TJPW 10th Anniversary Show (1/12/23) Review
TJPW Celebrate Their Tenth Birthday In Style
Front Matter
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Ten years is a long time to do anything. When I look back at myself in 2013, it’s like looking at a different person who, sadly, alongside living on a diet of mainly Tennents, wasn’t watching TJPW. We can’t all be originals, though, and whether you’ve been here since day one or last week, let’s raise a glass to the company surviving into double figures. I love these weirdos, and they’re worth celebrating.
Kaya Toribami, Toga & Runa Okubo defeated Juria Nagano, Shino Suzuki & Haru Kazashiro
Technically, Juria Nagano was the senior member of her team. However, as an insight into how hard wrestlers on full-time schedules work, Haru and Shino have already almost wrestled twice as many matches as her. I know Nagano spent some time out injured, but that’s still impressive for two people who debuted earlier this year.
Talking of Shino, she’s destined to spend her career being bullied. Even at this early stage, she’s far too good at generating sympathy for it to go any other way, with even 15-year-old Runa getting in on the act. Of the current crop of youngsters, she’s arguably falling behind if you’re looking at it from a purely in-ring perspective, but she’s so naturally likeable that I don’t think it matters. Anyone who is that easy to root for will be just fine, and I can already imagine the reaction when she finally gets a win.
As for the match, it was a fun wee opener that worked as a showcase for the younger wrestlers. We got Runa doing twirly elbows, Juria booting Toribami mid-back handspring, Haru showing some pluck before being beaten into submission by Toga and more. As is often the case with these undercard tags, they’re trying to cram a lot in there, which doesn’t leave much space for subtlety. However, with the pace kept up and some of my favourite rookies to enjoy, that doesn’t bother me. It was a fun way to kick off this show.
Verdict: A Nice Opener
Yuki Aino & Raku defeated Hyper Misao & Mahiro Kiryu
I’d had one of those weeks (months, years, lives) when I watched this show, so I needed this match. Everyone involved was allowed to bring their favourite weapon, with the twist being that they were placed in boxes beforehand, forcing them to race to the ring to grab one. That meant Aino ended up with Misao’s spray, Raku with Kiryu’s apology sweets, Kiryu with Raku’s pillow and Misao with Aino’s Raku fan. Did you follow all of that? It’s probably not as complicated as I’ve made it sound.
Unsurprisingly, this quickly became an utter delight. There were revitalising snacks, ref bumps and an Aino and Raku firing-up spot that genuinely made me giggle like a child. Seriously, I don’t think you’ve known true joy until you’ve seen the two of them bounce up and down with excitement after being reunited with a pillow and a fan. I spend a lot of time thinking about the difference between good nonsense wrestling and bad, and when you break it all down, I always return to the need for a degree of earnestness. The greats take this stuff seriously, no matter how silly it might be. At that moment, Raku was genuinely delighted to have gotten her hands on a pillow, and if that’s not funny, what is?
I sometimes worry I’m in danger of getting too carried away about matches like this. Let’s not pretend I don’t have a tendency to get over-excited about things that make me smile, and I know plenty of people would watch this wee slice of silliness and hate every second of it. Then again, I can’t imagine many of those people bother to read my reviews, so it’s probably not worth losing any sleep over. For better or worse, I unashamedly adored this, and it was everything I needed it to be.
Verdict: So Much Fun
Wakana Uehara defeated HIMAWARI to win the NextGen Tournament
There is an art to making a match feel like it’s important. Part of that is out of the wrestlers’ hands, as much comes down to how the company presents and promotes the match in question, but great talent can transform the seemingly inconsequential into something with stakes. There’s no concrete formula to it, either. It’s one of those magical recipes that varies depending on the day and the room. To my pleasant surprise, it was something Wakana and HIMAWARI managed here. They did it with moments like HIMAWARI refusing to let go of an early hold or Wakana delivering little nasty stomps at every opportunity. There was an edge to their game that spoke to how much they wanted to win this tournament.
It also helps that if you put two rookies battling for something of substance in front of a Korakuen crowd, those fans will lap it up. The audience were hot for this, and it seemed to inspire the two performers in the ring to push a little bit harder. Wakana and HIMAWARI are very different wrestlers. Uehara feels like she swallowed the manual on how to do this, with everything from her meticulously planned entrance to the moves she performs feeling designed to present herself as a star. HIMAWARI is scrappier, armed with a streak of creativity and the impression that she makes it up as she goes along. Those differences make them natural opponents, as Wakana’s plans are confronted by a wee tank that loves to spin you around and throw you away.
It meant the match entered the final act feeling like it could go either way, especially as they started to tire, unused to working for this long with this much intensity. As they both struggled, Wakana’s studiousness paid off, as she could stay one step ahead of HIMAWARI, clinging on to a sleeper and forcing the submission. HIMAWARI’s chaos will take her far, but at this point in their careers, it can be outshone by someone who has an answer to every question. However, while Wakana took home the medal, I think it’s a safe bet that these two have bright futures ahead of them in TJPW, and I can’t wait to watch them play out.
Verdict: Fantastic Work From These Two
Yuki Kamifuku defeated Viva Van to retain the Queen of Asia Title
Kamiyu recently took a trip to Singapore, where she defeated Alexis Lee to get her hands on the Queen of Asia title. That suddenly meant this match had more than pride on the line, as Viva Van (the latest foreigner to do a TJPW tour that I know nothing about) got the chance to take home some bling.
