TJPW City Circuit '23 ~ Saki Akai Last TJPW Performance ~(3/11/23) Review
The Rookie Tournament Begins As Saki Akai Says Goodbye
Front Matter
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TJPW’s latest trip to Shinjuku was notable for two reasons. Firstly, it’s the start of the Next Gen tournament, as the 2023 rookie class commence their battle to determine who is the best of the bunch. However, as they begin their journey, we must say goodbye to someone ending theirs. It was the final TJPW appearance of Saki Akai, whose retirement is sadly drawing ever closer. Hey, at least a show bookended by beginnings and endings has a touch of poetry to it.
Before we got to the wrestling, Miyu Yamashita and Hikari Noa joined Namba in the ring for some announcements. First up was that Miyu will defend her title against Masha Slamovich at Ittenyon. If I’m honest, I would generally prefer that show to be headlined by two TJPW wrestlers, but if I can treat it like a Marvelous invasion, then I’m willing to go with it. Masha will also wrestle Hikari in a deathmatch two days later, which, in Hikari form, she is delighted about because it means there is a chance to bleed. That’s one I have no issue with.
HIMAWARI defeated Haru Kazashiro in the first round of the Next Generation Tournament
It’s probably not unfair to say that these first-round matches feel like a bit of a foregone conclusion. Haru and Runa have come a long way fast, but at their age, it’s vital to take your time and not force them to run before they’ve even left school. And yet, when Haru slipped into a European Clutch late in this match, I thought she’d done it. Not only did she nail the execution, but the timing of it screamed upset, and suddenly, the idea that she could sneak her way past HIMAWARI didn’t seem so wild.
Of course, that wasn’t what happened, but it does speak to how good a job these two did. There’s an obvious story here, with HIMAWARI having a clear power advantage, and they didn’t shy away from that. She was able to both dish out and take more damage, which, as the match went on, becoming one of the longer singles matches of either’s career, played a vital role in her victory. However, Haru never felt out of this. Even as sweat began to plaster her hair to her forehead and her swings grew more wild, you never felt like there was a chance she would give up. HIMAWARI would have to put her down to book her spot in the next round.
The Powerful Cheeky Chappy eventually did exactly that, and she deserves a lot of credit. HIMAWARI is such a ball of charisma that her in-ring talents sometimes go unremarked upon. However, you can already see her putting this all together, figuring out when best to deploy those power moves and establish herself as a wee hoss. On top of that, she’s making them her own, adding little flourishes as she spins people through the air. It’s what makes a match like this (which, when you break it all down, is still built on the basics) shine, and it’s what makes me excited for TJPW’s future.
Verdict: A Good Showing From Both
Toga defeated Runa Okubo in the first round of the Next Generation Tournament
There was a moment early in this match where Runa, having just taken Toga off her feet with a shoulder block, reeled away with a look of excitement on her face. It was the moment she realised she could win this match, and it fired her up. So much of being a rookie in Japan is about making a lot of a little, and with that look, coming after one of the simpler things you can do, Runa established this match-up as a contest.
And make no mistake about it, this was meat and potatoes stuff, even in comparison to the opener. Runa and Toga have figured out what they’re good at, and that’s hitting people hard, so while Haru and HIMAWARI was the smoother and cleaner piece of wrestling, these two were getting a lot out of hammering away at each other’s chests. It was a battle between two blunt, rookie weapons who were trying to find out who was the hardest, and while that’s a style that can grow old quickly, the short and sweet nature of this never allowed that to happen.
Much like the opener, it would be the older of the two that came out on top, and that’s probably the right call. However, having watched these two matches, the idea of Haru or Runa winning doesn’t seem that far-fetched. They both held their own and at the age of 15, with a handful of matches under their belts, that is no mean feat. There will be no tournament run for them, but they still made their mark.
Verdict: Two Blunt Weapons Collide
Miu Watanabe, Moka Miyamoto & Shino Suzuki defeated Mahiro Kiryu, Kaya Toribami & Wakana Uehara
After the fun of the rookie tournament, this tag felt like a return to the norm. That’s not a criticism (I enjoy TJPW undercard matches), but where the openers felt fresh and new, this was more of the same, as you can see a version of it on most TJPW shows.
It still had its moments, though. Shino and Wakana’s interactions had a touch of tension to them, as there is the possibility that those two could meet in the Next Gen final. I was also intrigued by Suzuki’s stretches with Kaya, as they seemed to have a few ideas that inched towards high speed wrestling. I’m not claiming they’ll get a call from Taiyo soon, but the pace picked up when they were together, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them get the opportunity to work on that.
Mostly, though, this was what you’d expect it to be, for better and worse. If you watch it, you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re short of time and looking to get to the important stuff, it’s one you can happily skip.
