This is my #1 Match of 2025.

This is a Career versus Career Match for Saya’s World of Stardom Championship.

The Story Behind The Match:

It’s been a long and winding road to get to Yokohama Arena for the biggest show in STARDOM history, and there’s no better match to main event this show than the finale of a deeply rooted story between two people who have gone from master/pupil, to peers, to rivals, and now the most bitter of enemies.

Saya Kamitani initially joined the STARDOM promotion because of Tam Nakano. She was someone to look up to, to idolize. To Saya, Tam was the perfect representation of who she wanted to be as a wrestler. As the years go by, Saya is comfortable as a member of the Queen’s Quest stable, while Tam is the leader of her own, Cosmic Angels. They would have five singles matches, and then at Dream Queendom in December of 2021, Saya would defeat Tam to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship. She’d go on to hold the championship until April 2023, where she had arguably the best reign in the title’s history.

It would be a few years before they would cross paths again, but now, things are much different. Tam is a former World of Stardom Champion, and is having the best run of her career. Saya, meanwhile, took a negative and turned it into the biggest positive possible. Queen’s Quest would see every member forced to leave, except for Saya, who was now the defacto leader of an empty faction. That wouldn’t last, as Saya would turn on her friend Maika, and cost her the World of Stardom title to Natsuko Tora.

The heel Oedo Tai was finished, and in its place, stood a new faction: HATE. Tam would eventually win the championship for a 2^nd time from Tora, but she was now in the crossfire of her former pupil. Saya would win the 2024 5 Star Grand Prix, and earn a shot at Tam at Dream Queendom. In Sumo Hall, in December, just like it was when she won the White Belt. At the event, Saya would emerge victorious, and win her first World of Stardom Title.

A rematch took place in March, where the stipulation was added that the loser would leave STARDOM. That night, they had an all timer of a match, where Saya emerged victorious once again, exiling Tam from the promotion that made her a star. All was seemingly finished at that point, until Tam decided to stay in STARDOM as a freelancer. She was desperate for one more shot at Saya, and one more chance to take her title back.

So, for the promotion’s biggest show ever, the final match was signed, and this time, it would be Career vs. Career. Now if Tam lost, she wouldn’t just leave STARDOM – she’d retire outright. But, the same was true for Saya, who was gambling big in an attempt to rid the world of someone she had grown to despise. Years of emotions, memories, good times, and bad times were all going to encapsulate into one final match between two people who have been so thoroughly tied together in the lore of STARDOM.

And at the final bell, only one will remain a professional wrestler. The other will simply vanish.

Ladies, gents, and non-binary folks, this is the best match of 2025.

The Match:

Tam makes a spectacular entrance, like a princess. Saya has maybe her most iconic entrance to date, with wind blowing her hair all around, and she looks like a princess straight from Hell.

The bell sounds, and we are under way. The crowd are way behind Tam on this one. Saya seems emotional, but Tam is keeping a stone face. They go to the center, and look for the first opening. They go face to face, and Tam strikes first with an elbow to the face. Saya takes her down to the mat in the guard position. Tam takes the front facelock, and then Saya takes the side headlock. Nice takedown by the champion. Tam tries for a head scissors, and Saya flips out of it.

Saya attempts a back slide, and Tam slips free. She goes for a spinning heel kick, and Saya ducks. We are at a stalemate. Nice back suplex out of nowhere by Tam, which causes Saya to roll to the floor. Tam goes to the top rope, and Saya cuts her off. She grabs her by the hair, and throws her to the apron! She brings Tam into the audience, and they exchange irish whips. Saya with an elbow to the head, followed by a spinning heel kick.

Saya tosses the referee aside, and wraps a steel chain around Tam’s neck. She chokes her, and pulls the chain up to the top turnbuckle for extra pressure. The referee helps free Tam, while Saya sits and poses on a chair inside the ring. Tam returns to the ring, and eats a drop toe hold into the chair by Saya. She drives her boot into Tam’s neck and chokes her in the ropes. Snap mare, into a chin lock by Saya. She elbows her repeatedly, then applies a head scissors. Tam scrambles and gets to the ropes to break it.

With Tam in the corner, Saya unloads with elbows to the face. Tam reverses the pressure, and beats the hell out of Saya with elbows. Saya retakes control, and punches Tam right in the stomach. A draping neckbreaker across the knee follows. She stands on Tam’s throat until the referee admonishes her. Saya with a kick to the gut. She goes to run the ropes, and Tam cuts her off with a spinning heel kick. Irish whip to the corner, and Tam traps Saya in an elevated Dragon Sleeper submission.

