On April 29th Stardom hosts the Cinderella Tournament, a one day single elimination tournament that grants the winner a wish (so far that’s been a title shot, but we don’t know how far the premise could go). The previous winners were Mayu Iwatani, Toni Storm, and Momo Watanabe. This year’s tournament includes all the big names from the company, except for Mayu who is currently out recovering from a knee injury that she suffered at the start of the year. I’m going to break down the first round matches and explain who I think will win the tournament this year. Each match has a ten minute time limit, and can be won by pinfall, submission, or over-the-top-rope elimination. A draw eliminates both participants. One thing to note is that there are almost always some double elimination draws in the tournament, and last year one of the semi finals ended in a draw, which made the other semi final the de facto final.
Hana Kimura vs. Andras Miyagi
Tournament History: Third entry for Hana; first entry for Andras
Hana recently signed full time with Stardom and just became a fully-fledged unit leader in the draft, whilst Miyagi left Sendai Girls’ in January and has been making regular appearances in Stardom since February. I’d be shocked if Hana doesn’t win this match and advance to the second round, but I expect that Miyagi will deliver a good performance.
Jungle Kyona vs. Natusko Tora
Tournament History: Fourth entry for Kyona; second entry for Natsuko
Kyona and Natsuko were the leader and second in command of Jungle Assault Nation, until it was dissolved in the draft after Kyona lost the unit leaders’ elimination match. Subsequently Kyona was drafted by Tokyo Cyber Squad and Natsuko was drafted by Oedo Tai, and Natusko had some harsh words for her former leader. This match promises to be the best match of the first round, and I think that it’s going to end up in a brawl that leads to the first double elimination of the tournament, probably by time limit draw.
Arisa Hoshiki vs. Saki Kashima
Tournament History: First entry for Arisa; second entry for Saki
Arisa and Saki were both very early roster members of Stardom (Arisa was in the first class of rookies along with Mayu, and Saki in the second class) but both took time out from wrestling and only returned to the ring last year. I like Saki, but Arisa seems like she has the higher ceiling and she has been improving a lot since her return, so I expect her to win here and move on to the next round.
Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu
Tournament History: Fourth entry for Kagetsu; second entry for Tam
Kagetsu and Tam have unfinished business stretching back to the start of 2018, when Tam was forced to leave Oedo Tai after they lost a match against Queen’s Quest. Tam beat Kagetsu in the 5 Star Grand Prix after Hana’s interference, and I think that she will pick up another win here. Kagetsu is already the World of Stardom champion so she doesn’t need to win here, and last year she debuted her Cinderella Tournament alter-ego Kageko and got eliminated by Kyona in the first round, so I think something similar will happen here to allow Tam to progress.
Hazuki vs. Bea Priestley
Tournament History: Third entry for Hazuki; second entry for Bea, 2018 runner up
This match is tough to predict, since Hazuki is very much in the upper midcard of Stardom right now, but Bea is the strongest foreign wrestler in Stardom. At the last Stardom show Bea issued a challenge to Kagetsu for the World of Stardom Title, which Kagetsu accepted for a later date, so I think that takes Bea out of the running for the Cinderella Tournament this year. That being the case, I have Hazuki winning here.
Natsu Sumire vs. Starlight Kid
Tournament History: Second entry for Natsu; first entry for Kid
Starlight Kid makes her debut in the Cinderella Tournament this year, and Natsu Sumire returns after losing to Brandi Rhodes last year. Kid has had a good year so far, and was taken as the overall first pick in the Stardom draft, so I expect her to progress here at Natsu’s expense.
AZM vs. Rebel Kel
Tournament History: First entry for both
This is a David vs. Goliath matchup between the 6’ Rebel Kel and the 4’11 AZM, but AZM has the edge in terms of in-ring experience, since she started in 2011 when she was nine years old. I expect that AZM will overcome her larger opponent in this match, primarily because of the result that it would give us in the second round.
Momo Watanabe vs. Konami
Tournament History: Fourth entry for Momo, 2018 winner; third entry for Konami
In the recent Stardom draft Konmai was stolen from Queen’s Quest by Hana Kimura, and ever since the ill feeling between Konami and her former teammates has been heating up. Konami was already the best technical wrestler in Stardom and now she has the opportunity to show off her character more in her new unit. This is a rematch from the first round of last year’s tournament, and I expect it to be really good, but I’m predicting that Konami pulls of an upset win here to lead into a second round match with another former QQ member in AZM.
Quarter Finals
Hana Kimura – Bye
Tam Nakano vs. Arisa Hoshiki
Tam and Arisa have had a long-running feud based around Tam’s jealousy of Arisa (who used to be Mayu’s tag team partner), which was compounded by Mayu taking Arisa ahead of her in the draft. This is a good opportunity for them to have a blow-off match, and I think Tam will win here, mainly because Arisa seems like she has the mental state to deal with a loss more than Tam does.
Starlight Kid vs. Hazuki
Hazuki beat Kid in a High Speed Title match earlier this year, and I expect the results to be similar here, with Kid putting up a good fight but coming up short. Their last match ended in a double pin, which gives this an element of suspense (presumably both would be eliminated here if that happened) but I think that Hazuki will emerge victorious from this match.
AZM vs. Konami
This is a chance for Konami to take down another member of her former unit (and the official leader) in AZM. This should be another really good match, but I expect that Konami will continue to put QQ to the sword and advance here.
Semi Finals
Hana Kimura vs. Tam Nakano
The first semi final is between the leader of Tokyo Cyber Squad and one of the potential leaders of STARS now that Mayu is out injured. I think that Hana will pick up the win here to move on to the final, especially now that she’s signed to Stardom full time. Hana is incredibly popular amongst the fans both at home and abroad (as seen in the New York show) and I think that this tournament will establish her as a major force going forward.
Hazuki vs. Konami
This could be the match of the whole tournament if it happens and I expect that Konami will come up short here and Hazuki will win to go to the final. Hazuki is clearly on the cusp of being a serious main eventer in Stardom – her move to Oedo Tai gave her an edge in terms of ring-work and character that was lacking before – and I think she cements that with a big performance in the tournament.
Final
Hana Kimura vs. Hazuki
The former number two in Oedo Tai versus the current number two in Oedo Tai, and a rematch from last year’s Cinderella Tournament. Hazuki won last year, but I think Hana gets her win back here, and goes on to win the entire tournament. Hopefully the dress that is awarded to the winner will be camo pattern if Hana wins. Or better yet she sets fire to the dress.
Winner: Hana Kimura
Hana is probably the obvious pick to win the tournament, but sometimes it makes sense to go with the obvious choice. A win gives Hana and her new unit immediate credibility, and establishes them as a legitimate part of Stardom. I only went for one draw in the whole tournament, which could be a risk, but otherwise I’m pretty happy with my predictions. I think that Hana will challenge Kagetsu for the World of Stardom title again, since their last feud ended abruptly, and she might actually be person to take the belt off Kagetsu if they want to give Tokyo Cyber Squad an immediate boost. If you’re interested in watching the tournament it can be found on Stardom World at https://www.stardom-world.com.
All graphics from @we_are_stardom
