Triangle Derby I Explained

Triangle Derby I
Promotion:World Wonder Ring Stardom
Date:January 3 – March 4, 2023
City:Various
Finals: Tokyo, Japan
Venue:Finals: Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Attendance:Highest: Finals (1,919)
Liveevent:Y
Event:Triangle Derby
Lastevent:Dream Queendom 2
Nextevent:New Blood 7
Lastevent2:First
Nextevent2:2024

Triangle Derby I was the first annual round-robin six-woman tag team tournament event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom under the "Triangle Derby" branch. The event took place between January 3 and March 4, 2023, with limited attendance due in part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the time (until January 30). It also represented the first major event promoted by Stardom in 2023.[1]

Tournament history

The Triangle Derby is a professional wrestling tournament held annually by Stardom. It is currently disputed as a round-robin tournament with teams of three wrestlers split into two pools. Contrary to most round-robin style tournaments, teams from the same pool don't face each other. Instead, each team faces all teams from the opposite pool. Matches are fought with a 15-minute time limit. A win is worth two points and a draw is worth one point. The top two teams from each pool will advance to a final single-elimination bracket, consisting of semifinals and finals.

Storylines

The tournament featured professional wrestling matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[2] The event's official press conference took place on December 16, 2022, and was broadcast live on Stardom's YouTube channel.[3]

Participants

This is a list of participants including the champions during the event. The tournament featured fourteen teams formed by a total of forty-two wrestlers, divided into two distinctive blocks with the two highest placed teams of their respective blocks moving on to the semifinals.[4]

WrestlerUnitNotes
AZMQueen's QuestHigh Speed Champion
Ami SoureiGod's EyeFuture of Stardom Champion
GiuliaDonna Del MondoWorld of Stardom Champion
HananStars
Haruka UmesakiOedo TaiFreelancer
HazukiStars
HimekaDonna Del Mondo
Hiragi KurumiProminenceArtist of Stardom Champion
Winner
KogumaStars
Lady CQueen's Quest
Mai SakuraiDonna Del Mondo
MaikaDonna Del Mondo
Maika OzakiRebel X EnemyFreelancer
Mariah MayCosmic Angels/Club VenusOne of the mystery trio participants
Maya YukihiRebel X EnemyFreelancer
Mayu IwataniStars
Mina ShirakawaCosmic AngelsOne of the mystery trio participants
MiraiGod's Eye
Momo WatanabeOedo Tai
Nanae TakahashiNeo Stardom ArmyFreelancer
Natsuko ToraOedo Tai
NatsupoiCosmic AngelsGoddesses of Stardom Champion
Ram KaichoRebel X EnemyFreelancer
Rina AmikuraCosmic Angels/Color'sFreelancer
Risa SeraProminenceArtist of Stardom Champion
Winner
RuakaOedo Tai
SakiCosmic Angels/Color's
Saki KashimaOedo Tai
Saya KamitaniQueen's QuestWonder of Stardom Champion
Saya IidaStars
Starlight KidOedo Tai
Suzu SuzukiProminenceArtist of Stardom Champion
Winner
SyuriGod's Eye
Tam NakanoCosmic AngelsGoddesses of Stardom Champion
TheklaDonna Del Mondo
Utami HayashishitaQueen's Quest
Waka TsukiyamaCosmic Angels
Xia BrooksideCosmic Angels/Club VenusOne of the mystery trio participants
Yuko SakuraiCosmic Angels/Color'sFreelancer
Yuna MizumoriNeo Stardom ArmyFreelancer
YuuNeo Stardom ArmyFreelancer

Finals

Triangle Derby Finals
Promotion:World Wonder Ring Stardom
Date:March 4, 2023
City:Tokyo, Japan
Venue:Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Attendance:1,919[5]
Liveevent:Y
Lastevent:Stardom in Showcase vol.4
Nextevent:New Blood Premium

Event

The finals night took place on March 4, 2023. First three pre-show bouts were broadcast live on Stardom's YouTube channel. In the first of them, Rina picked up a victory over Queen's Quest's stablemates Miyu Amasaki and Hina in a three-way match. Next up, Utami Hayashishita and Lady C defeated Ram Kaicho and Maika Ozaki in tag team action. Next up, Maika, Thekla and Mai Sakurai picked up a victory over Mina Shirakawa, Mariah May and Waka Tsukiyama.[6] The first main card bout saw Oedo Tai's Natsuko Tora, Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima, Ruaka and Fukigen Death outmatching Stars members Mayu Iwatani, Koguma, Momo Kohgo, Hanan and Saya Iida in a Ten-woman tag team match. The fifth match of the night saw Syuri, Mirai and Ami Sourei outlasting Tam Nakano and Natsupoi and Saki in the Triangle Derby's first semifinal. Next up, Prominence (Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera and Hiragi Kurumi) defeated Neo Stardom Army's Nanae Takahashi, Yuu and Yuna Mizumori in the other semifinal. After the bout concluded, Suzuki announced they put their Artist of Stardom Championship on the line against Syuri, Mirai and Sourei in the Triangle finals. In the seventh bout, Chihiro Hashimoto defeated Himeka by submission in one of the latter's last matches before retirement. After the bout concluded, Hashimoto finally challenged Syuri to a match at All Star Grand Queendom on April 23, 2023. In the eighth bout, Saya Kamitani secured the fifteenth consecutive defense of the Wonder of Stardom Championship against Hazuki. She nominated Mina Shirakawa as her next opponent for All Star Dream Queendom on April 23. Next up, AZM defeated Starlight Kid to secure the tenth consecutive defense of the High Speed Championship, setting a record at the time. In the semi main event, Giulia drew with Maya Yukihi for the World of Stardom Championship as a result of a double count-out after they brought the fight outside the ring. After the bout concluded, Giulia received a title challenge from Tam Nakano for All Star Grand Queendom on April 23, 2023.[7] [8]

