAMADoi coming together to take on Dragon Dia and Dragon Kid.
One of the best tag team matches so far this year.
The first night of the DRAGONGATE Tag Tournament Rey De Parejas was a special show. Not only did it bring together teams that haven’t been together in a long time, like YAMADoi in this case, but it was also the first cheering show for DG in almost three years.
YAMATO and Naruki Doi are a highly decorated team, while Dragon Kid is the mentor of the young Dragon Dia.
This match felt like a return to old form. Partly because the crowd got to cheer (and they did!), but also because YAMATO was coming off a run as the leader of the failed faction HIGH END. Naruki Doi went freelance after leaving the GOLD CLASS group, which didn’t really get going until he left. Both played their roles as self-righteous and seasoned veterans to perfection. Dragon Kid was also a part of HIGH END and is looking for a new home, which he seems to have found with Dia, perhaps even in Dia’s faction D’COURAGE.
This match had good technical work, DG’s trademark fast action, and great spots. The most notable moment was when Doi countered Kid’s Super Hurracanrana and just pushed him away, effectively ending in an Avalanche Powerbomb for the 47-year-old Dragon Kid. After the mesmerizing final minutes, it was clear that YAMADoi are still one of the absolute best teams in Wrestling. — Sbadoosh (@Sbadoosh)
MIRAI vs. Chihiro Hashimoto — STARDOM (2/4/23)
MIRAI is ready to be the face of STARDOM and the match against Chihiro Hashimoto might have been the perfect example of that.
It was a struggle from the opening bell as MIRAI didn’t want to be disrespected but make Hashimoto know that they were on the same level. In the early going, it looked like there was no shot of that happening as the power of “Big Hash” was almost unstoppable for the “Ash-Covered Cinderella” to overcome. It wasn’t until Hashimoto played with fire, slapping the taste out of MIRAI’s mouth that we saw MIRAI go from hopeful to the future world champion we all know that she is.
A loss is a loss, but MIRAI gained more from this than possibly anyone else could have.
As soon as this match was announced, I knew this would be awesome.
STARDOM and Sendai Girls have traditionally had some “baller” crossover matches (for lack of better terminology), so it’s shocking that it took so long for another one to take place but they chose the best one almost immediately right out of the gate with the new additions to STARDOM’s roster since the last crossover.
Chihiro Hashimoto is one of the most versatile wrestlers of the women’s independent scene in Japan, and indisputably one of the best, period. She’s beefy but honestly fantastic, which makes it kind of shocking that she doesn’t have that much exposure beyond Sendai Girls until now.
MIRAI, on the other hand, has increased her stock tenfold in a little over a year since transferring from Tokyo Joshi over to STARDOM, and in doing so has already had two match of the year candidates (vs Suzu Suzuki, and w/Maika vs Aoi/Tomoka Inaba).
I’m going to be a little informal and say it how it is: They slap, lariat, and drop the absolute f–king shit out of each other this match. It was so, so, so much fun to watch. MIRAI doesn’t exactly have the build of someone considered a hoss when Himeka, Maika, Hashimoto, Yuu, and Nanae are all on the same show yet her performance and chemistry with Hashimoto are crazy. My first thought when this match ended is that they need to run it back. Matches like this one are what makes pro wrestling such a delight.
Of course, Syuri vs Hashimoto is very likely happening at the Yokohama show, but I wouldn’t object in any way to seeing Team 200kg/Nanae vs Syuri/MIRAI/Ami down the line. — James Carlin (@JamesSetRadio)
Nanae Takahashi & Yuu vs. Maika & Himeka — STARDOM (2/4/23)
Tag team wrestling at its very best. MaiHime, much like MIRAI in the match prior, walked out of it better than they came into it. That’s when you know everyone in the match did their part.
7Upp have been nothing short of fantastic as champions so with MaiHime receiving the most support of anyone throughout the night from the cheering crowd, it made for a great dynamic.
