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Ah, now we have the most active of the STRONG Titles, as they've had a pretty major presence over in Stardom, especially in recent months.
At Resurgence, AZM managed to be the first person to take a title off of Mercedes Mone, ending her 300+-day reign as STRONG Women's Champion. While she did not directly beat her, as it was a three-way match, she did prove that Mone was not invincible, exposing her vulnerability for the first time.
Stardom Nighter in Korakuen
Upon her return to Stardom, however, she would eventually draw the ire of one Bozilla, a new addition to the Stardom roster, and young and massive woman at that. Bozilla would prove to be a force to be reckoned with in Stardom, and she wound up having her very first singles match with the promotion in a STRONG Women's title match against AZM. Not wanting to be outshone by the upstart, AZM had to figure out how to deal with the beast. She managed to out maneuver her larger opponent, securing her first defense of the STRONG Women's title.
5 Star GP
Next would be the 5 Star GP, where AZM fought for her life in a fairly stacked block. She would end up taking second in her block at 9 points, earning a spot in the playoffs but without a bye.
First up, she faced Hanan in the first round. She won that match, but ended up having to face the World of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani in the Quarter-Finals. Kamitani has been dominant as a champion all year, and was similarly dominant in the block phase, winning all but one of her block matches to take #1 in her block. However, she ended up falling to AZM here, allowing AZM to make the semi-finals. There, she faced Rina, the #3 of their block, and who AZM had beaten previously in the tournament. She repeated her success, granting AZM a spot in the finals against Momo Watanabe. However, her streak ended there, as she lost to Watanabe, just missing out on winning her first 5 Star GP.
Stardom in Korakuen
However, AZM was not disheartened. Emboldened by her victory over the red belt champion, she confronted Kamitani at Stardom to the World after Kamitani had successfully defended her title against Bea Priestly, Kamitani's other loss in the 5 Star GP. Knowing she could beat the champion, AZM challenged Kamitani to a World of Stardom title match. Kamitani agreed, but only if AZM also put up her STRONG Women's title as well. AZM agreed, and so it would be a double title match at Korakuen Hall. There, AZM did her best, but she was not able to repeat her success. She fell to Kamitani, making Saya a double champion, with both the World of Stardom Championship and the STRONG Women's Championship.
Crimson Nightmare
With AZM dispatched, there was just one more bit of business for Saya to take care of, and that was the 5 Star GP winner herself, Momo Watanabe. as the 5 Star GP champion, Momo was entitled to a World of Stardom title match. However, Momo saw gold, and wanted to challenge Saya for both of her titles, a wish that Kamitani granted. The match was set for Crimson Nightmare. The Black Peach showed off why she was this year's 5 Star GP winner, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Phenex Queen, who successfully defended both of her titles.
Wrestle Kingdom 20
With her 5 Star business taken care off, Kamitani had proven once again that she was the top woman in Stardom. She had previously announced her intention to compete at Wrestle Kingdom 20 in some capacity, and after defeating Momo Watanabe, we would find out how.
After the match, out came Syuri, who, being the IWGP Women's Champion, had also talked about wanting to have a match at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Here, she challenged Kamitani to a double title match: Saya's STRONG Women's title vs Syuri's IWGP Women's title. Kamitani agreed, and the two decided that they would decide who the best women's wrestler is at the Tokyo Dome.
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Thanks for reading! See you next time.
by MarcoTalin