As any Stardom fan knows, or if you’ve read my original ranking a few months ago, World Wonder Ring Stardom is currently made up of several factions in which almost all of their roster is drafted and represents one group or another. For those who aren’t exactly familiar with this, I took a look and ranked the groups by the strength of their components. Meaning how many and who they have in their faction. A lot has changed since my original rankings, so I figured that I’ll start doing a quarterly update for you all. Stardom currently consists of the following unit;
Queen’s Quest, Stars, Donna Del Mondo, Cosmic Angels and Oedo Tai.
Since there really aren’t heels and faces in Stardom, each member of the roster is given a bit more freedom to be who they want their characters to be and present themselves as they will. Of course, some factions are more of a face or heel faction but that’s neither here nor there. That said, and without more delay, the ranking of the factions in Stardom.
5. Queen’s Quest (-2)
Members: Hina, Azumi (AZM), Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani
Once upon a time, Queen’s Quest was the most dominant Stardom Unit. They were a group of women that didn’t appreciate the silliness of the other factions and strived to prove their superiority in the ring, with Momo Watanabe especially leading the charge in 2018/19 when she was almost unbeatable. The dynamic of QQ is vastly different these days as Watanabe betrayed the unit at Osaka Super Wars, crushing Azumi and the rest of the Queen’s. The pain in Azumi’s voice as she asked why just hit all the feels. Before this shocking betrayal, Queen’s Quest was poised to make a run at the top spot for best stardom unit. They had a good showing during the 5 Star Grand Prix, Saya Kamitani won the Cinderella tournament and Azumi is a constant source of entertainment in the ring. You have the leader Utami Hayashishita as well, the long time reigning World of Stardom Champion. With Hina’s absence and Momo’s betrayal, The Queen’s find themselves where Stars did not so long ago. The question on my mind, and maybe everyone else, is can the Queen’s recover from this absolutely shocking betrayal from their long-time leader and friend? Time will tell..
4. Cosmic Angels (+1)
Members: Mai Sakurai, Unagi Sayaka, Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama
The newest faction in Stardom is currently led by Tam Nakano and includes four of the most recent Stardom acquisitions. The Angels gained two members in Waka and Mai, which helped boost them to the number 4 spot. Their new members just aren’t up to snuff yet, still essentially rookies without that much experience under their belts. The other reason I kept them at five is because the unit recently lost all but one of their titles in the Future of Stardom Title and the Artist of Stardom titles. Only Tam Nakano, the current Wonder of Stardom Champion, has her title still. I’m sure that if they still had their other belts I could have bumped them up a spot or two. Sure, Mai Sakurai and Waka Tsukiyama are relative unknowns and aren’t exactly off on the hottest starts for their Stardom careers, but the future is still bright for the Cosmic Angels. If they do well during the Goddess tournament, perhaps I can maybe give them a boost in the next set of rankings.
3. STARS (+2)
Members: Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, Koguma, Saya Iida and Hanan
The stereotypical good guys, STARS is led by the “icon of Stardom,” Mayu Iwatani. Injuries, betrayals, and their war with Oedo Tai have wreaked havoc on the faction, leaving Iwatani with just two healthy roster members, one of which is a teenager, and the other just back after a six-year retirement. The future of STARS is up in the air right now due to Iida’s injury and former member Jungle Kyona announcing her departure from Stardom a few weeks ago. That said, STARS just got a new member, and a major one at that, with the joining of Hazuki to the fold. She adds a lot to the unit and is someone that should be able to provide the team with a much-needed momentum boost. With Queen’s Quest dropping like a bad habit, STARS finds itself near the top of the stardom unit rankings once again. I need to see what they do now that Hazuki is one with them, but they are off to a great start with her. Hazuki and Koguma won the Goddess tournament so there is nowhere to go but up for these women.
2. Donna del Mondo (-)
Members: Maika, Natsupoi, Giulia, Syuri, Himeka
Donna del Mondo nearly took the top spot this quarter, but something absolutely major happened at the Osaka Super Wars show that kept them where they are. Ever since its inception, Donna Del Mondo has been a dominant presence in Stardom. Originally consisting of Giulia, Syuri, and Maika as a group of outsiders coming to Stardom, they found success very quickly, with 2020 being a phenomenal year for Giulia. Donna Del Mondo is a badass group of women who strive for perfection and damn it all they nearly have it. The stardom unit currently holds the Artist of Stardom Championship (Natsupoi, Himeka and Maika), the Goddess of Stardom Championship (Giulia and Syuri) and the SWA Championship (Syuri). Not to mention that Syuri won the 5 Star Grand Prix this year and has a damn good chance of bringing home the World of Stardom Championship come December 29. Every member is a force in their own right and now that everyone is healthy, DDM looks to run roughshod over the entire roster.
1. Oedo Tai (-)
Members: Starlight Kid, Rina, Saki Kashima, Natsuko Tora, Konami, Fukigen Death, Ruaka (not pictured) Momo Watanabe
Oedo Tai once again remains the best Stardom unit. Before the Osaka Super Wars show, it was looking like Oedo Tai would slip behind Donna del Mondo in the rankings due to Konami announcing that she needs to take a hiatus from Stardom to focus on getting her health back. She has been, reportedly, suffering from several health issues these last few months. However, with Momo Watanabe’s shocking betrayal of Queen’s Quest during the Captain’s match at Osaka Super Wars and her subsequent joining of OT, that void has already been filled with an even bigger name. Oedo Tai now has the most improved star this year in Starlight Kid and one of the best performers in the world with Momo Watanabe. The weak link in this group is Ruaka, but even she is a current champion in Stardom. Once Natsuko Tora and Konami return, provided they remain part of Oedo Tai, the faction will become even more dangerous than it already is. I’m fully expecting Momo and Kid to form a tag team and honestly, it’s just a matter of time until Oedo Tai owns all the belts at this point.
I’ll see you guys in a few months when I review the units and re-rank them based on what happens over the next couple of months. Cheers, all.