JPN
On Saturday, July 5th, a press conference was held at United Cinema Toyosu in Tokyo to announce the details of the single league tournament "5★STAR GP 2025," which will begin on July 27th in Ota Ward. The participating players were announced, and each expressed their enthusiasm
Like last year, this tournament will be held in four blocks. Each block will have eight players, for a total of 32 players, the highest number ever. A win in the official league matches will earn two points, a loss will earn zero points, and any draw will earn one point. The players with the highest points from each block will advance to the final tournament. The top players from each block will be seeded, and the first round and quarterfinals of the final tournament will be held at Korakuen Hall on August 20th, with the semifinals and finals taking place in Ota Ward on August 23rd
Participating contestants:
Hanan (4th time in 4 years)
, Iida Saya (4th time in 2 years)
, Mukougo Momo (2nd time in 3 years),
Natsupoi (6th time in 5 years)
, Anna Saori (3rd time in 3 years),
Mizumori Yuna (2nd time in 2 years),
Sakura Aya (first time)
, Kure Sayaka (first time)
, Souri Ami (3rd time in 2 years),
Hina (first time),
Lady C (first time)
, Yagami Ranna (2nd time in 2 years),
Inaba Tomoka (2nd time in 2 years)
, Tsukiyama Waka (first time)
, HANAKO (first time)
, Rin (first time),
Starlight Kid (6th time in 6 years)
AZM (7th time in 7 years),
Hoshika Mei (2nd time in 2 years)
, Amasaki Mitsuyoshi (2nd time in 2 years),
Suzuki Suzu (4th time in 4 years)
, Bojira (first time),
Kamitani Saya (6th time in 6 years)
, Tora Natsuko (5th time in 2 years)
, Watanabe Momo (9th time in 8 years)
, Konami (7th time in 2 years)
, Ryuuka (3rd time in 2 years)
, Rina (first time)
, Inaba Azusa (first time),
Saree (first time)
, Bea Priestley (2nd time in 6 years),
and the winner of the match between Tetsu Akira and Hime Yuria. The date of the contestant selection match will be announced at a later date. Whoever wins will be making their first appearance.
*In order of announcement.
Blue Stars B
Mukougo Momo, Hina, Yagami Ranna, HANAKO, Suzuki Suzu, Watanabe Momo, Konami, Saree (absent from the press conference)
Saree (reading a message) I am the 5th IWGP Women's Champion, the sun goddess of the professional wrestling world, Saree. I will be unable to attend today's press conference due to work in the US. This will be my first time competing in the 5★STAR GP, and to be honest, when I looked at the members of this year's Blue Block, only Watanabe Momo caught my eye and I thought they were a bit of a questionable lineup. I wonder how many of them can seriously compete with me? Well, I guess it's my role to light that fire. It's not about who it is, but how it's presented. I will definitely show my fighting spirit as Saree in the ring. Unless I advance, this tournament won't be any fun. I have no intention of just being a participant. I will make it the hottest 5★STAR ever. And I will make this tournament a worthwhile fight. The hottest person this summer is definitely Saree."
Konami "Stardom's female seducer, Konami. I've been competing for seven years, so I know firsthand how tough it is. Last year I ended up with a rather disappointing result, so this year I want to win no matter what."
Momo "Well, at first glance, when I looked at the members, I thought that other than Konami there were only weaklings, but Saree's a good girl. She's the shitty IWGP champion, but fighting me, it's interesting, real pro wrestling? People often talk about real pro wrestling, so I'd like to teach you, Saree, what real pro wrestling is."
Suzuki: "This is Suzuki Suzu from Mi Vida Loca. Well, there's one thing I want to say. I won the 5★STAR championship in 2023, but people still make fun of the victory photo from that time. They say it looks like a little king is wearing a crown, and who the hell took that photo? You should have taken it a little cuter. So, I'd really like to win this time too, but Sammy has somehow agreed to sponsor me, so Suzuki Suzu, the Japanese gambling representative, will be in a 100% rush for all matches, and this summer will be a Suzuki Suzu fever."
