It’s been a hot minute since I did a unit ranking for Stardom, and frankly, there’s a reason for it. So much has happened since the fall of last year that it took a while for the Stardom Units to find their footing!
There’s a new unit, two that are in shambles and one that is just as strong as it was last fall. So, without further rambling on and on, I will tell you how the units currently stack up to one another. Since this is a fresh start for the year, I will be resetting the rankings and starting them anew. For the record, I will not be including part-time or freelance units.
This is a ranking for the major, full-time Stardom Units;
Stardom Units: #7. Queen’s Quest
(Utami Hayashishita [L], Lady C, Hina, Miyu Amasaki, Saya Kamitani, AZM)
My oh my, how the mighty have fallen. Queen’s Quest was once the most dominant unit in Stardom. Thanks, in large part, to Momo Watanabe and Io Shirai. Looking at the Queen’s now, they are a shell of their former selves. Utami and Saya are at each other’s throats, AZM recently lost her coveted High-Speed Title and then Hina, Miyu and Lady are all floundering with no real direction at all. It’s a sad state of affairs for Queen’s Quest and frankly, I don’t see a way for them to get out of this funk. Unless Utami and Saya can patch up their differences, this spat could lead to the disintegration of this once-proud unit.
Stardom Units: #6. Donna del Mondo
(Giulia [L], Mai Sakurai, Thekla, Maika)
With the retirement of Himeka and the loss of the World of Stardom Championship, Giulia and the rest of Donna del Mondo find themselves in much the same situation as Queen’s Quest. The only real difference between the two is that there is no infighting between members. With Giulia losing the World of Stardom title to Tam Nakano, Himeka retiring and the lack of any real direction for DDM, it’s hard not to place them in a tie for worst unit for the spring. They did win the Artist of Stardom title from Natsupoi, Saori Anou and KAIRI but that win alone doesn’t save them from the abysmal spring that they had. DDM, like QQ, has a long way to go to be relevant again.
Stadom Units: #5. God’s Eye
(Syuri [L], Ami Sourei, Mirai, Tomoka Inaba {pt}, Konami {pt}, Nanami {pt} [not pictured Tomoka and Nanami])
Being as middle of the pack as is possible, God’s Eye comes in at Number 5 today. The unit is actually moving along strongly right now with Mirai and Ami Sourei being the Goddess Champions. Other than that though, this group of powerhouses is just middling around. Tomoka Inaba spends a lot of time with JTO, Syuri has been doing a lot of different things and then there’s even Nanami who hasn’t been around in a while. Hate to say it but something seriously needs to change if God’s Eye wants to gain the top spot at the end of the year again.
Stardom Units: #4. Club Venus
(Mina Shirakawa [L], Waka Tsukiyama, Xia Brookside {Not pictured}, Mariah May, Jessie, Xena)
Mina Shirakawa gives us our newest unit and they are already a powerhouse unit. Outside of Waka, the unit is really strong. Most are imports from outside of Japan, Xena, Jessie, Mariah May and Xia Brookside but they’ve all flocked to the former Wonder of Stardom champion Mina Shirakawa. If their momentum keeps up, and Waka can keep up her winning ways, then the sky is the limit for this fledgling unit. So far it seems like Mina is doing a good job of leading them, but time will tell if they have the staying power or not.
Stardom Units: #3. Cosmic Angels
(Tam Nakano [L], Natsupoi, Saori Anou)
Tam Nakano and the Cosmic Angels got hit with a string of really bad luck. They lost Mina Shirakawa and Waka Tsukiyama to the newly formed Club Venus, dropping their numbers down to just three. We’re not counting Color’s here either because they are all part timers and haven’t been around much. What keeps the Angels at number 4 is the fact that they all hold titles. Tam holds the World and Wonder of Stardom titles while Natsupoi and Saori Anou held the Artists belt with KAIRI. Nakano really needs to find a way to bolster their numbers or else the days of the Cosmic Angels will be numbered.
Stardom Units #2. STARS
(Mayu Iwatani [L], Hazuki, Koguma, Hanan, Saya Iida, Momo Kohgo)
STARS has been one of the more consistent units thus far in 2023. The only one of them holding a title right now is Mayu Iwatani, who is the rightful holder of the IWGP Women’s Championship. That said, STARS has had mostly consistent results and they aren’t falling victim to infighting or ego trips. Unlike Queen’s Quest and DDM, STARS is still going strong and there is really no slowing that down right now. If Mayu and company can keep this momentum going, they could top the unit ranking again soon.
Stadom Units: #1. Oedo Tai
(Natsuko Tora [L], Starlight Kid, Momo Watanabe, Rina, Saki Kashima, Ruaka, Fukigen Death)
Once again, Oedo Tai reigns supreme atop the unit rankings list. With SLK holding half of the New Blood Tag Titles, Rina holding the Future of Stardom title and Saki Kashima recently winning the High Speed Championship, Oedo Tai is holding a fair bit of gold and have momentum on their side.
Yes, they don’t really care about results, having the most losses of any group by far during their long and historied run, but you cannot deny that Oedo Tai is the powerhouse unit in Stardom right now. The other units have a long way to go if they want to top this group of rule-breaking misfits.