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 NOAH, FREEDOMS, SEAdLINNNG, TJPW, and NJPW!
Kaito Kiyomiya has had his eyes on Kazuchika Okada for over a month now and will get his shot at him on Tuesday but before that, he had to take on talented challenger Jack Morris with the GHC Heavyweight Championship on the line.
Morris not only showed that he belonged in this title match but came close to winning as a result. There’s no denying that there’s talent there for Morris and as he gets more opportunities like this one, his potential gets closer and closer to being limitless.
Kaito has been in form as GHC Heavyweight Champion since the beginning of the year when he faced Kenoh, and since gaining some fire in his belly with his feud with Okada. Nestled in the middle was an intermediate title challenge from Good Looking Guy Jack Morris. I don’t think a soul on the planet expected Morris to win. For the Scot, it was about having that big opportunity to show what he could do in the main event. To that end, it succeeded, and then some. Some excellent selling from Morris, an awesome Shooting Star Press, and this returning aggression from Kiyomiya were among the highlights of the match.
This title match isn’t going to be a MOTYC, nor is it the best match of Kiyomiya’s reign, but it’s simply heartwarming to see a guy like Morris who wants to be in NOAH, who’s living his dream, and is delivering in that spot. – Amy (@amyhay___)
Drew Parker vs. Violento Jack — FREEDOMS (2/2/23, PUBLISHED: 2/12/23)
Credit: FREEDOMS
Drew Parker. Deathmatches. This equals a must-see match. That’s all that is needed to be said.
This match made me realize how much I loved deathmatches. It was just unbelievably fun and I will never look at potted plants the same way. I am now also able to understand how Drew Parker might’ve come to the conclusion to stop doing deathmatches. Massive recommendation. – Karl (@UpcomingWrestl1)
Where to start with this match? It was a no-canvas deathmatch that would end up not only special because it was the last title defense Drew Parker did in his first King of FREEDOMS Title Reign, but what made it even more special was that Drew would announce some days after it aired that he is soon going to retire from deathmatch wrestling. It feels bittersweet thinking about this match after that news because, in his short career, Drew has had in the Deathmatch style he has managed to leave an impression on me and many others to the lengths of making me disappointed the scene won’t be having him around anymore.
Now for the actual match, as a match, this match has everything you would expect from the FREEDOMS “No Canvas, Glass Board & Alpha Death”, moves where they land on flat wood, spots through glass, spots through the holes made in the ring by both wrestlers. Violento Jack just had Drew scouted perfectly and he didn’t let Drew get any of his signature offenses like the Swanton Bomb, Jack is the veteran after all and he saw the emotional Drew got more and more frustrated the longer the match went on. In the end, Jack would beat Drew with a submission something that is rare in deathmatches (so rare in fact that I have no idea what its called but it was a cool arm-trapped submission)
Jack now has the King of FREEDOMS title for the 4th time in his career, but as you can probably tell from my feelings about this match, it was all about Drew and his road to retirement from the style that has made his wrestling career up to this point so special. It also helps that the crowd in Korakuen Hall was so loud, a definitive must-watch match if you are into the deathmatch style.
The 25-year-old Drew Parker has all the right to retire from deathmatches and move on with his wrestling career, it takes its toll on the wrestler’s body. He will be remembered for a long time for all the memories he has created inside of that style and I am sure that in his last match in the style, he will go all out against John Wayne Murdoch in march.
Luckily, however, this is not a retirement from wrestling for Drew and more a just “move on” to other styles in his wrestling career, and I am excited about where it’s going, Drew Parker will be successful anywhere he goes after this and I for one will be watching it closely. – Sondre Bjorn (@sondrebjorn)
Arisa Nakajima vs. Riko Kawahata — SEAdLINNNG (2/16/23)
Credit: SEAdLINNNG
Arisa Nakajima remains one of the very best in the Joshi world and she put that on full display in her match against Riko Kawahata. The Beyond The Sea Championship was on the line and as we learned quickly, Kawahata was up for the challenge.