Saya goes to the floor, and Tam comes off the top rope with a crossbody! Tam runs down the ramp at Saya, who drops her with a Pump Kick. She drags the challenger up the ramp, and tries for the Star Crusher. Tam escapes, and hits a single leg dropkick. Now Tam goes even further up the ramp, and then runs it. She hits a running knee strike to Saya’s face. She rolls the champion back into the ring, and then brings her to the apron. Tam goes for an avalanche German Suplex to the floor, but Saya holds onto the ropes with all her strength.

Elbow strike, and a Pump Kick from Saya knocks Tam down to the apron. Star Crusher is avoided again, and Tam counters with a Tiger Suplex on the apron! She rushes at Saya, who rebounds with a hurricanrana to the floor! Both women go crashing down. Both return to the ring, as Saya goes to the top rope. Nice missile dropkick gets Saya a 2 count. Three Northern Lights suplexes follow, and Tam still manages to kick out.

Tam rebounds with a nasty German Suplex. Saya is back up and hits a Poisonrana! Tam with another release German! Saya with another Poisonrana! Tam tries the German again, but Saya fights it off for a moment. Tam turns it into a deadlift German for a nearfall. She goes to the top rope, and Saya rushes up to her with a series of forearms. Saya grabs Tam and gives her a Frankensteiner to the mat! The cover, and Tam is able to get her shoulder up.

Saya finally hits the Star Crusher in the middle of the ring, and Tam kicks out again! Saya goes to the top rope, and Tam cuts her off. She hooks her arms, and hits a top rope Tiger Suplex! She tries for it again, but Saya counters into a victory roll and a double stomp to the chest. On their backs, both women lock eyes, and the emotion starts to come out from both. Saya looks like she might cry, while Tam already has tears welling up. They grab each other by the hair, and return to their feet. Tam slaps the shit out of Saya, and the champion returns it in kind. The exchange continues, and you can really see the emotion on their faces. It gets more heated the longer it goes on, and Saya wins the exchange. She rushes at Tam, who superkicks her lights out!

Beautiful spinning heel kick by Saya, and a backdrop suplex from Tam! Hurricanrana by Saya, and Tam escapes the pin! Running knee strike to the back of the head, and one to the front! Tam hits it again to the side of the head this time. She lifts Saya to her knees, and hits it again. She makes the cover, and Saya is somehow able to kick out at 2. She brings Saya into the air, and drills her with the Violet Screwdriver! She follows immediately with the Twilight Dream! The cover, and Saya just barely gets her shoulder up!

Tam goes for it again, but Saya stops her with a nasty headbutt. Tam returns it, and it’s even nastier the second time. They both headbutt one another, until Tam finally collapses to the mat. She lays against the ropes, almost satisfied with herself. She rushes at Saya, and gives her a Tiger Suplex! Saya kicks out at 1! Saya with a Regal Suplex for another 1 count! Star Crusher by Saya is countered, and Tam gives the Star Crusher to Saya! She kicks out at 1!

Tam grabs Saya, but is caught in her own Violet Screwdriver! Saya covers, and Tam kicks out at 1! Saya with a huge running boot! Spinning Star Crusher by Saya, and instead of Tam kicking out, Saya grabs her by the hair, and pulls her out of the pin! Saya grabs her wrists, and eyes Tam, who doesn’t back down. Kamigoye connects, and Tam kicks out again. Saya brings Tam back to her feet, and then gets her in position. Saya hits the Twilight Dream on Tam! The cover, and the three for the win. The referee even hesitated, and the crowd gasped when they realized that this could be it. Saya retains the World of Stardom Title, and Tam Nakano’s career is over.

Post match, the bitter rivals embrace in a show of love. Despite her turn to the dark side, Saya still retains a great deal of appreciation for the woman who brought her into pro wrestling. She thanks Tam for everything, and she says because of meeting her, she is strong, and she’s glad they met. Tam calls Saya a clumsy idiot, and declares that she didn’t forget about love after all. Tam says she put everything on the line, and she says she’s sorry that she lost. She tells Saya to become number one from now on.

