5★STAR GP 2023 Opening Round Day 1 - WrestleFile Historical Verdict

The July 23, 2023 5 STAR GP opening card began with a four-trio gauntlet before the day's singles league matches. STARS representatives Momo Kohgo, Koguma and Saya Iida eliminated Queen's Quest members Miyu Amasaki, Lady C and Hina after 3:10. The mixed trio of Mei Seira, Mai Sakurai and Thekla entered next and defeated the STARS group in 3:46, before beating HANAKO, Yuna Mizumori and Saki Kashima in a final 2:49 stage. The official result lists Seira among the decisive performers. This was a succession of three six-woman exchanges rather than twelve wrestlers simultaneously fighting as one team. The final winners had no newly awarded Grand Prix singles points, because the tournament's separate block matches followed this preliminary attraction.

Maika opens Blue Stars competition by beating Hanan in only 3:50. Hanan attacks before the bell sequence can settle and tries to create an upset with speed, but Maika's power shuts the door quickly with the Michinoku Driver II. The short runtime makes the hierarchy clear while still giving Hanan a place in the opening-night field. Historically, the bout functions as a standings marker more than a destination match, but Maika's immediate two points matter in a block she eventually contends to win.

Mariah May's 6:51 win over AZM is one of the opening round's sharpest sprints. The match uses the contrast between AZM's speed and May's size without wasting time, and May survives the rapid counters before finishing with the tombstone piledriver. The victory gives a tournament newcomer two points over one of Stardom's most established high-speed wrestlers. It also strengthens May beyond her Goddesses title partnership with Mina Shirakawa, proving she can score meaningful singles results on her own.

Natsuko Tora and Ami Sohrei work a short power match that connects directly to the recent Queen's Quest-Oedo Tai fallout. Tora creates the deciding opening by knocking down the referee and using poison mist before the Death Valley Driver and Swanton Bomb. That keeps Oedo Tai's rule-breaking identity intact while giving Tora two points against a physically credible God's Eye opponent. The bout is not designed as a long showcase, but the finish establishes how Tora intends to navigate the Red Stars block.

Natsupoi and Starlight Kid turn 7:23 into a fast counter-heavy match that fits both wrestlers. Kid attacks first and pushes the pace with aerial offense, while Natsupoi keeps answering with German suplexes and roll-up exchanges. The final sequence around Kuro Tora Tenbatsu and Fairy Magic gives Natsupoi a clean two-point start without making Kid look outclassed. The match is especially useful because both wrestlers would remain important Red Stars variables, so the head-to-head result carries value beyond the sprint itself.

Utami Hayashishita's first major singles match after her United States excursion gives the show a genuine return story. Mina Shirakawa attacks the neck and keeps forcing Utami to adapt, while Utami gradually reasserts the power advantage. The finish matters because she unveils the Shocking Baszler as evidence that the excursion changed her offense rather than simply refreshing her presentation. The win supplies two Blue Stars points, and the later IWGP Women's Championship challenge turns the match into the first step of a larger post-excursion direction.

STARDOM's original July 23, 2023 Ota City Gymnasium opening-night match report confirms former Wonder of Stardom champion Momo Watanabe defeating reigning Wonder champion MIRAI in a 5STAR Grand Prix Blue Stars league contest, 9:56, after Peach Sunrise into Peach Thunder. The event's official result gives Watanabe two Blue Stars points and MIRAI zero. This was NOT a defense of MIRAI's white belt, so the defeated champion retained her title. The promotion framed their history around Watanabe having held the belt before MIRAI. Watanabe targeted her opponent with kicks and even reached for her signature bat, but MIRAI avoided the weapon and countered with lariats and mat wrestling before Watanabe finished with the Peach Thunder.

The first league-day upset is more informative than a routine undercard pin: a former champion beat the active titleholder while leaving the title reign intact. The match's existing A-minus/8.8 grade and match-level Watch-selectively verdict already recognized that relevance, but the Event File watch guide had incongruously grouped it with Skims. This single case is promoted to Watch without changing any original result, other match, grade or championship identity.

Syuri versus Suzu Suzuki is the first late-card match that feels like a tournament headliner rather than a compact points sprint. Suzuki attacks before the bell sequence settles and repeatedly tries to force the fight into her preferred violent rhythm, but Syuri survives the German suplexes and answers with layered kicks and submission threats. The 11:02 finish with Syuri Sekai gives the former World champion a decisive opening result against one of the field's most dangerous newcomers. That win becomes more interesting in hindsight because Suzuki eventually wins the entire tournament.

Mayu Iwatani and Hazuki turn a STARS relationship into a serious 13:02 tournament match. Hazuki pressures Iwatani with low dropkicks, topes and fast pin attempts, while Iwatani survives the momentum swings and gradually forces the match toward her own bigger finishing offense. The two-stage dragon suplex ends it cleanly. The value comes from the pairing's familiarity: neither wrestler needs an elaborate story outside the tournament, so the match can focus on the idea that a stablemate is still a direct obstacle once league points are at stake.

Giulia and Saori Anou use every second of the fifteen-minute limit, making the tournament rule feel essential rather than decorative. Their history allows the match to begin with tension immediately, and the action escalates from grappling into floor brawling, table use and repeated suplex exchanges. Giulia lands the Glorious Driver too late to complete the pin before the bell. Both wrestlers leave with one point, which protects two major Blue Stars contenders while also creating a standings complication that remains relevant deep into the tournament. It is the clearest example of the format improving the drama.

The main event is historically important for a reason nobody planned. Tam Nakano and Saya Kamitani begin with the speed and big-match ambition expected from two top stars, including a dramatic sequence on the entrance structure. Kamitani then suffers the elbow injury that leaves her unable to continue, forcing the referee stoppage at 8:15. The match cannot reach a normal competitive conclusion, but the decision protects the injured wrestler and becomes the turning point for the entire Red Stars schedule. Megan Bayne's debut attack and Utami Hayashishita's IWGP challenge give the audience major developments after the abrupt finish.