Hanako: "E neXus I'm Hanako from V. This was my first time competing in 5★STAR last year, and I was in America during that time. During that time, my fellow contestant Yagami Ranna competed in 5★STAR first, so I felt like I'd been overtaken, and it was frustrating. Those feelings of frustration, and the accumulation of those experiences, are what motivate me now. I'm determined to produce results in 5★STAR and win my first appearance. E neXus V will liven up this year's 5★STAR, so please look forward to it.
" Yagami: "I'm Yagami Ranna from God's Eye. Last year, I competed in 5★STAR as a pinch hitter for Sorei. Last summer, I had a really heated battle and experience, and at the time I wondered if I'd ever have another experience like that in Stardom, but that's not the case in Stardom, the world's biggest ring, and from last summer until today, I've been able to go through all sorts of trials, hardships, and experiences, and I've grown immensely since last year. I'm also looking forward to joining (wave's) Catch the I made it through the WAVE League (1st place in my block) and am still competing. Tomorrow (July 6th at Korakuen), I will be doing a singles match with Akari, and I still have a lot to grow from before the opening match, so I would like to show everyone here a side of Yagami Ranna they've never seen before and win. Thank you for your support."
Hinan: "I'm Hinan, the 12th Future of Stardom Champion. It's been seven years since I debuted, and finally, in my seventh year since my debut, I was able to make my first appearance in 5★STAR. It's been a stage I've dreamed of since I was little, so I was really happy to actually be there. I am extremely happy to be standing there. I am currently the champion of Future of Stardom, so I absolutely cannot lose in singles matches, not only against the younger generation but also against older wrestlers. To be honest, I think the opponents in this block are tough, but there were some who were acting all cocky and some who were saying it was pointless, so I want to beat them all."
Mukai: "I'm Mukai Momo, the Peach Star of STARS. There are two things I want to do in this 5★STAR. First, I want to beat Hanako. I was frustrated when I lost to Hanako in a singles match last year, but at the same time, it ignited my passion. Yesterday, NEW We fought in the BLOOD (tag) title match, but it's still not enough. In this 5★STAR, I will definitely beat Hanako. The other thing is to get results. Since the High Speed title match, I have had three title matches in the last six months. I want to get results soon. In STARS, where we are all united and pushing each other to improve, I can still grow. To be honest, I think this block is full of strong opponents. But I believe that by winning this block, I can make a big change in myself. So I will turn this into an opportunity. I will win this block and make this summer my own. Thank you for your support."
Blue Stars A
Iida Saya, Amasaki Mitsuyoshi, Anou Saori, Sakura Aya, Zouri Ami, Bojira, Ryuuka, Winner of the Qualifying Match (Tetsu Akira or Hime Yuria)
Yuria: "I'm Hime Yuria. I always thought we were equals, that I was definitely not inferior in terms of the amount of practice or the spirit. But it was Akira who won first. I felt like I was the only one being left behind, and to be honest I was very anxious and frustrated, but that frustration is what motivates me now. Only the winner can appear on 5★STAR, so I'll win here and appear on 5★STAR. Please support me."
Akira: "I'm nervous, which is unusual for me. It's only been about six months since my debut. And yet, I'm in such a prestigious position. I never thought I'd be given the chance to compete in 5★STAR, a competition that everyone aspires to be a part of. However, since I'm participating, I don't have any such naive thoughts as just making memories, gaining experience, or leaving even a small mark. I want to be the future of Stardom. In fact, I will be, so I hope to show that determination at 5★STAR. To that end, I'm going to blow away Yuria, who is right in front of me, so please support me."
Ryuuka: "Well, I think everyone will just say they'll win, win, win with a perfect record, and do their best, so Ryuuka has a goal for this year's 5★STAR. I will definitely beat Bojira! That's it!"
