The marquee match of No People Gate from World Wonder Ring Stardom (Stardom) from an empty Korakuen Hall on March 8, 2020, didn’t disappoint. However, it is a shame the COVID-19 epidemic prevented Stardom from selling tickets to the event due to the heat surrounding the final match on the card.
Before turning on 2x World of Stardom Champion Mayu Iwatani several weeks ago, Saki Kashima was 2x Artist of Stardom Champion with Iwatani along with being a former Goddesses of Stardom Champion with her as well. The two spent years in the STARS unit together before Kashima defecting to Odeo Tai and beating Iwatani down in the process.
No People Gate Analysis, Kashima Made In The Marquee
With lumberjack rules, members of STARS and Odeo Tai were at ringside throughout the match. Kashima showed an increased intensity that was missing from her approach in recent months, leading to her physically dominating the champion during several stretches of the match — instantly elevating her up the card.
However, Iwatani showed why she is the Ace of Stardom, willing herself back into the match on several occasions, despite Odeo Tai increasing the difficulty of such a task. The modern production value, along with slick camera transitions made both Kashima and Iwatani look larger than life throughout the contest.
Iwantani would win in 17 minutes and 43 seconds, after a spirited effort from Kashima and would end the night with her fellow STARS members in the ring with her. With such a showing, Kashima could easily slot into a legitimate Wonder of Stardom contender if champion Arisa Hoshiki can fend off the eventual challenge of Natsuko Tora.
Iwantani’s quality performance on a highly viewed event builds her drawing power, as most fans were impressed with the quality of the match.
Overall, No People Gate helped extend the Stardom brand to new fans, and will likely be a long-term boon to the company after Japan has fully contained the COVID-19 outbreak. The full even can be seen below for free.