If you have watched her work at all over the past year, you’ve seen her grow from an inconsistent worker to one of the brightest prospects on the scene. She not only had the heart to stand up to Nakajima but maybe even have a shot at winning. Outlasting an onslaught by the “Violent Queen” is asking a lot, so you’ll have to see this match to see how Kawahata truly did.
Arisa Nakajima vs. Riko Kawahata was, in fact, great.
The biggest challenge for Riko yet after a year of unreal growth and she showed she could play to the challenge. Not only did she take was Arisa handed out but gave plenty of violence right back. Great match.#SEAdLINNNG
Aja Kong dropping people on their heads? Yep. Miyu Yamashita kicking some people’s heads? You got it. A spirited performance by Yuki Arai? Now that’s the magic of it all.
Kong is in the conversation of greatest of all time for a reason and this match highlights that more than any. The perfect preview match ahead of Arai’s battle with Kong at Grand Princess ’23!
What is the saying? Piper in Portland. Bret in Calgary. Punk in Chicago. Zayn in Montreal? Well, we need to add Yuki Arai in Nagoya to this list. A loud and cheering pro-SKE48 Crowd went crazy over the Genius Girl teaming together with her trainer and mentor Miyu Yamashita against one of the greatest in Aja Kong and the up-and-coming Moka Miyamoto in a fantastic match.
The interactions between Aja and Yuki hyped up the big singles Match at Grand Princess pretty well, but also the interactions between “The Pink Striker” and Aja Kong leave me with hope for more. The clear highlight of the match was when Miyu kicked the garbage can out of Aja’s hand, Aja countered with the Uraken but the former 3x Princess Of Princess Champion no sold it to plant the 36-year vet with her Skull Kick. This sequence was stuck in my head for the next couple of days, and likely will be for another week or two. This match will be added to the outstanding legacy of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time in Aja Kong who even in 2023 is able to deliver fantastic matches. – Peps (@P__Wrestling)
Mercedes Moné is everything she says she is and then some. She’s a special talent who is arguably the best women’s wrestler in the history of the United States and is just now challenging herself to see how great she truly is. It seemed that some wrestling fans united over the past few weeks to doubt Moné, acting as if all her great matches and accomplishments before leaving WWE weren’t real. Acting as if Moné didn’t have what it takes to go out there and be the superstar she’s always been. Well, it was a tough day for those who doubted her.
In a match that had the same feeling to it as Moné’s match with Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, Mercedes arrived to NJPW and did so by having one of the best matches of the year with KAIRI. And a credit to KAIRI, who has done nothing but dazzle since her return to pro wrestling and STARDOM last year. Her first reign with the IWGP Women’s Championship may be over, but her legacy and being the inaugural champion can never be taken away from her. These two had a mission Saturday night and made sure to deliver. They exceeded expectations, quieted the doubters, and showed the world what the IWGP Women’s Championship should be all about, much like the match KAIRI had with Mayu Iwatani did at Historic X-Over.
If you haven’t watched this match, watch it. If you have, watch it again. Magic was in the air. This match is what the Five Star Radar is all about.
Few people in this world have had to enter a professional wrestling match with as high of expectations as Mercedes Moné did at NJPW Battle in the Valley. Her match against KAIRI, one that has been done once before on a far smaller stage – an empty arena episode of Monday Night RAW – was Moné’s first opportunity to express herself as a professional wrestler outside of WWE.
Quite frankly, she did a tremendous job. Wrestling the match in tribute gear to Hana Kimura, the beloved star that was gone far too soon, took her big-time entertainer tactics and implemented them beautifully into an NJPW match and truly felt like a reborn in-ring competitor. KAIRI, while the supporting star of the match, did a tremendous job as well, delivering one of her best performances since her return to Japan one year ago. Without going into excruciating detail, the match delivered on every front that matters and gave both fans of Mercedes and fans of NJPW/STARDOM a lot to look forward to with the new IWGP Women’s Champion. – Dylan Murray (@XXIchiban)
You can check out last week’s Five Star Radar here.
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