Bozilla: "For those of you who don't know me, let me just say this: I'm Bozilla, a second-generation German power wrestler. This will be my first time competing in the 5★STAR GP, and I think my presence here is causing these girls to suffer. They think fighting me is a chance, but I think that's a pathetic way of thinking. Let's face it: these poor girls here have no chance. I'm going to crush them one by one, and I can do it. I'm not in Japan to play, or have fun. I've come to Japan to continue my legend, and to show them that I am the future of women's professional wrestling. The highlight of this series is to see the girls' faces, bloodied and begging me for forgiveness, twisted in fear. I am 5★STAR I will leave the final as the champion of GP 2025. And I will show the world that size is what matters!
Souri: Hello to everyone who came to the venue and to everyone watching the live stream. I am Souri Ami from God's Eye. Last year I was unable to participate in 5★STAR due to a knee injury, but this year I will be able to participate! Thank you very much. This year's group is full of members who are worthy of a fight, so you and Bozilla, you and you and you and Bozilla, you and you and Bozilla! I will knock you all down, throw you all down, and I will be the winner. And I will be the main character of Stardom.
Sakura: Hello. I am Sakura Aya from Kozuen. I have been selected to participate in 5★STAR GP for the first time! Yay! Last summer, my classmate Ranna was a pinch hitter and was selected for a major role, but even though I accompanied her, there were many days when I was only there as a second, which made for a frustrating and disappointing summer. But this year, I'll be competing in 5★STAR, so I'll be the most visible this summer! Then in the spring, my classmate and tag partner, Kuri, won the Cinderella (tournament), and at that moment I felt almost crushed by all my emotions: frustration, impatience, anxiety, jealousy, etc. But at that moment, I vowed to myself that if Kuri had won Cinderella, then I would compete in 5★STAR this year and win. This summer, I'm going to heat up the venue and everyone's hearts with my matches even more! And if my kicks can reach Hanako, that means they can reach Bojira too!
: I will definitely punch Bojira's head in the nuts with a high kick!" Anna: "I'm Anna Saori. Someone else is doing what I want to do. I can't forgive myself for just watching. I've been thinking about this every day lately. This year, I will fight for myself in 5★STAR."
Amasaki: "I'm Amasaki Mitsuyoshi from Neo Genesis. There are a few people from Kansai in this block, so I will definitely beat them too and show that Amasaki Mitsuyoshi, who is from Kyoto, is the best, and in 2025, I will bloom at the top of this 5★STAR!"
Iida: "I'm Iida Saya, and I'll be competing again this year. This block is full of big guys, but there's no way Iida will be intimidated by this! I'll blow all of you away. Not you. Not even you, I'm the tiniest guy in Stardom, and I'm going to blow you all away! Yes, I'll blow everyone away and get results in singles as well. And I'll reach the top of singles. With these muscles!"
<Red Stars B>
Starlight Kid, AZM, Natsupoi, Sayaka Kure, Tomoka Inaba (absent from press conference), Rin,
Natsuko Tora, Rin (absent from press conference)
Tomoka: (Reading) I'm Tomoka Inaba of God's Eye, the 10th Queen of JTO, affiliated with JTO. Following on from last year, I will be competing in the 5★STAR GP again this year. Unfortunately, I barely made it to the semi-finals last year, which was very disappointing. Winning is a given, and I'm aiming for the championship belt beyond that. My momentum hasn't stopped. Tomoka Inaba is still going strong. I'll be giving my opponents and fans even more excitement than last year. When it comes to summer girls, it's me, 5★STAR I, Tomoka Inaba, will be the one to win GP 2025! One-hit kill! Tomoka kick, Osu!
Natsuko: "This year's 5★STAR, I get the impression that all the hottest players, the ones everyone wants to see, have gone to the blue side, and this Red Star is a gathering of people who are like, 'I'm doing pretty well, I want to see you in singles,' but I think that all of these people here, including Rina, are like the eye of the storm. But don't forget, I am the typhoon. That's all."