Her final request to Saya is to walk home together, just for today, for one last time. They hold each other, and leave the ring together. They make their way up the ramp, to the stage. There’s no music, no pomp, and no circumstance. Just two long time peers, leaving together for one final time. The spotlight stays on them, as they take a seat on the stage together. Held in each other’s arms, they embrace together, before Tam looks out to the horizon at something that we, the audience, do not see. Her and Saya take in what they see, and then the lights go out. When they return, both are gone – but only one has disappeared forever.

My Thoughts:

This is a beautiful and stunning representation of what Professional Wrestling can be when the stars are perfectly aligned.

In my opinion, I can’t stand when someone uses the phrase “Cinema!” when describing something. It was annoying when people used it to describe the Bloodline storyline, and when they started saying it was Emmy worthy, I laughed. Like, I’m sorry. I love pro wrestling, but nothing that’s ever happened in wrestling is equal to the likes of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. Again, just my opinion, but I digress.

That said, this match comes pretty close to breaking the barrier of being considered worthy of that term. It’s a work of art, from the entrances all the way to that fascinating post match segment. There’s a lot to take in, which I’m sure was the intention of Saya, Tam and STARDOM as a whole when it came to this match. For their biggest show ever, this felt like a huge deal, and when the final bell rang, fans everywhere realized they had just witnessed something the likes of which they’d never see again.

The in ring work was phenomenal. These two have always had great chemistry, and it was on display here. There were great counter sequences, brutal high spots, awesome strike exchanges, and believable nearfalls all throughout. They wrestled with emotion, because that was the story of the match coming in: the emotional highs and lows of a friendship turned bitter. Saya was a monster here. The dominant, heel champion coming in, and she wrestled it with every bit of confidence that she could muster.

Tam was the valiant babyface, fighting a battle that she may have known coming in that she wasn’t going to win. But like any great warrior in the depths of defeat, she gave everything she had left, and left nothing to chance. If she was going out, she was going out on her sword. They brutalized each other, including when Saya threw Tam onto the apron, or Tam’s Tiger Suplex from the top rope. Their strike exchanges towards the end left nothing for the imagination. They hit each other hard, and it echoed inside Yokohama Arena.

That moment when they lock eyes on their backs was visually appealing to me. It was like both women knew the end was right around the corner, and the only thing left to do was to punch really hard. Tam knew deep inside that this Saya Kamitani was the one to carry STARDOM forward, and she had no chance of winning. Still, she was going to test her one final time, and see if she had the goods. Saya passed with flying colors.

Saya breaking up her own pin added to the emotional depths the match had brought about. She hated her teacher, and wanted her gone – or did she? Was there regret in her choices? Or was she simply upset that it had come to this? Her winning the match with Tam’s own Twilight Dream finisher was an emphatic choice, and a defiant way to end one’s career. That closing shot summed this match up. The referee hesitating to count the final 3, or the way the crowd burst out into shock when they knew the match was over. It was an emotional ride up to the final moments.

The post match between them may be the most poignant wrestling moment of 2025 as a whole. It’s certainly the most emotional moment to happen in a STARDOM ring in years. I point to the post match between Giulia and Syuri from Dream Queendom in 2022 as the last time a STARDOM related anything made me want to cry. Two friends, turned rivals, back to friends at the finish line. The embrace, the appreciation from Saya, and Tam’s request of walking that Tam Road together before it all went away.

I really enjoyed how that walk was framed, too. As I said, there was no special treatment given. It was a spotlight, and silence. They sat together on the stage, and looked out into the horizon at something only they saw, and something only they will share. What could it have been? We will never know, and that’s what makes it so special. The lights faded and return within a minute, and in that moment, Saya was gone, to begin her next day as the Ace of STARDOM, while Tam had simply vanished from the pro wrestling world altogether. She had given it all, until there was nothing of her left.

It’s just beautiful. Pro Wrestling, when done like this, is unlike any other form of storytelling in the world. I wouldn’t call it Emmy worthy, but within this little niche we all share as fans, this is what it’s all about. Simple storytelling, told and framed in such a way that you feel as though you’ve just seen the stars for the first time. Saya Kamitani took her place on the throne as STARDOM’s undisputed Ace, and would carry that title for the remainder of the year – all the way to become the first female to win Tokyo Sports’ MVP of the Year Award.

As for Tam Nakano? Who knows. No one has heard from her since this night. She prefers it that way. For on her final night as a wrestler, she led the way, as we all walked that Tam Road for the last time. We were, as her catchphrase often said, “delicious,” and we watched with emotions running high as she vanished into thin air – an angel among the cosmos, forevermore.

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