This is part of the “Stardom’s Favorite Daughter—Icon or Illusion?” watch series, which you can find here.

We now jump ahead five months following the latest review on the project, and the first thing to notice is already the obvious signs of infancy from the Stardom product have begun to fade. The lighting and production are miles better; gone is the woefully dull ring gear, and in are some backstage interviews and other pre-taped items that make the show flow all the better. There’s a lot to be said about the healthiness of the joshi scene when talking about the giant Stardom will become, but for now, watching them progress towards something more put together, something more familiar, is a good feeling. Coincidentally, that feels wonderfully appropriate here, as Mayu rounds out a certain categorical first by pairing up with Kairi Hojo for the first time. It’s a little moment in time from the promotion if there ever was one, and it has much more of a feel to it than Mayu’s first encounter with Io. Naturally, I’d first recommend the Red Belt match between Meiko Satomura and Nanae Takahashi from this show, something that rightfully hears a choir of praise, but this little seven-minute undercard match is worth keeping a finger on too.

At best though, I’d say it’s just good and/or charming.

But still notable. For being a first, yes, but for finding out where two important figures in this project’s story stand compared to one another.

Quickly, there are highlights. Mayu doesn’t throw the best-looking elbow at this point, and honestly, I’m not sure she ever gets to the point where she does, but the early exchange is paced perfectly and has all of the strikes connecting audibly to the point where it doesn’t matter if it looks a little janky. They lose some of that focus on impact when Kairi gets a bit too move-happy at times in the last half, but I do also appreciate the few times they go back to the strikes a few times for a transition. Plus, Mayu’s dropkicks are still looking pretty good, though she could still stand to lose the crutch that is the early attempts at arm-based submissions, as none of her young opponents have sold it extensively enough for her to go back to it.

Secretly, Mayu’s really good in this otherwise. Up to this point it’s always felt like Mayu’s been using all her might to labor through matches without having much left to put into the details, but here it feels different. Part of that has come with the confidence that comes with experience, sure, but also there are signs that Mayu’s more or less embracing her crash test dummy tendencies she’d be best known for in the late 2010s. Not a complete bump freak, but there’s effort to make Kairi’s stuff look good, and there’s panic and desperation in more of her movements than usual. On the selling front, her kicking legs and rolling about on the spear, and the clawing at her back and the mat during the final submission are both so good, while the natural way she slows down strike exchanges continues to add more to that spot beyond just making sure everything lands. In the end, Mayu loses to Kairi’s cross-legged Boston crab, and unfortunately that feels a bit more unsatisfying compared to Mayu’s other defeats to this point. Still, on this night, Mayu’s the better wrestler, alongside being the one that’s easier to be emotionally drawn to.

An interesting finding, considering how wide the gap will feel in both areas in a few years’ time.

Rating: A generous ***1/2