Rin: "E neXus I'm Rinka from V. I'll be competing in 5★STAR for the first time. Honestly, I'm nervous, but I believe it's meaningful that this opportunity has come to me at this point in my life. Since I'm competing, I won't waste it and I'll achieve some results. I'll grab as many wins as possible and use my own strength to make it a reality.
" Kuri: "I'm Kuri Sayaka, winner of the Cosmic Angels' 2025 Cinderella Tournament. On the way home from watching the final of the 5★STAR Tournament in 2022, I decided to become a professional wrestler. A lot has happened, and now I'm standing here as a Cinderella. I said I wanted to be the future of Stardom, but I want to be the present of Stardom, not the future, so I have no intention of making this league just an experience. There are so many opponents I want to beat. Because I am here. This summer, I want to paint the ring in beautiful colors and prove my presence in the ring. My goal this year is to create a thrilling sensation. I look forward to working with you!"
Natsupoi "The fairy of the ring, Natsupoi... I am Natsupoi. 5★STAR has begun again this year. When I think of summer, I think of summer Natsupoi. When this block was announced, I couldn't contain my excitement. I get the impression that it is a gathering of wrestlers with deep feelings, who find it meaningful to fight. There are wrestlers who would have liked to try singles, so I will be competing in this tournament as the red belt champion, and there are wrestlers in other blocks in the finals who would like to try singles, so I will do my best to win here. Please continue to support Natsupoi this summer!"
AZM: "There's been rumors about me recently, and when I look at social media, people are saying things like, AZM's still young so there's always something to do, but then they're saying things like, AZM's not that old anyway, and I feel like people are really measuring me by my age, and it makes me a little sad that my wrestling is still at that level. So with 5★STAR, I'm going to do wrestling that doesn't make them feel that way. As the STRONG (Women's) Champion, I'm going to bring 5★STAR to life."
Kid: "I'm Starlight Kid, the Sky Tiger dancing in the night sky. There's someone who's currently sending me a fierce love call for Wonder's title defense, but I don't know how that will turn out, so I'm going to speak today assuming that the belt will be here at 5★STAR. This year marks my 10th anniversary since my debut! And now I'm also a Wonder Champion. There was something I wanted to achieve someday, and I realized that if I won while still being a Wonder Champion, I'd be able to do one more thing that would be convenient for me. So, on this 10th anniversary, I want to aim for my first victory while still being a Wonder Champion. Please support me!"
<Red Stars A>
Saya Kamitani, Hanan, Mei Hoshiki, Yuna Mizumori, Lady C, Waka Tsukiyama, Azusa Inaba (absent from press conference), Bea Priestley (absent from press conference)
Priestley: (Video message) Hello, I'm Bea Priestley, a top foreigner. I've entered this year's 5★STAR GP. I know all too well how tough this series is. In this series, everyone will prove they're broke, broke, broke, broke. Bea is number one. See you soon. See you later." Azusa:
(Reading the message) I'm Azusa Inaba of H.A.T.E., affiliated with JTO. This is my first time competing in 5★STAR. I ended up with mediocre results in this year's Cinderella Tournament, which was full of boring young wrestlers, and I didn't win the title belt I wanted. I've had a lot of disappointing results in Stardom, and there are tons of opponents I don't want to lose to. That's why I'm participating in this 5★STAR. Azusa-sama became the youngest 17-year-old to win the GP, and she's going to be the hottest woman ever!"
Tsukiyama: "I'm Tsukiyama Waka from E neXus V. First of all, I'm very happy that this is my first time competing in the 5★STAR GP. There are several opponents in this block that I have a history with. First of all, my fellow competitor Lady C. Then there's Hanan and Mizumori Yuna, who have fought for this important NEW BLOOD tag team, and Inaba Azusa, who isn't here today. I'm going to win this block! I'll win and burn this summer down!
