The mammoth tournament that was STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 2025 is done, and now that I’ve shed all those happy tears for Momo Watanabe’s huge win, I can look back at the event and celebrate its highest points.
STARDOM packed the tourney with an even bigger field this year. That meant more matches to catch up with and led to some ho-hum nights. It did, however, give all kinds of chances for the company’s stars to shine. AZM and Rina were among those who took advantage of that and will show up plenty on this list.
Sareee made a major impact on the 5STAR as the scorned outsider. H.A.T.E put its imprint on the tournament. NEO Genesis flourished many times over.
That all led to some of the best action from the marathon event. Read on for my ranking of the top 10 bouts of this year’s 5STAR. Surely, your own list will differ. Feel free to share your own and see where we overlap/disagree. Tag @resuramag on Twitter and get the discussion rolling.
Honorable Mentions:
AZM vs. Tomaka Inaba (7/30)
Natsupoi vs. Rina (8/10)
Sareee vs. Hina (8/3)
Hanan vs. Saya Kamitani (8/6)
10. AZM vs. Rina (8/6)
Two of the tournament’s best performers brought it here. It was a back-and-forth contest that sustained its energy throughout.
Of course, the speedy, athletic wrestling you’d expect from AZM and Rina was on display. Lots of the action was smooth, fluid, a blur on the screen. They gave us some good dramatic moments as well including AZM wailing after Rina kneed her in the gut. That was a microcosm of the intensity these two churned up in a short time.
Fun stuff from the start to its frenzied final moments.
9. Natsuko Tora vs. Sayaka Kurara (8/3)
A classic David-versus-Goliath match played out well in this early part of the tournament. Tora was a convincing, captivating bully. She overpowered and cheated her way to dominance and Kurara showed lots of heart in battling back.
The near-wins for Sayaka were electric. It felt several times like we were going to see this thug get her comeuppance and those teases elevated the match.
Overall, it was well–paced and a different flavor than a lot of the best contests.
8. Tomoka Inaba vs. Rina (8/3)
Rina has to be a lot of people’s tournament MVP, but Inaba had one hell of a 5Star, too. This was her best showing, a wild and ferocious collision in Tochigi.
Inaba and Rina threw chairs at each other. They wrecked each other with kicks. Each woman’s presence was evident through all of it.
Bonus points for giving us just a taste of H.A.T.E. interference and not overdoing it.
7. Sareee vs. Momo Watanabe (8/16)
This was my most anticipated matchup of the whole shebang. Before I knew they would have a rematch with even bigger stakes just a few days later, of course.
This was the story of the 5STAR leading up to it as both wrestlers talked big smack ahead of the event. Sareee, the outsider, insulted Momo and STARDOM as a whole. Momo stood as the protector of the promotion’s honor. The animosity crackled here once they finally met in the ring.
A slugfest between two stars with great chemistry. A clear and engaging story. I loved this.
I can tell I’m higher on this than most folks as I assume the H.A.T.E. interference annoyed folks. It worked for me, though, and helped set up the narrative of Sareee-Momo II.
6. Natsupoi vs. Rina (8/20)
Redemption awaited Rina in this rematch after she lost to Natsupoi 10 days prior.
This outdid that match with more urgency, more intensity, more frantic energy. Rina and Poi trading slaps sticks in my brain. The same goes for Rina cranking on her submission, twisting harder, desperate to end it. Damn, do we need a full-fledged rivalry between these two.
If you are among those arguing for Rina’s case as 5STAR MVP, you have to submit this as evidence.
5. Sareee vs. Konami (7/27)
The first night gave us a major upset and a spectacular atmosphere. The crowd ate up Sareee as the anti-STARDOM outsider. They backed Konami loudly and emphatically.
Then the wrestlers delivered in front of that thrilled audience.
This was the best we’ve seen from Konami in a long while. She was delightfully violent, focused, living up to the moment.
This was firmly my top match of the tournament until the event’s back half when the playoffs began and everyone cranked up their intensity dials en route to the finals.
4. Starlight Kid vs. Rina (8/20)
Outside of Momo’s crowning moment, this is the match I most want to go back to revisit. I feel like I likely missed some of the more subtle elements and will appreciate it even more after viewing no. 2.
The wrestlers were evenly matched here and gelled together super well. It was a showcase for both Starlight Kid and Rina of how great they are athletically but also in terms of presence. This felt like two major stars going at it in a marquee showdown. It was “the future is now” moment for Rina in particular.
The final third, where the drama was amped up, puts this just about Sareee vs. Konami for me. It went from really good to great in those waning moments.
3. Sareee vs. Momo Watanabe (8/20)
Momo’s second chance to take down Sareee. A ticket to the finals on the line. This match felt huge, important, can’t-miss.
Watanabe and Sareee jumped right into brawl mode and just started wailing on each other. They brought an extra level aggression to the party with forearms that could dent a wall.
The bout was beautiful chaos, an artful mix of primal rage and deft wrestling.
This is why you bring Sareee into this tournament and have her talk all this shit. She set up the pins for Momo who bowled a hell of a strike.
2. Momo Watanabe vs. AZM (8/23)
What a finals matchup. We were either going to witness the long-awaited moment of triumph for Momo or we would see AZM rise to a true contender. Both outcomes would have hit well.
This had great back-and-forth action and lots of electricity. A huge dive from AZM. Slick counters. The built-in emotion of the MomoAZ team going up against each other.
Watanabe telling HATE to back off was one of the most memorable moments of the tournament. She wanted to win the right way, perhaps hinting at a babyface turn. Her moment of conscience elevated the drama of an already dramatic contest.
If you said this should be no. 1, I wouldn’t fight you. It might very well move up on a rewatch when it’s time to compose my MOTY list. For now, though, one match stands above it.
1. AZM vs. Saya Kamitani (8/20)
This match pulsed with energy in such an impressive way. I found myself sliding further and further forward in my chair as it unfolded.
The Phenex Queen kicked AZM’s ass early, and it seemed like it was going to be an embarrassingly one-sided bout. That story was intriguing on its own, but things picked up for our High Speed Bomb Girl. She exploded in response and got a major win against the red belt champ.
This was a fantastic showcase of Kamitani as a ruthless Ace and further proof that AZM is world-champ material.
I get most excited thinking back on this bout, and that’s my very scientific method of ranking it no. 1.
RESURA 