JPN
HATE's leader, Tora Natsuko, suffered a setback. On August 3rd (Monday), at the Sammy presents STARDOM 5★STAR GP 2026 Red Stars A official match held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, she faced Tetsu Akira, who had won the qualifiers to make her debut
Tora has a 2-2 record so far, while Tetsu has lost all three matches since the start of the tournament. He was ambushed with a dropkick before the bell, but he turned the tables with a powerful shoulder tackle, and then stood firm, applying pressure while absorbing Tetsu's elbows
He then takes a running knee strike and a front suplex hold, but he lands a heavy blow and refuses to give up the pace
At a crucial moment, he climbs to the corner to attempt a Swanton Bomb to finish off his opponent after a Cannonball, but is knocked out of the ring by the revived Tetsu
Nevertheless, he threw his opponent into the audience during his signature outside-the-ring brawl, and then, ignoring the referee's attempts to stop him, threw a steel chair. However, when he tried to return to the ring, he was interrupted, and Tora's expression changed completely. He dragged Tora to the commentary table and slammed him down with a body slam
Moreover, as he tried to return to the ring, he was caught from behind once again. At 8 minutes and 41 seconds, the bell rang, signaling a double count-out
Tora, dissatisfied with the outcome, became enraged and beat up Tetsu outside the ring. This brought his record to 2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, for a total of 5 points, and he offered no comment after the match
Meanwhile, Tetsu, who managed to snatch a point, boasted, "I really wanted to win. I wanted to win, but I literally dragged down you, the championship favorite. This one point from the draw is incredibly valuable to me. You said last year, '5★STAR, this isn't a challenge match.' I mean it literally. I'm not going to let this become a challenge match."
In addition, in Red Stars A, Goddess Champion AZM faced Itsuki Aoki. In the early stages, she tried to wear down Aoki's stamina by having her use the ropes
However, Aoki, who had revived after rehydrating, caught up in the pace of the match, grabbing his hair and throwing him to the ground. He also suffered damage from a diving body press, and was forced into a difficult situation by Aoki, who was superior in power and physique
Nevertheless, he managed to land a brainbuster onto the mat outside the ring, and from there he launched his counterattack. He followed up with a modified DDT onto the second rope and a diving foot stomp to put his opponent in a difficult position
With less than five minutes remaining in the match, she applied a modified armlock. She kicked out of the Rasha Scissors at the count of two, dodged a diving attack, and went for the Azumi Sushi. But that didn't finish her off either
The nail-biting battle continued until the very end, and finally, at 13 minutes and 38 seconds, he won with a tenacious Azumi Sushi
This brings his record to 3 wins and 1 loss. On the other hand, Aoki's season took a short break after two consecutive losses following a four-game winning streak at the start of the season
Backstage after the match
Aoki: "Hey, come on! That's my second loss, damn it. It pisses me off, what is this! What is Azumi Sushi! What the hell is there such a huge sushi?! Is it Edomae sushi?! Is it old-fashioned sushi?! You made sushi out of this super fatty and delicious fish from Shimane, and I bet you feel great! Damn it!"
AZM: "What the hell are you doing?! Why are you running away?!"
Aoki: "What, you're the one who's running away! Shut up, you idiot!"
AZM: "Idiot!"
Aoki: "I'm gonna do it to you again, one more time! I'm gonna do another singles match to you!"
AZM: "That's what I should be saying!"
They were having this exchange