Lady: "I'm Lady C from God's Eye. I failed to get through the preliminaries last year and the year before, so this year I'm finally competing for the first time. There were no preliminaries this year, so a lot of young wrestlers are competing, but with so many opportunities, I absolutely cannot lose. That's what I think. This group in particular has a lot of belt holders, so while it's difficult, the opportunities are also great. I keep saying I want to get results, but while I haven't had any visible results yet, this year Lady will be fighting for the 3Cs. Atarasee, Isamasee, Tamasee! Lady will definitely win with these 3Cs.
" Mizumori: "Are you getting the tropics?! Yay! Are you getting the tropics?! Yay! Are you getting the tropics?! Yay! I'm the Tropical Guru. I beat Tsukiyama Waka, who is here, in the qualifying round and made my first appearance in 5★STAR last year. In the end, I lost every single time... But you know, Yunamon came to Stardom to grab a star. I recently challenged for the Tag Team and Goddess titles, and now I want even more belts. But you know, I really don't want to end up just being a nice person. I also promised (Nakano) Tamu that I would definitely become High Speed Champion this year. Let me make that promise to you all here and now. Mizumori Yuna has achieved results in this 5★STAR, and in this Red A, which has many champions, I have nothing to lose, so I'll go for it with a tropical bang and win. I'm going for it."
Hoshikai: "Good evening everyone. I'm Hoshikai Mei, the 27th High Speed Champion. This is my second time with 5★STAR, so of course I'm aiming to win, but what excites me the most right now is finally, finally being able to have a singles match with Hanan. I've been talking about this singles match for two years. I want to settle it here, blow everyone away, and win as Mei."
Hanan: "I'm Hanan from STARS. I'm also really looking forward to having a singles match with Hoshikai Mei, my first singles match in two years. Last year I ended up in the top four, losing to Kamitani. So this year I'm going to beat Kamitani Saya! And now we're moving on to the finals! Please support us!'
Kamitani: 'I'm Kamitani Saya of H.A.T.E., the 20th World of Stardom Champion. Well, Saya-sama is in the lead in Stardom right now, so this year's 5★STAR will not only be about clearing the humiliation of last year's runner-up... the humiliation... the humiliation... but I also thought I'd go on a journey to find a rival who can go toe-to-toe with Saya-sama, to stand opposite her. Among them, there are quite a few who seem a little crazy, so I'm like, well, interesting women are welcome, so I'm looking for interesting people who can go toe-to-toe with me.'
Mizumori: 'Hi! Hi!'
Kamitani: 'You're just too crazy.'
Mizumori: 'Yeah!'
President Okada: "Today we announced 32 wrestlers, 31 + 2, which is the highest number ever. Last year, we had the highest number ever of 28 wrestlers, and I was talking to various media outlets about whether there would be fewer next year, and I was saying that next year would be even narrower. When I thought about what kind of 5★STAR I wanted to make, I really thought that this past year was just a qualifying round. In fact, in 2024, all wrestlers except for the newly debuted wrestlers, Rian and (Hamabe) Matoi had a chance to challenge for the belt, and last year was the year in which that happened. And this year too, there are so many wrestlers challenging for the belt, and of course there are wins and losses, but more than that, I think all of the Stardom wrestlers have fought in a way that was worthy of that. So this year, let's see who is truly aiming for the top of Stardom in a tough singles match. We want to do it, we want to show it, and we're confident that if this lineup fights, not a single match will be missed, so we chose this lineup. From young wrestlers to veterans, and a top foreign wrestler returning after several years. I think there's a lot to look forward to. However, I think there will be a stronger concentration of Stardom wrestlers than usual. They say the women's professional wrestling world is hot. They say women's professional wrestling might become popular. That's because Stardom is leading the women's professional wrestling world, and Stardom is the most interesting, the most passionate, and I think that if Stardom continues to be number one, the women's professional wrestling world will become even more exciting. So this summer, please look forward to the fights of Stardom wrestlers, and of course the wrestlers who will be participating, and we hope to make women's professional wrestling even bigger together with everyone. Please look forward to it this summer!