At STARDOM Supreme Fight 2023, MaiHime’s standout performances in the Goddesses of Stardom Title match stole the show. The match centered around Maika and Himeka’s quest to reclaim the Top Spot in the Tag Division after their devastating title loss in April 2021. The crowd was vocal in their support of MaiHime, especially after Himeka’s early knee injury. With Himeka out for the first half, the “Empress of Stardom” Maika put on a fantastic babyface performance fighting against Nanae and Yuu in a 2-on-1 disadvantage and was able to hold the DDM Duo in the Match. When the “Jumbo Princess” was back in the action, the match ended up being an emotional rollercoaster. Himeka sold her injury amazingly and showed fire and the will to overcome all the odds and win the prestigious Tag Team Titles. Despite all the pain, the “Jumbo Princess” fought MaiHime back into winning contention with some close near falls, but in the end, 7Upp was just the better Team on this day. When it seemed like MaiHime was about to win the title, 7Upp used their experience and turned the match in their favor, crushing the hopes of the MaiHime fans and retaining their championships. Despite the loss, MaiHime came out looking like bigger stars and proved that they are ready for another run with the belts. — Peps (@P__Wrestling)
Thus far, all I’ve done as a contributor for the Five Star Network is heap praise on Maika and Himeka, both as singles wrestlers and as a tag team. But after watching their match against Nanae Takahashi and Yuu on Saturday, can you really blame me? In their first match in front of a fully interactive crowd as a team, Maika and Himeka delivered spectacular babyface performances against the imposing champions, and the crowd was there for it. People who tuned into the match expecting a good old-fashioned hoss fight were instead given a complex and intricately built match that revolved around Himeka’s injured knee and Maihime attempting to overcome such an insurmountable setback. The injury, which was believed by many (including me) to be a shoot when it happened, took place mere minutes into the match and gave Maika the obligation to fight Nanae and Yuu 2-on-1 in the early stages of the bout. From there, each glimmer of hope that Maika and Himeka got in the match came to the audible delight of the Osaka crowd and the PPV audience around the globe. When you talk about how much of an impact an unrestricted crowd can have on a wrestling match, this is the perfect example of just that. And while the result did not go in the way of Osaka’s Donna Del Mondo favorites, STARDOM’s golden pair was able to add yet another hard-hitting and emotionally-captivating performance to their growing resumes. — Dylan Murray (@XXIchiban)
Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi — AJPW (2/4/23)
Kento Miyahara may very well be the best wrestler in the world and he made sure to add another match to his argument this past Saturday against former tag team partner turned rival Yuma Aoyagi. There’s no denying that these two have some of the best chemistry in wrestling today but add the fact that they seem to only get better and better as time goes on. The day Yuma Aoyagi finally beats “The Best of the Best” will be a special day but until then, we’ll just be happy to witness these two talents go head-to-head as Yuma gets closer and closer.
A little over one week after Yuma Aoyagi pinned Kento Miyahara in the MOTYC tag title match they meet again but this time for the Triple Crown Title in a singles match. When they enter Kento gets the usual pop he would always get but after the bell rang the “YUMA” chants outweighed the “KENTO” chants, this felt like another example of how over Yuma Aoyagi has become over the pandemic. The crowd sees him as ready to take Kento’s spot and he would prove in this match that in-ring he is also ready to take Kento’s spot.
The match itself followed the usual Kento/Yuma formula Kento had the upper hand for most of the match but Yuma got some great near falls and hope spots. When Yuma kicked out of the Shutdown German Suplex from Kento everyone in the building was shocked but none more than Kento Miyahara. It felt like such a big deal that he kicked out of Kento’s finisher, the crowd was electric for this kick out, and for a short period it felt like Yuma was finally going to win but sadly Yuma couldn’t kick out of the second Shutdown German Suplex from the “Best of the Best” Kento Miyahara.
Kento and Yuma continued their emotional way of storytelling with this match and this felt like the biggest chance Yuma had to beat Kento for the Triple Crown Title.
Right now All Japan is one of the best promotions so far this year and they proved it again on the 4th of February with an outstanding title match. I would say more about it but I personally believe this is a match you have to experience to enjoy. — Sondre Bjorn (@SondreBjorn)
You can check out last week’s Five Star Radar here.
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