Stardom American Dream 2026: The Sampler Platter
American Dream 2026
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jordan Castle, Veda Scott
This is Stardom, which is the big Japanese women’s promotion and home to some incredibly talented stars. I’ve added this one to my regular rotation of Wrestlemania Weekend shows as you always get something awesome out of them. I’m not overly familiar with them, but their track record, uh, tracks. Let’s get to it.
The opening video runs down the card, in order. And never mind as the ring announcer says the card will be changed and they’ll announce it as they go. Ok then.
Cosmic Angels vs. Brittnie Brooks/Saki
That would be Aya Sakura/Natsupoi for the former and Sakura has an unnamed title. Brooks (in her debut) takes Natsupoi up against the ropes to start but Natsupoi easily bridges out of a cover. A running forearm in the corner and bulldog back out of it give Brooks two and it’s off to Saki for something like a surfboard with her feet in Natsupoi’s back.
Natsupoi is back up for a running Blockbuster so it’s off to Sakura, who dropkicks both of them down at once. Saki’s suplex drops Sakura and it’s back to Brooks for a basement clothesline. A quick shot from Sakura allows Natsupoi to come back in with a high crossbody to Brooks as the back and forth continues. Back up and they trade the big forearms until Natsupoi hits a running dropkick against the ropes. Brooks fights up but gets a bit too cocky, earning herself a kicking down. Natsupoi goes up and hits a Twisted Bliss for the pin at 8:29.
Rating: C+. Nice opener here, with the established team beating the newcomer and Saki as Brooks gets her feet wet. That’s not a bad way to go and gives the fans something of a taste of what to expect. Then again, if you’re watching this there is a good chance you already know about Stardom so it’s just a good match to start the night.
Hazuki/Mi Vida Loca vs. Hanako/Maika/Mina Shirakawa
Mi Vida Loca is Rina Yamashita/Suzu Suzuki. Shirakawa and Suzuki start things off with the much stronger Suzuki backing her up against the ropes. Shirakawa manages to knock her down and hits a slingshot splash, only to stop for some shaking. That earns her a kick to the back, allowing the three of them to pose on Shirakawa, much to the fans’ annoyance
Back up and Suzuki slugs it out with Shirakawa, the latter of whom grabs a headscissors. It’s off to Hanako (the powerhouse) to clean house, with a running boot to the face getting two on Suzuki. Yamashita can’t slam Hanako so they trade forearms as well. Hanako’s forearms put her down….well almost as Yamashita does a near Matrix move to get back up. Yamashita hammers away until Hanako gets in a suplex to put them both down.
Maika is back in as Hanako slams Shirakawa onto Hazuki for two. A triple kick gets two on Maika, who catches Suzuki with a short powerbomb. The Tequila Shot (Cemetery Drive) gets two on Maika and Shirakawa’s step up splash gets the same on Suzuki. Maika is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two on Suzuki, followed by a hammerlock Michinoku Driver for the pin at 12:08.
Rating: B-. This was more of an action based match as once it broke down, it stayed broken down. It makes sense as you didn’t have a rookie in there this time and they were able to have a more traditional match. This worked well and gave a bit of a better idea of what you get from Stardom.
Athena vs. Rina
Neither’s title is on the line. Rina spits on her rather than shake hands so Athena comes back with a heck of a forearm. Athena knocks her outside but the suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. Some knees off the apron rocks Athena and she’s in trouble early. Back in and Rina knocks the referee away, allowing Athena to grab a rollup for two.
Rina offers some cocky kicks to the head but Athena is up with some right hands. A legsweep looks to set up moonsault knees but Rina slips away and knocks her down again. Athena kicks her into the corner and a springboard spinning crossbody gets two. Rina kicks her in the face and it’s a northern lights suplex for two.
Back up and Rina grabs an octopus, with Athena escaping and elbowing her in the face. They knock each other down and forearm it out from their knees with Athena knocking her outside. Now the suicide dive can connect, followed by a tombstone for two back inside. Rina is back up with a Gory Bomb for the same but she can’t hit a Vertebreaker. Instead Athena gives her a powerbomb and rolls her into the reverse Kofi Clutch for the win at 13:08.
Rating: B. These two beat each other up rather well and it’s always great to see Athena getting to showcase herself out side of Ring Of Honor. She’s been one of the most consistent stars in ROH/AEW but for some reason she’s doing the same stuff for literal years now. Let her see what else she can do in other places, because you get results like this.