In the main event, Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera and Hiragi Kurumi defeated Syuri, Mirai and Ami Sourei to win the first edition of the Triangle Derby as well as retaining the Artist of Stardom Championship for the first time in that respective reign.[9] [10]

Results

Blocks

Stardom announced the official participants of the two blocks "Triangle Red" and "Triangle Blue" on December 16, 2022.[11]

Tora
Watanabe
Kashima
Iwatani
Hanan
Kohgo
Kaicho
Ozaki
Yukihi
(10:30)
Iwatani
Hanan
Kohgo
(11:15)
Hazuki
Koguma
Iida
(9:11)
Maika
Himeka
Lady C
(11:34)
Syuri
Mirai
Sourei
(11:17)
Suzuki
Sera
Kurumi
(12:24)
Tora
Watanabe
Kashima
(9:29)
Kid
Umesaki
Ruaka
Kid
Umesaki
Ruaka
(10:55)
Kid
Umesaki
Ruaka
(12:36)
Hazuki
Koguma
Iida
(9:03)
Kid
Umesaki
Ruaka
(9:12)
Syuri
Mirai
Sourei
(12:06)
Suzuki
Sera
Kurumi
(6:06)
Tora
Watanabe
Kashima
(9:41)
Giulia
Thekla
Sakurai
Kaicho
Ozaki
Yukihi
(14:38)
Giulia
Thekla
Sakurai
(9:05)
Giulia
Thekla
Sakurai
(12:37)
Giulia
Thekla
Sakurai
(11:50)
Syuri
Mirai
Sourei
(13:47)
Suzuki
Sera
Kurumi
(13:48)
Tora
Watanabe
Kashima
(12:25)
Hayashishita
Kamitani
AZM
Hayashishita
Kamitani
AZM
(13:41)
Hayashishita
Kamitani
AZM
(11:39)
Hazuki
Koguma
Iida
(10:17)
Hayashishita
Kamitani
AZM
(12:10)
Draw
(15:00)
Hayashishita
Kamitani
AZM
(13:18)
Tora
Watanabe
Kashima
(11:06)
Nakano
Natsupoi
Saki
Nakano
Natsupoi
Saki
(11:55)
Nakano
Natsupoi
Saki
(14:58)
Nakano
Natsupoi
Saki
(11:42)
Maika
Himeka
Lady C
(11:20)
Nakano
Natsupoi
Saki
(12:44)
Suzuki
Sera
Kurumi
(13:25)
Nakano
Natsupoi
Saki
(9:29)
Takahashi
Yuu
Mizumori
Kaicho
Ozaki
Yukihi
(13:11)
Takahashi
Yuu
Mizumori
(13:01)
Takahashi
Yuu
Mizumori
(8:50)
Takahashi
Yuu
Mizumori
(11:56)
Draw
(15:00)
Takahashi
Yuu
Mizumori
(13:21)
Takahashi
Yuu
Mizumori
(12:10)
Shirakawa
Brookside
May
Kaicho
Ozaki
Yukihi
(13:39)
Shirakawa
Brookside
May
(9:02)
Shirakawa
Brookside
May
(10:03)
Shirakawa
Brookside
May
(12:33)
Syuri
Mirai
Sourei
(13:36)
Suzuki
Sera
Kurumi
(11:47)
Shirakawa
Brookside
May
(11:30)

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: https://wwr-stardom.com/news/221216-2/. ja:【会見まとめ】新シリーズ・6人タッグの祭典『TRIANGLE DERBYI』記者会見!全14チーム42名の出場選手が決定!. stardom.com. World Wonder Ring Stardom. Japanese. December 16, 2022. December 17, 2022.
  2. Web site: How Pro Wrestling Works . Grabianowski . Ed . August 21, 2017 . . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131129050844/http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/pro-wrestling.htm . November 29, 2013 .
  3. Web site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY9r7KvkEjw. ja:【生配信】『 TRIANGLE DERBY I』記者会見. youtube.com. World Wonder Ring Stardom. Japanese. December 16, 2022. December 17, 2022.
  4. Web site: STARDOM Reveals Lineup For Triangle Derby I Trios League. fightful.com. Scott. Edwards. December 16, 2022. December 17, 2022.
  5. Web site: Stardom Triangle Derby I ~Championship Battle~. cagematch.net. Philip. Kreikenbohm. March 4, 2023. March 5, 2023.
  6. Web site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38-rYhXLpJ8. ja:【第0~1試合まで無料配信】3・4『TRIANGLE DERBY I~優勝決定戦~』東京・国立代々木競技場 第二体育館【#STARDOM】. youtube.com. World Wonder Ring Stardom. Japanese. March 4, 2023. March 4, 2023.
  7. Web site: STARDOM: Triangle Derby I Championship Battle Review – 3.4.23. monthlypuroresu.com. Trent. Breward. March 4, 2023. March 4, 2023.
  8. Web site: Resultados STARDOM Triangle Derby I (FINAL). turnheelwrestling.com. Pablo. Olmos. March 4, 2023. March 4, 2023.
  9. Web site: STARDOM Triangle Derby I Championship Battle Results (3/4/23): AZM vs. Starlight Kid. fightful.com. Scott. Edwards. March 4, 2023. March 4, 2023.
  10. Web site: Prominence Wins Inaugural Triangle Derby Tournament In STARDOM. wrestlinginc.com. Dylan. Murray. March 4, 2023. March 4, 2023.
  11. Web site: Stardom Triangle Derby Blocks, Lineup & Participants Announced. lastwordonsports.com. Alex. Richards. December 16, 2022. December 17, 2022.