And I’ve come out of my introduction to Van thinking she looked alright. There was some fancy footwork as she bounced around the ring, although it was also a tad awkward at times, as you could tell Kamiyu wasn’t always sure what she was planning to do. That said, to give them their credit, they did seem to hit a bit of a stride towards the end, waking Korakuen up as they went back and forth. I never bought into any teases of a title change (Van doing regular tours to Singapore seems unlikely), but they worked hard to try and make it feel like something could happen.
Unfortunately, I think this match ultimately suffered from the issues that most bouts involving mid-tier foreign talent do. Flying someone over, giving them a tag to warm up and then throwing them into a big singles match is a steep learning curve, and not everyone will instantly click. For every Max The Impaler, there are three who we never see again, and while I’m not quite ready to give up Van completely, she is no Max. If she sticks around for another month and gets to know everyone, there is every chance she and Kamiyu could have a banger. As it is, they felt like two people who weren’t on the same page yet, trying to find their way through ten minutes of action. It was fine, but they never managed to make anything more than that.
Verdict: Somewhat Forgettable
Free WiFi (Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta) defeated Max The Impaler & Pom Harajuku to retain the TJPW Tag Team Titles
Pom might still be terrified of her big pal, but having some muscle to back her up has also unleashed a bit of the devil in her. Suddenly, she has the freedom to be as annoying as possible, leading Free WiFi on a jolly chase through the crowd, wiggling her arse as she goes, safe in the knowledge that when they returned to ringside, Max would be there to make sure she didn’t face the consequences. Pom has always been a menace. But now she’s a menace with protection.
That was also the story of this match. When Free WiFi separated Pom from Max, they controlled the action. However, every time that muscle got in the ring, the momentum switched. Hikari, in particular, ate incredible amounts of shit here, letting Max throw her around with violent abandon. At one point, they were pressing Noa above their head, which, while humiliating, was at least more enjoyable than the part where they threw her away afterwards. There’s a reason Pom is getting cocky, and it’s because Max is a one-person wrecking ball who looked ready to smash their way through the tag champions singlehandedly.
And yet, it never felt like Noa and Nao were without hope. Max is terrifying, but they’re a monster, and monsters can be bauted. The key to success here was to dance around them and craft an opening to take them out, and that’s exactly what the champs did. One-on-one, they didn’t stand a chance, but together, they could chip Max down to size and shift Hikari into position to hit an incredible Blizzard Suplex on the Non-Binary Nightmare. It was a proper out-your-seat moment as she got Max over in one beautiful movement, wiping them out of the equation and leaving Kakuta free to put Pom down for good.
It was also damn good wrestling. This match delivered a little bit of everything, giving us Pom’s antics, Hikari’s bumping and the champions coming up with a tactic that paid off big time. It was a believable and intelligent way for Free WiFi to overcome the odds, and while I would have loved a world in which Pom was holding a title, I’m also happy to see Nao and Hikari get a bit longer with those belts around their waists.
Verdict: Brilliantly Done
Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, Shoko Nakajima, Rika Tatsumi & Mizuki defeated Miu Watanabe, Arisu Endo, Suzume, Yuki Arai & Moka Miyamoto in a two-out-of-three-falls match
At the start of this match, there was a clear contrast between the two teams. For the veterans, this was a chance to have fun, play some hits (Rika and Yuka squabbling over Mizuki) and celebrate the 10th birthday of something they played a pivotal part in creating. For the kids, it was a chance to make their mark. They knew this was a huge opportunity.
Then, Arisu Endo dared to pin Shoko, and the look of incredulity on some of those veterans’ faces suggested she might as well have walked in and slapped someone’s granny on Christmas Day. Even as part of a sprawling match like this, it was a huge moment for Endo, but it was also (to steal a footballing cliche) the dreaded too-early goal. Suddenly, her opponents were no longer out there pissing around but were determined to slap these little kids about and, in the process, remind them whose backs are carrying the weight of this place. TJPW have repeatedly run with the idea that those at the top of the card are clinging on to their spots, fighting off those below, and this match became symbolic of that.
It also fucking ruled. The youngsters were never in control, even when Arisu sprung her upset, but they were always niggling away at the edges, trying to squeeze their way into holes they weren’t welcome in. Or at least that was the case when Miu wasn’t in the ring, as when she got involved, it was more a barge than a squeeze. These damn kids were supposed to go out, play their part and get rolled over, but someone forgot to give them the script. They forced their opponents into taking this seriously, requiring them move up through the gears if they wanted to leave this anniversary extravaganza with a win.
The remainder of the match took this theme and ran with it, giving us Miu’s tanklike performance, the reprise of Daisy Monkey vs MagiRabbi and Arai again finding it in herself to be dragged up a level or two higher than she stands by herself. It was sprawling and chaotic but never messy, as they tied everything together beautifully and ensured it was always moving forward, pushing the narrative of the action towards the end even as little diversions played out. If I’m honest, I have no idea how to review the damn thing because there was so much going on that it is impossible to get it all down.
So, I’ll keep it simple. Watch this. Watch it, and if you’re one of those types, for once in your life, stop moaning that the slightly older people won and appreciate what they put together here. It could have been a mess. It probably should have been a mess. But they kept it in one piece, steering it home and creating something special in the process. That’s a hell of a way to celebrate your tenth birthday.
Verdict: Outstanding Work
Overall Show
The weakest match on this show was a solid ten-minute bout between two people who had only been in the ring together (as a team) once before. That’s not bad going. TJPW Korakuens are my happy place, so I rarely come out of them unsatisfied, but even by their high standards, this was fantastic. Go out of your way to see this one, kids. It’s worth the effort.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.