We get an intermission (which is a stretch on a five match show) and look at the setup for an upcoming title shot, with the future of the Cosmic Angels on the line.
A woman named Cinderella Hanan is going to challenge Kanami for a title. Kanami came out and sprayed paint on Hanan and her Cinderella dress. Hanan broke down in the back.
Here is the company’s president but AEW Women’s Champion Thekla interrupts. She shoves him down and yells at him for invading her territory. She’s the biggest mistake Stardom ever made and there is no Forbidden Door. If he shows up again, she’ll come to Japan and give him a beating. Thekla takes off her belt to do it now but security comes in, allowing the president to sprint away. If he’s the president, he might want to get a suit jacket that fits him better.
NJPW Strong Women’s Title: Alex Windsor vs. Saya Iida
Windsor is defending. They fight over arm control to start until Windsor grabs a running headlock to slow things down. Back up and Windsor wins an exchange of running shoulders before armdragging her into a basement dropkick. Windsor ties the legs up and gets her modified Sharpshooter, sending Iida crawling to the rope.
Back up and Iida wins a battle over a suplex and starts firing off the chops in the corner. They trade the big forearms with Windsor getting the better of things until Iida collapses. A double clothesline leaves them both down and they get a breather. Iida is back up with a spinebuster, followed by a top rope shoulder for two. A Blue Thunder Bomb cuts Iida off and Windsor gets the Sharpshooter again, with Iida making the rope again. Windsor superkicks her down and hits Made In Japan to retain at 11:58.
Rating: B. This turned into a question of who could survive the exchange of big shots and that’s a great way to go. The match what you would want it to be and Windsor felt like she was in a fight. I got into this one well enough, as Windsor is carving out a rather nice place for herself in AEW and beyond.
Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander vs. Neo Genesis
That would be AZM/Mei Seira/Starlight Kid. Seira and Cameron start things off with Seira tripping her down for a running shot to the head. Genesis gets together for a triple dropkick but Cameron manages a quick belly to back suplex. Statlander and Nightingale hit some running splashes in the corner, followed by Statlander’s delayed vertical suplex to AZM. Nightingale is back in for the spinebuster and a near fall before dropping Cameron onto AZM for a splash.
AZM knees her way out of another Statlander suplex and a basement dropkick connects as everything breaks down. Kid knocks Statlander down for a standing moonsault before it’s back to Nightingale. A missed seated senton lets Kid bring Seira in to escape an Oklahoma Stampede. Seira sends Nightingale into the corner and a crucifix bomb brings her back down.
Back up and Nightingale gets in a knockdown of her own, allowing the tag off to Cameron to slug away. Everything breaks down again though and Cameron is caught in the wrong corner for a triple dropkick. Statlander is back in for the save and it’s time for the parade of kicks to the face. Nightingale throws Seira from the apron onto the pile at ringside, leaving Cameron to hit a Shining Wizard for two. AZM Canadian Destroyers Statlander and then rolls Cameron up for the pin at 12:33.
Rating: B. This got going and turned into a fast paced tag match that made for a rather fun main event. It makes sense to put a team known to American audiences in this spot, as it shows what the Stardom women can do. Cameron is fine as a choice to take the fall, though it was nice to see her back with Nightingale, even with a one off appearance.
Post match AZM gets the mic to thank the fans and say WE ARE STARDOM before the team leaves to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. Stardom’s shows from Wrestlemania Weekend have a tendency to feel more like previews rather than shows that make a big difference. They kept hyping up other things and bigger shows, which is fine, but it would be nice to see something that felt like it mattered here. Throw in the show only having five matches and needing an intermission to still be beneath two hours and it’s a very short show. The action is rather good, but it flies by and feels like a bonus show more than anything else. Still though, worth a look while it lasts.
Results
Cosmic Angels b. Brittnie Brooks/Saki – Spinning top rope splash to Brooks
Mina Shirakawa/Hanako/Maika b. Hazuki/Mi Vida Loca – Hammerlock Michinoku Driver to Suzuki
Athena b. Rina – Reverse Koji Clutch
Alex Windsor b. Saya Iida – Made In Japan
Neo Genesis b. Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander – Rollup to Cameron
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