Today it’s my absolute pleasure to introduce you all to one of my favourite wrestlers in Stardom. She’s the eternal rival to AZM, and there isn’t much the world actually knows about her outside of her ring name and what she’s done for Stardom since her debut. That woman is the high-flying luchadora, the enmascarada, the first woman to wear her mask full time in Stardom, Starlight Kid.
Kid’s real name is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Japan where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans. She’s 4’11” tall, but her size doesn’t limit her or put her as the underdog. Instead, she uses it and her Lucha training to be an elusive and quick wrestler. She’s also a former Future of Stardom Champion, and in my opinion, she -is- the future of Stardom. Let’s look at the career, thus far, of Kid.
Kid debuted on October 11, 2015, losing to Kaori Yoneyama and Momo Watanabe in a Three-way match. In November 2015 she competed in his first major Stardom tournament, teaming up with Hiromi Mimura to compete in the 2015 Goddesses of Stardom Tournament. The team lost in the first round to Momo Watanabe and Datura. After that, she would team with Miura very often.
On April 29, 2016, at the Cinderella Tournament, she participated in a dark match, teaming with Eimi Nishina in a defeat to Yoneyama and Azumi. On May 15, she was involved in the opening 6-person tag match, which resulted in a win for her team. On May 29, she was the opponent in Kris Wolf’s return match. On June 16, she was involved in another opening 6-person tag match, where her team was defeated by the team of Yoneyama, Azumi and Alex Lee.
Kid spent most of her matches losing to other, more experienced wrestlers, which would help put over other wrestlers while at the same time give Kid some in-ring, televised, experience.
In 2017 Kid was revealed in an interview for the weekly pro wrestling magazine that she would be taking a break for a long time to focus on her studies. On June 11, 2017, at Shining Stars, she returned to Stardom for the first time in about a year, partnering with Hetzza in a defeat to AZM and Ruaka. The weekly professional wrestling magazine revealed that it was a long-term absence due to studying for exams. On January 3, 2018, She returned to the ring teaming with Konami losing to Miranda and Xia Brookside. In March 2018, she would participate in the tournament for the inaugural Future of Stardom Championship where she defeated Hanan in the first round and then she would defeat Shiki Shibusawa in the tournament final to become the inaugural Future of Stardom Championship.
On April 15, 2018, During Stardom Draft Kid would form a stable with Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Shiki Shibusawa, Natsumi and Tam Nakano after she Oedo Tai with Nakano as their fifth pick with stable being later named STARS. From October 23 until November 4, Kid and Natsumi took part in the Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League, finishing the tournament with a record of two wins and two losses and one draw, failing to advance to the finals of the tournament. On May 27, at Shining Stars, her first singles match with Io Shirai ended in defeat, but it was highly praised by the audience. Post-match, AZM challenged her for the title, and on June 3 at Queen’s Fes In Sapporo, the match went to a time-limit draw. On January 3, 2019, at New Years Stars, she was defeated by Utami Hayashishita, ending her reign at 281 days.
On June 12, 2021, Kid left STARS after she, Koguma, Hanan, Iwatani and Rin Kadokura lost to Oedo Tai (Natsuko Tora, Konami, Fukigen Death, Ruaka and Saki Kashima) in a Ten-Woman Elimination Tag Team match where the winner had to pick a member from the opposite unit with Oedo Tai picking Kid after Kid was eliminated in the end. At Yokohama Dream Cinderella in Summer, Kid rebranded her outfit to fit Oedo Tai’s colours wearing a black and purple outfit and mask, Kid also challenged Tam Nakano for the Wonder of Stardom Championship.
