Missing the mark in Aichi
Stardom hit the Toyota Gosei Memorial Gymnasium on May 23rd, 2026, for Queen Dynasty. They managed to pack 1,887 fans into the building, which is a respectable house for a mid-week show, but the card felt like it was stuck in second gear. If you are going to call an event Queen Dynasty, you better bring a royal decree-level main event. Instead, the booking felt more like a local council meeting.
The triple threat match that kicked off the proceedings saw Waka Tsukiyama walk away with the win. She pinned Rian after hitting the Moonlight Dream in just 5:29. Look, I like a brisk match, but a five-minute sprint in a triple threat is barely enough time to catch your breath. It was a glorified dark match appearance disguised as a featured attraction.
The IWGP Women’s Title situation is getting weird
Syuri stepped into the ring for a non-title match against Kiyoka Kotatsu, and for those hoping to see the IWGP Women’s Champion treat a rookie like a sacrificial lamb, that is exactly what happened. Syuri is one of the most credible strikers in the history of the promotion. Watching her work against Kotatsu felt like watching a grizzly bear fight a golden retriever.
Here is where the problem lies. Why are we running non-title matches with the top champion on a show labeled as a major event? If Syuri is on the card, keep her in high-stakes spots that push the division forward. Bringing in your belt-holder just to have her go through the motions against lower-card talent does nothing for the prestige of that championship.
Stardom Queen Dynasty results showed that filler matches are still dragging down the pacing of modern puroresu, despite the talent involved.
I understand the need to get names on the marquee to sell tickets, but this card felt like a missed opportunity to build someone up. When you compare this to the bigger, high-octane cards we have seen lately, the drop-off in intensity is sharp. You can check the full breakdown of the show at BodySlam.net, but do not expect to see a MOTY candidate buried in those results.
We already saw the company make waves with MLW's recent expansion efforts, which highlights how even smaller promotions are trying to maximize their visibility. Stardom has the best roster in the world, make no mistake about it, but they need to stop booking "good enough" shows and start delivering consistent heat.
It is exhausting to watch such immense talent get wasted on house show-level booking that serves zero narrative purpose. Syuri needs a challenger who actually poses a threat, not more warmup matches that eat up time and crowd energy. If they want to keep the momentum going through the summer, they need to stop the shuffle and start the shoot.
