#209: Syuri vs. Tam Nakano, STARDOM MidSummer Champions in Nagoya (7/24/2022).
This is for Syuri’s World of Stardom Championship.
After her recent feud with Natsupoi seeing the latter mending fences with her former friend, Tam Nakano has a boost of confidence and is looking to win the Red Belt for the first time ever. This is also their second singles meeting ever, and taking place one week before the 5 Star Grand Prix, this match isn’t just for the most important title in the promotion – it’s for bragging rights leading into STARDOM’s biggest tournament of the year.
The bell sounds, and both women quickly look for the first opening. Tam with a front face lock. Syuri takes side control on the mat, and then control of the back. She switches to top position, and Tam rolls her over into Guard. Syuri transitions to an arm bar, and Tam gets her hand on the ropes. They lock up, and Tam takes the side headlock, but Syuri quickly takes the headlock herself. Tam reverses it by hitting a hard back suplex.
Both ladies go to the apron, and Tam hits a running knee to Syuri, sending her head into the ring post. She pulls Syuri through the turnbuckle and pulls down on her neck, which leads to her back being bent against the steel! Back on the apron, Syuri throws Tam to the floor, then hits a diving shotgun dropkick, Toyota style! She rolls Tam back into the ring, and she quickly rolls to the other side. Both women go up the entrance ramp, and Tam connects with a running single leg dropkick.
Tam disappears, then shows up on the top of the tron, and she dives off, landing on Syuri, Cosmic Angels and God’s Eye! Everyone is down, as the referee begins to count both women out. After some struggle, both return to the ring, and Tam hits a diving knee to Syuri’s head. They sit on the apron, and kick at each other’s head, just as they did in the press conference. Syuri gets the upper hand, and drives her boot into Tam’s head. She follows up with a hard kick to the chest.
Back in the ring, Syuri connects flush with more stiff kicks to the chest. Tam mounts a comeback by trapping Syuri in a head scissors submission. She escapes, and runs into a Dragon Sleeper from the challenger. She escapes that as well, and slaps the hell out of Tam. Nice middle rope suplex by Syuri, which gets her a nearfall. Syuri with the Dis-Arm-Her next. Tam works her way free from the submission, and she headbutts Syuri. The champion drives her knee into Tam’s midsection, then hits a gut buster for a 2 count.
Tam counters a move into a roll up for 2, and then she gets a soccer kick to the head for her troubles. Tam beats the count, then gives a closed fist punch to Syuri, damn near knocking her out in the process. Tam with the head scissors submission again. Syuri looks to be done, but Tam releases the hold, and she looks for the Tiger Suplex. She hits it, and Syuri is able to kick out. Syuri blocks a suplex, but can’t block a spinning kick to the head, a roundhouse kick to the head, and a soccer kick! Tam with the running knee as well, and she covers, but Syuri somehow survives!
Tam with the Violet Screwdriver, and Syuri is able to kick out of that as well! How?! She tries for Twilight Dream, and Syuri bites onto the ropes to block it! Tam pulls her away, and hits it anyway! Syuri barely manages to get her foot on the ropes to break the hold. Hard roundhouse kicks to the face by the challenger. Syuri rebounds with the V Trigger, and a roundhouse kick to Tam’s head! Both women fight back to their feet, and each throw elbows and kicks to the head.
Tam with a spin kick to the head, and Syuri with a Code Breaker. Tam with a roll up, and Syuri kicks out. Syuri with a lawn dart to Tam into the turnbuckle! Tam tries to fire back, but Syuri catches her with a German Suplex, and a running knee to the face. Tam still kicks out. Syuri with Emerald Flowsion, and Tam kicks out again. Tam screams at Syuri, who responds with a roundhouse kick to the head. Tam rises up like a creepy spider, and Syuri kicks her down again. She covers, and Tam gets her shoulder up.
Syuri lifts Tam up for Syu-Sekai, and that’s enough for the victory. Syuri retains. While hindsight tells me this wasn’t as great as I remember, it’s still pretty damn good. Syuri continues her reign of dominance in 2022 by taking out of the promotion’s biggest stars. Tam did a good job keeping up with Syuri in this match, going hold for hold and strike for strike. She certainly didn’t make it easy for the champion to retain, but Syuri’s resolve wins out in the end. She was basically unstoppable at this point in her reign. Tam was just another tough challenger who tried and failed to take the Red Belt from her.