- Awards won: Stardom Best Technique Award (2018)
- Championships: 1x Future of Stardom Championship
Notable Matches to date (Outside of every match against AZM):
- December 6th, 2015 vs. Jungle Kyona
- March 28th, 2018 vs. Shiki Shibusawa (title win)
- August 5th, 2018 with Shiki Shibusawa and Tam Nakano vs. JAN (title challenge)
- September 1st, 2018 with Tam Nakano vs. Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima (title challenge)
- January 6th, 2019 vs. Hazuki (title challenge)
- February 10th, 2019 vs Hana Kimura
- May 5th, 2019 vs. Hazuki (title challenge)
- August 10th, 2019 vs. Death Yama-san vs. Riho (title challenge)
- December 14th, 2019 with Riho vs. Jungle Kyona and Konami (title challenge)
Thank you for going with me on a journey through Kid’s career thus far. But now, it’s time folks. Here are the five dream matches/feuds that I have for Starlight Kid!
5. Hikaru Shida – All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
My first dream match for Starlight Kid is the longest-reigning AEW Women’s Champion and former member of the Ice Ribbon promotion, Hikaru Shida. Shida is one of the best wrestlers in the world, regardless of gender, and she has had matches against a long list of the who’s who in her short career thus far. A definite contrast of styles, this would be a really fun feud due to just how good each woman is in the ring. Size and strength advantage to Shida but the speed and aerial ability definitely goes to Kid. Shida was a workhorse during the pandemic era and honestly, there isn’t another woman in AEW that I’d rather see Kid go up against than Shida.
4. Yuka Sakazaki – TJPW/AEW
Kid was my number one dream match for Yuka Sakazaki in my previous article, however, for Kid, Sakazaki comes in at number four. Yuka Sakazaki is one of the best wrestlers that Tokyo Joshi has to offer and is currently on an excursion to the US for a tour with AEW. What makes this a unique matchup for me is that Yuka can match Kid for speed and aerial ability, but she also has a good mat and striking skills. Some may find her gimmick silly, but I find it endearing in a world where gimmicks can be just too serious or downright idiotic. I’d take Kid over Sakazaki, but it would be a very competitive match that fans should love.
3. Io Shirai – NXT
Yes, I am well aware that Io Shirai and Starlight Kid have already gone face to face in Stardom. But Kid has never faced the current version of Shirai. The Joshi Judas has established herself as the best female wrestler on the planet and has evolved considerably since her time in Stardom. The former NXT Women’s Champion and current Tag Champ is a stiff test for any opponent on any roster and let’s face it, both Kid and Shirai have improved a lot since their first meeting. This is a rematch that needs to happen and I hope it happens sooner rather than later.
2. Bayley – Smackdown
Next up is the longest-reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion, the Role Model Bayley. I know Bayley is currently sidelined for at least nine months with injury, but this is still a dream match for me that I wish could happen. Bayley has been a workhorse for WWE during the pandemic era. She’d become one of the companies best heels, annoying yes, but still one of the best. Bayley is, arguably, the best of the four horsewomen of WWE and that includes Charlotte, Sasha and Becky. This is another contrast of styles but I believe Bayley and Kid could put on a show that rivals matches as great as Utami Hayashishita vs Syuri was. Believe it or not, Bayley can elevate anyone to another level and that is someone as young as Starlight Kid should get a chance to tangle with.
1. Kairi Hōjō (aka Kairi Sane) – WWE
Who wins my dream match for Starlight Kid? It’s none other than the Pirate Princess herself, Kairi Sane. Kairi is currently working as an ambassador and trainer for WWE in Japan and her in-ring career may be over, but singles match between Kairi and Kid would be absolutely insane. Kairi was once considered one of the best female wrestlers on the planet, essentially a tie between herself, Mayu Iwatani and Io Shirai. She had an amazing career in Stardom and a, rather, disappointing main roster run with WWE but the Princess was every bit as good in-ring and character-wise as she was in Stardom. WWE just never really gave her a chance to show the world what she was truly capable of. If we get the chance to see Kairi Hojo and Starlight Kid in a Stardom ring, I may just die and go to heaven. This is a dream match I’ve had for years and I really hope someday to see it become a reality.