Verdict: Fine
Miyu Yamashita, Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta defeated Yuki Aino, Raku & Pom Harajuku
Look, you could probably repeat a lot of the criticisms I had of the last match for this one. The difference? The norm here included a big old portion of Raku, Pom and Aino nonsense, including them deciding to hunker down for a kip as their opponents made their entrance, and I’m a sucker for that stuff.
That wasn’t all it had. though. There were a couple of magic combinations here, one of which was watching Miyu and Free WiFi beat up Pom. For all that I love her, she is one of life’s great punching bags, and watching her cower away from Miyu’s kicks was a lot of fun. In the end, she resorted to screaming in Nao’s face to escape, which proved a surprisingly effective tactic. Elsewhere, Hikari and Aino are always a solid pairing, with the short time they had together leaving me wanting more. It’s an idea I already put forward in my All Rise review, but let’s give Yuki and Aniki a shot at the tag titles and see what they can do.
It all meant this was a step up from the last match, as that seam of TJPW madness running through the middle, plus a little bit of magic, brought the whole thing to life. I’m still not going to claim you desperately need to go out of your way to see it, but if the idea of a confused Miyu Yamashita dealing with three sleeping oddballs sounds like a good day to you, then it’s worth your time.
Verdict: A Good Time Was Had
The Magical Sugar Rabbits (Yuka Sakazaki & Mizuki) defeated Daisy Monkey (Suzume & Arisu Endo)
Much like the tournament matches, everyone knew how this would end. Yuka might put some people over on her way out, but it’s not going to be this early on, and it’s not going to be on a Friday evening show in Shinjuku where she isn’t the main attraction. I’m sure some of the usual suspects think Sakazaki should be getting pinned at every opportunity, but that’s why we block them on Twitter.
However, this did make me sad that we might never get that big title match showdown between a Daisy Monkey at the peak of their powers and MagiRabbi. It was more of a riff session, the two teams seeing what they could come up with as Yuka started the road towards getting back to full fitness, but there were hints at what that match could be. Early on, Yuka caught Suzume out of the air when Arisu popped her up, using her pure power to negate that particular offence. It forced Daisy Monkey to start getting inventive, working together to use their pace to find a way around Sakazaki’s strength and Mizuki’s casual cruelty. There were seeds here that, if they had the time, could become something special.
Sadly, it’s not to be, and this was more a chance for Yuka to stretch her legs, as she did a lot of the work on the MagiRabbi side of things. However, even a diminished version of this match is still a good thing, and I would prefer to have it than nothing at all. Plus, who knows, maybe when Arisu and Suzume get to the top, a returning Sakazaki can come and take those tag belts off them. That would be a fun day on Twitter.
Verdict: Good, But One Day It Could Be Better
Saki Akai’s Final TJPW Match
With Akai wrapping things up in TJPW, this will probably be the last time I review one of her matches, so I hope you can forgive me for hijacking it to make a few general points about her career.
I’ve seen a few people argue that Akai is one of the more over-rated wrestlers out there, and while I disagree with that, I do understand where it could come from. While I think she’s a good in-ring worker, she’s far from a generational talent, and if you’ve only dipped in and out of her matches, you’d probably come away thinking they were all a tad overhyped. However, that’s only part of the story. I tend to avoid breaking character-based kayfabe in these reviews because, well, it’s fun, but Akai’s ability goes beyond her talent between the ropes. Time after time, she’s shown a penchant for reinventing herself, whether as the imperious Sakisama or demonic lost relatives. She’s got a bit of a Midas touch with that stuff, and when you combine it with the fact that she has worked her arse off over the years to improve in-ring and keep up with the DDT roster, she’s an easy wrestler to fall in love with.
And judging by her retirement road, that’s not just true of fans. If there is one thing the last few months have made clear, it’s that Akai’s peers love her. Whether it’s the numerous gestures of love from the DDT roster, her invite to dinner at the Marvelous house or the fact that she’s picked up multiple titles since announcing her retirement, it seems there are no doubts among those working in wrestling about Saki’s talents. It’s certainly true of the TJPW roster, who collectively seem to view her as their incredibly cool big sister.
So it is no surprise that their goodbye was one that only a little sister could give, filled with sweet moments and an ambush that forced her into fighting the entire roster. It had everything, from a great tag match to the brief returns of Nodoka Tenma and Akane Miura to an emotional Misao telling Akai just how much she means to them all. It was beautiful and caring and as chaotic as you would want a Tokyo Joshi goodbye to be. They clearly adore her, and while she was never an official member of the roster, her influence on it is clear to see. If you’re going to leave a legacy behind, that’s a great one to have.
Verdict: I’ll Miss Her
Overall Show
Akai’s goodbye is the big story here, but it’s far from the only thing worth watching. We also had exciting rookie tournament matches, a fun nonsense tag and a cool little outing between Daisy Monkey and MagiRabbi. It all worked to elevate this above just another TJPW small show, and while there are some skippable moments, if you’re picking one to give your time to, this is probably your best bet.
Watch Tokyo Joshi Pro: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/en/videos?labels=-tjpw.