JPN
"Sky Tiger Dancing in the Night Sky" Starlight Kid has announced the arrival of the "Red Tiger." The midsummer single league tournament, "Sammy presents STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2026," kicks off on July 18th (Saturday) at EBARA WAVE Arena Ota (Ota City General Gymnasium). What will Kid, making his 7th consecutive appearance, be aiming for?
The BLUE STARS-B group that entered the competition boasted an impressive lineup. Wonder champion Hana, High Speed champion Mizumori Yuna, Artist champion Sorei Ami, and last year's winner Watanabe Momo, along with Koguma, Kamitani Saya, and Furusawa Kian who won through the qualifiers. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the "block of death."
Kid: From a sensibility standpoint, we've all had singles matches before, so there might be a bit of novelty, but on the other hand, we're used to it. We know each other well, so it'll be a battle of wits, and our skill levels have improved since the last time we had a singles match, so I'm looking forward to seeing what will come out of a singles match now
Last year, as the Wonder of Stardom Champion, Kid had a record of 3 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in RED STARS-B, but was eliminated before even reaching the final tournament. In the past six 5★STAR tournaments, she has never reached the final stage. She has also failed to achieve results in the spring festival, the "Cinderella Tournament," making singles tournaments a difficult challenge for her
Kid: Last year was disappointing, and all I'm left with is regret. Yeah. I lost in the first round and didn't even make it to the top 12. I shouldn't laugh, but I didn't win any awards either. There are parts of my performance that I'm happy with, but the results were just terrible. So I want that title too. Winning the 5★STAR tournament might be harder than winning the belt. Even Watanabe Momo took so long to win it for the first time last year. It's true that 5★STAR is no longer something just anyone can participate in, unlike last year. So if I can win here, I think I'll be able to shine the brightest in Stardom. And I think I'll be much closer to where I should be aiming to be
In 2026, she challenged then-World Champion Kamiya in February but was defeated. In June, she lost to champion Thekla in a match for the AEW Women's World Championship, failing to win the belt. This year, 5★STAR will be competing without a title, but she is brimming with more confidence and determination than last year
Kid: I'm taking on new challenges, and my experience level is increasing. On the other hand, because I'm currently without a title, I feel like I have to explode here. My desire for the red (World Championship) is definitely growing stronger. When I challenged for it in February, it was more of a challenge driven by my determination against Kamitani than a challenge for the red belt. I lost in February, but I feel like I gained something from that experience. Of course, I want to be at the center of Stardom, the face of women's professional wrestling, and if I hold the red belt, it means I will become the face of Stardom, which will raise Stardom's profile and make all the fans happy. Yes. I feel like both sides will rise, and that's what I consider ideal
What strengthened that resolve was her AEW Women's World Championship match against Thekla
Kid: Foreign wrestlers are much bigger than Japanese wrestlers, right? And yet, Thekla, who is about the same size as me, is at the top. She's completely different from the Thekla who was in Stardom, and she's done a lot of bad things that make me angry, but somehow I felt a great deal of respect for her in that respect. I felt like that's where I should be aiming to be
Her first official match will be at Korakuen Hall on July 28th. She'll be clashing with Kamiya right away. Looking back, a similar situation occurred four years ago
Kid, the company knows, right? Four years ago (at the Tachikawa tournament on July 9th, 2022), I challenged Kamiya for the White (Wonder Championship) and lost, and I cried my eyes out. Soon after that, 5★STAR started, and my first match (at the Ota Ward tournament on July 31st) was also against Kamiya. I won that time, and I'm going to win this time too. I won't lose. After the Red Belt match, I think this match is definitely attracting attention from the fans. I guess you could say expectations are high. I don't want to lose the first match this year. In a good way. Of course, I'm aiming to recreate what happened four years ago. After that match in February, Kamiya said, "Let me do it again." I think she meant with the Red Belt on the line, so that (Kamiya's words) is one of the reasons why I want to win the Red Belt
There are other opponents in the other blocks that I'm interested in. One of them is the current world champion, Suzu Suzuki, who has entered BLUE STARS-A
Kid, if I make it to the final tournament, there's a chance I could fight you, right? So there's an opportunity there too. I'm also interested in Rina Yamashita (from RED STARS-B). I've never fought her before. Speaking of which, the same goes for Itsuki Aoki (from RED STARS-A). And Julia Hart (from BLUE STARS-A) has been confirmed to participate, but personally I'd like to fight Thekla. Well, if Julia Hart wins, there's a chance we could fight. If we do, Thekla might take notice of me again
The championship match, to be held on August 23rd, will take place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. This will be 5★STAR's first appearance at the venue
Kid: Ryogoku is a special place for me because it's where I won the Wonder belt (on December 29th, 2024). Last year at the end of the year, my comeback match was the first match at Ryogoku, and that's when I challenged for the red belt. When I had the white (Wonder Championship) it was the semi-main event, but this time I want to be in the main event. If I make it to the final, I'll be in the main event
With the theme of "The Red Belt" for this tournament, Kid is burning with a bright red flame
Kid: This is probably the first time we've had such a clear theme as red for 5★STAR. I've never said red before. Of course, I want to win the Grand Slam for myself. If I can do that, I think it will become a hot topic in Stardom, and I think I'm finally in a position to see Stardom as a whole. I've also started to feel like I want to see the whole world of women's pro wrestling, and I want to stand at the top myself. For this year's 5★STAR, I'm aiming for nothing but victory. The burning red tiger will be in the main event at Ryogoku, so please look forward to it!